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Mario Kart Wii (stylized as MARIOKART Wii and often abbreviated as MKW and MKWii) is a Mario kart-racing video game by Nintendo for the Wii console. It's the sixth installment in the Mario Kart series and the fourth for a home console. The game was released on April 10, 2008 in Japan, Europe a day later, 2 weeks later in Australia, April 27, 2008 in the US and April 30, 2009 in South Korea. The game is packaged with the Wii Wheel accessory which is designed to house the Wii Remote to allow more intuitive and conventional steering, while the Wii Classic Controller, Nunchuck, and the Nintendo GameCube controller are also supported.

Mario Kart Wii contains 16 brand-new tracks and 16 returning tracks, as well as containing 26 playable characters in the game. It introduces new items, twelve racers per race/battle, Tricks, Half-pipes, Coin Runners, and Bikes. Mario Kart Wii is the second game in the series to support online multiplayer via the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection (discontinued on May 20, 2014), with significant improvements in comparison to Mario Kart DS.

Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection was terminated by Nintendo starting on May 20, 2014, disabling access to online via this network. However, via a custom unofficial fan-made server known as "Wiimmfi", online can still be accessed as of September 2023.[1]

How_to_play_Wii_games_online_after_WFC_shutdown!_Tutorial_on_various_Wiimmfi_patchers!

How to play Wii games online after WFC shutdown! Tutorial on various Wiimmfi patchers!

Mario Kart Wii HD

Mario Kart Wii was not released in China back in 2008/2009. However, at ChinaJoy exhibition on August 2, 2018, Nvidia revealed that Mario Kart Wii would be released on the Nvidia Shield. New features include the game running at 1080p and allowing for 12 player racing online. Finally, Nintendo will be opening the NFC in China.

Gameplay

038

Mario racing on Mario Circuit.

Mario Kart Wii returns the franchise to single driver gameplay, moving away from the approach of its console predecessor, Mario Kart: Double Dash!! on the GameCube. Like Mario Kart DS, the game contains sixteen new tracks, while also bringing back sixteen retro tracks with new features and design changes.

Introduced in this game, Aerial tricks can now be performed by shaking the Wii remote in a specific direction (or usage of the d-pad for other controllers) when approaching the edge of a ramp/incline, allowing the character to receive a small speed boost when they land. The game also introduces Half-pipes on select Wii tracks and Retro tracks, for performing tricks and getting a speed boost. The Spin Turn technique from Mario Kart 64 has returned.

In addition to Karts, Mario Kart Wii introduces a new vehicle type: Bikes. Bikes are harder to handle and cannot perform Super Mini-Turbos, but they can perform wheelies, giving racers a rather long boost in speed and an advantage in courses without many sharp turns.

Mario Kart Wii has introduced the current drifting mechanic, where sparks now appear as the kart or bike drifts for a certain amount of time before letting go. Also, the game introduces a new type of drifting that is exclusive to some bikes, which is known as Inside Drifting. Unlike outside drifting, where the vehicle initially swings outwards before curving inwards in a circular path, inside drifting allows the vehicle to immediately begin turning inwards without first swinging outwards. As a result, inside drifting bikes can take turns much more tightly, and it is possible to disable the drift and instead take advantage of a wheelie. This is independent on the drift stat, where inside drifting bikes with low drift will struggle to turn sharp corners.

Game Modes

Grand Prix

In Grand Prix mode, twelve racers compete for first place in one of 8 cups comprised of four races each. Racers are awarded with points based on their placements at the end of races, and the racer with the most points at the end wins. Depending on the Engine Class, a vehicle type is restricted for use in that Engine Class by default except for 150cc, where these restrictions are lifted. This mode cannot be played in multiplayer.

At the start, only the first two Wii Cups, which are Mushroom Cup and the Flower Cup, and the first two Retro Cups, which are the Shell Cup and the Banana Cup, are available. Placing high in all available Wii Cups unlocks the next Wii Cup and placing high in all available Retro Cups unlocks the next Retro Cup for that Engine Class.

Winning the Star Cup, Special Cup, Leaf Cup and Lightning Cup for the first time in an Engine Class or earning at least a 1-Star Rank on all Wii Cups or Retro Cups in an Engine Class will help to unlock new characters and vehicles.

Engine Classes
Class Allowed Vehicles Unlocking Criteria
50cc Karts Only Free
100cc Bikes Only
150cc Karts and Bikes
Mirror (150cc) Win all cups in 150cc.
Note 1: For higher Engine Classes, vehicles drive faster and CPUs are smarter.
Note 2: The restricted vehicle type by default in 50cc and 100cc can be unlocked for that engine class if all the cups in that engine class are won.


After the end of a race, points are awarded to racers depending on their position:

Point System
Finishing Places Points Received
1st 15
2nd 12
3rd 10
4th 8
5th 7
6th 6
7th 5
8th 4
9th 3
10th 2
11th 1
12th 0


At the end of a Grand Prix, and Award Ceremony will take place at Mario Circuit with the top 3 racers overall on the podium. These skilled racers will receive a trophy for that cup. If the player wins the Grand Prix, they may also receive a star rating, based on how well they did:

Grand Prix Star System
ā­ļø ā­ļøā­ļø ā­ļøā­ļøā­ļø
54-55 Points 57 Points 60 Points
Note: Getting hit too much, falling off the track and staying in 9th-12th for too long may decrease your Star Rank.

If the player fails to finish in the top 3 overall, they will stop on top of a hill on their kart, and the screen will say "Better Luck Next Time!".


Time Trials

Maxresdefault (2)

Funky Kong doing a time trial on Koopa Cape.

Exclusive in single-player, Time Trials allow players to race for the best time possible, either on their own or against a ghost. Each track has a Normal and an Expert Staff Ghost which use the same character for each type of staff ghost in a track, where the Expert Staff Ghost must be unlocked by beating the Normal Staff Ghost by a certain amount of time. This mode uses the 150cc engine class.

Completing Time Trials on different tracks and unlocking their Expert Staff Ghosts will help to unlock new characters and vehicles.

For this game's staff ghosts, see Staff Ghosts.

VS Race

VS Race allows racers to race with their own custom rules. It is not restricted to a specific cup, so racers can pick any course. They can also adjust the Engine Class, whether there are Teams or not and the number of races. VS Race can be played alone with up to four people locally at one time. Gameplay is very similar to Grand Prix, except that the names of nearby racers will be displayed.

An Award Ceremony will also take place at the end of a VS Race, and in team mode, the winning team will be shown on a differently-styled podium, which also applies to Battle Mode.

Battle Mode

Coin Runners

4 Players competing in a game of Coin Runners at Thwomp Desert.

Battle Mode allows racers to battle against their opponents with their own custom rules, where they can pick one of ten Battle Stages. However, only the Standard Kart and Standard Bike can be used in this mode, with the color of the vehicle depending on the selected team. Also, racers are split into two teams: The "Red Team" and the "Blue Team".

There are two different game modes for Battle: Balloon Battle and a new game mode, Coin Runners. In Balloon Battle, racers use items to pop opponents' balloons or steal them in order to score points. In Coin Runners, racers attempt to collect as many coins as possible, while using items to make opponents lose their coins or steal coins from them.


Online

Originally from Mario Kart DS, online mode returns, allowing up to 12 players to race and battle simultaneously over the internet via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. This game introduces the "VR" point system, a score based on a player's wins and losses during online play. There was also a "Mario Kart Channel", which allowed players to check rankings for Time Trials and Tournaments as well as race ghosts submitted by other racers through WiiConnect24. However, both WiiConnect24 and Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection were terminated on May 20, 2014 as Gamespy's servers were shutting down, later being replaced by Nintendo Network. Now, the only way to access online is to change your Wii's primary DNS to Wimmfi's DNS, or download the Wiimmfi patcher.

Racers

Overall, there are 26 playable racers in Mario Kart Wii, including returning and introduced characters from the Mario (series) and 2 Outfits for Miis, who make their Mario Kart debut in this game.

Each non-Mii racer is put into one of three size classes: Small, Medium and Large, while Miis can be in any size class according to their height and weight. Normally, Small racers have great handling but they are slower and are easily pushed around, Medium racers have average stats, and large racers are faster and are able to push lighter racers around at the cost of bad handling and acceleration. This results is a well balanced character offering that leaves each character/kart combination with benefits and drawbacks.

Depending on the racer's size class, they can only drive in the karts and bikes in their size class.

Note: CPUs won't play as racers that aren't unlocked yet and Miis.

Default

There are 12 characters that are available from the start: 4 Small, 4 Medium and 4 Large.

Small
Baby Mario Baby Peach ToadIcon-MK7 KoopaTroopaIcon-MK7
Baby Mario Baby Peach Toad Koopa Troopa
New
Medium
MarioIcon-MK7 LuigiIcon-MK7 PeachIcon-MK7 YoshiIcon-MK7
Mario Luigi Peach Yoshi
Large
WarioIcon-MK7 Waluigi DonkeyKongIcon-MK7 BowserIcon-MK7
Wario Waluigi Donkey Kong Bowser

Unlockable

There are 14 Unlockable racers, consisting of both Mii Outfits as well as 4 Small, 4 Medium and 4 Large racers.

Small
Baby Luigi Baby Daisy Toadette Dry Bones
Baby Luigi Baby Daisy Toadette Dry Bones
New
Medium
DaisyIcon-MK7 Birdo Diddy Kong Bowser Jr.
Daisy Birdo Diddy Kong Bowser Jr.
Large
King Boo RosalinaIcon-MK7 Funky Kong-1 Dry Bowser
King Boo Rosalina Funky Kong Dry Bowser
New
New
New
Any
Mii Outfit 1 Mii Outfit 2
Mii Outfit A Mii Outfit B
New
New

Unlocking Criteria

Unlockable Characters can be unlocked by completing only one of at least two ways: The first of which is to either win a specific cup on a specific engine class, earning at least a 1-Star Rank on all Wii Cups or Retro Cups in a specific engine class, Completing Time Trials on Tracks or unlocking their Expert Staff Ghosts; the second is to play a number of races, and the third is to receive a number of WFC wins. However, Rosalina can be unlocked quicker if one has a Super Mario Galaxy save file.

Unlocking Criteria
Racer Criteria
Baby Luigi Unlock 8 Expert Staff Ghosts in Time Trials.
Play 3,150 races.
Receive 100 WFC wins.
Baby Daisy Earn at least a 1-Star Rank on all 50cc Wii Cups.
Play 1,950 races.
Toadette Complete Time Trials on all 32 Tracks.
Play 2,550 races.
Dry Bones Win the 100cc Leaf Cup.
Play 1,050 races.
Daisy Win the 150cc Special Cup.
Play 2,850 races.
Birdo Complete Time Trials on 16 different Tracks.
Play 1,350 races.
Receive 250 WFC wins.
Diddy Kong Win the 50cc Lightning Cup.
Play 450 races.
Bowser Jr. Earn at least a 1-Star Rank on all 100cc Retro Cups.
Play 3,450 races.
King Boo Win the 50cc Star Cup.
Play 750 races.
Rosalina Earn at least a 1-Star Rank on all Cups in Mirror Mode.
Play 50 races with a Super Mario Galaxy save file.
Play 4,900 races.
Funky Kong Unlock 4 Expert Staff Ghosts in Time Trials.
Play 2,250 races.
Receive 25 WFC wins.
Dry Bowser Earn at least a 1-Star Rank on all 150cc Wii Cups.
Play 4,350 races.
Mii Outfit A Win the 100cc Special Cup.
Play 1,650 races.
Mii Outfit B Unlock all 32 Expert Staff Ghosts in Time Trials.
Play 5,100 races.
Receive 5,000 WFC wins.

Vehicles

Mario Kart Wii has 36 vehicles: 18 Karts and 18 Bikes, each divided into three size classes. 6 karts and 6 bikes are available to each size class, while 3 karts and 3 bikes are available for each size class to begin with.

Note: CPUs won't use vehicles that aren't unlocked yet.

Karts

Small
Default Unlockable
Standard Kart S (Baby Mario) Model Booster Seat (Baby Peach) Model Mini Beast (Dry Bones) Model Cheep Charger (Baby Mario) Model Tiny Titan (Baby Mario) Model Blue Falcon (Baby Mario) Model
Standard Kart S Booster Seat Mini Beast Cheep Charger Tiny Titan Blue Falcon
Baby Booster Concerto Rally Romper
Medium
Default Unlockable
Standard Kart M (Mario) Model Classic Dragster (Diddy Kong) Model Wild Wing (Mario) Model Super Blooper (Yoshi) Model Daytripper (Peach) Model Sprinter (Luigi) Model
Standard Kart M Classic Dragster Wild Wing Super Blooper Daytripper Sprinter
Nostalgia 1 Turbo Blooper Royal Racer B Dasher Mk. 2
Large
Default Unlockable
Standard Kart L (Wario) Model Offroader (Donkey Kong) Model Flame Flyer (Waluigi) Model Piranha Prowler (Funky Kong) Model Jetsetter (Rosalina) Model Honeycoupe (Rosalina) Model
Standard Kart L Offroader Flame Flyer Piranha Prowler Jetsetter Honeycoupe
Aero Glider Dragonetti

Bikes

Note: Bikes marked with a "*" are inside drifting bikes.
Small
Default Unlockable
Standard Bike S (Baby Mario) Model Bullet Bike (Dry Bones) Model Bit Bike (Koopa Troopa) Model Quacker (Toad) Model Magikruiser (Baby Mario) Model Jet Bubble (Toadette) Model
Standard Bike S Bullet Bike* Bit Bike Quacker* Magikruiser* Jet Bubble*
Nanobike Bubble Bike
Medium
Default Unlockable
Standard Bike M (Mario) Model Mach Bike (Daisy) Model Sugarscoot (Birdo) Model Zip Zip (Diddy Kong) Model Sneakster (Bowser Jr) Model Dolphin Dasher (Mario) Model
Standard Bike M Mach Bike* Sugarscoot Zip Zip Sneakster* Dolphin Dasher*
Bon Bon Rapide Nitrocycle
Large
Default Unlockable
Standard Bike L (Wario) Model Flame Runner (Bowser) Model Wario Bike (Wario) Model Shooting Star (Rosalina) Model Spear (Dry Bowser) Model Phantom (King Boo) Model
Standard Bike L Flame Runner* Wario Bike Shooting Star Spear* Phantom
Bowser Bike Twinkle Star Torpedo

Unlocking Criteria

Karts and Bikes can be unlocked similarly to unlocking characters, but the conditions are different. Don't forget that only one condition needs to be completed to unlock the vehicle.

Unlocking Criteria
Vehicle Criteria
Cheep Charger Earn at least a 1-Star Rank on all 50cc Retro Cups.
Play 1,800 races.
Tiny Titan Unlock 1 Expert Staff Ghost in Time Trials.
Complete Time Trials on 4 different Tracks.
Play 1,200 races.
Receive 50 WFC wins.
Blue Falcon Win the Mirror Lightning Cup.
Play 4,200 races.
Super Blooper Win the 50cc Leaf Cup.
Play 300 races.
Daytripper Win the 150cc Leaf Cup.
Play 2,700 races.
Sprinter Unlock 24 Expert Staff Ghosts in Time Trials.
Play 4,650 races.
Receive 3,000 WFC wins.
Piranha Prowler Win the 50cc Special Cup.
Play 600 races.
Jetsetter Earn at least a 1-Star Rank on all 150cc Retro Cups.
Play 4,500 races.
Honeycoupe Win the 150cc Lightning Cup.
Play 3,000 races.
Quacker Win the 150cc Star Cup.
Play 2,400 races.
Magikruiser Complete Time Trials on 8 different Tracks.
Play 900 races.
Jet Bubble Win the Mirror Leaf Cup.
Play 3,900 races.
Zip Zip Win the 100cc Lightning Cup.
Play 2,100 races.
Sneakster Earn at least a 1-Star Rank on all 100cc Retro Cups.
Play 3,300 races.
Dolphin Dasher Win the Mirror Star Cup.
Play 3,750 races.
Shooting Star Win the 100cc Star Cup.
Play 1,500 races.
Spear Unlock 12 Expert Staff Ghosts in Time Trials.
Play 3,600 races.
Receive 200 WFC wins.
Phantom Win the Mirror Special Cup.
Play 4,050 races.

Statistics

There are seven different stats in Mario Kart Wii, which are variant to the character and vehicle:

  • Speed: How high the top speed of the vehicle is, though it doesn't affect off-road travel. This is arguably the most important stat. It contrasts acceleration.
  • Weight: How heavy a vehicle is. Heavier vehicles can push around lighter vehicles by ramming them. Weight also affects the angle at which the vehicle goes over a jump, with heavier vehicles bouncing less upon landing and jumping at a lower angle.
  • Acceleration: How quickly a vehicle achieves its top speed from a non-moving position. It contrasts speed.
  • Handling: How tight vehicles can normally turn. This is arguably the least important stat. It usually opposes drift.
  • Drift: How tight the vehicle turns while drifting. It usually opposes handling.
  • Off-Road: How much speed a vehicle retains when going off-road.
  • Mini-Turbo: The length of mini-turbos.

Character Stats

Every character has one or more hidden statistic boost(s):

Stats for each Racer
Weight Character Speed Weight Acceleration Handling Drift Off-Road Mini-Turbo
Small Baby Mario +8 +6
Small Baby Luigi +5 +8
Small Baby Peach +3 +6 +3 +3
Small Baby Daisy +5 +6 +3
Small Toad +6 +6
Small Toadette +3 +6
Small Koopa Troopa +3 +6
Small Dry Bones +3 +3 +6
Small Small Mii +3 +3 +3 +3
Medium Mario +6 +2 +2 +3
Medium Luigi +2 +6
Medium Peach +2 +5 +6
Medium Daisy +4 +2 +3
Medium Yoshi +3 +3 +6
Medium Birdo +3 +3 +5
Medium Diddy Kong +3 +3 +5
Medium Bowser Jr. +3 +3
Medium Medium Mii +3 +3 +3 +3
Large Wario +3 +3 +6
Large Waluigi +6 +5 +3
Large Donkey Kong +3 +2 +2 +3
Large Bowser +2 +5 +3
Large King Boo +5 +3
Large Rosalina +3 +3 +3
Large Funky Kong +4 +3
Large Dry Bowser +6 +6
Large Large Mii +3 +3 +3 +3 +3

Vehicle Stats

Stats for each Vehicle
Weight Class Vehicle Speed Weight Acceleration Handling Drift Off-Road Mini-Turbo Total
Small Kart Standard Kart S 41 29 48 48 51 40 45 302
Small Kart Booster Seat 27 27 56 64 37 54 59 324
Small Kart Mini Beast 55 32 29 32 64 27 64 303
Small Kart Cheep Charger 34 24 64 56 59 45 54 336
Small Kart Tiny Titan 46 35 43 43 29 64 40 300
Small Kart Blue Falcon 60 29 35 29 43 24 29 249
Small Bike Standard Bike S 39 21 51 51 54 43 48 307
Small Bike Bullet Bike 53 24 32 35 67 29 67 307
Small Bike Bit Bike 25 18 59 67 40 56 62 327
Small Bike Quacker 32 17 67 60 62 48 57 343
Small Bike Magikruiser 43 24 45 45 32 67 43 299
Small Bike Jet Bubble 48 27 40 40 45 35 37 272
Medium Kart Standard Kart M 46 45 40 43 45 35 40 294
Medium Kart Classic Dragster 37 43 59 54 54 40 51 338
Medium Kart Wild Wing 57 51 21 29 59 24 59 300
Medium Kart Super Blooper 50 40 35 37 21 54 35 272
Medium Kart Daytripper 34 45 51 59 32 48 54 323
Medium Kart Sprinter 64 48 27 24 37 21 24 245
Medium Bike Standard Bike M 43 37 43 45 48 37 43 296
Medium Bike Mach Bike 55 37 24 32 62 27 62 299
Medium Bike Sugarscoot 32 32 54 62 35 51 56 322
Medium Bike Zip Zip 41 35 45 51 29 62 45 308
Medium Bike Sneakster 62 40 29 27 40 24 27 249
Medium Bike Dolphin Dasher 48 43 37 40 24 56 37 285
Large Kart Standard Kart L 48 59 37 40 40 35 35 294
Large Kart Offroader 39 64 48 54 18 43 45 311
Large Kart Flame Flyer 62 59 16 21 48 18 48 272
Large Kart Piranha Prowler 55 67 29 35 35 29 27 277
Large Kart Jetsetter 69 56 21 17 27 16 16 222
Large Kart Honeycoupe 53 62 27 29 56 24 56 307
Large Bike Standard Bike L 46 54 40 43 43 37 37 300
Large Bike Flame Runner 60 54 18 24 51 21 51 279
Large Bike Wario Bike 37 59 51 56 21 45 48 317
Large Bike Shooting Star 50 48 29 32 59 27 59 304
Large Bike Spear 67 56 24 18 29 18 18 230
Large Bike Phantom 43 51 43 48 17 56 40 298

Courses

Mario Kart Wii includes a total of 32 race tracks and 10 Battle Courses. Both sets are split equally between brand new Wii content and remastered Retro tracks. An additional new battle arena called Galaxy Colosseum was exclusive to Nintendo tournaments.

Wii tracks

Mushroom - Mario Kart Wii
Mushroom Cup
Fire Flower - Mario Kart Wii
Flower Cup
Starman - Mario Kart Wii
Star Cup
Special Crown - Mario Kart Wii
Special Cup
Luigi Circuit Mario Circuit Daisy Circuitpic Dry Dry Ruins Image MKWii
Luigi Circuit Mario Circuit Daisy Circuit
Also in Mario Kart Tour and Mario Kart 8 DeluxeTemplate:If empty
Dry Dry Ruins
Also in Mario Kart Tour
030 Coconutmall Koopa Cape MKWii main image MoonviewHighway-MKW
Moo Moo Meadows
Also in Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Coconut Mall
Also in Mario Kart 7, Mario Kart 8 DeluxeTemplate:If empty and Mario Kart Tour
Koopa Cape
Also in Mario Kart 7, Mario Kart Tour and Mario Kart 8 DeluxeTemplate:If empty
Moonview Highway
Also in Mario Kart Tour and Mario Kart 8 DeluxeTemplate:If empty
021 DK Summit Main Image MKWii Maple Treeway Bowser's Castle
Mushroom Gorge
Also in Mario Kart 7, Mario Kart Tour and Mario Kart 8 DeluxeTemplate:If empty
DK Summit
DK's Snowboard Cross
Also in Mario Kart Tour and Mario Kart 8 DeluxeTemplate:If empty
Maple Treeway
Also in Mario Kart 7, Mario Kart Tour and Mario Kart 8 DeluxeTemplate:If empty
Bowser's Castle
Toad's Factory Image MKWii 032 Grumble Volcano Rainbow Road
Toad's Factory Wario's Gold Mine
Also in Mario Kart 8Template:If empty and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Grumble Volcano
Also in Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Rainbow Road
Also in Mario Kart Tour and Mario Kart 8 DeluxeTemplate:If empty

Template:If empty Mario Kart 8 Ɨ The Legend of Zelda DLC, or Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is required.

Template:If empty Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass DLC is required.

Retro tracks

Note: The pictures of some tracks come from different games.
Green Shell - Mario Kart Wii
Shell Cup
Banana - Mario Kart Wii
Banana Cup
Super Leaf - Mario Kart Wii
Leaf Cup
Glowless Lightning - Mario Kart Wii
Lightning Cup
GCN Peach Beach N64 Sherbet Land DS Desert Hills SNES Mario Circuit 3
GCN Peach Beach N64 Sherbet Land DS Desert Hills SNES Mario Circuit 3
DS Yoshi Falls GBA Shy Guy Beach GBA Bowser Castle 3 DS Peach Gardens
DS Yoshi Falls GBA Shy Guy Beach GBA Bowser Castle 3 DS Peach Gardens
SNES Ghost Valley 2 DS Delfino Square N64 DK's Jungle Parkway GCN DK Mountain
SNES Ghost Valley 2 DS Delfino Square N64 DK's Jungle Parkway GCN DK Mountain
N64 Mario Raceway GCN Waluigi Stadium GCN Mario Circuit N64 Bowser's Castle
N64 Mario Raceway GCN Waluigi Stadium GCN Mario Circuit N64 Bowser's Castle

Battle Stages

Wii Stages Retro Stages
BlockPlazaWii SNES Battle Course 4
Block Plaza SNES Battle Course 4
Delfino pier intro GBA Battle Course 3
Delfino Pier GBA Battle Course 3
Funky Stadium N64 Skyscraper
Funky Stadium N64 Skyscraper
Ccwheel GCN Cookie Land
Chain Chomp Wheel
Chain Chomp Roulette
GCN Cookie Land
Thwomp Desert DS Twilight House
Thwomp Desert DS Twilight House

In addition to these, Galaxy Colosseum was exclusive to Nintendo tournaments. Using a modified Wii with the Gecko cheat engine, the course can be enabled in racing mode, replacing Mushroom Gorge.

Items

For information on the probability of receiving each item from an Item Box, see Mario Kart Wii/Item Probabilities.

All Items from Mario Kart DS reappear in this game, along with 3 new items: The Mega Mushroom, the Thunder Cloud and the POW Block.

Item Description
Banana - Mario Kart Wii
Banana
Thrown on the track to send racers that hit it with a spin.
Triple Bananas Artwork - Mario Kart Wii
Triple Bananas
3 Bananas stack behind the racer's kart.
Green Shell - Mario Kart Wii
Green Shell
Thrown on the track and travels straight, hitting walls, obstacles and flipping racers in its path.
Triple Green Shells - Mario Kart Wii
Triple Green Shells
3 Green Shells rotate around the racer's kart.
Red Shell - Mario Kart Wii
Red Shell
Like a Green Shell, but it homes on an opponent in front when thrown forwards.
Triple Red Shells - Mario Kart Wii
Triple Red Shells
3 Red Shells rotate around the racer's kart.
Spiny Shell - Mario Kart Wii
Spiny Shell
Pursues the leader and strikes them and any nearby racers in a massive explosion.
Bob-Omb - Mario Kart Wii
Bob-omb
Thrown on the track and explodes after a few seconds or coming into contact with an obstacle or racer, in which they lose their item.
Mushroom - Mario Kart Wii
Mushroom
Used for a temporary speed boost which also negates speed loss when off-road.
Triple Mushrooms - Mario Kart Wii
Triple Mushrooms
3 Mushrooms are given. It is the default item in Time Trials.
Golden Mushroom - Mario Kart Wii
Golden Mushroom
Grants unlimited use of a Mushroom for 7.5 seconds.
Starman - Mario Kart Wii
Super Star
For 7.5 seconds, the kart's speed increases, invincibility is granted, and racers that come into contact will flip over.
Fake Item Box - Mario Kart Wii
Fake Item Box
Thrown on the track to flip over any racer that mistakes it for an Item Box.
Blooper - Mario Kart Wii
Blooper
Squirts ink on opponents ahead of the user, obscuring their vision.
Lightning - Mario Kart Wii
Lightning
Strikes all opponents when used, dropping their items, shrinking them and slowing them down. Racers in the lower postions recover quicker.
Bullet Bill - Koopa Kart Wii
Bullet Bill
Temporarily transforms the kart into a fast Bullet Bill that auto-pilots the track, grants invincibility and gains the ability to flip racers over and leaving them itemless.
Mega Mushroom - Mario Kart Wii
Mega Mushroom
New
Enlargens the racer for 7.5 seconds, allowing them to flatten racers that come into contact. It also protects from all items except Stars, Bullet Bills and Lightning.
Thunder Cloud Artwork - Mario Kart Wii
Thunder Cloud
New
Spawns a Thunder Cloud above the user, speeding them up and negating speed loss when off-road. They can pass it onto nearby racers, with the holder getting shocked like Lightning after 10 seconds.
POW Block - Mario Kart Wii
POW Block
New
Spawns a POW Block on opponents ahead of the user, which periodically flattens. On the third strike, it flips them over and leaves them itemless. It can be avoided by shaking the controller, doing a trick or being in mid-air.

Obstacles and Hazards

Mario Kart Wii has obstacles in almost every course which are:

  • Pipes: Pipes appear in Luigi Circuit, Koopa Cape, GCN Mario Circuit (these are inhabited with Piranha Plants), and SNES Mario Circuit 3. They are relatively easy to avoid. Crashing into a pipe will put the racer into a complete stop.
  • Moo Moos: Moo Moos are exclusive to Moo Moo Meadows. If the player runs into one, they will be launched back.
  • Monty Moles: Monty Moles make an appearance in Moo Moo Meadows and DS Peach Gardens. In Moo Moo Meadows, they have the capability of burrowing through the ground and jumping at random points. This makes them even harder, as driving through the dust cloud they make slows down racers.
  • Goombas: Goombas appear in several tracks, including Mushroom Gorge, Mario Circuit, Koopa Cape, and GCN Mario Circuit. Running into a Goomba will cause the racer to spin out. Attacking a Goomba using a Shell of any kind will defeat it (though they do respawn), and it may drop a Mushroom when this happens.
  • Crates: Crates appear in Toad's Factory and DS Delfino Square. Running into a crate will stop the racer from moving, and will reveal an item.
  • Chain Chomps: Chain Chomps appear in Mario Circuit, GCN Mario Circuit, and DS Peach Gardens. They will launch at the racer when near. The ones in DS Peach Gardens are unchained and mobile, following a set loop, so you'd better be careful.
  • Mii Drivers: These cars appear exclusively in Coconut Mall. They move horizontally forward and back. When running into a car, the racer will launch back.
  • Shy Guy Snowboarders: Shy Guy Snowboarders only appear in DK Summit. They can be seen riding snowboards. When hitting one, the player will spin out.
  • Swoopers: Swoopers appear in Wario's Gold Mine and Dry Dry Ruins, obstructing the route as they fly. They can slow the racer down if touched by many.
  • Wario's Gold-Filled Mine Carts: These Mine Carts make an appearance in Wario's Gold Mine. If a racer touches one, they will be launched back.
  • Koopa Zappers: Koopa Zappers are exclusive in the underwater tunnel area in Koopa Cape. Touching one will cause the player to shrink the same way as a Lightning.
  • Wigglers: Wigglers only appear in Maple Treeway. Touching one will bounce the player back.
  • Fireballs: Fireballs are shot out of the volcano in Grumble Volcano. Touching one will cause the racer to spin out. In Bowser's Castle, Mechanical Bowser also shoots big fireballs that would send the player to the air if touched (similar to a Bob-omb and Spiny Shell).
  • Podoboos: Podoboos appear in GBA Bowser Castle 3 where they hop out of the lava. A different kind of Podoboo appears in Grumble Volcano and DS Desert Hills. Touching either one will cause the racer to spin out.
  • Pokeys: Pokeys make an appearance in Dry Dry Ruins and DS Desert Hills. Running into a Pokey will cause the racer to spin out.
  • Traffic: Moonview Highway is filled to the brim with traffic. Cars, buses, trucks, etc. Touching the back side of a vehicle will launch the racer back. Making contact with one will flatten the player. A small bug involving landing on top of the vehicles will flatten the victim, though it has not been verified to consistently happen.
  • Thwomps: Thwomps appear in Bowser's Castle, GBA Bowser Castle 3, and N64 Bowser's Castle. If a Thwomp lands on the player, they will be flattened and become temporarily slow. The ones in N64 Bowser's Castle can move, making it tricky for the racer to avoid them.
  • Mechanical Bowser: Mechanical Bowser only appears in Bowser's Castle. It shoots huge fireballs that can flip the racer high into the air (similar to a Bob-omb or Spiny Shell).
  • Podoboo Cogs: Podoboo Cogs appear in Bowser's Castle and GCN Waluigi Stadium. Touching one will cause the racer to spin out.
  • Lava Plumes: Lava Plumes appear in Bowser's Castle and N64 Bowser's Castle. Touching one will spin the racer out.
  • Cataquacks: Cataquacks are exclusive to GCN Peach Beach. If a Cataquack runs into a racer, they will flip them high into the air.
  • Piranha Plants: Piranha Plants only appear in N64 Mario Raceway and GCN Mario Circuit. The Piranha Plants from N64 Mario Raceway are just on the ground and can only be a hazard if the racer touches one, while the ones in GCN Mario Circuit are in pipes, and can lunge at the player. When certain items are used, the Piranha Plants will react to them. POW Blocks cause N64 Mario Raceway's Piranha Plants to jump up into the air, and Lightning and POW Blocks will make the GCN Mario Circuit's Piranha Plants look up at the sky and shake, in a "stunned" mode. After a few moments, they will return to normal behavior.
  • Penguins: Penguins only appear in N64 Sherbet Land. If they hit the racer, then the racer will spin out. There are two types of Penguins, Little Penguin Sliders which slide and Big Penguin Waddlers which waddle.
  • Cannonballs: Cannonballs are shot by Pirate Guys in GBA Shy Guy Beach. Getting in the blast radius will lift the player high in the air (similar to a Bob-omb and Spiny Shell).
  • Fireball Rings: Fireball rings only appear in GCN Waluigi Stadium. Touching one will cause the racer to spin out.
  • Mechanical Piranha Plants: Mechanical Piranha Plants only appear in GCN Waluigi Stadium. Touching one will temporarily stop the racer, as if you crashed into a wall or pipe.
  • Oil Slicks: Oil Slicks are exclusive to SNES Mario Circuit 3. Touching one will spin the racer out.
  • Boulders: Boulders only appear in GCN DK Mountain. They come in different sizes. The bigs ones can knock the player into a bottomless pit.
  • Bowser Statues: Bowser Statues only appear in N64 Bowser's Castle. Touching its flames will spin the racer out, while the statues themselves act like normal terrain.

Glitches

Mario Kart Wii is known for its many glitches. Here is a list of all the tracks with glitches, and an explanation with them:

  • Mushroom Gorge - If you drive forward until you are to the right of the first mushroom, you can use a mushroom off the edge and trick, hitting the wall at an upwards angle. If you keep tilting upwards and slightly right, you can climb round the wall and land back on the track at the end of the lap.

A minor glitch: Also, if you use a Mushroom to get to get to the second mushroom (it should be the one by the bridge at the beginning.) , you can crash through the taller green mushroom's stem beside the second red one.

  • Mario Circuit - If you back up at the start of the track and line yourself up with the right edge of the tree to the left, mushroom and wheelie, you can wall clip, causing you to fly upwards and over the hill, landing on the track below. Now, drive back into the tunnel, hit the wall to the left and finish the lap.
  • Coconut Mall - After you have entered the mall and taken a right turn, you will find yourself at a downwards escalator. By driving a quarter of the way down the right side, and turning right, you can use a mushroom to launch into the invisible wall, hit the fence and bounce out of bounds. Drive through the out of bounds area until you reach the parking lot, and drive clockwise around it, before nearly going back in bounds at the finish line at the end of the lap.
  • Wario's Gold Mine - At the start of the lap, you can turn right and face the track behind the finish line. Use a Mushroom and aim for the first pipe. If you land correctly, you will respawn on the track behind, then drive backwards into the tunnel hit the fence on the right and finish the lap. There is a more optimal way to do this, and it requires you to hit the back of the pipe and angle upwards. If you do this correctly, you can bounce back onto the track, then back up and hit the fence.
  • Koopa Cape - Reverse and clip the wall right before the finish line. Land touching the block of wall that holds the finish line pole. You should clip through it. Drive forward to about halfway in between the finish line and the end of the colored wall. Turn around and face slightly to the right. Use your Mushrooms and finish the lap.
  • Maple Treeway - If you back up at the start of the lap and use a Mushroom on the left side, you can launch out of bounds and hit the side of a house. By doing this, you can bounce onto solid ground. Now, drive forwards around the house, and back into the corner. Use a Mushroom to launch off solid ground, and use another in the air. You will hit a non-solid wall and bounce upwards, before landing back on the track. Now, progress forward through the cannon, then turn around. Charge a mini-turbo, and use corner of a stilt to the left of the track to bounce onto the end of the track and finish the lap.
  • Grumble Volcano - By turning around at the start of the lap, and hitting the back wall and falling in the lava, you can respawn on the track before. Now, charge a mini-turbo and point towards the rock to the left of the finish line. You will boost onto it. Now, drive around the rock anti-clockwise and finish the lap.
  • Bowser's Castle - When you get to the room with Bowser, take the right route and stop before the boost panel. Charge a mini-turbo and point to the right of the half-pipe. Release it and turn slightly right. This will launch you into the air and you will land on the track above. You can use a Mushroom.
  • Rainbow Road - Choose Funky Kong and the Spear (Torpedo), or Baby Daisy and the Quacker as your character/vehicle combination. When you begin the race, stop just before the boost panel on the left side. If you charge a mini turbo and launch yourself off the track in just the right way, you will land on an extremely small part of the road that extends beyond the walls. From here, drive forwards a bit, then use a Mushroom. After this, perform a spindrift, and if done correctly, you will bounce quite high. Use another Mushroom in the air, land before the last ramp in the track and finish the lap. This is extremely difficult to execute correctly and requires large amounts of precision and skill.
  • GCN Peach Beach - Choose Funky Kong and the Spear (Torpedo) as your character/vehicle combination. Back up at the start of the lap, and line up with the right side of the tree to the right. Use a Mushroom and wheelie, with the correct angle, land on the beach below and finish the lap.
  • SNES Ghost Valley 2 - Drive forward slightly at the start of the lap and turn right. Line yourself up with the left side of the post, before using a Mushroom and doing a wheelie. You should fly to the other part of the track. Then, turn around and use two Mushrooms to clip the other side of the post. Drive till before the last turn and turn around and finish the lap. The second part is optional, but faster.
  • N64 Sherbet Land - Drive forwards and turn right, pointing backwards towards the track behind. Line yourself up with the left side of the post, use a Mushroom and wheelie. While in the air, use two more Mushrooms, and you should land in the water. Now, respawn and drive backwards until you see Lakitu. Turn around and finish the lap.
  • GBA Shy Guy Beach - Wait for just over 3 minutes and then clip the left side of the bomb nearest the finish line while facing the middle of the second last patch of grass. Reverse slightly after respawning and finish the lap. This is only faster if you are trying to finish one lap faster and only if you wait behind the finish line after almost completing one or two laps.
  • GCN Waluigi Stadium - After the first ramp, stop, turn around and perform a mini turbo. Then, if you manage to get enough height and hit the top of the start line just right, you will go through the invisible wall and bounce off the next invisible wall. From here, drive backwards to the end of the straightaway with the hills then turn around and finish the track.
  • DS Desert Hills - Just after the start, turn right before the pond. Line up with the left side of the wall, use a Mushroom and wheelie. You should fly over the pond and land on the other side.
  • GBA Bowser Castle 3 - About halfway through the track, after going over 3 or 4 mini-ramps, stop before the second last or last one. Line up with the left side of the mini-ramp and the track in front, use a Mushroom if you want, and you should fly to the other part of the track.
  • N64 DK's Jungle Parkway - At the beginning of the race, turn around and go to the second tree on the left. From here, line up and use a Mushroom and perform a wheelie to wall-clip off of the tree. If you lined up correctly, you will perform a second wall-clip off the starting line and go through the invisible wall that normally prevents you from reaching the end of the track. From here, drive backwards a bit then turn around and finish the lap.
  • GCN DK Mountain - About halfway through the track, around the blue zipper on the right, line up between the fence and the end of the zipper. Use a Mushroom and hop to the right, and you should fly through the gap and land on the track below.
  • N64 Bowser's Castle - Use the startup boost to clip up onto the left wall. Face the right finish line pole. Drive slowly off the end which causes a barrel roll. Do most of a barrel roll and use three Mushrooms to clip the finish line pole and land in the lava before the last turn. If done correctly, you will respawn there. Reverse until you fall again and finish the lap.

Competitive Scene

Mario Kart Wii is the most competitive in the series. With its complex glitches, unique drifting styles, and unbalanced vehicle roster, it is definitely the top contender. Time Trial records are as active as ever, with new records being set nearly every day. On January 12th, 2021, Arthur set the first ever humanly set Rainbow Road ultra shortcut. It's the first time this record has been done by a real person and not using tools. Logan was the second and only other person to pull this off.

Community

Despite being 14 years old, Mario Kart Wii still has a growing community. With content creators like TWD98, ArcIntel, NMeade and NuoKart this has one of the biggest gaming communities ever.

Gallery

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Box Art

Title Screens

Other

External Links

Trivia!

  • Mario Kart Wii is the first game to have 12-player races instead of 8, the second is Mario Kart 8 and the third is Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
  • Mario Kart Wii is the first Mario Kart game to allow racers to do mid-air tricks.
  • Mario Kart Wii is the first Mario Kart game to have "Mii"s as a playable character.
  • Mario Kart Wii is the first Mario Kart game to have the infamous "point system" integrated into the Balloon Battle game mode.
  • Mario Kart Wii is the only console Mario Kart game to not allow multi-player Grand Prix.
  • Mario Kart Wii is the first Mario Kart game to show "GO!" when the race begins instead of "START!", and "FINISH" when the race ends instead of "GOAL!"
  • An unused picture of Mario in the Classic Dragster can be found in the game's code. It was probably going to be used for the Mario Kart Channel.
  • Paratroopa, Petey Piranha, and Hammer Bro were originally going to be playable characters in this game, but they were scrapped.
  • Mario Kart Wii is the last game that gives the last place (in Grand Prix) 0 points. Later games would give the last place 1 point.
  • Mario Kart Wii has sold more copies than any other Mario Kart game in the series as shown here.
  • All the items introduced in Mario Kart Wii were removed in Mario Kart 7.
  • As of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, this is currently the only game where no introduced battle course returns as a retro battle course in a later installment, not counting Mario Kart 8.
  • Mario Kart Wii has the hardest unlocking criteria for Dry Bowser so far as he is required to obtain at least a one-star rank for all 150cc Wii Cups.
  • If you include both Mii outfits, Mario Kart Wii has the most characters you have to unlock in order to play as them, with 14.
  • Mario Kart Wii is the first Mario Kart game to have tilt controls.
  • This game is well known because of its large skips throughout many courses, similar to Mario Kart 64.
  • This game is one of the most loved and praised games according to fans.
  • Mario Kart Wii is well known for having good music. One of the most popular songs is the Coconut Mall music.
  • This is the first game in the series to have returning courses from Super Mario Kart and Mario Kart: Super Circuit have a gate at the Finish Line.
  • When Wave 6 of Mario Kart 8 Deluxes Booster Course Pass releases, all characters from Mario Kart Wii (excluding Mii Outfits) will also appear in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
Mario Kart games
Main Titles Super Mario Kart (1992, SNES) ā€¢ Mario Kart 64 (1996, N64) ā€¢ Mario Kart: Super Circuit (2001, GBA) ā€¢ Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (2003, GameCube) ā€¢ Mario Kart DS (2005, DS) ā€¢ Mario Kart Wii (2008, Wii) ā€¢ Mario Kart 7 (2011, 3DS) ā€¢ Mario Kart 8 (2014, Wii U) ā€¢ Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (2017, Switch)
Arcade Titles Mario Kart Arcade GP (2005) ā€¢ Mario Kart Arcade GP 2 (2007) ā€¢ Mario Kart Arcade GP DX (2013) ā€¢ Mario Kart Arcade GP VR (2017)
Spin-off Titles Mario Kart Tour (2019, Mobile) ā€¢ Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit (2020, Switch)
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