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Mario Kart Wii with Wii Wheel | 
| From: Nintendo
List Price: $49.99
Buy New: $44.00
You Save: $5.99 (12%)
New (137) Used (15) from $37.99
Rating:  350 reviews
Sales Rank: 2
Platform: Nintendo Wii
Genre: kart_racing_and_flying_games
ESRB: Everyone
Media: Video Game
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Batteries Included: No
Age: 5 - 20 years
Operating System: Nintendo Wii
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 0 x 0 x 0
MPN: WI-RVLRRMCE
Model: rvlrrmce
UPC: 045496901004
EAN: 0045496901004
ASIN: B000XJNTNS
Release Date: April 27, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| • | Wii Wheel must be used with a Wii Remote (Remote not included) |
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| Accessories:
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Start your engines and race with Mario and his friends with their finely tuned racing machines in Mario Kart Wii. Use 3 different control styles with the Wii Wheel included in the box. The worldwide race is on with a whole new set of tricks, tracks, and ways to play. Mario Kart Wii draws on courses and battle arenas from every game in the series - not to mention tons of new ones. The true king of the Mushroom Kingdom racing circuits will finally be crowned. Experience new tracks, enhanced Wii graphics, extraordinary gameplay and much more. Place first in Grand Prix circuits or clear skill-based missions to open up increasingly difficult and thrilling circuits. You can have multiplayer races on any open courses or battle in arenas. Now you can feel like you are Mario and steering to avoid obstacles and doing incredible stunts.
Special Powers/Weapons/Moves/Features - Shake the Wii Remote to pull off a trick that will temporarily boost your speed. When riding a bike, gain additional speed by flicking the Wii Remote up and popping a wheelie Up to 12 people via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection or up to 10 people via Wi-Fi Connection with 2 people playing locally
Amazon.com
Drivers, start your engines! Nintendo is bringing Mario and his friends with their finely tuned racing machines back and this time to the Nintendo Wii. With 3 different control styles and a Wii Wheel included in the box, Mario Kart Wii is bound to be the best in the series. The worldwide race is on with a whole new set of tricks, tracks, and ways to play! Place first in Grand Prix circuits or clear skill-based missions. Mario Kart Wii draws on courses and battle arenas from every game in the series - not to mention tons of new ones - the true king of the Mushroom Kingdom racing circuits will finally be crowned. 
Wii Wheel Included! | 
New Intense Tracks and Tricks
View larger. | 
Cool new car designs
View larger. |
Mario and his friends are back and ready to race once again in Mario Kart Wii! Experience new tracks, enhanced Wii graphics, extraordinary gameplay and much more! Place first in Grand Prix circuits or clear skill-based missions to open up increasingly difficult and thrilling circuits. Players can have multiplayer races on any open courses or battle in arenas. Also included with Mario Kart Wii is the Wii Wheel! Now you can feel like your Mario and steering to avoid obstacles and doing incredible stunts - in the safety of your home of course.
Game Features:- The Wii Wheel transforms the Wii Remote? controller into a steering wheel that feels natural in anyone's hands, while the Wii Remote and Nunchuk? controller offer a classic control style for the Mario Kart veteran. In either configuration, players can perform speed-boosting tricks with a shake of the Wii Remote.
- Players can race as their favorite Nintendo character, or even as themselves! Mario Kart Wii lets players race with their personalized Mii? characters. And racers will see other Mii characters they have created cheering from the sidelines on some race courses.
- Players can compete with up to three friends in their living room. Or challenge up to 11 opponents via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection in the biggest Mario Kart race yet. All tracks and modes of play are available via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, and players can visit the Mario Kart Channel to compete in tournaments, check rankings, see when their friends are playing and download ghost data.
- Cruise new tracks and arenas or tour classic courses from Super Mario Kart?, Mario Kart 64, Mario Kart : Super Circuit?, Mario Kart : Double Dash!!? and Mario Kart DS. Tired of riding on four wheels? Bust out one of the new motorbikes for special tricks and techniques.
Characters
Nintendo favorites Mario?, Luigi?, Peach?, Yoshi , Donkey Kong , Wario?, Bowser? and Toad?, plus a host of new faces-including your own! Get into the game and put your Mii? character behind the wheel. Special Powers/Weapons/Moves/Features
Whether racing around an obstacle-filled track or battling in an arena, drifting and tossing items are the keys to Mario Kart success. Players can shake the Wii Remote while launching off a ramp to pull off a trick that will temporarily boost their speed. When riding a bike, players can gain additional speed by flicking the Wii Remote up and popping a wheelie Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection:
Keeping in the tradition of Mario Kart, Nintendo has pushed multiplayer racingeven further utilizing the Wii's built in Wi-Fi Connection. There are two options for races and battles over Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection: up to 12 people via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection or up to 10 people via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection with two people playing locally.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 345 more reviews...
 Racing To The Checkered Wii Flag April 27, 2008
Michael Kerner (Brooklyn, New York U.S.A.)
84 out of 107 found this review helpful
Undoubtingly, Nintendo has really showed more muscle within their games for the Wii this past year. With games that really stretched beyond the imagination for fans like Super Mario Galaxy, which re-defined Mario alone in adventures, and the battle smashing action of Super Smash Brothers Brawl that dominated fans hearts all around the worls, Nintendo really shows what it takes to make great video games. But, that also can be said with the Mario Kart series, which finally makes it debut on the Wii. But, following the innovation that Mario Kart DS had from the Nintendo DS wasn't so easy, largely because it was the first DS handheld title to use the Wi-Fi online gaming to an outrageous excitement for gamers all around the world. Now, it is time for the Wii to take that on and race to the checkered flag.
Mario Kart Wii for the Nintendo Wii, brings in all that fast-paced excitement racers have wanted and even more. The game adds a whole lot of new and exciting features to use. You can now race as many as 12 racers online through the online gaming, and bring the action over the top, and use that skill and excitement on over 40 different tracks: 10 battle tracks and 32 exciting race tracks that are both new and featured from the earlier Mario Kart games like D.K. Jungle Highway and Sherbet Land from Mario Kart 64. The new tracks are also exciting that will have you racing and bouncing on top of mushrooms from the all-new Mushroom Gorge, and have you crusing the shopping malls and racing down fligts of escaltors with the brand new Coconut Mall course, or racing across the tree trunks of the new Maple Leaf Highway. Every single track is great for beginners and die hard Mario Kart fans of all ages.
The gameplay also has a few new surprises, as you not just rave in karts, you also get to race on motorbikes too, bringing more action and variety to each of the players delight. There are also a few new power-ups here too including the Mega Mushroom, from the DS game New Super Mario Brothers, which makes your racer giant-sized, so you can squash your opponents on your way to the checkered flag, and the lightning cloud which shrinks you down to a tiny racer, so you squeeze underneath your opponents and take them by surprise. There also are a few new characters here to unlock in the game as well. You can choose to race with the classics like Mario, Yoshi, Bowser and Luigi, and 6 hidden characters to unlock and master like Rosalina from Super Mario Galaxy, Funky Kong and Diddy Kong from Donkey Kong Barrel Blast and even Bowser Bones (the skeleton Bowser boss from New Super Mario Brothers.)
The control is also a bit new here, with the use of the Wii Wheel. The wheel is easy to setup and hooks right onto the Wii remote. You can steer your racers easily through each and every race by turning your wheel left and right, and performing nifty stunts like a wheelie or a 360 on a jump. While the control with the Wii Wheel takes a lot to get used to for veterans, there are others ways to control the game. Like Super Smash Brothers Brawl, gamers can also use the Wii & nunchuck controls, or the classic controller and even the Nintendo Gamecube controller, so veterans can feel more comfortable in anyway they want to race. The graphics here are also well-designed, by bringing new excitement in restoring the classic courses, and a lot of great surprising new features that are the delight to anyone who loves the Mario Kart games.
All in all, Mario Kart Wii is definitely one of the best games I've ever enjoyed for the Nintendo Wii. I absolutely loved the need for plumber speed, and it shows in each and every race. This is definitely a must buy for your Wii video game library, that is sure to be a thrilling race and not even close to wiping out anytime soon. So start your Wii-motes, because the race is not ever going to stop.
Graphics: A
Sound: A-
Control: B for the Wii Wheel; B+ for the Wii & nunchuck controllers, A for the Classic and Gamecube Controllers
Fun & Enjoyment: A- for solo gamers; A for multiplayer action
Overall: A-
 A ruined classic May 6, 2008
Johnny (Tulsa, OK United States)
74 out of 105 found this review helpful
I have owned every Mario Kart game, and consider myself to be a bit of an addict, spending embarrassing amounts of time practicing things such as power sliding on straight aways and downing suckaz with simple items such as banana peels. So needless to say, I was very excited for a mario kart game that would allow me to showcase my skills online, and relive memories with old multiplayer comrades who have since moved to other parts of the country.
Imagine my surprise when I put the disc in and discovered that there was no multiplayer grand prix mode! Working in tandem to unlock new classes, tracks, carts, and racers had always been one of my favorite parts of Mario Kart, and it was something that Double Dash did to perfection, allowing up to four people to get in on the challenge.
I had invited the friend whom I played through all of the double dash grand prixs with over to do it again on the Wii, so after we found this out it sort of killed the buzz... but whatever, we had always spent a lot more time on battles than grand prixs anyway.
We found surprise again when we couldn't do a free for all battle! After messing around with some vs. races on motorcycles we decided to ditch this game, and spent the night on the SNES, and playing bob-omb blast on double dash.
The bulk of my issues with this game can be condensed to three items:
-Lack of options
-Lack of skill
-Lack of creativity
Double Dash was filled with options, you could combine characters in various ways to get certain unique items or racer attributes. You could choose the number of laps in vs. races, and take your choice of three unique battle styles. In Mario Kart Wii the lack of options is mind numbing quite honestly. It makes the game feel as though it was rushed to production. Why can't I choose how many computer characters participate in a battle or vs. race? Why isn't multi-player GP available? Why are there only two battle modes, one of which is hell of lame? Perhaps most annoying of all... WHY CAN'T I CHOOSE TO TURN THE STUPID RACER NAME TAGS THAT SUBMERGE HALF THE SCREEN OFF WHEN I PLAY ONLINE!?!?!
The lack of skill required in this game was evident from my first GP race. Every other Mario Kart game did a good job of making item boxes scarce, and the occurence of items such as blue shells and lightning very infrequent (although there was an OPTION in double dash to change this). There are several tracks on the Wii version that are nearly unplayable because of the volume of items. With 12 players, and the stupid items like the thwomp and lightning cloud that don't really help anyone... it just isn't racing anymore when there is absolutely no value to your place in the first 90% of the race. Coming back with items is one of the great joys of mario kart, I understand that (I still have fond memories of hitting the super ramp on Mario Circuit 2 with a mushroom to cut a corner and jump up two places to secure first over ten years ago), but there is something else going on entirely in tracks like the Luigi Circuit on the Wii (which might be one of the worst mario kart tracks ever), where every racer gets ripped to shreds on every lap because of the overwhelming volume of items.
This gripe could easily branch into things like how the power slide boost, for the first time ever, is not controlled by the player (and I'm not talking about the manual vs. auto drift), but simply by the length of time you hold the slide, and how they reverted to the "hold and wait" technique of blocking items that existed in Mario Kart 64, as opposed to timing a reverse release to block such as in Double Dash, and how the "get a boost when you are right behind someone for awhile" time has been cut down to almost nothing... but I think I have said enough on this.
The tracks and items in general though... where is the creativity? I'm not expecting the wildly refreshing array of tracks we were greeted with in Mario Kart for the GBA, or the slew of new items that required poise and tact to make decent use of that showed up in Double Dash, but there is nothing new on the Wii version. Let me re-phrase that; there are a couple of new things, but they are quickly beaten to death via recycling (soooooooooooo many figure 8's), or in cases such as the mega mushroom, little more than repeats of other items (in this case, the star). The half pipe thing is new... but I don't really see the purpose when it is faster to not go up the ramp? And the motorcycles... who cares/if the drift controls were the same as in double dash no one would choose them for the cheap wheelie boost?
Then there are the lazy re-hashes of the classic tracks. Changing the placement of item boxes, and other key features of the tracks (such as making the walls solid in the ghost valley track, and removing the rock throwing natives on the N64 DK track)... I just don't see the point. I mean, I know that most people probably don't have every Nintendo console (sans Virtual Boy) within 5 feet of eachother in their entertainment room so playing Ghost Valley 2 on SNES isn't really an option... but seriously. Some of these re-hashed classic tracks aren't even worth playing in the form they are presented here.
There are a few nice features. Toad's Factory, Grumble Volcano, and Koopa Cape are amazing tracks. There are a lot of karts to choose from (although the differences, as I can tell so far, seem to be negligible... unlike the kart selection in Double Dash where the differences were quite obvious). And it's not like the game is unplayable, quite the contrary, it can even be enjoyable for short periods of time. As part of the Mario Kart franchise though, I just expect more.
I honestly don't know why though, as every big franchise title aside from Mario Galaxy and Twilight Princess has been like this. No options, dumbed down game play, terrible online game options and matching features, basically just leaving a ton of potential on the table and all of my expectations largely unfulfilled.
This is easily the worst Mario Kart game, and definitely the last Wii game I pre-order.
Oh, and the Wii Wheel... don't buy extras of these. They aren't worth the hassle. After struggling with getting my kart to power slide correctly through two grand prixs I dug out the cube controllers (ps - why is there no option to configure buttons how I want? Or... better question, why does the GCN controller layout not match that of GCN Mario Kart when the only new feature is wheelies, which could easily be added onto the unused c-stick or d-pad or... even better, onto the L trigger that items are incorrectly assigned to!?)
 Another hit for the Wii! April 28, 2008
C. L. Hanson (Coon Rapids, MN United States)
42 out of 54 found this review helpful
To anybody who has reservations about Mario Kart Wii being a disappointment, let me ease your worries.
Nintendo has hit another home run here. I have yet to play one bad game for the Wii, and this game here just kept me up until 1:30am, which I have to say hasn't happened yet with any Wii title since buying the system back in 2006, which includes Metroid Prime 3 and Super Mario Galaxy.
I didn't really care for the last console Kart, Mario Kart Double Dash!! for the GameCube. While a visually pleasing game, I felt it lacked the heart of the original series, and ended up disliking the "two-person-per-Kart" concept, sappy levels, the feeling that the Karts were only going 10mph and the immense cheating by the AI were a real disappointment. The list goes on.
That being said, I was a bit apprehensive to buy (not rent) the new Mario Kart, until I saw someone playing it the night before it went on the shelves. No question I had to buy it. While Mario Kart Wii is basically the GameCube version with stepped-up graphics, a lot of what made MKDD stink (in my opinion) was removed. It feels more like a true sequel to Mario Kart 64, much like Super Mario Galaxy is considered to be a true sequel to Super Mario 64.
What Works: The biggest feature of course here is the Wii Wheel, which your Wii remote fits in. You can go without the wheel, and use the remote and Nunchuck, or a GameCube controller, but the Wheel really adds to the game. The cars and characters are a blast to see and hear. When you pick up a Turbo Mushroom, or transform into a massive Bullet Bill to catch up from behind, or blast through a cannon, you can feel the speed. This was something I felt lacking in Double Dash. Motorcycles are now available, and you can now choose either Manual or Automatic controls with whichever vehicle you choose. Manual allows you to "jump" your Kart, which was an omission from Double Dash which I sorely missed. When jumping before hitting a curve, you can drift and release to gain a small burst of speed. While easier, automatic doesn't do this for you. If you hang behind an opponent, you can gain speed by drafting. This is a cool little feature which works well. When in midair, you can do little stunts, I haven't figured that out just yet. The boards are terrific, colorful, and addicting. There are even a bunch of throwback boards to each Cup, with some of the best of the best in the series, including the music which you're sure to remember. By far though, the best feature is the online play. You can play with opponents from all points on Earth, which is an absolute blast. You can even use your Mii character to play, which I think has to be unlocked. Again, I just bought the game, I haven't gotten that far. Too many pluses to go on.
What Doesn't Work: One thing I wish they'd get back to is the Coins. After all, it is "Mario" Kart, and the coins were a nice touch. The more coins you got, the faster your Kart. The original SNES and Mario Kart Super Circuit for the GBA were the only Kart games (I think) which had coins. I kind of wished they'd return here, but oh well. Another downside is what plagued Double Dash, which was the AI rubber banding. If you're way out in front, you are sure to get nailed by a POW block, red or blue shell, or some other obstacle which will leave you in 4th place. I haven't run into it much so far in the 50 or 100 Cups, but the 150 I heard is insane. Anyway, I'm too happy with the game to complain, and the online gaming, to me, more than makes up for what the AI does.
Folks, if you're a Mario Kart fan, and have a Wii (or if you don't have one yet, get one and this game) you won't be disappointed with this game. I had my reservations, but they are a thing of the past.
A disapointment to the Mario Kart Legacy April 28, 2008
O. Safavi
30 out of 63 found this review helpful
I have owned every Mario Kart that Nintendo has ever released, so I was very excited about the Wii release for this game. There is alot of fun to be had playing this game, but there are some changes made to the game which are the reason for my low score for this review.
There are 32 tracks that are playable, and there are many tracks seasoned Mario Kart players will instantly recognize. It is a great joy to revisit these old tracks and play them on the Wii. The new tracks are exciting and full of new concepts and ideas that Nintendo has implemented expertly.
There is a battle mode, and a multiplayer vs. mode, and a new online mode where you can race up to 12 players at the same time from all over the world.
My biggest disapointment with this game is there is NO MULTIPLAYER GRAND PRIX mode!!! The funnest part about Mario Kart and its progeny was playing with your brother in arms, racing against the computer on the near impossible 150cc class or mirror class, and celebrating, when because of your dual efforts you won the coveted gold cup. Unlocking carts and tracks with a partner on grand prix working together in a campaign mode type effort was the joy of the previous Mario Karts. One person would fight kamikaze style and take out the other opponents while one person would race ahead to the finish. Alas, this concept is no more. In order to unlock other karts and tracks you must play grand prix in a single player mode.
There is a multiplayer mode that is similar to the grand prix style where you can race with several players and choose which tracks you would like to race, but there is no unlocking of items and no thrill of defeating the computer for the first time with a friend. You must unlock and beat the tracks in the single player grand prix mode before you can play the tracks on multiplayer. What is the point of that if I have already played and completed those tracks on my own? It just isn't nearly as fun as it is playing the co-op grand prix mode.
The Nintendo Wii was made to be a multiplayer platform, and that being said, there hasn't been co-op campaign style games as one would have expected. This game was suppose to be one of the biggest releases to date for the Wii, and the fact that a multiplayer co-op mode was left out has made this game a huge disapointment, and that is the reason I give the game the rating I have assigned. I would have given it one star, but it is Mario Kart after all.
 not so good May 7, 2008
carnage (New York)
24 out of 47 found this review helpful
Controls:
I wouldn't recommend going out and buying a wii wheel for every controller. It's cumbersome. I felt I had better control of what I was doing without it. I tried to use my GC controller and was frustrated when I found out the button layout was rearranged (from CG DD layout) with no way to modify them to a players liking.
Looks:
I wasn't expecting Mario to be jumping out of the screen at me, but this game really doesn't look any better than Double Dash. I'm using a hd tv with component cables. The game could have been a bit more polished.
Game Play:
cheapness factor-
The computer LOVES to time its Lighting, Spike Shell or POW to make sure you fall off a ledge or make it possible for you to lose your first place slot.
Whats up with the rare weapons like Lighting and Spike Shell coming up multiple times in a race? In former games those were few and far between. Three lightnings in one race? WTH nintendo?
I don't want to lose a race when I have done nothing wrong. That just seems to happen a lot in this game though. Multiple spike shells FTL!
No coop on Grand Prix-
My brother and I enjoyed this feature in past games. This is huge step back for the series.
No free for all in Battle mode -
You have to play on teams.
Thumbs down:
This game sure did have a lot of hype. But after I played it it turned out to be a recycled dud. Sadly most of the market for this game are people who have never played the old classic Mario Karts (snes, n64) so they will think it is awesome.
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