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Mario Kart Wii
Generally favorable reviews
Based on 73 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 231 votes
Read user comments
Rate this game >
Game Info
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo
Genre(s): Racing
Players: 12
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Release Date: April 27, 2008
Summary
Mario Kart Wii comes with the intuitive Wii Wheel, which makes it easy for novices to compete against veterans, so no one is left in the dust. And with a broadband hookup to Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, players can compete with up to 11 other drivers from around the world for racing dominance. The game includes 16 new courses and 16 classic courses from previous Mario Kart games. For the first time ever, players have the option of racing with either karts or motorbikes. Players can also hit the road as their personalized Mii caricatures in addition to the handful of classic Nintendo characters found in the game. True to the series, the game features tons of racing, plenty of power-ups and oodles of objects for players to use to slow down other drivers. And 10 battle arenas keep players busy between trips around the circuit. Mario Kart Wii supports four different control options: Wii Remote with or without the Wii Wheel, Wii Remote and Nunchuk controller combo, Classic Controller and even the Nintendo GameCube controller. So there's bound to be a configuration that fits everyone's style. Mario Kart Wii launches with a new channel added to the Wii Menu to enhance game play: The Mario Kart Wii Channel. This new channel builds on the online community of Wii owners and lets players compete in tournaments, check worldwide rankings, see when their friends are playing and download ghost data. [Nintendo]
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What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
AceGamez
Mario Kart Wii has more variety, more to do, and ultimately more to keep you coming back than any Mario Kart before it (and as a hardcore advocate of the SNES original, I never thought I would find myself saying that); but more than that, it is a flagship title for the Nintendo Wii. Not only is Mario Kart Wii the most important title that will be released on the format this year, but it will stand the test of time as one of the best games the Wii has to offer.
Read Full Review >Cheat Code Central
If anyone tells you they don't like the game, then they probably don't like chocolate, the Superbowl or comedies either. There is so much fun packed into the title that all but the most "alternative" of core gamers are bound to love it.
Read Full Review >GamePro
The refined gameplay, the super slick presentation and the flexible controls all add up to one of the finest racing experiences ever.
Read Full Review >Official Nintendo Magazine UK
A fantastic racer and the best online Nintendo game ever. [Apr 2008, p.58]
Games Master UK
It's the ultimate Mario Kart package rather than the best, but it's still a lot of fun. [Apr 2008, p.47]
Gaming Age
Mario Kart Wii is the penultimate multiplayer experience on the Wii, and a must-own title for anyone serious about gaming.
Read Full Review >GameShark
It's a fast and fun racing game that is easy enough for beginners to pick up and enjoy while still a challenge for veteran players to master. The addition of online play (other than it's not so friendly friends system) and the introduction of the Wii’s motion technology add even more oil to what is already a pretty slick offering.
Read Full Review >Maxi Consolas (Portugal)
Still terribly fun with its competitive online modes and a great use of the Wii Wheel. And at the end of the day, it presents the traditional polished and shiny look of all of Nintendo’s big guns that we simply love. [May 2008]
GameSpy
The offline and online content is extremely entertaining and the pursuit of casual and hardcore karting has never been this much fun.
Read Full Review >Nintendo Power
With more features, modes and multiplayer options than ever before, fans should be revved up to get behind the wheel. [May 2008, p.86]
N-Europe
Don't expect revolutionary new things, but if you're after good clean fun on your Wii with mates or against online opponents - you can't get much better than this.
Read Full Review >IGN UK
Despite initial fears, this is proper Mario Kart, and it's Mario Kart done right. It's fast, it's fun and still one of the best party games ever created. Thanks to some seriously well-implemented online options though, it brings so much more to the table than its forebears, most notably in terms of longevity.
Read Full Review >Pelit (Finland)
Mario Kart Wii against 11 real opponents is intense and exhilarating. Sometimes it's also infuriating but in the end that too is mostly a good thing. Still, something should have been done to the power ups of old. Fire and forget weapons and small chances of escape aren't the best combination. While the multiplayer side shines the single player parts are a let-down. Driving against cheating opponent and being constantly bombarded is frustrating. [May 2008]
Gaming Target
However, Mario Kart Wii is second on the series' podium as it rides alongside the N64 version’s tried-and-true track quality, offers the online play that the 64DD never brought around and sports superior graphics that make its 11-year-old counterpart look very dated on today's big-screen televisions.
Read Full Review >GameZone
The core Mario Kart gameplay remains basically unchanged, but it’s well executed and slightly enhanced by minor tweaks and a variety of control setups. The online mode is the real star here, however.
Read Full Review >NGamer UK
A really solid Mario Kart with a terrific online setup. There's plenty here to make up for the disappointment of local multiplayer, but it does stop short of magnificence.
Read Full Review >DailyGame
The Wii's enormous "casual" gamer base will eat Mario Kart Wii up with its accessible pick-up-and-play controls. Veterans aren't left out either with online play they've been clamoring for well over a decade.
Read Full Review >Da Gameboyz
When everything is taken together Mario Kart is definitely another must buy game for Nintendo’s innovative system.
Read Full Review >Jolt Online Gaming UK
Nintendo have managed to make the Wii-wheel work – something we were very sceptical about – and they’ve managed to bring Mario Kart online play to our TVs. Besides a few niggles with unfair A.I. and some average tracks, this is a valuable addition to the series.
Read Full Review >ZTGameDomain
The most solid, accessible and fun experience console gaming has seen in some time.
Read Full Review >AtomicGamer
Despite some minor flaws, Nintendo's latest take on their classic kart racing series is definitely worth checking out.
Read Full Review >Gamer's Hell
Mario Kart has been around for nearly every Nintendo system, with the Wii's version acting more like a "Greatest Hits" compilation of past racing glory.
Read Full Review >IGN
There are some things that feel completely out of whack though, such as the uncharacteristically cheap AI in 150cc, the lack of voice chat for an extremely social online game, reliance on friend codes, and "everyone's a winner" feeling you get when random items show up and completely turn the game upside down in an instant.
Read Full Review >Console Monster
The Wii Wheel and the wide open online courses all make it a lot less difficult for first time karters.
Read Full Review >PTGamers
Nintendo decided to play it safe and fans of the series certainly won't mind.
Read Full Review >GameSpot
Mario Kart Wii offers varied multiplayer and thoroughly integrated online modes that will keep you coming back for more.
Read Full Review >GamerNode
Perhaps the best in the series. The online is better than Mario Kart DS', and the graphics are the best in the series. The only thing that may deter some players is the obnoxious power of the items.
Read Full Review >Kombo
There are some problems here -- the removal of fully manual power sliding, rubber band AI, overpowered items, no voice chat, overall slowness -- but they're forgivable, for the most part. If you can get over them, Mario Kart is a truly great multiplayer Wii title.
Read Full Review >Play.tm
The package as a whole works well, not because of the packed in wheel, not because of the new content and innovation, but because Nintendo have proved that they understand what it is that makes this series great - the balance between racing and fighting.
Read Full Review >NintendoWorldReport
Mario Kart Wii is ultimately much the same game as Mario Kart DS, but this is forgivable due to its drastically improved online functionality along with some welcome gameplay additions and tweaks.
Read Full Review >GameTrailers
This is the first case of Nintendo not finding a happy medium between accessibility and servicing hardcore players. Yet if you get a group of people together on a Saturday night to play you'll be the only one complaining.
Read Full Review >GamingExcellence
In the end, I'd have to give Nintendo a big pat on the back for this one.
Read Full Review >GameFocus
Mario Kart Wii is a complete game. Of course, the addition of the online mode makes this title a keeper and a must have title for your Wii collection but for unconditional local multiplayer lovers, the offline mode has also received some upgrades and tweaks.
Read Full Review >The Onion (A.V. Club)
The bright, shiny visuals—now available in 480p—and the slide-whistle sound effects will make depressives choke on their Zoloft doses.
Read Full Review >Game Revolution
The weapons can get a little overwhelming and frustrating at times, especially when you’re in the lead (and the frankly unfair brutality of the 150cc-class rubber-banding, curse-evoking A.I.), but most of what’s in place, both old and new, still makes for a romping good time, locally or globally.
Read Full Review >1UP
You'll assuredly have plenty of fun with this, even if Nintendo's play-it-safe, dumb-it-down approach will make many longtime players yearn for something more ambitious and risky.
Read Full Review >GameTap
Mario Kart Wii doesn't stray far from the beaten track, but it has enough going to dazzle first-time MK drivers and a few new upgrades to challenge the long-time Karters, too.
Read Full Review >Destructoid
Newcomers will find a fast-paced, easy-to-play title that relishes in its own ability to capitalize on the wacky approachability and fun of Nintendo’s mascot characters.
Read Full Review >Nintendojo
Mario Kart Wii has many faults. But when it’s good, it’s very, very good, and as long as you have Wi-Fi, it will keep you occupied for many months to come.
Read Full Review >Gamer.nl
Mario Kart Wii is a great new game in the series. It still plays like a dream and is perhaps the most enjoyable game of the last few years. Even the additions of motorcycles, Wii-Wheel and online mode are suprisingly good. Mario Kart Wii even does something which most other games lack: It brings fun.
Read Full Review >Cubed3
Mario Kart Wii is definitely up there with the other installments. A fairly limited single player appeal is enhanced by a comprehensive online service and a slightly toned-down but throughly enjoyable and flexible offline multiplayer mode.
Read Full Review >Boomtown
Previous control schemes have always worked well with Mario Kart, and you can still use variations on these by adjusting your options, but the new wheel just feels so intuitive you’ll be wondering why they bothered including them.
Read Full Review >Level7.nu
We're treated to the same formula as we got the last time, with the major addition being the online mode. It’s not much, but since Mario Kart is all about playing together it's enough to make this an entertaining package.
Read Full Review >VideoGamer
An excellent return to form for the series and tremendous fun when played with friends in split-screen or online. The often infuriating Grand Prix mode is likely to polarise gamers though, with some loving the unpredictability of it while others will simply give up after being taken down at the last minute by yet another Spiny Blue Shell.
Read Full Review >Eurogamer
Ultimately, the sheer sensory pleasure of playing Mario Kart Wii - from the charming animations, to the bopping tunes, to the sugar-rush boosting, to the exquisite steering - far overcomes the few concerns we have about it. It still has to be docked a mark for the awkward structure and compromised multiplayer modes - but it's still unreservedly recommended to anyone for whom Mario Kart is a gaming cornerstone.
Read Full Review >DarkZero
Then there is the Wii Wheel peripheral itself, which if you did not already know is just a plastic housing for the Wiimote. I have to admit though it is a well made bit of plastic, and is not only smarter looking than the uninspired Wii Zapper, but also more ergonomic to hold. Unexpectedly it is very easy to use.
Read Full Review >Thunderbolt
Nintendo's draconian online service isn't a reason to dislike Mario Kart Wii in the same way that it's wrong to dislike a really beautiful woman because her husband is a complete tosser...As a Wii owner, we've got the definitive racing game on the console.
Read Full Review >GameDaily
The overuse of power-ups is blatantly ridiculous and the general design hasn't changed much, but Kart is still a riotous romp.
Read Full Review >Gamervision
Between the local and online multiplayer, as well as the plethora of single-player challenges available, this is the kind of game that has a ton of replay value. No, it’s not an overhaul, but it is an extremely solid entry in the series that lives up to the Mario Kart name.
Read Full Review >Zentendo
Mario Kart Wii features an impressive online experience, but falls a bit short in the offline content.
Read Full Review >The New York Times
Fast paced and colorful, Mario is a simple, enormously fun game that can suck up the hours as you continually say, "just one more race."
Read Full Review >Video Game Talk
This game gets a high recommendation for the multiplayer aspect but if you're in a position where you're going to be exploring single player consider this merely recommended.
Read Full Review >Deeko
After all the hype surrounding this game (or lack thereof), Mario Kart Wii is the same game we've been playing over and over again for years now, which either has you jumping up and down with glee or shaking your head in disgust.
Read Full Review >Gameplanet
At sixteen years young, Mario Kart has now made it to the Wii. Whilst fans of the series may lament some of the changes, it generally works well on the new platform. The focus has shifted away from a heavy skill requirement towards simply offering more entertainment.
Read Full Review >Eurogamer Portugal
Mario Kart Wii is exactly what you would expect from this franchise, a solid offer that doesn't offer anything new, yet still manages to retain its appeal. Especially if you manage to get a few friends together to play it or decide to give use to its solid online capabilities.
Read Full Review >GotNext
In spite of a few valid criticisms, Mario Kart Wii is a ton of fun, albeit being the same experience as always wrapped in a different package.
Read Full Review >n-Revolution Magazine UK
It's the most complete Mario Kart package yet. [Issue#22, p.60]
IGN AU
While Mario Kart Wii is an enjoyable sequel we can't help but be a little disappointed that the same level of effort Nintendo put into Mario Galaxy and Smash Bros. isn't mirrored here.
Read Full Review >Console Gameworld
Mario Kart Wii feels recycled and simplified from past installments, but it's saved by a handful of creative and nostalgaic courses and it's excellent 12-player online matches.
Read Full Review >netjak
Mario Kart Wii is fairly fun, although I do have to wonder how much play it will get in single-player mode. In multiplayer, you just have a blast with your friends.
Read Full Review >Worth Playing
At its core, Mario Kart Wii is a simple, accessible title that lends itself to fun-filled evenings with friends on the couch or online games with racers halfway around the world.
Read Full Review >Armchair Empire
In the end, Mario Kart Wii aims for a high level of fun and depending on how new you are to the franchise; it actually manages to do that. There's plenty of room for improvement though.
Read Full Review >Gamer 2.0
With Mario Kart being the epitome of racing franchises for many years, it is sad to see how little the game changes its dry formula and actually takes several leisurely steps at addressing failing issues.
Read Full Review >Hardcore Gamer Magazine
For anyone who has their Wii up and running online, you should definitely take the plunge, because the game's strengths will outweigh its flaws. If you can only play this game offline, however, then unless you're a masochist (or someone psychotic like me, who actually managed to get to the final stage of F-Zero GX’s crazy-hard Story Mode) pass on this; in fact, I'd go so far as to advise you to run in the other direction.
Read Full Review >Electronic Gaming Monthly
While Mario Kart Wii is predictably similar to its predecessors, something has changed with this installment. Something that makes it feel subtly unlike other Mario Karts--and not a change for the better. [June 2008, p.73]
Wired
[Mario Kart Wii's Battle Mode] is no longer a last-man-standing contest: Matches now last three minutes each, and if your kart takes too much damage, don't worry! You'll just respawn. Even worse, all battles are now played in teams of two. So while you can still have four human players, they can't all face off against each other -- and what's the point of that?
Read Full Review >games(TM)
It might seem like the most complete Mario Kart experience yet, but in reaching for a wider audience, Nintendo may have lost sight of what made the series great in the first place. [May 2008, p.112]
Edge Magazine
Having sacrificed racing integrity in "Double Dash" to side with social silliness, Nintendo has turned 180 degrees into an awkward halfway house. [May 2008, p.86]
Game Chronicles
Mario Kart boils down to a whole lot of luck and very little skill.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this game is 8.2 (out of 10) based on 231 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Chace S gave it a7:
This game is very enjoyable, but I don't think it's 10/10 material. I hate the battle mode. Why on earth do they make you play with CPUs on teams? They should have included the option to do battle mode like in MK:DD and MK64. The new levels are fun. However, I think some are too cluttered. Many levels from Double Dash I would consider to be better than some from MKwii. It's still a good game, though.
Jacob R gave it a6:
Easily one of the most overrated games in recent memory- and I'm not a fanboy. I loved pretty much every first party title on the wii except for this. I guess I was spoiled by the amazing Mario Kart DS.
tony b gave it a10:
lots of very inventive new unlockable tracks. Game does play favorites if player is in last place by giving them the fastest missles.
sid s gave it a0:
Mario Kart Wii is a disgrace to racing games and the nintendo company alike. It is utter and complete trash. The game revolves around chance and bad driving mecchanics, with 64 esque graphics. Ugh.
Jonathan C gave it an8:
The classic Mario Kart we all know and love is back. The motorcycles are a good edition. The classic courses and battle stages are lackluster however. There are no character specific power ups, and the double item boxes of double dash are gone. Again rubber band A.I. make things difficult
Quint S gave it a10:
It may be based on a lot of luck, but if you have online access and a Wii, you need this game... the 12 player online has resulted in many hours of wasted time since I bought this 2 years ago. By far the most played game I own. Or have ever owned.
Keith P gave it a10:
Mario Kart Wii is a really great game. It's really fun to play. I can see why the game got a lot of good reviews and why it sold a lot of copies. I give Mario Kart Wii a 10 out of 10.
