Mario Kart Wii

 Wii
User Score
8.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1245 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,039 out of 1245
  2. Mixed: 155 out of 1245
  3. Negative: 51 out of 1245
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  1. JamesO.
    May 9, 2008
    7
    The new characters and updated retro levels make this a great addition to the Mario Kart lineup. However, the somewhat watered down battle mode and over dependence of items keeps it from being at the top of the best of 2008.
  2. MattB
    May 13, 2008
    7
    Call me a 360 fanboy, although I loved Twilight Princess, Smash Bros, and Mario Galaxy.....I have to say Wii's Mario Kart is a new low for Nintendo. First off, the wheel is not very responsive (I used it for about an hour before giving up and using the gamecube remote). There are plenty of options and a few additions, but this might as well have been extra content for the gamecube Call me a 360 fanboy, although I loved Twilight Princess, Smash Bros, and Mario Galaxy.....I have to say Wii's Mario Kart is a new low for Nintendo. First off, the wheel is not very responsive (I used it for about an hour before giving up and using the gamecube remote). There are plenty of options and a few additions, but this might as well have been extra content for the gamecube mario kart. With such a great franchise, it's a shame this is only an "update" instead of a whole new experience.… Expand
  3. ChrisC
    May 4, 2008
    7
    Overall, another solid Mario Kart game, but a lot of little things that make it inferior to previous entries. First, no All Cup mode, so you're stuck just always doing four tracks in the same order. Also, the karts wind up a lot closer together and they increased the frequency of more powerful items, so there's way too much luck involved in winning. Also, for some stupid reason Overall, another solid Mario Kart game, but a lot of little things that make it inferior to previous entries. First, no All Cup mode, so you're stuck just always doing four tracks in the same order. Also, the karts wind up a lot closer together and they increased the frequency of more powerful items, so there's way too much luck involved in winning. Also, for some stupid reason you have to do time trials to unlock all the characters, which is boring as hell.… Expand
  4. paulm
    Jun 11, 2008
    7
    Mario kart is a good fun game a very good fun family oriented game game but it is not a good racing anyone that likes serious racing should stay a mile away from this as although the powers are fun they can be infurating when in first place you can easily lose your place by being shot and in the end actual racing skills dont matter.
  5. ChaceS
    Jan 31, 2010
    7
    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 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.… Expand
  6. ElJ
    May 19, 2008
    7
    Mario Kart Wii is a collection of every Mario Kart ever made all packed into one and ready to go for online game play. This instalment boasts more then ever before, with plenty of challenges, unlockable characters, karts and new features, along with 32 tracks, half of which are taken from all its predecessors. The only short coming of this game is that regardless of how skilled you may Mario Kart Wii is a collection of every Mario Kart ever made all packed into one and ready to go for online game play. This instalment boasts more then ever before, with plenty of challenges, unlockable characters, karts and new features, along with 32 tracks, half of which are taken from all its predecessors. The only short coming of this game is that regardless of how skilled you may be, victory is often dominated by luck, due to an excessive amount of unstoppable weapons that tend to annihilate whoever is in first place, and all too often, the game has a nasty habit of bringing it all down on you at once right before the end of a race, however, in the online gaming world, this gives less skilled players a bit more of an advantage, making it more difficult for someone to endlessly dominate and dishearten new players. I… Expand
  7. Anonymous
    May 21, 2008
    7
    This is certainly a strange one. Despite a fantastic online multiplayer and a wealth of modes, this is perhaps the least satisfying entry in the beloved Mario Kart series, because (in order to fit in with Nintendo
  8. ArkonBlade
    Mar 22, 2011
    7
    the only other mario kart game ive played is the one on the DS which my neice had and i fiddled with it abit to see what it was like and thought it was ok and decided to see if the wii one was any good . actaully it is pretty fun but the randomness and lack of skill it takes to win gets frustrating when you are riding high in first place and next thing you know you get hit 6X in a row withthe only other mario kart game ive played is the one on the DS which my neice had and i fiddled with it abit to see what it was like and thought it was ok and decided to see if the wii one was any good . actaully it is pretty fun but the randomness and lack of skill it takes to win gets frustrating when you are riding high in first place and next thing you know you get hit 6X in a row with lightning , pows, green shells , red shells , ink and a bunch of other crap and pushes you all the way to near last . its not a skill based game one more of luck but it is fun and that being the most important thing . just dont think there is any type of balance to this game because balance and mario kart dont wana mix for some reason.… Expand
  9. stillnumber1
    Jan 17, 2011
    7
    I do like Mario Kart but to be honest, bikes do not add enough to the franchise to warrant this new release. Bikes allow you to have a mini-turbo but not a massive corner based turbo which is just a detail of a kart really.

    I do like the retro cups and I realise it is a mainstay of the series but its a bit cheap rolling out the same tracks each iteration of the game too - though I liked    I do like Mario Kart but to be honest, bikes do not add enough to the franchise to warrant this new release. Bikes allow you to have a mini-turbo but not a massive corner based turbo which is just a detail of a kart really.

    I do like the retro cups and I realise it is a mainstay of the series but its a bit cheap rolling out the same tracks each iteration of the game too - though I liked Delfino Square so what are you gonna say?    … Expand
  10. anonreview
    Mar 14, 2011
    7
    My expectations of this game were high for two reasons- the impeccable standard of previous Mario games, and the Nintendo DS version of this game. This game, unfortunately, did not live up to these expectations. Without a doubt, this game was entertaining and enjoyable, but it was not as epic or classic as the DS version, and fails to raise is to games such as Super Smash Bros. and SuperMy expectations of this game were high for two reasons- the impeccable standard of previous Mario games, and the Nintendo DS version of this game. This game, unfortunately, did not live up to these expectations. Without a doubt, this game was entertaining and enjoyable, but it was not as epic or classic as the DS version, and fails to raise is to games such as Super Smash Bros. and Super Smash Bros Brawl. The graphics and animation were a major let-down, the visuals were not as neat, yet intricate, as the DS version.

    However, perhaps one should not compare this game to the DS version. They are different games, after all. This game was pleasing. Worth the money? Possibly.    … Expand
  11. GamerOfGames
    Jul 5, 2011
    7
    Mario Kart Wii is one of the best racing games around. That said, I feel it is overrated. It's awesome, but Mario Kart Wii just relies too much on pure LUCK. The items are pure luck, and are not even balanced. A person in last place could go straight up into the Top 3 with a Bullet Bill. And don't even get me started on that SPINY SHELL! My sister plays this game a lot, and, more thanMario Kart Wii is one of the best racing games around. That said, I feel it is overrated. It's awesome, but Mario Kart Wii just relies too much on pure LUCK. The items are pure luck, and are not even balanced. A person in last place could go straight up into the Top 3 with a Bullet Bill. And don't even get me started on that SPINY SHELL! My sister plays this game a lot, and, more than once, she was hit by 5+ items in a row just as she was about to win. Once, she was hit by a Spiny Shell, then a Red Shell, then another Spiny, then another Red Shell, then a Green Shell. So ridiculously ANNOYING! Luckily, Time Trials exist. In this mode, you can play on your own with no opponents, no item boxes, and 3 Mushrooms at the start. Multiplayer mode was nice, but it needed far more modes. Wi-Fi, too. The only thing that I still play Mario Kart Wii to do is race Time Trial ghosts. That was fun. So, in conclusion, this is a great game to get if you have friends who would be willing to play with you, because multiplayer is the reason to buy this game, and Time Trials is also great, but don't expect much more than that other than loads of frustration.… Expand
  12. LaytonMario3
    Aug 28, 2011
    7
    First of all, this is not a bad game, but not a classic either. The online play, while generally lag-free and varied, is far too mixed considering bikes are a lot better than karts and it just felt un-balanced. It's called Mario Kart for a reason. The game can be fun so long as you are playing fairly with 4 players around one screen, and for that it wins back a few points. Plus it sounds,First of all, this is not a bad game, but not a classic either. The online play, while generally lag-free and varied, is far too mixed considering bikes are a lot better than karts and it just felt un-balanced. It's called Mario Kart for a reason. The game can be fun so long as you are playing fairly with 4 players around one screen, and for that it wins back a few points. Plus it sounds, looks and feels lovely to play. Still falls short of classic status.… Expand
  13. TexasRez
    Mar 24, 2012
    7
    With so much more to offer than its predecessor, Mario Kart Wii offers more fun for both, single player, and multiplayer modes.

    What's great: The ability to race a friend through your friend roster, addition of bikes and allowing them to wheelie, bringing back the classic retro courses, of course! What's not so great: The game offers an unbalanced selection of characters and vehicles.    With so much more to offer than its predecessor, Mario Kart Wii offers more fun for both, single player, and multiplayer modes.

    What's great: The ability to race a friend through your friend roster, addition of bikes and allowing them to wheelie, bringing back the classic retro courses, of course!

    What's not so great: The game offers an unbalanced selection of characters and vehicles. Also, when you complete and unlock everything offline, what is left to do for those who cannot play online? Would I recommend this game to a friend?
    Eh... sure.    … Expand
  14. MentalVortex
    Jan 25, 2013
    7
    This is definitely the pinnacle of the Mario Kart series and the best game for Wii, thanks to the highly satisfying online mode which CAN provide countless hours of replay value. HOWEVER, this enjoyment is hampered considerably due to the ever increasing amount of cheaters using hacked consoles to give themselves constant invincibility, infinite blue shells and other unfair advantages.This is definitely the pinnacle of the Mario Kart series and the best game for Wii, thanks to the highly satisfying online mode which CAN provide countless hours of replay value. HOWEVER, this enjoyment is hampered considerably due to the ever increasing amount of cheaters using hacked consoles to give themselves constant invincibility, infinite blue shells and other unfair advantages. For every 10 games played online, I would estimate you will encounter at LEAST 3 or 4 games with such cheaters. This was not a frequent occurrence when the game was initially released, but over time, and with Nintendo's proven unwillingness to address the issue, it has become a common annoyance which ruins the experience.

    Aside from the online play, the addition of motorbikes is the most visible addition to the series, and have become quite popular since, more often than not, they are faster than the karts the game is named for. Regardless, the choice between the two vehicle types adds nice variety and good challenge for the underdogs using the classic go karts.

    Lastly I should mention that while there are about 20 tracks, several of these are from previous games in the series making things seem not so original. A couple extra new courses would have gone a long way to keep things from getting stale over time.

    Apart from these issues, the game offers an exciting racing experience which everyone can enjoy. The question however is "for how long?"    … Expand
  15. TheDude101
    Aug 8, 2013
    7
    Good selection of characters and courses, but I simply can't appreciate it. It's unsatisfying and you don't get that feeling of accomplishment that you usually do when you've completed a course. Needs more unlockables.
  16. Yankeee007
    Oct 18, 2013
    7
    Mario kart wii is another installment in the mariokart series This entry is a mixed game The downsides are that this game it's a luck game the CPU are cheap and skill no longer matters it's skill which it's a terrible thing The items/weapons are overused in a cheating way and this game just has unbalanced difficulty The good aspect is that the online is great and the controls are aMario kart wii is another installment in the mariokart series This entry is a mixed game The downsides are that this game it's a luck game the CPU are cheap and skill no longer matters it's skill which it's a terrible thing The items/weapons are overused in a cheating way and this game just has unbalanced difficulty The good aspect is that the online is great and the controls are a great way to play this game… Expand
  17. cwepahguy225
    Jul 5, 2014
    7
    This is a pretty good game. I like the diversity of the character roster. However, things were too hard to unlock, and should be easier. The items are imbalanced, once I got hit by all three red shells from triple reds. The multiplayer was fun, but Nintendo had to DISCONTINUE IT. The battle mode was good, I just wish you could do a vehicle besides the standard kart and bike. What made meThis is a pretty good game. I like the diversity of the character roster. However, things were too hard to unlock, and should be easier. The items are imbalanced, once I got hit by all three red shells from triple reds. The multiplayer was fun, but Nintendo had to DISCONTINUE IT. The battle mode was good, I just wish you could do a vehicle besides the standard kart and bike. What made me come back though, was the vs. The team vs was great, I'm mad that they didn't bring the team vs into mk7 and mk8. The real donwside is the lack of vehicle parts. Customization was introduced in mk7 and brought into mk8, but you have to use just a body in mario kart wii. It didn't feel very personal, and the vehicles felt underpowered. I also didlike how vechicles are limited to weight, and not for all characters. The biggest downside is that this game has no creative element. It's pretty straightforward, there's no anti-gravity, underwater racing, hang gliding, etc, because of this the tracks felt boring.… Expand
  18. masterlinkace
    Jul 7, 2014
    7
    This game is fun, but when compared to the other console Mario Kart games, it feels dumbed down and annoying. The motion controls are horrific, but if you just want some simple, chaotic Mario Kart then you can't really go wrong.
  19. HellBugsie
    Jul 9, 2014
    7
    Yes, this is a fantastic game. BUT, also a very rigged game at the same time. I can't help but notice that all the computer characters are stronger than my own player. Example: if they barley hit me from behind I seem to fling off the track and loose control, if I were to hit a computer player side on hard they would barley move!!! I do love this game but it does need a lot of improvements :)
  20. zachary1000
    Jan 5, 2016
    7
    I have put a WHOLE lot of time into Mario Kart Wii, but it has some major problems that bring it back considerably. The track design is superb, the battle mode is frantic, the controls are fluid, and the multiplayer is as fun as it ever was before! However, the balancing between characters and vehicles is poorly done, as the bikes are much better than the cars. The online inter-phase wasI have put a WHOLE lot of time into Mario Kart Wii, but it has some major problems that bring it back considerably. The track design is superb, the battle mode is frantic, the controls are fluid, and the multiplayer is as fun as it ever was before! However, the balancing between characters and vehicles is poorly done, as the bikes are much better than the cars. The online inter-phase was pretty bad too, as you could only have 30 friends, there were an over-abundance of connection issues, and there were too many hackers. Even so, I had quite a bit of fun with the game, but it certainly isn't perfect.… Expand
  21. Silverzapper
    Mar 9, 2016
    7
    I think that this is a good game. However I think it would be really nostalgia blind to give it a ten. I played it and I didn't enjoy it as much after the release of Mario Kart 8. There are some great tracks and I loved the battle mode. I played that mode so much. Battle mode is the reason why I come back to this game. Unfortunately online play has been discontinued so you wont be havingI think that this is a good game. However I think it would be really nostalgia blind to give it a ten. I played it and I didn't enjoy it as much after the release of Mario Kart 8. There are some great tracks and I loved the battle mode. I played that mode so much. Battle mode is the reason why I come back to this game. Unfortunately online play has been discontinued so you wont be having as much fun with battle mode as I did. However if you are a Mario Kart fan and you haven't you need to buy this. That's all I have to say.… Expand
  22. PlayNeth
    Apr 2, 2017
    7
    Mario Kart WII is a good game, but the main problem is the multiplayer. Daisy and Funky Kong are too overpowered. Everyone uses them, its simply unplayable.
  23. daManne
    Apr 6, 2017
    7
    I never really warmed up to this game. I finished all the cups, but after that I never again felt the urge to play it again.
    It's a good game, but still the least of all the Mario Kart games in my opinion.
  24. Anxo
    Jul 18, 2017
    7
    Este es un juego obligatorio de la wii, y es muy bueno, pero sin duda si lo comparas con los otros juegos de la saga es uno de los peores. No tiene mucho que destacar, aunque el modo batalla es bastante bueno y el grand prix era muy dificil.
  25. Sausage22
    Nov 7, 2017
    7
    Worst modern era Mario Kart game. Not the best controls out ther if playing on wii controllers, I would recommend Gamecube controller for better experience. MK7 improved in every way and MK8 just destroys it. But its still a good kart game.
  26. glitchboi
    Aug 27, 2020
    7
    One of the best Mario Kart games out there. Most tracks are good, such as Mushroom Gorge, Maple Treeway, DK Summit, Toad's Factory, Moonview Highway, and Grumble Volcano, though these are held back by mediocre tracks such as Moo Moo Meadows and Dry Dry Ruins. It has a decent retro track selection, including SNES Ghost Valley 2, DS Desert Hills, GCN Waluigi Stadium, N64 Bowser's Castle,One of the best Mario Kart games out there. Most tracks are good, such as Mushroom Gorge, Maple Treeway, DK Summit, Toad's Factory, Moonview Highway, and Grumble Volcano, though these are held back by mediocre tracks such as Moo Moo Meadows and Dry Dry Ruins. It has a decent retro track selection, including SNES Ghost Valley 2, DS Desert Hills, GCN Waluigi Stadium, N64 Bowser's Castle, etc. It also has great shortcut design, and is a very skill-based game. So why not an 8 or 9? Some tracks are boring, and most of the time items don't even work, such as red shells and fake item boxes. Red shells hit walls most of the time, and fake item boxes are too easy to see unless you use them efficiently, simple as that. It's very fun though.… Expand
  27. NintendoPlayer0
    Aug 7, 2019
    7
    This game is overrated.
    And no, imma not a hater, this was my first wii game, i didnt get Wii Sports.
    While is fun, the lack of content really hurts this game, the online is decent, but man, go play Mario Kart 8, its better.
  28. Shimmeywill
    Mar 11, 2020
    7
    Good music and some fantastic new tracks. A fair bit of fun for the time. A strong title.
  29. RedXTL
    Nov 3, 2019
    7
    The motion controls worked fine for me, i barely had problems when playing. Getting every character is fun. It shows a unique experience for the time that it released
  30. Virus_Driggy
    Oct 31, 2019
    7
    This is a great game but not perfect. Example the items are broken i has multiple times i gotten blue shelled 4 times in 1 race. The motion controles arent that good. Tho ignore that then its pretty good
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Awards & Rankings

18
#18 Best Wii Game of 2008
2
#2 Most Discussed Wii Game of 2008
5
#5 Most Shared Wii Game of 2008

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
82

Generally favorable reviews - based on 73 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 65 out of 73
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 73
  3. Negative: 1 out of 73
  1. Nintendo Power
    90
    With more features, modes and multiplayer options than ever before, fans should be revved up to get behind the wheel. [May 2008, p.86]
  2. Edge Magazine
    60
    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]
  3. DarkZero
    80
    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.
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