Everyone can look forward to Mario and his gang back on the tracks for more karting action this spring, with Mario Kart Wii heading towards the US this April 27th. The game itself will be bundled with a Wii Wheel that helps flatten the playing field, whereby a novice won’t have such a hard time against veterans. I suppose this will tip the balance of power even more to the former camp, considering how lopsided the game mechanics are currently where the person in the last position often has much better powerups compared to the folks up in front. Mario Kart Wii will also see gamers hook up via Nintendo’s Wi-Fi Connection, allowing one to pit his/her mad skills with up to 11 other drivers from every corner of the globe.

Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing has said, “Mario Kart Wii transforms one of our most popular franchises into a race that every member of the family can join. Driving with the Wii Wheel could not be more natural, and this is one place where speeding is encouraged.”

What can players expect out of Mario Kart? 16 new courses as well as 16 classic courses from previous Mario Kart games as usual. I think it gets harder and harder for Nintendo to choose just exactly which track to put in a few iterations down the road as there will be way too many “classic” Mario Kart tracks by then. In addition to karts, gamers will, for the first time in their lives, be able to race on motorbikes while hitting the asphalt as their personalized Mii caricatures if they find the traditional Nintendo characters to be boring.

Press Release

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