Nintendo Australia has confirmed the Australian release date for Mario Kart Wii, April 24th; only 2 weeks behind Japan and the UK. Like the UK version, the Australian version will also have the wheel included and the game will retail for $99.95. They also sneakily confirm that the Wii now has the largest install base for any new home console in Australia.
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With Smash Bros. at last out (in Japan, at least), Nintendo appears to have penciled in Mario Kart as its next big title. We're assuming that much, considering the unexpected blowout on the game in the latest issue of Famitsu.
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GoNintendo got some advance info from the next issue of NMag (he writes for them) and posted the Mario Kart Wii tidbits: -Sliding and snaking confirmed -Baby Peach, Boo to be drivers -online battle mode -16 new + 16 old courses -different vehicles for every driver -controls can be compared to Excite Truck
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--the physical size of your Mii will determine the race class of your character - light, medium, heavy!--each character has 8 vehicles, 4 of each type--they hated the Wii Wheel
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Of the 4 control options, they liked the Wiimote/Nunchuck option the best (finding the Wheel causes over-steering at first, but they get used to it). As stated in the IGN preview, 50cc is Karts, 100cc is Bikes, 150cc is for either. Also mention of a Mega Mushroom power up. Mission mode also returns from the DS version. Friend codes confirmed for online.
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"This spring, nearly a year and a half since the [Wii's] debut, Nintendo will release Mario Kart Wii, the first motion-sensing rendition of the racer. In anticipation of Game Developers Conference this week, the company invited us to Nintendo's Redwood City office to check out the game in action and see just what's in store for Wii owners that are itching to zoom around with Mario and crew."
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Nintendo UK has updated its website with a walkthrough of Mario Kart Wii's online multiplayer options. One or two players can connect to Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection from a single console, and then select from Worldwide, Continental or Friend pools of players. Online race-types mentioned on the site are Battle, Grand Prix and Teamplay, with the game host selecting race settings while the group itself votes for a track.
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Every copy of Mario Kart Wii will come packaged with a steering wheel peripheral that houses your Wii remote in the center and gives you the ability to play Mario Kart Wii rotating the wheel left and right in the air. A hole on the left side of the unit makes it so players can still utilize the Wii Remote’s pointer functions for the menu system. But in the case of Mario Kart Wii, the designers made sure you can navigate the menus using the D-pad as well.
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We know, it's easy to get caught in all the magic that is Mario Kart Wii -- "it's like Smash Bros. but with karts and more banana throwing!" -- but let's not fool ourselves here: that Wii Wheel is potentially the least functional piece of plastic Nintendo has shipped since the Virtual Boy.
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Quote: "Official Nintendo Magazine in the UK has reported that Mario Kart Wii will feature online racing for up to 16 players, with all tracks from the DS getting a Wii makeover, alongside brand new Wii-specific courses."
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