Mario Kart wiizzes onto the Wii

Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Monday, 10 March 2008 08:57

Your IT - Entertainment

Naturally, as the Wii can be transformed into an Internet-connected device through a Wi-Fi connection or a USB to LAN adaptor for old-school wired types, Mario Kart Wii becomes an online multiplayer game “thanks to the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service”.

Up to 12 players worldwide can race simultaneously in a contest of speed and skill – and potentially lag times, although naturally Nintendo makes no reference to the latter.

Nintendo says the Wi-Fi Connection allows you to “see if your friends are playing by checking their status, or you can create a room and use the chat option to send friends messages before a race”.

Want to see how your friend(s) navigate those tough corners or perform certain tricks? Simple – just jump into your friend’s race as a spectator while their race is in progress, and join the race when the next course begins.

But you don’t need an Internet connection to enjoy multiplayer action – a “Multiplayer Mode” is also an option letting up to four people can challenge each other in your living room – although naturally you’ll need some combination of four controllers, something that will be an extra purchase if you don't already have them.

There’s also a new “Mario Kart Channel” which lets you monitor your rankings against Mario Kart Wii players worldwide, share Ghost Data, access a host of special features, and join a community of Mario Kart Wii racing fans from around the world.

Nintendo promise “more Mario Kart Wii game feature announcements”, possibly prior to – and after – its April launch, piquing our interest at just what else Mario Kart will deliver.

On a side note, Nintendo also claim that the "Wii now has the biggest install base for any new home console in Australia", something that Sony and Microsoft surely never thought possible when launching their next-gen consoles!

Set to retail for AUD $99.95, it will be available at all major retailers.