Mario Kart Wii online options detailed

Wednesday 05 Mar 2008

Many gamers have circled the 11th of April on their calendars as they eagerly await for Mario Kart Wii to hit European shelves. For many Mario Kart racers the chance to race against other players online is the most fundamental update to the game. Nintendo recently detailed the online options of the game so read on for more information on online karting!

Worldwide or Continental

Players can choose to race online via Nintendo Wi-Fi connection by themselves or with a friend on the same Wii. Players will be able to enter online races with random players Worldwide or choose a race closer to home in Continental. Following your choice you will join a new group of players looking for a match or an existing group. If you join an existing group you will be a spectator in the current race until the next race begins. Up to 12 players can battle or race on the Mushroom Kingdom circuits at one time!

If you swop Friend Codes with other players, you will be able to see who of your friends are online. Choose Create a Room or select Join Friend and you will find yourself in a room with your friends before the race starts.

Text chat and deciding circuits

A similar globe to the Forecast Channel will highlight the locations of all the players who are present once players are inside a room. From here you will be able to text chat with friends, but can only use predefined messages. The text chat will allow you to suggest to other players what race you are looking for, for example Battle, Grand Prix, Team Play and your circuit of choice. Following this the Host will decide on the race settings but the track selection is decided by the votes of the players.

Ranking and racing Ghosts

Players will be able to access their statistics for each track in the Ranking option. You can also compare your results with your friends and players from around the world, all represented by their Miis of course!

If you choose to you can even race against the Ghosts of the best players. You can also improve your results by racing rival’s Ghosts. You will be able to share your Time Trial Ghosts with players from around the world.

Mario Kart Channel

Players will also be able to install the Mario Kart Channel on your Wii. You can use this to check on options without inserting the Mario Kart Wii disc into your Wii. This Channel will allow Nintendo to invite players to face off in challenges similar to those found in the Missions of Mario Kart DS. You will be able to check how your rank faired in the competitions and time trials. Finally the Channel will let players register Friends and check which friends are online.