Gamertell

Even more information on Mario Kart Wii is bursting out, though the latest influx of information is all thanks to IGN, which was given a demo of the title. The title, which will be released on April 10, 2008 in Japan, has also received a tenative European release date, April 25, 2008. A North American release date has not yet been finalized. While it is impossible to cover everything which IGN revealed in their exclusive report, here is a quick walk through some of the most important revelations.

First let’s look at the mulitiplayer aspects that have now been confirmed for Mario Kart Wii. The game will have an exclusive Mario Kart Channel that is included with the game that will allow players to download weekly challenges and possibly other items. Players will also be able to share various achievements, like your win/loss records, favorite characters, courses, vehicles and stages, if you’re using the Wii Wheel, how far you’ve raced and other similar notions. When playing the game online, two people on one Wii can join in a 12 player race with other individuals worldwide.

The control scheme is another important issue with Mario Kart Wii. Perhaps the best news is that the Wii Wheel is not your only option, even though the game will come bundled with one. Players can use the classic controller, a Gamecube controller, the Wiimote with the Nunchuk or the Wiimote alone in the Wii Wheel. The Wiimote may be the best control scheme to use, as there are certain bonuses which come from using it. For example flicking it when your character is jumping on screen will make them do a trick for a quick and easy speed boost. Also the Wiimote will make a noise when someone is trying to attack you so you can try and evade.

IGN also revealed the beginning character roster and the kinds of vehicles available at the outset of the game. The first 12 characters available when the game begins are Baby Mario, Baby Peach, Bowser, Donkey Kong, Koopa, Luigi, Mario, Princess Peach, Toad, Wario, Waluigi and Yoshi. Undoubtably more will become available as players conquer various areas of the game. Also each character has three different motorcycles and three different cars to use at the very beginning of the game. Of course this number will probably also get larger as more of the game is completed. Another addition is that certain races are limited to certain vehicles. IGN reports that the 50CCs are for the karts, 100CCs are for motorcycles, and 150CCs are for everything. Another interesting point is that all vehicles can be used during online multiplayer races.

The whole article is immensely huge and definitely worth a read through. Especially since the site has exclusive new screen shots as well. IGN also revealed that retro tracks return in this title, there are new unlockable tracks, all of the old items return and there are new POW block and lightning cloud items.

Read [IGN] Via [Team Wi-Fi Galaxy News]