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Get a cab ride on Nintendo tomorrow
New York City residents, you might want to forget your walking shoes come tomorrow. If you find yourself anywhere around the Sheraton Hotel (811 7th Ave., between 52nd and 53rd streets) between 8:00 and 10:00 am or 12:00 and 2:00 pm, then take note: Nintendo will be offering free cab rides in celebration of the release of Mario Kart Wii. Sounds like a sweet deal to us!Of course, we have the problem of not living in New York City keeping us from enjoying a free ride in the back of a cab. We wish we could partake, believe us. It sure beats riding in the back of our usual transportation.[Via press release]
Characters we'd like to see in Mario Kart
When you think about a franchise that has been around as long as Mario Kart, you see it's hard to validate each title as the series gets farther along. One of the ways to validate the game for fans has been to offer a complete and full roster of racers. Well, we're going to go through the characters we wished were in the games, yet woefully aren't. So read on and see what changes we would like to have happen to the roster in upcoming installments in the Mario Kart franchise!
Celebrate Mario Kart Wii with alternate karts, Wii wheel substitutions
Using a baby as a Wii Wheel substitution is not the best idea for either your gameplay or the infant in question. Our sister site Nintendo Wii Fanboy has this and more suggestions for when the Wii Wheel isn't enough. In case you're looking for more Mario Kart Wii-related shenanigans, they've also devised a listing of potential "alternate karts," including what we envision would be the most "kart" race ever: Wario in a rickshaw vs. Yoshi on a pogo stick. Alternate Kart Universe Reinvinting the Wii Wheel
Nintendo enlists celebrity aid in marketing Mario Kart Wii to Japan
Aside from advertising in the United States, another region important to sales of Mario Kart Wii is Japan, Nintendo's native country. As such, the gaming giant has enlisted the aid of Japanese celebrities to help hock their wares onto the gaming populace. Above, you can see model Aki Hoshino and comedian Medaka Ikeno having the time of their life with their Wii Wheels.Cruise on past the break to check out a plethora of Japanese ads for the game.%Gallery-4772%
Kart around NYC with free Mario cab rides this Thursday
Celebrating this weekend's Mario Kart Wii launch, Nintendo is offering New Yorkers a free cab ride this Thursday, April 24. According to the press release, just head over to the Sheraton Hotel (811 7th Ave., between 52nd and 53rd streets) between 8:00 and 10:00 am or 12:00 and 2:00 pm to roam the city on Nintendo's tab.We at Joystiq would like to caution you, though, that just because the cab driver looks like Mario doesn't mean he's part of the deal. Make sure to double check that before you try to walk away from a large, mustachioed man without paying your fare.
Reinventing The Wii Wheel
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo/Reinventing_the_Wii_Wheel'; Mario Kart games are all about having a great time racing against your friends -- and yet the Mario Kart Wii package shamefully includes but one Wii Wheel attachment. You could purchase a separate Wii Wheel, but that's a bit costly, and requires the foreknowledge that you'll have a second player soon. And then what if you have three friends coming over? Without four Wheels, you could face a controller shell emergency. In such desperate situations, you may go scrambling about your house for something that can be fashioned into a DIY Wii Wheel. In order to save you a bit of panic, we've come up with a bunch of makeshift Wii Wheels that will work in a pinch -- and some that wouldn't, but are almost as funny as adults holding fake steering wheels in the air and pretending to drive with them. Head for the starting line!
All you need to know about Mario Kart battles
While those of you in Europe and Japan are enjoying Mario Kart, the rest of us are trying to wait as patiently as we can, not knowing what to expect. Sure, we've seen and heard many racing-related things when it comes to Nintendo's upcoming title, but there's been one aspect of the game that hasn't been talked about much -- Battle Mode. Thankfully, our friend Josh from Wii Folder put together this in-depth video, which shows all the ins and outs of the underrepresented mode. We're not sure we like the sound of team-based battles, though -- what do you folks who've tried it think?
Sixteen years of Mario Kart
It's been nearly two decades since Super Mario Kart, and in that time, the five console releases have turned Mario's hobby into a powerhouse franchise in its own right. And no matter where you started in the series, be it with Super Mario Kart or Mario Kart: Double Dash, you've probably already noticed that the old adage applies here: the more things change, the more they stay the same. We're kicking off a week of everything Mario Kart with an overall look at the franchise, with an emphasis on old familiar faces and places. Reappearing characters, recurring tracks, and our oldest memories with the series: you'll find it all right here. Looking to stay spoiler-free? Only very basic information is revealed about Mario Kart Wii, near the end of the gallery. Follow Yoshi! >
Another Week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 4/7-4/13
It looks like just the same old stuff for Wii sales in Japan last week. Wait a minute -- what's that, you say? Mario Kart Wii dominated Japan? Sure enough, sitting pretty at the top of the charts is Nintendo's famous kart racer, with almost half a million copies sold in its first week.Despite the Mario Kart bump, the Wii only took third place in hardware. Considering that Japanese gamers love them some handhelds, though, that's not too much of a surprise. One little observation that may floor you, on the other hand, is that Brawl was already overtaken by Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G in total sales.See it to believe it after the break.
Metareview (Euro Edition) -- Mario Kart Wii (Wii)
As we continue to cope with the fact that Europe got a Nintendo game before North America (instead of six months later), we've had the surreal experience of perusing European reviews for Mario Kart Wii a couple weeks before its NA debut. The European outlets have given the game solid marks, but don't expect this iteration to rethink the Mario Kart experience for those who aren't fans. IGN UK (89/100): "Despite a few minor flaws - most notably the failure that is offline Battle mode - the sheer quality of this latest Mario Kart installment pretty much sits it right alongside the near-faultless SNES original. Despite initial fears, this is proper Mario Kart, and it's Mario Kart done right. It's fast, it's fun and still one of the best party games ever created. Thanks to some seriously well-implemented online options though, it brings so much more to the table than its forebears, most notably in terms of longevity." CVG (88/100): "A really solid Mario Kart with a terrific online setup. There's plenty here to make up for the disappointment of local multiplayer, but it does stop short of magnificence." EuroGamer (80/100): "Ultimately, the sheer sensory pleasure of playing Mario Kart Wii - from the charming animations, to the bopping tunes, to the sugar-rush boosting, to the exquisite steering - far overcomes the few concerns we have about it. It still has to be docked a mark for the awkward structure and compromised battle modes - but it's still unreservedly recommended to anyone for whom Mario Kart is a gaming cornerstone. And really, that should be everyone." %Gallery-16165%
Wii Warm Up: Spoiling the race
With Mario Kart Wii releasing in the U.S. very soon, we wonder how many of you took a hard stance on spoilers in the game? Did you save yourself the excitement and try to remain pure before the game's release, or did you give in to your darker desires and already learn of every unlockable racer and other goodie in the game? Have you remained spoiler free?%Gallery-4772%
Pachter: Wii to sell 700,000 in March
With the official NPD numbers due any day now, Michael Pachter has tossed out his prediction for the winner of March in the U.S.: Nintendo. He is claiming that the Wii will have moved 700,000 units in the month, with Smash Bros. Brawl being the big reason. Even though he says that Nintendo is still sending more units to Europe than the U.S., he says that March will be different because of, obviously, Smash Bros. Brawl.And, even better is Pachter's prediction that April will see Nintendo doing even better, with both Mario Kart Wii and the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon sequels being huge draws. Let's hope he's right!
Nintendo: No issues with Mario Kart Wii that we know of
Nintendo has spoken to Eurogamer in regards to everyone getting worried about Mario Kart Wii DVD discs not playing and Nintendo is, frankly, wondering what the whole deal is. They've apparently gotten no such reports themselves, stating that their game is everything they hoped it would be.The big difference between Mario Kart Wii and Smash Bros. Brawl, the other game that has been a thorn in the sides of some folk, is that MK does not come on a dual-layered DVD like Brawl, so that isn't the situation. And, until we get a disc in our own Wii, we're just going to take all of this with a healthy supply of salt.See also: Glitching with ghosts in Mario Kart Wii%Gallery-4772%
Glitching with ghosts in Mario Kart Wii
Well, folks, the game we're all looking forward to might not be so perfect after all. Now, while the glitch itself works 100%, it seems that Nintendo is mindful of it and removing the faulty times from the leaderboards. So, at least the cheaters aren't getting the credit they so badly want.%Gallery-4772%[Via Siliconera]
Nintendo says it's unaware of Mario Kart Wii problems
Even from the mysterious Joystiq oil tanker somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean, we could hear fanboy hearts preemptively breaking at reports of disc problems with Mario Kart Wii. (Seriously, it was loud. We had to turn the volume all the way up on our Tony Robbins' motivational cassettes just to drown it out.) Perhaps hearing the cries as well from Nintendo HQ (a hovering, edible castle constructed entirely from dreams), Big N is trying to pre-preemptively fix hearts, saying that it has had no reports of problems at all.Also, Nintendo says that rather than the dual-layer discs that caused problems for Smash Bros. Brawl, MKW comes on a single-layer disc, which isn't really that surprising, considering the same game originally shipped on a Super NES cartridge. ... Wow, we are so going to regret that.
Mario Kart Wii is also prone to disc errors
Here's a heads up for all you soon-to-be Mario Kart Wii owners out there. Remember the disc errors that many people were having with Super Smash Bros. Brawl? As it turns out, Mario Kart Wii is susceptible to the same "dirty laser lens" problems, as the game is also on a dual-layered disc. some people are also having problems with Mario Kart Wii. Whether these problems are also due to dirty laser lenses or if there was just a batch faulty discs remains to be seen.In any case, a handful of gamers in Japan are reporting problems, and there have been instances in which the software won't even start up. We wouldn't worry too much over the issue, though. Theoretically, if Brawl works with your Wii, Mario Kart should too (even though it's not the same dual-layered disc issue). If you haven't tested out Brawl on your Wii yet, though, you might want to cross your fingers come launch day.Have any of you readers who've already purchased the game experienced any problems?[Via GoNintendo]
Wii Warm Up: Mario Kart vs. Smash Bros.
It's time to choose between two beloved Nintendo franchises. So, tell us -- when it really comes down to it, which series do you love more? Mario Kart, or Smash Bros.? And don't forget to tell us why.Keep in mind, we're asking about the series as a whole, not one particular game!
This is what taking Mario Kart online looks like
For those of you who don't want to settle for just some screenshots of the game's online menus, check out the video above. And, as you would imagine, the interface is slick (got to love that globe and player locator) and allows you to get your game on relatively easily. Oh boy, are we ever dying to get our hands on this!%Gallery-4772%
Video footage of all 32 Mario Kart Wii tracks
It's already Thursday in Japan, which is a particularly mundane trivia fact until you realize that Mario Kart Wii is also scheduled to hit Japan on Thursday. Ergo, logic dictates that the game is out now. For the rest of the world who has to wait until Friday (Europe) or until April 27 (North America), Wii Nintendo has compiled a video (embedded above) of all 32 tracks in the game. Clocking in at almost two hours, you might want to go make popcorn before sitting down to view. Full course listing after the break; although it should go without saying, we're going to throw a spoiler alert here for emphasis.
Wii and friends: A Great Match
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo/Wii_and_friends_A_Great_Match'; Why do we love the Wii with friends? Because we want all to share the splendor and majesty that comes from playing the best home gaming console around. So that's why we set out to bring you a nice, easy package of great multiplayer games for the Wii. Both online and local multiplayer is covered, as well as games that have released and those that are still in production. We hope you find this useful in your own life, in some small way, or at least a good place to link a friend who has no idea what they're getting into with the Wii. So read on and see what we have in store, then come back here and tell us what multiplayer experiences you enjoy most on the Wii!
