@ emilie autumn - MK is not all that hard to predict a guy on gamefaqs has started doing a statistical analysis of what items you get in what position - with 12 players at least. If he used a bullet in 2nd place he either held on to it from when he was doing badly or he hacked

http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/wii/file/942008/52716

i believe you are talking about the item faq, which details in what places you get the items and how often, if thats teh case i have read it, but what i said in my last post was that he used a bullet in second place(the only option is that he saved it, it is imposible to get a bullet in second place) and then 4 lightings in first place which is imposible

I count myself lucky that I've never encountered a hacker.

On the other hand, the guy I fired six red shells at the other day probably thought I was hacking. :p

Oh yeah, haxzors indeed. Too bad they got to this game, too, like Mario Kart DS. Snaking killed Mario Kart DS long before the hackers did, but Mario Kart Wii was fairly stable

I too haven't played there in a while. Mostly because my connection isn't stable at all here at college for my Wii. I need a wired adapter, Amazon.com: Used and New: USB 2.0 LAN Adatper works with Nintendo Wii by Eforcity

Should really get around to that.

Snakers in the DS game, hackers in the Wii game, and adolescent idiots on Xbox live -- which is why I am actually happy that Nintendo doesn't put much of an emphasis on online gaming; if you don't have any friends and have a surplus of free time by yourself, then perhaps it is a nice option, but I just don't see the fun of playing against obsessive or obnoxious opponents from around the world when I could be interacting with real people.

Alright, I'm ranting a bit, but to be honest I'm so tired of this notion that an online component should be an essential part of multiplayer gaming. A game like Mario Kart isn't about that kind of competition to begin with; it certainly involves some skill but an essential part of its appeal is the randomness that can take your lead away at any point, which is not much fun with faceless opponents; with real friends, however, it's enjoyment is much like an old board game in the balance between actual skill and random events you can't possibly anticipate, which add some humor to the situation while keeping it possible at any point for any player to come back.

I've never encountered a hacker in MK:Wii, but I have encountered a bjillion of people who vote for the same course every time, even if we've just played in thrice in a row. Usually it's not too bad because you can just beat them, even on their favourite course - these people usually aren't very good. But when it's someone who does the ol' magicruiser and Sherbet land/the GBA beach one trick then it is not fun at all. I agree, even though it's only 4 humans and 8 ai, local multiplayer is way better

The Grumble Volcano one is by far the worst. It's an auto-win for them, and since I haven't bothered learning how to do it, it gets me every time.

@warioswoods: Sometimes one doesn't have any friends on the same skill level, and online makes finding the search for competitive players easy. Sure, not all are interested in this, but a sizable amount is (see 360's online).

I think it's unfair to put such a strict definition on what Mario Kart "is about." We don't know how many more people have it thanks to the online. Heck, we have Mario Kart Leagues here dedicated for this kind of competition, and Nintendo puts a fair amount of work into the online for the game (time trials, tournaments).