Mario Kart Wii, Nintendo's latest installment in their popular racing series, is kind of an oddball in the series. Critics have rated it as the worst in the series according to ranking sites and stripped it of its AAA status. Sales have said otherwise, where the game has sold over 16 million and still sells around 100K WW on a weekly basis. Some new features included include the inclusion of Bikes, which allow wheelies and more strategy, quality online that allows 12 racers, random or friends, to race in either VS or battle, and of course, the Wii Wheel.

There have been a few common complaints of the game. The most common ones included Battle Mode's lack of free-for-all, the "luck" element, new items that were unfair, the lower resolution in 3 and 4 player, and no GP for 2 people (where you unlock stuff). Others may have been track quality, online's lack of speaking, the Wii Wheel's sensitivity, and the Bike vs. Kart debate. Some features that have been more praised are the control options, new tricks to perform, better online with a ranking system, the new tournament mode and ghost download options, and tons of unlockables.

Reflecting on the game after 16 months, what did you think of the game? Was it just another Mario Kart (and tell if it was good or bad), was it dissapointing for some reason, or was it above average, or even the best in the series? Make sure to give reasons. For me, I have to say it was the best Mario Kart ever. The tracks seem to have a great charm, and bikes have added a "new" element to the series. Despite the flaws, the game is lots of fun in single player and multiplayer, online and local.

Also, I want more Mario Kart friends. ;)

I have to agree with it's awesomeness. It's my favorite Mario Kart.

And, from the ones I've played, I would rate it like this:

Wii>DS>Double Dash>64>Super Circuit

Eh, the press complaints can be dismissed readily as part of their newfound hatred for all things Nintendo (the various reasonings of which we have long elaborated upon here), and i've always scratched my head at the people who complained loudest about the "luck" factor, bitching about how the game "punishes skill." I've yet to see it. If i was in a race with somebody worse than i, they would lose most of the time. The points rankings for online play reflected that, such that it didn't reflect your win/loss record, but a general reflection of your overall skill

I loved most of the new tracks. Some of them were kind of boring in terms of theme (like Daisy's raceway), but all of them brought something unique to the table.

The only new item i truly hated was that damn Thundercloud. The CPU always had a tendency to rub off the cloud on me right before it burst.

Online play was fine, within the limitations of the system. It would have been nice if they had made that game the flagship for Wii Speak, but i don't think it loses too much without it, especially since the game already had its own peripheral. The netcode they used, however, was silky smooth. I never had problems with lag or slowdown, and only occasionally had problems where the game would crash in between races

I'd rank it as one of the best in the series, if not the best. 64 has always been overrated (mostly through the rose-colored glasses effect), and the 2D games were far too frustrating (though still fun). Really, i would say that Wii brought together the better elements of Double Dash and DS (DS's excellent kart selection, retro tracks, online, and double dashes excellent track design and item system), while nixing the worse stuff out of both (notably the game-breaking snaking, and the whole double-dash gimmick)

It was a Mario Kart, it was good despite the odd things they did like screwing Battle over and removing 2p Grand Prix. I just hope they reintroduce those things next time around.

Definitely worst of the series. No hopping.

SNES>64>DS>MK Wii (Never played Double Dash)

I'd have to say it's one of my favourites, along with the DS version

The online and VS mode offline are absolutely fantastic, a great multiplayer game and one all my friends enjoy.

This game is great, the controls are great, the graphics are great, the tracks are great, the multiplayer kicks ass, and there is Dry Bones

I will say with cofidence its my least favorite MK...I like the introduction of Bikes, but a few items were pushin the cheap line, the tracks were ok there kind of short and i wasnt reall wowed by any of them, but MK is fun especially when playing with all human players

the best its 64 one.
not wing blue shell.

yet no online but online it's kinda useless in the wii version, since only 2 players can go split screen online.
while it would be fun to fill the races without AI.

I can't argue about Mario Kart Wii's greatness. Its my most played game for a very long time and I still have a lot of fun playing it.

The Wii Wheel and introduction of bikes (along with the Coconut Mall course!) keep the series fresh.. I still would love more than anything to have downloadable courses and 2+ player Grand Prix but other than that the game is near perfect.