Three pages packed with Mario Kart Wii info and screenshots charged out of Famitsu this week, rounding the corner into someone's scanner and speeding right to your computer screen. In addition to revealing an April 10th release date for Japan, the magazine shows our mascots pulling off aerial tricks and racing against Miis! Will these personalized characters be a new standard for multiplayer games on the Wii? If it's easy to implement, why not?
Mario Kart Wii will also have GameCube controller support, multiplayer for up to twelve people online, online leagues, global rankings, time attack sharing/rankings, ghost uploads/downloads, and 32 different courses -- 16 of which are new, the remaining 16 being classic tracks. We're sure we spotted Delfino Square in at least one of the screens! You can have a look at the scanned pages yourself after the post break. The first one of you to identify the figure drifting past Luigi on the top left of the first page wins a cookie.*
*A cookie made of lies.
Click the resized scans for the full images:
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
2-06-2008 @ 12:13PM
Barry said...
I have never lost a race on Moo Moo Farm. Regardless of what system I've played it on. It will be nice to continue my tradition online.
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2-06-2008 @ 12:16PM
Sonic_13 said...
Have you not played Mario Kart DS? MKDS features Moo Moo Farm online.
2-06-2008 @ 1:53PM
Dave A. said...
@Sonic_13: I don't think you quite understood Barry. He did say he wins in Moo Moo Farm "regardless of the system", so I do believe he has the DS version. Either that, or uses Download Play to do multiplayer.
But in reality, just as long as one of the "classic tracks" isn't Yoshi Falls. I don't like how short it is.
2-06-2008 @ 3:30PM
Sonic_13 said...
That is true. I was just mentioning it though because he said "It will be nice to continue my tradition online." which suggested he hasn't played MKDS online.
2-06-2008 @ 12:14PM
Tom said...
So Donkey Kong?
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2-06-2008 @ 12:15PM
jpc168 said...
interesting... let's hope this doesnt disappoint. april 4th is awfully close, a lot sooner than i had expected.
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2-06-2008 @ 1:02PM
Tom said...
April 4th? It says April 10th for Japan in the article. Maybe I read it too fast somewhere. So if it is April 10th in Japan, that means like mid May? Fair enough. That gives me two solid months of Brawl before buying another game.
2-06-2008 @ 12:15PM
Sonic_13 said...
Hmm. To me the figure appears to Donkey Kong...only glowing a little orange.
I am definitely looking forward to this game. Racing as your Mii seems like an interesting idea. I had not heard about the GCN controller support - I doubt I'll use it though, as I love ExciteTrucks' control scheme and I am assuming MK would feature something similar. I'm glad they will be featuring ghost downloads and world records, etc.
I read on IGN that Mario Kart may also feature a separate channel (ala Wii Fit) for viewing World Records, etc. without actually having to load the game.
I really hope that you can race online with four people per console. That would be great since my friend down the hall has a Wii and we could then do 8-player races.
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2-06-2008 @ 12:24PM
Nigeria said...
I hope it controls more like the DS version rather than Double Dash. Controlling karts which manoeuvre like bricks with wheels is not fun, even if you place a two-rider gimmick on top of it.
The Mii idea sounds cool. I can unleash some of the Penis Mii's I've downloaded from the Mii channel onto the real world - by real world I mean Mario's world.
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2-06-2008 @ 8:38PM
gevenstaines said...
second that!
2-06-2008 @ 12:28PM
Billwhit said...
Looks like Bowser to me.
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2-06-2008 @ 12:57PM
Kenofthedead said...
It's Donkey Kong (technically it's DK Jr.), you can tell from it's barrel kart.
Oh and I've had one of those cookies made out of lies, needs more sugar.
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2-06-2008 @ 1:29PM
sketchampm said...
It's not Bowser. It's not DKJr.
It's just Donkey Kong.
Sorry guys.
2-06-2008 @ 1:39PM
Shadow31 said...
I think Kenofthedead is referring to it as Donkey Kong Junior in the original sense. By that, the fact that the original Donkey Kong was Cranky Kong by the DKC games, and the DK we know nowadays is the former DK Junior. No idea why he had to use that reference there, but yes, Kenofthedead is in fact correct.
2-06-2008 @ 5:43PM
Matt said...
Donkey Kong Jr. last appeared in the original Super Mario Kart (SNES). Since then, it has been simply "Donkey Kong" in every Mario Kart game. The modern Donkey Kong was originally the GRANDson of Cranky Kong (from Rare's Donkey Kong Country Series for the SNES), and thus, presumably (and confusingly), the son of Donkey Kong Jr.
This should make the modern "Donkey Kong" technically "Donkey Kong III," right? It would, except, in Donkey Kong 64, they changed it around to make Cranky the father, not the grandfather (which would bring Donkey Kong III back to Donkey Kong Jr.). The truth? Does it lie somewhere lost in the translation between Donkey Kong's original conception in Japan and his later rebirth in a UK development house? Perhaps. Or is there something more sinister going on? Chinatown comes to mind.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario_Kart
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cranky_Kong
Thanks for helping me procrastinate from doing homework :)
2-06-2008 @ 7:12PM
burgerbat said...
Wow, Matt. Just...Wow. Thanks for the clarification.
2-06-2008 @ 1:02PM
Calvin said...
Since Brawl is almost here, this is the game that I'm currently excited to get. (Still need Brawl moar)
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2-06-2008 @ 2:02PM
Brett said...
It looks like some sort of dog or fox-like creature and the cart its driving has big mouth full of teeth. Could it be Star Fox or perhaps Poochy from Super Mario World 2?
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2-06-2008 @ 2:06PM
Brett said...
It could also be some character from Animal crossing, but I've never played that game so not sure.
2-06-2008 @ 2:15PM
Mr Khan said...
I still say there's no way that this is going to get in by that point, considering how they had playable demos of Super Mario Galaxy back in May 2006...
Oh, and that figure is almost definitely Donkey Kong,
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2-06-2008 @ 2:38PM
hvnlysoldr said...
I guess that means Raw Meat Cowboy was right in saying 16 new and 16 old courses.
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2-06-2008 @ 3:01PM
Dopple Boppler said...
Delfino Plaza; YES~! One of my favorite Mario Kart tracks ever~
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2-06-2008 @ 4:24PM
TheOverlord#2 said...
Baby Peach, Miis, and Motorbike tricks seem to be the only new things I see. This games graphics are great. The online looks great also. The May Release is awesome! Though...how will I balance Brawl and MK? >_
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2-06-2008 @ 4:28PM
Jonathan Tran said...
So, is Sonic confirmed or what?
They should just put Sonic in every Mario game now.
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2-06-2008 @ 8:40PM
gevenstaines said...
can't forget snake either
2-06-2008 @ 4:36PM
Co said...
I'm really doubting the validity of the GC controller support.
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2-06-2008 @ 4:43PM
jp said...
yeaaa.. April doesnt really help those of us not living in Japan. anyone have any news of a North American release date?
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2-06-2008 @ 4:55PM
Edwin said...
That's so Donkey Kong... how can people not see it? He probably is getting hit or has an invincibility star or something, that's why he's orange.
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2-06-2008 @ 6:47PM
TboneMTH said...
Tanooki Mario?
I swear I see a mario hat there... somewhere
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2-06-2008 @ 7:12PM
ed said...
baby peach!
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2-06-2008 @ 7:34PM
Haohmaru said...
It's DK all right.
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2-06-2008 @ 8:37PM
ArmorForVictor said...
just played Mario Kart Arcade GP the other day at an arcade for the first time and fell in love with it. if this game is anything like that or better it's a definite buy for me.
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2-06-2008 @ 10:07PM
ChrisCanberg said...
This game is so not gunna get to the April 4th date.
Mario Galaxy got delayed like twice, Brawl got delayed like 4 times, there's no way this isn't gunna fall victim to the same thing. At least once.
I'd say I'll have this game when it comes out in like June or July.
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2-07-2008 @ 10:16AM
TVGenius said...
I'm rockin' it Wavebird style, then. Can't have any slack in the steering on those turns, and to me ExiteTruck veers all over the place. But will Baby Park make a comeback? Me, my wife and her brother have marathon sessions on Baby Park (first to 25 wins).
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4-24-2008 @ 9:06AM
Bombinater said...
how do u change into ur mii to race?
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