Mario Kart Wii

Button Bashing Really Works On Mario Kart

2009-02-07T12:23:00.000-08:00

Once you have picked up an item, repeatedly tapping the left trigger on the Game Cube controller or B on the Wii wheel, will make jogging through the items that you may get, much quicker.

This is very useful if you know that one of your friends behind you has a Red Shell, or it could be useful for firing a shell quickly if you think someone is about to win a race!

Slip Stream For Added Boost On Mario Kart Wii

2009-02-07T07:53:00.000-08:00

Slip streaming your opponent allows you to pass by them in a boost like style. Basically if you are behind someone, stay directly behind them, and soon blue/green lines begin to appear.

Stay behind for even longer and eventually you will get a kind of bubble in front of your car which will then lead to you being able to slip stream past.

The slip stream then lasts for a few more seconds and is similar to having a boost.

Be careful when using a light character though, because hitting heavier characters can throw you off course.

Wheelies Give Small Boosts

2009-02-07T07:40:00.000-08:00

Wheelies on motorbikes appear to give you a small boost in Mario Kart Wii. Use them on long straights as your steering is slightly impaired whilst you are balanced on the back wheel.

Press down on the D pad on the Game Cube controller to wheelie, or flick the Wii wheel.

Note, that being on a bike also makes you very susceptible to being knocked around and even off the track.

Don't Use All Three Boosts At Once

2009-02-07T07:24:00.001-08:00

When you are lucky enough to get the Three Red Mushroom item box, do not use all the boosts at the same time, because they do not multiply your speed. Use one and then the other quicky after the last one has finished to get the maximum impact from them.

Using them all at the same time is essentially the same as using just one.

Boost Before Slow Surfaces For Maximum Effect

2009-02-07T07:21:00.000-08:00

In order to get the most out of your (Red Mushroom) boost, you need to release it slightly before the hit surface you want to use it over.

This is because it takes a few split seconds to get up to its maximum speed. The boost first accelerates and then maintains a higher speed than usual.

You do not want to have the accelerating phase of the boost as you are on the surface so use the boost slightly before you are going to hit it for maximum effect.

Use The Water In Koopa Kape

2009-02-07T07:04:00.001-08:00

There are a number of places in Koopa Kape where the water actually speeds up your Kart. These include inside the tube after going down the waterfall and all the water leading up to the waterfall after the boost jump.

Do not go in the water on the last bend however, unless you have a boost or an item that allows you to go across slow terrains. See our post lower down for the items that let you do that.

Two Tricks Are Better Than One

2009-02-07T06:48:00.000-08:00

When you hit a jump in Mario Kart Wii, be sure to trick not once, but twice. This will give you a bigger boost when you land.

To trick twice simply press the D pad in any direction twice rapidly when in the air.

Note, You cannot perform more than two tricks over a single jump.

Trick Every Jump For Faster Lap Times

2009-02-07T06:44:00.000-08:00

If you want to get ahead of the pack in Mario Kart Wii then do a trick over every single jump in each level. This will give you a small boost when you land, and when playing the computer you will notice how you will rapidly start pulling away from the pack.

I tend not to use the blue jumps that appear on big banked corners, but certainly jumps that are inline with the track, such as the wooden ramps on Koopa Kape, are worth tricking over.

Use the directional pad to complete tricks.

Take Items Even If You Don't Need Them In Mario Kart

2009-02-07T06:24:00.000-08:00

If you are full on items during a race in Mario Kart Wii, I still suggest smashing the Item Boxes anyway, because this will help to minimise the chance of the person behind you picking one up!

You will soon find that you and your friends take very similar racing lines once you start getting pretty good, and therefore smashing the boxes they are about to get, will mean that they won't be able to get an item to harm you with.

Even if they are not directly behind you, you should still smash the boxes because there is quite a long delay on their re-gen.

Intelligent Places to Leave Items In Mario Kart Wii

2009-02-07T06:06:00.000-08:00

When racing against the computer on Mario Kart Wii, there isn't really much point in being too strategic with the placement of items, because they usually work anyway.

However, when you are racing against housemates, friends or racing online, you need to be a little more intelligent about the placement of your items because lets face it, they are pretty easy to dodge otherwise.

Banana skins and Dud Item Boxes both slow down your opponents greatly if places intelligently.

I've found through experience and through thinking about it logically, that you need to try and 'hide' items because otherwise they are too easy to see and dodge.

Some of the best places to do this are straight after sharp corners and also in dips. You should also note that a lot of jumps send all karts to the same landing place, so putting a skin or box down the split second after you land also works very well indeed!

Wario Goldmine is an awesome level for dropping items because there are a lot of dips where you can place the items in, and your opponents will only see them at the last second.

Good luck with beating your housemate ;)

Dodging Pow In Mario Kart Wii

2009-02-07T05:43:00.000-08:00

Believe it or not, there is actually a few ways to dodge POW in Mario Kart Wii, one of which will involve you driving in manual mode.

To dodge the POW in manual mode, imagine that the POW is just about to hit you and at this exact moment, hit the right trigger with the game cube controller ('B' on the Wii Wheel) to hop off the ground. Note that you have to be moving to hop, otherwise your vehicle will try and reverse, because this button has two functions.

What this essentially does, its make your character hop off the ground and therefore dodge the power of the POW.

The timing does take a little while to master but it is definitely worth it!

Note Anything that is off the ground when a POW hits will not be effected by it.

This means that hitting a jump will also make you dodge it too.

Conquering Slow Surfaces In Mario Kart Wii

2009-02-07T04:56:00.000-08:00

Often you will notice that there are large expanses of slow surfaces around Mario Kart Wii tracks. One which springs to mind instantly is straight after the first bend on Moo Moo Meadows. The mud at the end of Toad Factory is also another classic example.

These are the places where you really need to think about driving over in order to wipe seconds off your lap times.

There are a number of ways that you can travel over slow surfaces.

1. Boosts

Boosting is probably the most obvious way of cutting corners. Boosting over grass means you travel at top speed despite the fact its a slower surface than the track.

2. Invincibility

Think carefully about where you want to use this item because its very useful for cutting corners. Invincibility allows you to travel on any surface at top speed.

3. Electricity Item Box

When you get the Lightening cloud above your head, your top speed is increased and you can travel on any surface at top speed. Be warned though, the main intention of this item is to hit someone else.

4. 'Big' Item Box

The item box that makes you 'big' (or 'a really big deal' as I like to say) means you can travel over any surface at top speed. I think being 'big' is possibly one of the best items because you can also crush opponents too.

Dodging Red and Green Shells In Mario Kart Wii

2009-02-06T15:05:00.000-08:00

There is an easy way to dodge attacks from both the red and green shells on Mario Kart Wii, and that is to hold an item out of your arse! Holding a banana, a red shell or a green shell out of the back of your kart will protect you. You can do this on the game cube controller by holding down the back left trigger.

The magic red dud boxes that you pick up will NOT protect you from any of these items so ditch them as soon as you find a half decent location.

How To 'Recovery Boost' In Mario Kart Wii

2009-02-06T14:55:00.000-08:00

Recovery boosting is when you boost after you are placed back on the track. You are placed back on the track after you have fallen off the edge.

You will know when this has happened because you will be put back in place by a small cloud with a fishing rod.

In order to get the 'Recovery Boost,' hit the accelerator as soon as your wheels hit the floor. This will hopefully make up for a little bit of the lost time.

How To Boost Start On Mario Kart Wii

2009-02-06T14:25:00.000-08:00

Boost starting on Mario Kart Wii is fairly simple. Basically hit and hold the accelerator as soon as the sound of the second light has been made. This will get you the maximum boost possible.

The bikes are also really cool for the boost stars because you can also wheelie by holding down on the D pad on the Game cube controller, and on the Wii controller. This gets you a slightly better boost, but be warned, if you get knocked by another Wii Character it will slow you down a lot.

How To Lose Blooper Ink Fast In Mario Kart Wii

2009-02-06T14:24:00.000-08:00

Just a quick post here. The best way to get rid of the Ink in Mario Kart Wii is to hit a boost. You will notice that if you do, the Ink is removed from your screen a lot faster than usual.

So if you get inked look for a Boost on the level asap!

Dodging The Blue Shell In Mario Kart Wii

2009-02-06T14:12:00.000-08:00

As far as I can tell there are only two ways that you can dodge the dreaded Blue Shell on Mario Kart Wii.

1. Boost

Apparently boosting just as the Blue Shell shoots down to destroy you, means that you will dodge it. I've never actually been able to do this, mainly because first place hardly ever gets a boost from the magic boxes.

2. Cannons

The cannons in DK Mountain and DK Snowboard cross (There may be others too I can't rememeber) stop the Blue Shell from hitting you, if the shell hits you while you are travelling up it. This happened to me today and I was rather happy. I'm not yet convinced that the cannons in Rainbow Road stop it, as the Blue Shell has chased me through several of them and zapped me as I have left them.

If you know of any other methods then please leave a comment!

Game Cube Controllers Rock Mario Kart Wii

2009-02-06T14:07:00.000-08:00

Although it may seem that the wheel is the very essence of Mario Kart Wii, it is not the best controller. The Wii is backwards compatible with Game Cube controllers, and honestly, on Mario Kart Wii, they kick ass! Since I've moved over to the controller I've not even looked back at the wheel.

Its much easier to control and a little easier on the arms and wrist as well. God the Wii wheel makes my arms ache!

Mario Kart Wii Tips and Tutorials

2009-02-06T14:06:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Mario Kart Wii blog. A blog all about Mario Kart wii. Its will soon be full of tops ways to win Mario Kart races. It will also contain information on potential new releases and relevant news.

Stay Tuned

Durkin