Mario Kart Wii

Mario Kart Wii was once intended to have a full mission mode, one fan has discovered.

UPDATE #4 22/04/2014: 2K will be migrating the PC versions of Borderlands, Civilization 3 and Civilization 4 - along with their expansions - to Steamworks following GameSpy's multiplayer server shutdown.

Nintendo will shut down its ageing Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service on 20th May, bringing to an end the use of online features in a huge range of games.

Screenshots of a new HD Mario Kart game have surfaced - not from Nintendo, but from Namco Bandai, developer of the series' arcade outings.

Close your eyes and guess what the top 10 video game brands in the UK are, as measured from 1996 to 2012.

One of the Wii's most impressive games gets a new lease of life thanks to HD emulation.

No sign of retyring.

Nintendo has announced a new Wii bundle, which includes a Black Wii, Black Wii Wheel and Mario Kart.

The Black Wii is the new configuration Wii, which stands horizontally rather than vertically and doesn't play GameCube games.

The Mario Kart Wii bundle launches on 18th November.

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Nintendo has cut backwards compatibility from the just-announced Wii redesign.

L.A. Noire has lapped new entry DiRT 3 to remain top of the UK charts.

The rumoured Wii price cut and budget Wii games range has this morning been confirmed by Nintendo.

From 20th May in Europe (and 15th May in the US), the price of a Wii console bundle (with either Mario Kart Wii & Wii Wheel or Wii Sports Resort & Wii Sports) will drop to £129.99 ($149.99).

On the same day, Nintendo will introduce a Nintendo Selects budget-price Wii game range. Titles cost £19.99 ($19.99).

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The man behind the Mario Kart franchise has stood up for the series' widely loathed blue shell power up.

In under one month, Donkey Kong Country Returns has trampled to a massive 4.21 million global sales.

Kirby's Epic Yarn - not yet released in Europe - has already amassed 1.38 million sales in Japan and the US.

And Super Mario Galaxy 2 has been bought 6.15 million times since its summer 2010 release.

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A limited edition black Wii bundle that includes Mario Kart Wii and a bunch of accessories will release in Europe on 26th November, Nintendo's announced.

Those accessories are a black Nunchuk, black Wii Remote Plus, black Wii Wheel and Wii Sports.

As a bonus, it'll also include Donkey Kong original edition pre-installed on the Wii "in homage to Mario's first ever appearance".

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Nintendo's profits may be down a bit, but four of the company's games still managed to sell more than a million units between April and June.

Nintendo has reported record-breaking annual sales, but revealed a weak Japanese underbelly in the process.

Mario Kart Wii was the biggest selling game across the UK, US and Japan last year, shifting nearly 9 million copies.

Wii Fit and Mario Kart Wii have both sold over 1 million copies in the UK.

Electronic Arts notched up the world's biggest selling game from July to September with Madden NFL 09 shifting 2.994 million units, according to a new report combining US, UK and Japanese sales data.

Grand Theft Auto IV has sold over 6 million copies to become the biggest-selling game, worldwide, of 2008.

Mario Kart Wii has reclaimed top spot from Wii Fit in the UK All-Formats Top 40 according to the latest Chart-Track data, reproduced below.

Nintendo has boasted about Wii becoming the best-selling current generation console in the US.

Nintendo has romped the Japanese software chart this week, taking all but one of the spots in the top 10.

Nintendo has begun what will be a continual stream of Mario Kart Wii online tournaments.

Mario Kart Wii has whistled past the finishing line ahead of the Japanese chart-pack again this week, adding another 150,000 sales toward its 1 million goal.

Mario Kart has held onto the top spot in the UK All Formats Chart for a second week running.

The PSP is still the number one selling hardware platform in Japan, according to Media Create data.

Nintendo has told Eurogamer that it has had no reports of problems with Mario Kart Wii discs.

GAME is giving you a chance to compete in a Mario Kart Wii Tournament a week before the game launches.

Mario Kart Wii sets out its stall in the last corner of the first track in the Mushroom Cup, Luigi Circuit. There's a chicane, followed by a huge, wide, banked curve, which leads onto the finishing straight. Inside the chicane, off the track, is a ramp. The top of the banked curve is lined with a series of ten or so on-track zip pads.

So, if you have a mushroom item in store, the quickest route around the corner is this. You use the mushroom for a speed boost, short-cutting across the chicane. You hit the ramp and jerk back on the wheel, executing a stunt. This gives you a speed boost when you hit the track again. Then you hit the first zip pad, and get a speed boost. You hop and slide, counter-steering with the wheel, sparks flying, first blue, then yellow. You hold the slide as the zip pads give you speed boost after speed boost after speed boost. You hit the straight and come out of the slide - which gives you a speed boost.

If you're really lucky, you'll have been doing all this in line behind another racer, slipstreaming granting a speed boost. If you're on a motorbike, you can then pull a wheelie down the straight. This gives you... you get the idea.

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It's been confirmed you won't be able to snake to earn speed boosts in Mario Kart Wii - but there's a new stunt system to make up for it.

Nintendo UK has updated its website with a walkthrough of Mario Kart Wii's online multiplayer options.

One or two players can connect to Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection from a single console, and then select from Worldwide, Continental or Friend pools of players.

"Then you will be placed in a new group of people looking for a match, or you will join an existing group," says the website.

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Nintendo has revealed there will be no option for communicating via voice chat in Mario Kart Wii.

Nintendo has revealed that Mario Kart Wii will be released in Europe on 11th April.

With Mario Kart Wii due out in Japan on 10th April, Nintendo has revealed more information - including support for additional control schemes and a few details on new power-ups.

Mushrooms and motorbikes.

Mario Kart Wii will let you make your very own Miis ride on bike or karts in online races, according to Famitsu.

Just a few hours ago, you may recall, Nintendo denied rumours a date had been set for Mario Kart Wii in Japan.

Nintendo has kicked a red shell up the jacksie of rumours Mario Kart Wii has been given an official release date.

Nintendo has told Eurogamer the latest rumours to emerge about Mario Kart Wii are nothing more than speculation.

Nintendo of America has issued an enormous pile of release dates and estimates for its upcoming games and those of its cherished third parties. Obviously these only apply to the US, but they are still encouraging yardsticks for when things will be finished and ready to be quickly released in Europe no excuses this time.

US magazine Nintendo Power has revealed new details about the upcoming Mario Kart game for Nintendo Wii, most notably that it will feature 16 new tracks and as-yet undisclosed new weapons.

Mario Kart Wii - announced at E3 this year - sees the famed racing series make the transition to Wii, gaining a motion-sensor steering system based on holding the Wiimote with its buttons facing upward, a bit like Excite Truck, motorbikes and online racing.

As previously revealed, online games will support up to 12 players. Nintendo Power's preview adds that they will be able to pound one another with traditional power-ups like Koopa shells and lightning bolts, and fire themselves ahead with mushrooms.

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Nintendo has sent out a note this morning explaining that Nintendo software release dates issued yesterday for Q2 2008 and beyond "have not been finalised or confirmed", although it did describe Mario Kart's as "fixed".

Update: Nintendo issued the following statement earlier clarifying the below: "The Nintendo first and third party software line-up release schedule which was distributed by Nintendo on Thursday 6th December confirmed launch dates for Nintendo titles launching in Q1 2008.

As well as adding Sonic to the Smash Bros. roster, Nintendo's Japanese press conference also brought us the local release date for Wii Fit, news of motorbikes in Mario Kart and a few details on the first games for downloadable service Wii Software (Wii Ware), announced this June.

Official Nintendo Magazine has held up its hands and apologised for getting a bit over-excited about potential features in the Wii version of Mario Kart.

Issue 21 of the mag says the game will let you take part in 16-player online battles, pull-off mid-air stunts and race on all of the DS tracks in revamped form.

However, according to a statement issued to Eurogamer, it turns out this is all "merely excitable speculation" based on the Mario Kart trailer shown at this year's E3.

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