How to Be Good at Mario Kart Wii

Start off by thinking of what kind of vehicle you're looking for. Do you want something that can make sharp turns easily without bumping into walls, or do you want a speedy, drifting vehicle? There are even karts and bikes that are great at going off-road. Statistics play a bigger part in this game than you may think! Note that for beginners, a kart with good acceleration and handling is easier to use, while for more experienced players, speed tends to dominate a gamer's preference. Keep this in mind as you select what karts and bikes to use. The competitive Mario Kart Wii community has generally agreed on Funky Kong and the Flame Runner as the best combination to use, so keep that in mind. Another popular character/vehicle combination is Daisy on the Mach Bike. It is agreed unanimously that tight drifting vehicles with good speed are the best. The Mach Bike and Flame Runner are the two vehicles that best fit that, which is why they are preferred.

Choose a character and weight class. All of the Mario Kart Characters have stats that are not listed in game. Although these certainly do not make too much of a difference (with some characters it's really not even noticeable), it's fine to look them up in depth. More important to take into consideration is the weight class, divided up into Light, Medium or Heavy characters. Light characters give less speed and weight bonuses, but are better at everything else. Because they are light they can be bumped around more often. Medium characters have the most balanced stats (though once again, this usually depends on the bike/kart you choose.) Big characters give more speed and more weight bonuses but less of everything else, as well as an increased resistance to getting bumped around.

• As an example, take the Bullet Bike and the Bowser Bike/Flame Runner. They both have similar statistics, but since they're from different weight classes, they have slight differences. The Bullet Bike, which is a light vehicle, has slightly less speed and a lot less weight then the other, but makes up for it with better overall stats. The Bowser Bike/Flame Runner has better speed and a much higher weight, but its other stats are not as good as the Bullet Bike's.

Choose which drift type you'll be using - Automatic or Manual. Automatic allows you to drift (turn easily at corners) automatically without pressing buttons, but does not allow the usage of Mini-Turbos, which are miniature speed boosts. Manual drifting does allow you to use Mini-Turbos, which can be activated by releasing B (the drift button) when you see blue or orange sparks from behind your vehicle as you drift. Orange Mini-Turbos are only possible using karts. Tilting your Wii Remote from side to side while holding B and turning makes the mini-turbo charge faster. Automatic is better for beginners, as you do not have to constantly hold B whenever you turn but Manual allows you to use mini-turbo which can be used very cleverly. Try and play on Manual as soon as you feel comfortable as it is a huge advantage and will help you get better at the game. Keep in mind that bikes and karts drift differently, so try out both and see which one you prefer, although it is accepted in the Mario Kart Wii community that bikes are generally better to use because they can perform wheelies when not turning.

Use a rocket start at the beginning of the race. To do a Rocket Start, press the acceleration button (either A or 2, depending on your controls) just as the number 2 on the screen fades at the countdown before the race. Then, as you start the race, you zoom forward, giving you a quick advantage. A similar advantage is a boost you can get after you fall off the track and Lakitu (the Koopa on a cloud) drops you back into the race: simply accelerate exactly when you hit the ground. It is difficult and takes practice, but is very useful.

Learn how to do tricks. This is a great new technique introduced in Mario Kart Wii that was not present in older Mario Kart games. Simply shake the Wii Remote up, down, left, or right when you go off a ramp or jump, indicated by multicolored or sometimes blue arrows going into the air, to perform a certain trick. Upon landing, you will get a short speed boost. A common mistake is shaking the remote while you are in the air--you must do it right as you are taking off from the launch pad. You will hear a noise emitting from the Wii Remote itself, letting you know that the trick was successful. Doing a successful trick earns you another speed boost.

Learn how to low trick. Air time in Mario Kart Wii is generally slower. You want to stay as low as possible most of the time. There is a way to preform a trick, but still stay very low to the ground, called a low trick. To do this, simply hop just before a bump that you could normally trick off of, and you will barely clip the bump and trick while not going up in the air. Note that you must be using Manual Drift to do this, and that you generally cannot do this off of ramps/jumps that have orange or blue boost panels on them (with a few exceptions). This takes time to learn, but is very useful.

Look for as many shortcuts as you can. Many courses, including Mushroom Gorge, GCN Peach Beach, N64 Mario Raceway, Mario Circuit, Coconut Mall, Wario's Gold Mine, GBA Shy Guy Beach, DS Delfino Square, and more contain hidden (intended) shortcuts and jumps. They are extremely useful, however, many of them are covered in mud or grass that slow you down. They require some sort of Mushroom boost or Star (which make you unaffected by grass or mud) to get across. See the video below for all the shortcuts in the game.

• There are also many unintended, but useful shortcuts in Mario Kart Wii. They include the Mushroom Gorge Gap Jump, the Toad's Factory Lake Jump, The DK Summit Single and Double, and many more. They are generally a lot harder to do than the intended shortcuts, and some of them even require you to use certain vehicles, but keep practicing and you will get better. There are even shortcuts that allow you to skip almost the entire course, but I recommend you don't do these online, as other players might get mad at you. To learn how to do these kinds of shortcuts, go to YouTube and look for videos about them!

Know what to do with different items. If you get a Mushroom, look for ways you can cut corners with them, as discussed above. Bananas and shells are useful when shells are coming from behind, as they protect you and destroy the shell. Use your shells very wisely--don't throw a Red Shell to the person in front of you, two inches away, when you will likely pass them in a moment anyhow. Wait until you really need it. Spiny Shells search for the player in first place and create an explosion, spinning any character in the explosion radius. If you see a Spiny Shell coming to you, there is not much you can do about it. If you have a Mushroom or a Golden Mushroom at the time, wait until the blue shell is about to slam down on you, and then use the Mushroom. Once you know the perfect time, it will become more simple. Or, you could also try slowing down and catching other players, so they get hit in the explosion and suffer the same fate. When you have a power-up like the Mega Mushroom, which turns you giant, or the Star, which makes you invincible and faster, try hitting other players to knock them over or even flatten them. The Lightning Cloud is a mixed bag; it gives you a constant boost to speed and allows you to ignore terrain effects, but after a while it will "strike" and shrink you! Depending on your ability, you can either pass this off ASAP by bumping another character or "ride the lightning" and take advantage of the benefits before passing it off. Don't wait too long, though! Be aware that all other characters can use these items, too, so watch out for them trying to hit you. Depending on the item (Spiny Shell, Red Shell, Star, Mega Mushroom, Bullet Bill, and Lightning Cloud), you may hear a warning and see an icon of an item whenever a character with the item is coming up from behind. If you can be mid-air when the [POW] block detonates, it will keep you from getting hit by the effect, although shaking the Wii remote while it detonates will lessen the effect if you're on the ground.