Mario Kart (Wii): Prima Official Game Guide (Prima Official Game Guides) (Paperback)

by David Hodgson (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
•Full-color, 100% accurate course maps showing the world's fastest Ghost times and racing lines!
•All game modes exposed, including crucial tactics on drifts, drafts, mini-turbos, and when to wheelie!
•Complete coverage of Grand Prix, Time Trial, Versus, Mirror, Battle, and Online Modes!
•From unlocking the True Ending to tactics for scoring three-star ratings on all tracks, we show you how!
•Multiple methods of unlocking all characters and vehicles: We show you the quickest ways!

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Prima Games; Pap/Pstr edition (April 27, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761559701
• ISBN-13: 978-0761559702
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 7.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #11,020 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Get the Gold, April 27, 2008

By	Sean A. Rhodes (Aurora, Colorado) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

Mario Kart Wii is definitely a big game. Without a doubt one of Nintendo's biggest games for its system. Mastering the game is easy without a guide as it is, but if you actually find yourself wanting to pick up a guide for any reason at all, this is actually a good one. I've been fairly critical of Prima Guides in the past. In the past I've often noted that their guides are usually incredibly disorganized leading to the guide being unreasonably thick. The Mario Kart Wii Guide gets it together. It's very well organized and detailed guide that doesn't have a ton of page flipping to be done. This is one of Prima's better guides. With their guide you'll be able to speed through all of Mario Kart Wii's courses, and you won't have to worry about slowing down either. It's the perfect companion.

It wastes no time jumping into things. The first thing it talks about is all the different ways to control the game. After that it jumps into all the different modes and all the basic stuff about the game. As with most guides, it's stuff you probably don't really need to read up on, but it's there if you need it. There are some good tips here though. If you've been playing Mario Kart for a long time, none of these advanced tips will be new to you.

The guide then talks about all the power ups. This section is also pretty helpful. It tells you all about the items and even gives off some great tips on how and when to use them. After all the items, the game goes into all the different racers and shows you all the stats for all the karts and giving their own commentary. Also in this section it'll show you some of the natural disaster you'll encounter throughout the courses.

The Drivethrough is the best part of the guide. This is where it covers all the courses. It begins with an introduction and then gives you some speed tactics. Each course also has a map whre it shows you a route to take (which is meant to be used for Time Trial). Showing you where to drift and where to boost. The maps themselves are also very detailed, also pointing out where some of the hazards are and noting them. Each section also details the disasters on the course and even talk about ghosts times. When it comes to the Time Trial, they also make it a point to show you exactly when you need to boost and they'll tell you exactly what you need to make some of harder jumps or take some of the harder shortcuts.

Just the same, on the maps are two types of call outs. The first are for the course itself. These are numbered callouts that tell you what to do when you reach that point on the track. It's stuff that's meant to be used for Time Trial but a lot of it also helps out when going through the cups too.

The second is the simple "A" "B" "C" formula that worked in several of Nintendo Power's older guides. Where you see those on the map you can turn to the proper letter and read about what to do. These are for Combat Tactics in the race. The guide also shows you where some of the shortcuts and secrets of the courses are, and it'd be great to use. Using the Speed Tactics and Combat Tactics together helps you to get ahead in a lot of the races.

Finally, there's a brief mention of mirror mode. For the most part almost all the same strategies apply, you just have to remember that it's mirrored.

There's also a good deal dedicated to the battle courses. These are just handy tips you might want to use throughout the game.

The final section of the guide is dedicated to helping you unlock all the game has to offer. It's done in a checklist fashion so that you can note what you have and keep track of it. It's great stuff.

Prima's guide to Mario Kart Wii is a very good guide. While Prima has had some bumps in producing guides for Nintendo in the past, Mario Kart Wii shows they can do a good job. There's no wasted space, the screenshots are clear and the maps are detailed. This is an incredible guide for Mario Kart Wii.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Strategy Guides And Video Games Go Together, February 6, 2009

By	Amy Senk "Read it, Loved it" (Orange County, CA, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

When our son gets a new video game along with the corresponding strategy guide, he sometimes seems to prefer the guide to the toy. He wears out the guides, reading and re-reading them, not only for tips and game-winning hints, but because he just loves reading about the characters and the different scenarios.

Mario Kart Wii's official game guide is no exception. It's a very worn, very popular paperback in our household.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must have for the MK addict, November 25, 2008

By	Z~ - See all my reviews

I am SO happy I decided to purchase this game guide. It shows so many tricks and hints on how to get "ahead of the pack". I especially found the selection on the differences in the vehicle and character selections can make on your races. If you are a Mario Kart addict like me - this is a must for you. I would tell you it would also make a perfect gift for another MK player you may know of, but why increase their chances of winning against you. :-)