Mario Kart Wii Dated For Europe!

Nintendo has put a date to its upcoming racer, Mario Kart Wii. April 11th is when Europeans will finally get to see the game – along with its Wii Wheel peripheral.

So, what will we get? Well, aside from all the features of Mario Kart we've come to know and love (with, of course, a bunch of new tracks, characters, weapons and vehicles) we'll get online multi-player. Up to 12 players will get to compete together, all at once.

If, however, you want to keep it in your living room so you can race your Gran', Auntie Pete and Shirley the Butcher^* without seven other people interrupting, you can do that as well because four people will be able to compete locally.

If you're worried that the Wii Wheel will cancel out the experience you've gained from years of dedicated kart racing (enabling your Gran' to kick your ass) fear not! Nintendo confirms that the following control methods will also be on offer, "Wii Remote turned on its side, Wii Remote and Nunchuk combination, Classic Controller and even Nintendo GameCube controller".

Mario Kart Wii will also get a Wii channel of its very own. The 'Mario Kart Channel' will offer online rankings, friends' ghost data to download and compete against, chat rooms and spectating.

You'll be able to bring your poor, under-used Mii into play, too.

Laurent Fischer, MD of Marketing and PR for Nintendo of Europe states, “Mario Kart Wii is an eagerly anticipated launch for Europe and we are confident that all those who have enjoyed playing previous Mario Kart games, in particular the Nintendo DS version will be pleased and looking forward to its arrival. Mario Kart Wii encompasses the core spirit of Mario Kart: an incredibly rich and deep gameplay experience that provides never ending fun. And with the Wii Wheel, every member of the whole family will feel comfortable to join in and experience kart racing regardless of whether they are a karting champion or a complete new beginner.

“With the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service also allowing friends and family to compete around the globe, we are confident that Mario Kart fans won’t be left disappointed with this installment exclusively on Wii”.

Yesterday, SPOnG brought you a couple of new screens from the upcoming racer. You can see them here.

^{* Only suggested playing partners. SPOnG does not endorse specific playing partners. The value of playing partners can fall as well as rise. Thank you.}