My daughter and I got the guide after the game, to help us improve our scores and it certainly did that. This is a well-written, very helpful guide, with ONE minor but glaring error: It states that specific characters do not affect vehicle performance. This has been proven otherwise, as I found out while searching some of the internet gaming sites. Aside from that one imperfection, the guide is terrific, and well worth the investment. It has certainly enhanced our Mario Kart experience.

This book not only helped me unlock some of the fastest karts in the game, it helped me knock several seconds off each lap. The techniques, suggestions, and shortcuts are invaluable for the serious gamer, especially those that wish to dominate online!

I have learned a lot from reading this manuel. I'm not a hardcore gammer, but I am addictedd to Mario Kart and it has improved my game. It taught me how to boost start, where to drop items, and just overall how to get better ratings. I am now a one star player and I owe it to this book. (Still working on getting more stars, but I'm happy with one, for now...)

Main Review
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After Nintendo stopped making guides, they left making guides in the hands of Prima. Prima has not done well with this, especially in guides for games like Super Mario Galaxy, and Super Smash Brothers Brawl.

However, then the almighty David Hodgson, who writes many awesome guides, wrote the guide for Mario Kart Wii. And the first thing I want to say is: Welcome back, Prima.

There may be one or two minor problems in this guide, but it's almost perfect! If you remember Nintendo Power guides for previous games, they had the numbers (numbers and letters, in this case) that correspond to the tips later.

That's what made Nintendo Power guides so great. Now, Prima borrows that idea, and does it as well as Nintendo did it.

The guide starts off with a simple introduction as well as easy-to-read lists of controls for all different types of ways to play the game.

Next, is the Basic Info, which might be useful to Mario Kart Newcomers, but won't really do anything for veterans. It's still there if you need it, though.

Next it has a list of the items and a few other basic things.

Finally, we get to the meat of the guide. There's a guide for every course and this is how ever course in the drivethrough is set up.

The first two pages contain the map of the track as well as Tactics for Time Trial Mode on that track. There are also course hazards and occasionally a coll little "Look at Mii!" box on the left.

Next, they have notes on Laps 2 & 3 on Time Trial as well as their best time and how they acheived it. Then, they hav the guide for the Grand Prix. Finally, every drivethrough ends with the Mirror Mode Map.

After the drivethrough is the guide for Battle Mode. Finally, they have easy-to-read lists of all the secrets in the game. Don't forget there's a poster included.

If you get it from a store, it's around $20 (in the USA), but it's worth it, defenitely!

Pros
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- Easy to read maps.

- Easy to read lists.

- Organized basic section.

- Full drivethrough for all modes.

- List of all secrets.

- Poster included!

Cons
__________

- A bit unorganized.

Grades
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Maps: A+

Walkthrough: A

Setup: A-

Overall: A

Not much to read in here that you couldn't find out for yourself after playing the game.

There is no doubt about the success of the Nintendo Wii. With games that have shown the test of time like Super Mario Galaxy and The Legend Of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Nintendo has really shown its strength. Sadly though, they've stopped making strategy guides last year, and chose to let third-party companies like Prima, make strategy guides of their own. While Prima has made some guides that were adequate like Super Smash Brothers Brawl and Super Mario Galaxy, they just haven't shown the best peak. For Mario Kart Wii, which just came out for the Wii, has a strategy guide of its own that Prima has made, and this one does a much better job than the other ones. This Mario Kart Wii guide takes on each and every tidbit for fans of the Wii. The guide shows you maps for each of the 32 different tracks like classics like the Bowser Castle from Super Mario 64 and new courses like the Toad Factory, and tells you how to unlock hidden gems like unlocking hidden characters like Rosalina from Super Mario Galaxy and Dry Bones from the classic Super Mario Brothers 3. Each bit of help is well shown here. If you are in the driver's seat and own Mario Kart Wii, than this would be a great buy for you. Helping you with the need for plumber speed.

Price: B

Maps & Displays: B 1/2+

Easy To Read: B 1/2+

Overall: B

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.