Improving your chances in Mario Kart Wii

There are so many people complaining about how difficult it is to be 1st place in Mario Kart Wii. So let's talk about some ways to get better rather than blaming Mario Kart Wii for being "disappointing". Here are some ideas:

-Try to maintain early leads. Even with the crazy items, you can still stay ahead of those racers who use blue shells and bullet bills if you have a big enough lead. So when you have the chance, keep power-sliding, do wheelies, and do air tricks even if you're in 1st place.

-If you have items that can be held behind you, then use it as a shield immediately. The difference between getting hit by a red shell and blocking a red shell makes a huge difference in Mario Kart. So if you're ahead and all you get is a banana peel or a fake item box, don't throw it away because it's not a bullet bill. And also, holding an item gives you room to hold another item.

It may seem that I'm stating the obvious, but sometimes we get too comfortable with 1st place that we forget how quickly we can lose that position. Please feel free to post some of the strategies that have helped you out in Mario Kart Wii (and just Mario Kart in general).

1. Use all the power boosts you can.

2. DO NOT fall off the arena. Ever.

3. Save green shells to block off red shells.

this works well for me:

as soon as i aquire green shells or redshells, i get myself in 2nd or 3rd place n trail the leader...if a blueshell comes...which seems rare on 150cc when im not first, the leader gets it...then on the final stetch i fire and take the finish line 1st.

If a POW block is about to spin you out, throw your item. I don't care what item it is. Throw it!

Save mushrooms. If you get them when you're in 4th, but you get in first while the item slot is still going, you'll still get a muchroom(s) (or any pther 4th place item for that matter). They give you access to many, many, MANY shortcuts, and you can use them to dodge blue shells (It's no longer a theory of mine. I've done it 4 times on Grand Prix. You just have to wait for the last possible moment to use it).

Drift, drift, drift! I hardly ever just turn.

Don't play on automatic. If you're looking for first place, just don't. You need all the drift-boosts you can get.

Don't use the Wii Wheel. The Wii Wheel works two ways. You're either INSANELY good with it, or HORRIFICLY bad with it. There is no inbetween. So if you're not the first of those two, don't use it.

Don't pick a light car. Nothing feels worse than being bullied by heavy cars, so unless you can't live without using one, don't use one.

Don't give up. I've went from 12th to 1st in the last 15 seconds of a race. I've also gone from 1st to 12th in the last 15 seconds of a race. It works both ways.

Every item is useful. Don't ever just throw an item for the hell of it. Save it. Item boxes work GREAT on those pesky drafters, and any other 1st place item can be used as a shield.

Finally, don't expect to win all the time, because you won't. Just race and a have fun, and the rest will just happen.

4. have flawless defense once you get the lead , meaning when you get a fake item box , while you're holding a banana , release both banana and fake box before the next set of item boxes

5. AI , when 100cc or 150cc or Mirror , has the nice ability to dodge items and hazards in general, if you're a little clever , on some tracks you can make them do nice things with it :D at the same time decreasing chances to be owned by potential POWs ,shells or lightnings

6. tight curves save you from red shells , unless its point blank , you shall never be hit by a red shell on ghost valley or bowser castle

Don't use the Wii Wheel. The Wii Wheel works two ways. You're either INSANELY good with it, or HORRIFICLY bad with it. There is no inbetween. So if you're not the first of those two, don't use it.

Wiifanboy_4life

the Wii wheel is fine, just has a slight learning curve...and i'm good with it but better with the nunchuck combo, so that rule fails

there is nothing wrong with the wii wheel. heck i dont even powerslide at all anymore and i still finish in the top 3 in every race most of which i finish 1stugotplayed64

just to add im talking about racing online

[QUOTE="Wiifanboy_4life"]

Don't use the Wii Wheel. The Wii Wheel works two ways. You're either INSANELY good with it, or HORRIFICLY bad with it. There is no inbetween. So if you're not the first of those two, don't use it.

darkspineslayer

the Wii wheel is fine, just has a slight learning curve...and i'm good with it but better with the nunchuck combo, so that rule fails

Hmph. I guess you're right. But I almost always beat a person with a wheel beside their name. Only the golden wheels get me almost everytime.

[QUOTE="ugotplayed64"]there is nothing wrong with the wii wheel. heck i dont even powerslide at all anymore and i still finish in the top 3 in every race most of which i finish 1stugotplayed64

just to add im talking about racing online

If that was addressed to me, I said if you're good with it then you should use it. Don't get me wrong. The Wii Wheel is very very fun to use when playing locally, but when I wanna win, I pull out the good ol' GC controller.

When racing in a tight group... release the acceleration button or break and get an item while in a lower position. I do this to get stars and catch up to first place while still holding the star. So now you have a star in first and it will save you from one blue shell :) Though you gotta watch out for lightning since there is no warning for itZumaJones07

How can you watch out for lightning if there is no warning for it? :P

Don't feel tempted to use ALL the halfpipes to get trick boosts because sometimes it can be a waste of time. Wario's Gold Mine is an example of a level that contains such halfpipes and you're better off just powersliding into the turns (especially the one that appears immediately at the checkpoint).