“Super Mario Multiverse” – Mario Kart Wii (Wii) by Peter Palacio

April 27, 2008. For most people, that seemed like a normal date. Coretta Scott King was celebrating her 76th birthday. American Boy by Estelle and Kanye topped the charts. The lead singer of Fall Out Boy had his birthday. But for a couple hundred thousand excited people in New York, New York, this was the biggest day for them. Reggie himself came out of the dark in E3 2007 and unveiled everything you needed to know. There were gonna be bikes. Baby Peach and Daisy, Rosalina, Dry Bowser and the Miis made their debuts, 12 racers would be on the track at once, Funky Kong (no explanation needed) and the whole shebang got revealed. This was the first Mario Kart to have bikes, tricks, and the point system in Balloon Battle, all of which are still integrated in the current iterations. But enough of that Scott the Woz stuff, let’s get into my memories!

I remember a friend of mine buying me MarioKart Wii for my 14th birthday. At first, it seemed like a regular game. But then everything turned around. Finally playing it with friends gave me the time of my life. Nowadays, I still play it when I don’t know what to play, it’s that good. But the fact of the matter is, there are games that stand the test of time. Mario Kart Wii is one of those. People around the world still hop on their Wiis and race with their Wii wheels. With the inclusion of RiiConnect24, many friends, young and old, still play around, fighting guys in Block Plaza and beating the crap out of each other in Moo Moo Meadows. Oh, yeah, the maps. Holy crap the maps were amazing. You have maps that are completely unique, like Mushroom Gorge, Wario’s Gold Mine, Coconut Mall and Dry Dry Ruins, fan-favorites from old games like Yoshi Falls, Shy Guy Beach and Peach Gardens and maps that are still around today, like Moo Moo Meadows, DK Summit and the aforementioned Wario’s Gold Mine.

All in all, Mario Kart Wii gave me and many others the time of our lives. I wouldn’t trade that time for anything. (Well, maybe for getting payback on Johnathan for hurling a blue shell at me right as I was going to set my personal best for Rainbow Road. F*ck you Johnathan)

-Peter Palacio

Wahoo! You are a Super Reader! But the adventure doesn’t stop here… There’s more of this project in another castle! This article is just one level in an entire Super Mario Multiverse, a galactic collaboration between writers around the world sharing a bit of our hearts and memories about our favorite Mario games. Visit the Center of the Multiverse to see more: