After yesterday’s new scraps of Mario Kart Wii information, today brings a relative barrage of new details thanks to a brief hands-on courtesy of IGN. We’ve the low-down and opinion on the game’s controls, items, trick system, vehicles and a lot on its extensive online options. Head inside for a handy summary.

Control Options - Wii Wheel, Wii Remote/Nunchuck, Classic Controller, GameCube Pad

Many hardcore gamers reacted indifferently after Nintendo’s American president Reggie Fils-Aimes first stood on stage to introduce Mario Kart Wii and its accompanying Wheel accessory. However, perhaps to their relief, Nintendo has implemented compatibility for all of the following control options: The Wii Wheel, Wii Remote and Nunchuck combo, Classic Controller and GameCube Controller. IGN’s hands-on was played exclusively with Wii Wheel, which they described as “awkward” to get used to in the short time they had with the game, much because players must had to get used to where its dead space was - the position at which turning the wheel had no effect on the direction of the character onscreen.

Characters and Vehicles

IGN reveals that each Mario Kart Wii racer now begins with a total of - count ‘em - six vehicles each (normal, character specific or heavy versions of the kart or motorbike). As you’d imagine, whichever one you choose will affect the speed and handling of your character while racing. We also learn that 50CC races will be kart-only, 100CC motorbike only, and 150CC competitions a mixture of the two. Sounds hectic!

Motorbikes, it is reported, turn slightly slower than karts, but offer far more opportunities to boost as an upside. For example, tipping the Wii Wheel backwards will initiate a wheelie - and the longer it is held, the more power for a boost is produced.

Boosting and Tricks

As for the often-controversial topic of speed boosting through powersliding, we learn that waggling of the joystick or tilting into and out of a turn is no longer a requirement. Instead, boost is automatically generated by pressing a button on the back of the Wii Wheel, with the amount of boost determined by how long the powerslide is held.

As we have deduced from trailers and screenshots, Mario Kart Wii includes a brand new ‘trick’ mechanic during races. Jolting the Wii Wheel upwards will get your character to perform a signature jump, which, when landed, will reward players with a sneaky boost in acceleration. In addition, hovering behind someone in their kart’s air stream will also result in a short surge in speed.

Offensive Items and Defensive Racing

During its short playtest, in addition to the staple mid-race items in Mario Kart (red and green shells, banana skins and the like) IGN learnt of two brand new weapons. The POW block lurks atop of a rival racer, taunting them with the possibility of spinning out. To alleviate the danger, said racer will have to jump rhythmically three times in order to destroy it. The second is a floating cloud that provides your character with a handy boost of speed as long as it is held onto. However, get too greedy by keeping it too long, and you’ll be zapped by a bolt of lightning. This item can be passed between one kart and another by simply bumping into one. 1UP’s hands-on with the game also discovered the Mega Mushroom power-up, pilfered from New Super Mario Bros. on the Nintendo DS, it temporarily makes your character massive

Where defending yourself against attacks is concerned, Nintendo has made a number of new changes. If you choose to store an item in reserve (perhaps a mushroom for a handy on-the-straight boost, watch out - if someone nudges you from behind, it’ll fall off the back of your vehicle and lay active on the track. If, however, you are on the receiving end of an incoming attack (from a green shell for instance), an on-screen icon will appear on the bottom of the screen as a warning, while the the Wii Remote speaker will also pipe up to warn you of the nasty object quickly heading your way.

Multiplayer Modes

1UP also reports on Mario Kart’s multiplayer Battle Mode. The site reports that it includes two challenges: Balloon Battle (the traditional balloon-popping deathmatch) and Coin Runner (a race between two teams to collect the most coins). Mission mode, which first appeared in the Nintendo DS version of Mario Kart also features as a mode to encourage the unlocking of bonus items. There wasn’t much information on this, although one task included destroying a giant Pokey sat in the middle of a desert.

Online Racing and Statistics

Mario Kart Wii looks set to offer the most comprehensive online mode of any Nintendo Wii game to date, and the appropriately named Mario Kart Channel is where it all takes place. As well as single player and two-player split-screen online racing (in traditional races and Battle Mode), it will include: total distance raced, favourite character, vehicle and stage, number of wins and losses, racing ghosts sent and received, how many times your kart or motorcycle has been attacked, and more.

So there you have it, a lot of new details to mull over where Mario Kart Wii is concerned. We imagine the issues of controlling with the Wii Wheel as well as that of powersliding and ‘snaking’ will still feature heavily amongst many players. Play time with the upcoming racer may be the only way to settle those niggles.

Until then, feel free to discuss any of the new discoveries in the comments section below.