Ah, Mario Kart, the epitome of simple fun. I've been a fan of this series since the days of the Super Nintendo, and I can't even begin to estimate the number of hours I've spent at it. Super Mario Kart was a brand new take on racing and when Mario Kart 64 found its way into my hands sometime in 1997 I was completely floored by the speed and smoothness of the gameplay. The high-paced action brought a whole new level of entertainment to the table and the stunning 3-dimensional graphics were infinitely more pleasing to the eye than those old Mode 7 graphics of the 16-bit era. Its successor, Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, played just as smoothly and added more characters, more tracks and even a selection of karts to choose from. In addition, the "2 people per kart" gimmick brought a certain level of strategy to picking your characters, as you had to keep in mind the usefulness of their special moves. Up to this point in the series, Kart racing required a lot of skill. You had to plan your moves out carefully and hold back certain items for just the right moment when you'd need them the most. The level of strategy was perfect. The amount of challenge was perfect. Then comes Mario Kart Wii.

I'm gonna start off by saying that I do like this game. Every course has something interesting in it and the karts and motorbikes handle very well. The Wii steering wheel works a lot better than I would have predicted and the amount of choice we're given with the controls is fantastic. You can use the aforementioned Wii wheel, the Nunchuk, the Classic Controller or even the old GameCube controller, so everyone will be sure to find a way to play that fits them the best. The 16 brand new tracks are all very fresh and, in addition to those, there are an assortment of 16 tracks from previous installments thrown into the mix, making a total of 32 courses to race through. The online multiplayer is pretty decent but, like most Nintendo Wii games, it could definitely be better. Friend codes can be a hassle and the game would benefit greatly from a lobby system or an optional voice chat. Although, despite these flaws, the multiplayer does work and can be a great bit of fun. Another thing worth noting is that the music in this game is very good and there is a wide variety of different styles to fit the different tracks. The themes from Maple Treeway, Toad's Factory and Rainbow Road are among my favourites from this game.

Now, onto the not-so-good stuff. Fundamentally, this game is way too hectic. I know, I know, Mario Kart is supposed to be hectic, but hear me out. For instance, I'm cruising along in first place in my Koopa kart and out of nowhere I'm bombarded by a dozen red shells, blue shells, bombs and lightning bolts and all of sudden I'm in dead last. But that's okay! Fear not, because I just picked up a Bullet Bill and I'm back in first again. The whole game is like this and I oftentimes only find myself either in first place or twelfth place. It's a matter of luck which place I'm in when that finish line comes around and no amount of skill can save me. When I play a game like this I love the challenge of trying to figure out the best way to get through a race and when to save my items for a dire situation, but there's none of that here. If you hold on to your items for more than 15 seconds you're gonna lose 'em one way or another. It's all a haphazard rat-race to the finish line that ends up being more about luck than playing ability. That, reader, is why this game is flawed. Over the years, the Mario Kart series has slowly been veering toward this point but Mario Kart Wii takes a swift turn straight off the track.

In the end, this game is fun when you're playing with a bunch of your friends. The chaos brings some old-fashioned fun to the table in a way that reminds me of the Mario Party series but, for gamers like me who thrive on improving their skills and overcoming new challenges, this game offers very little more than a heap of frustration. The time trials can be rewarding at times but I hardly think that that is a saving grace. Nintendo most definitely targeted the casual gamers with the Wii and Mario Kart Wii is a true example of this. All in all, casual gamers will have a lot of fun with this one and I suppose there's nothing wrong with that. I just hope that, in the future, the developers take an approach that is more reminiscent of the older games in the series.

Recommended: Yes