An absolute crucial game to get right for Nintendo. Mario (perhaps to some the annoying 2 foot italian pizza guy) is the Nintendo mascot. Anything with the Mario name on is destined to be a success. I can't think of many other games that have had a similar success, seeing as Nintendo barely changed the formula for the original platform games, yet they kept bringing out the games, with similar levels, all based on time trial format. When Mario Kart was originally brought out, it was a breath of fresh air, a difference to holding your handheld yet again jumping on another box to get a coin, or crushing a shell.

The latest Mario Kart continues the legacy of success. It's unbelievable that this game was only released last year, as it is a classic Wii game already. The wheel included makes the experience alot more enjoyable, as you feel abit silly holding a wii remote sideways, and turning it. Then again, it doesn't feel much better holding a plastic wheel aloft and turning that either. You'd think there would be some complications with steering response, acceleration and braking, but the wheel, or rather the remote, responds perfectly in synchrinisation.

It's great to have the wheel in your hands though, because as crashes happen you can hear sounds emit from the Wii remote. If you're about to be hit by something, again, your Wii remote will tell you. You can then use precision steering to try and stop being hit.

Yes, Nintendo have supplied boxes to be picked up on the track, and from these boxes you'll get a powerup. This can vary from a bananna peel to drop on the floor, a giant bullet to whizz round the track and knockout the other drivers or even a fake box to drop, that when drove into, completely stops the car.

The surroundings that encapsulate the race track are magnificent. Sure they're not top range graphics, but the cartoon style of Mario doesn't require too much graphical ability to bring the world to life. This is a game that used to be a few pixels remember, and look how successful that was. Along the track, you may remember some platform foes, such as the giant plants that came out of tubes. There is also a Zelda character featured on a track, the big black ball on a chain, referred to as a dog in one of the games.

Down to the drivers. At the start of the game, 12 characters are available for selection, and these are all the familiar ones. You can unlock 12 more characters that will vary your gaming experience. You can also import your Mii into the game, to add abit of difference, and you can add 2 of them, so you and a friend can bash each others Mii's (fun or what?)

There are a variety of different game modes for you to race in. The main one is Grand Prix, were you compete against 12 other racers in a number of Cups. Each Cup consists of 4 races, which can be played at 4 different levels of difficulty; 50cc, 100cc, 150cc and Mirror Mode (unlockable: this flips the tracks, so left becomes right, and vice versa). At the end of the race, you're given a trophy (depending on your position) and also a rating, which represents how well you raced.

Other modes include Time Trial, where you set the best time for a lap, which is then saved as a ghost for the track, and you can race against it. There is also a Battle Mode, featuring Balloon Battle and Coin Runner. In Balloon Battle, you need to pop more balloons than the other team by firing weapons at people. In Coin Runner, you need to collect more coins than the other team. If a player is hit by a weapon, they lose coins for their team. Depending on what weapon it was, the amount will vary.

Of course if you get bored racing the computer, you can always go Wi-Fi! This features different online and race modes for you to participate in against 11 other people around the world. You can play against people of a similar rank in the World, Europe, or against Friends. The track is decided through voting.

The audio, especially the music tracks, may seem familiar. Some of the old tunes have been remastered to make the hardcore Mario veterans get lost in their retro gaming mind. The characters of course sound the same as the other games, Mario still sounding like Mario.

This game is a great one for the veterans of retro, for kids and for casual gamers. Although some might disagree, for me, it's not about the competitive element, it's about the fun and simplicity of the game. It's very easy to get the hang off, almost anybody could play it, and it's another one on the list of Nintendo Success.

Game Rating:8/10