year drought of great Nintendo Wii games seems to have come to an end of late with “Super Smash Bros. Brawl,” “No More Heroes” and now “Mario Kart Wii,” a solid racing game that offers new tweaks to an old formula. “Kart” racing, featuring Mario and his colorful friends, has been a fixture of Nintendo consoles for years - the Wii version replicates the popular racing tracks of past games, but adds motion controls to the mix. Included in “Mario Kart Wii” is a white plastic wheel that holds the Wiimote controller. It's a solid, well-crafted accessory that has a nice heft. With it, the Wiimote becomes a wireless steering wheel that handles remarkably well. The other big addition in “Mario Kart Wii” is online play. The Wii has suffered from a lack of games that can be played online, and “Kart” mostly makes up for it with international races and tournaments. A nice touch: Before an online game, you can see on a global map what cities your opponents hail from. Unfortunately, to play with friends, you'll have to go through a convoluted process of exchanging friend codes, and like other Wii online games, there's no option for voice chatting during a match. That makes “Kart” especially family-friendly. Parents who might balk at the fighting fury of “Super Smash Bros. Brawl” should have no problem with the cartoony, benign action of competitive karts. The racing itself is fast, fun and well-designed. The courses are varied enough to provide weeks, if not months, of repeat gameplay. There's a good selection of characters (Princess Toadstool, Yoshi, Luigi and all the rest of Mario's buddies are represented) and more vehicles and motorcycles available than ever before. Like past incarnations, “Mario Kart Wii” is a great party game. Get your friends together, buy some extra plastic wheels (additional ones cost about $10 each) and rev up those Wiimotes. – Cox News Service __
