Mario Kart Wii

Playability: 3-5/5 (will be explained later)
Replay Value: 4/5
Music/Voice: 4/5
Art: 5/5
Plot: N/A
Price: $$
Overall: 4/5

Mario Kart Wii is an excellent addition to the Mario Kart line. It's got something for everyone around. People who enjoy racing games would love this. Any Mario fan would adore this addition as it covers most of the various Mario characters. Even those who just love bright colors and fun game play would like this.
For starts, the playability is just like Double Dash! (the previous addition in the Kart line that came out for the Gamecube) if you play with your old Gamecube controllers. But, MKW comes with an interesting bit of game play addery. Something that I, personally, was looking forward to was the Wii Wheel (one comes with each copy of the game). Outside the game, this hard plastic wheel shaped addition to the wii-mote runs about $10 a pop. But, you know, if you like the wheel it might very well be worth it for you. When I first started with the wheel, I was SO CONFUSED! I know it looks very simple, but you have to turn the wheel very hard in order to turn just a little bit. Eventually, you'd get the hang of it, but personally I prefer the classic method of steering. I actually hit myself in the chin with the wheel when trying to perform tricks. Speaking of which, with each vehicle that you choose, you can also pick which style of driving you'd like the best. There are two styles: manual, which gives you the ability to control the drift and charge mini-turbos (boosts in your turns); and automatic, which automatically drifts for you and does NOT allow for mini-turbos. Getting past the mode of control, there are also new options in the vehicle decision. People can now ride bikes! The handling is, of course, different than that of the cars... it's really something you have to decide for yourself if you like them better than the cars. Each character now has a series of "tricks" that you can perform during jumps, and with bikes you can perform wheelies to get a minor speed boost. To perform tricks with the wii wheel, you shake it. With the gamecube controller, you press the directional pad in the direction you want.
When you start the game, you are asked to create a license based off of a Mii in your system. This license record your progress in single player mode through the various tracks. Though, I'm getting ahead of myself. When you get to the main screen, you have your basic single player mode, your versus mode, online play, and options. Single player contains the grand prix (which is the series of races you actually play on) and time trials (where you race against the "ghosts" of nintendo workers that have set a speed trial on that specific track). Grand Prix also has different sets of challenge level... 50cc, 100cc, 150cc, and Mirror Mode. Some courses are familiar, some are new specifically for the Wii. Versus and Online play both contain Grand Prix, with the addition of Battle Mode (Players battle against each other to either knock each others balloons off to score points, or gather coins). All of these, in my option, are a blast to play over and over again... although sometimes VERY frustrating.
Something that gives this game amazing replay value, other than it's a blast to unlock everything in the game, is the ability to play online. I loved competing against people around the world. The connection and setup was really simple. With this gameplay, you gain or lose points based off of what position you end up at the end of the race. These points, aside from determining your overall rank, are rumored to unlock things.. (if you have confirmed this, or found someone who has proof, I'd love to know for sures).
The art in this game is amazing. The lines are so smooth and the colors are extremely bright. I love it. It steers very clear of the hyper realistic nature of most of today's. MKW just pulls you out of the real world and takes you right into the Mario World that most of us love. Not to mention, the new bike outfits for the female characters are nice. ^-^;;
Overall, I love this game. The play is amazing, the competition is something that you love from the former Mario Karts, and it gives you something to look forward to at the same time. Need to unwind but don't want something as time consuming as Grand Theft Auto? Play Mario Kart! Though... you may get mad with the fact that most of the items are even more a roll of the dice than before. In this game, it feels like you're going to get hit by a blue shell every second if you are in first place... so don't get comfortable in that spot. With a typical Wii Game price, it's affordable for most and well worth the gameplay you get out of it.