A great racing game for Wii, but with poor handling puts this game down. Worth playing and you might want to rent first.
So this game has you playing as Mario, along with the usual Mario characters, like Luigi, Waluigi, Baby Mario and Toad. There are some newcomers like Rosalina, and even more ways to race. Instead of the usual kart you can now race on a motorbike, or even a buggy (for the Baby characters). The motorbike allows you to perform stunts in the air, and when landed to have a small boost.
There are some new items as well as the old ones returning. Some of these can be annoying but in a fun sort of way, you wouldn't be throwing your Wii out the window but more like laughing at it. There are 32 tracks spread over 8 cups, 16 are old maps that have been remade to suit the Wii, and the other 16 are completly new. I have never seen levels as inventive as these since Crash Team Racing, and thats quite something.
This is where the problems kick in, the handling is poor at best, eventually you'll get used to it but the first half hour or so you'll find yourself constantly falling off tracks. It's very sensitive and requires a lot of precision with turns and using the brake at the right times. Even when you do get used to the controls, you might find that you accidently tilted the Wii mote in the wrong way, and then sending you from 1st to 11th.
If your unsure of this game then rent it, I'll guarentee you'll have fun for it, but if you want a serious racing game, wait for Pure or Wipeout HD.