Mario Kart Wii is above the standard for racing games, but the game was only passable for a "Mario Kart".
Graphics: Eh. They could have done a lot better with the Wii's capabilities, and the graphics look a bit... "dull". The frame-rate is generally good, but it's slightly sad to see that Mario Kart DS is outperforming the Wii at frame-rates (I haven't, however, forgotten that the DS has much lower graphics than the Wii) 7/10
Sound: Well, to say in a nutshell, BGM wasn't bad, if a little uninspired at times and most SE's are ok. But the voices is what kind of ticked me off here. They've replaced so many voice actors in Mario Kart Wii, and although characters usually only speak in grunts and cheers, etc., it's still annoying to have different voices, especially when they change characters'... characters to suit the new voice. e.g., Rosalina seems like a generally calm person in Super Mario Galaxy, but she acts and sounds like a complete "wackjob" in Mario Kart Wii. Also, the game will often use the same sound file repeatedly in certain parts, like when Peach is jumping over the mushrooms. Everytime she hits a mushroom, she says the same "Woohoo" sound again and again. It gets kind of frustrating.
I can understand replacing 1 or 2 voice actors at a time, but when 60% are changed, you kinda pick that up pretty quickly. (It was a bit of a rant, I apologise; I won't deduct too many marks for it) 7.5/10
Gameplay 1 (General): Ah. The Crux of the problem, in a sense. This part could have easily achieved 8.5-9.5/10, as it contains all the features that Mario Kart fans know and love. The Wii Wheel is incorporated in a great way; it works well, and it's also pretty cool to use. It can "potentially" lower the skill gap between "Pros" and "Rookies". And it even has a sensor hole for the Wii Remote so you don't have to keep popping the remote out to select something on the menu. Also included is a multiplayer mode, which is absolutely excellent, but more on that later. Ghost/Time Trial Mode, Grand Prix, Battle Mode, karts, they're all here. But what really concerns me is two main things, items and bikes.
Items have always been a major part in Mario Kart, and can sometimes make or break a race. It's usually what sets Mario Kart apart from it's opponents. The new items are boring and uninspired, but one can live with that. But something else must have changed, because I never remember these items being so annoying! Now, they will *often* make or break a race, and strong items are just so common now! Blue shells, the "race leader destroyer" are now so common, it's just not funny to use one anymore. Lightning also. Regularly, when racing against the CPU, I'll be on the final stretch, then get clobbered by a now *overpowered* blue shell, and just watch as 4 bots cruise over the finish line ahead of me. Also, once, while playing Coconut Mall (A level within the game), I had half a lap's worth lead on 2nd bot on the last lap, and then I was hit with *6* consecutive blue shells, followed by a red shell, to end up in 3rd place. That was probably my bad luck, but I'm still shocked it even happened. So basically, the point I'm trying to make, is that strong items are no longer rare, and they've been insanely overpowered.
Next is Bikes. I think, in concept, it was a good idea, as it would, again, level the playing field between "Pros" and "Rookies". Instead, Pros now use bikes as well, which are better than Karts in almost every way, except in mini-boosts. So now, we have everyone using Bikes, and no-one playing at an extremely high competitive level using Karts. Nintendo has essentially made Karts redundant, even so with their best idea, Online Multiplayer. I don't think it's a coincidence that most World Record Holders for time trials use the Same Character and the Same Bike. They may as well call it "Mario Bike Wii". 6/10
Gameplay 2 (Multiplayer): I've been speaking about a lot of bad things about Mario Kart Wii so far, but this makes up for some of the faults, more or less. Online Multiplayer is great. You have the Mario Kart Channel, which enables racers to race in Championships occasionally across the world, and also shows you the current world record time for your time trials, and shows you where you rank in comparison to the world, in easy-to-read Mii faces across a horizontal "graph". You can also challenge your "rival" ghost; a ghost who's time is *just* better than yours, and you can play against it offline after downloading it, or you can challenge your Continental, or World Champion's ghost in an effort to beat their time. Online multiplayer when racing or battling is also good, with a Rating system which starts at 5000 and increases or decreases depending on how many people you beat in an up-to-12 player race or battle. (Seperate ratings for both). You can even have a guest on your Wii to accompany you onto the Online stage and race together with a friend against everyone else in the world, but I recommend a fast internet connection, or you may get disconnected. The multiplayer was a great addition, and I see it as the best feature of Mario Kart Wii. 9.5/10
Average: 7.375
Verdict: 7.5
In closing: Get it if you really want Mario Kart Wii, or are interested in a decent driving game on the Wii that you can use the Wii Wheel or your own other Wheel with, but this shouldn't be on your "Must Buy" list if you ever have a priority list.