Another Nintendo system, another Mario Kart game. This one — the appropriately if obviously titled Mario Kart Wii — is being pushed by Nintendo as a “bridge game” to move casual Wii owners past Wii Sports and into the hardcore gaming scene, so to speak. This shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who’s ever played a Mario Kart game. The series has always acted as a sort of neutral ground for gamers — a pick-up-and-play racer with hidden depth; a competitive game that lets even newcomers stay competitive; a sometimes punishing game with a bright, friendly exterior. Mario Kart Wii fits so squarely into this mold that it skirts by some potentially game-crushing pitfalls with relative panache.

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