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Friend: Hey, what's up?

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Me: Not much...you?

Friend: I picked up Mario Kart Wii...what are you doing tonight? You want to play it?

Me: Did you even have to ask?

One of my favourite franchises has returned and I must say, it's in fine form. Super Mario Kart has always had a special place in my heart. Maybe it was the spot-on gameplay, the beautiful graphics, and wonderful soundtrack -- there's something about the sum of its parts that I find absolutely endearing and makes me giddy like a school girl. I spent countless hours on the game and memorized every little bit of the details (I still have most of the "winning" songs for each character still in my head).

All my friends loved it and even my sisters got in on the fun. Even though I didn't have too many chances to play them, Mario Kart 64 and Mario Kart: Double Dash were solid contributions as well (although I wish analogue control was optional...expect this rant in a future column!)

So how does the latest version stack up? How about those wacky motion controls and the funky steering wheel peripheral? Does this game get the checkered flag or does it need to go back to the pit? Well, Kart enthusiasts will be happy to know that this game is still firing on all cylinders when it comes to fun.

First thing's first: The steering wheel peripheral is a nice option but not absolutely necessary. For the uninitiated, the game comes with a steering wheel "shell" whereas you can put your Wiimote into a horizontal opening in the centre of the wheel.

From there you have two options: you can keep the wheel "flat" (like a bus driver) and tilt the controller or have it face you directly (I recommend using your own thigh for support if you're sitting down) and steer like an actual car. Personally, I found that the "flat method" resulted in much tighter control as you tend to over-steer with the latter method. Thankfully, Nintendo does give you a multitude of control options: wheel, Wiimote, Wiimote with nunchuk, classic controller, and GameCube controller. The many options are great but the one the one pet peeve I have is that for the Classic/GameCube controllers, you can't use the d-pad. NELSON WANTS D-PAD CONTROL BACK IN GAMES!!! *Sigh...expect a rant on this in a future column.

For those worried the game has taken a drastic turn given the jump to the Wii, fear not: all of the staples are here. Red turtle shells, banana peels, mushrooms -- there are even a few new weapons like Bullet Bill (turns you into a giant bullet on turbo and auto pilot) and Blooper (a squid that sprays ink all over your opponents screen). The new weapons are a nice addition and like the other weapons, can really turn the tide of battle. Hopping and tight turns are back as well as the turbo/toggle technique from Mario Kart: Double Dash.

The game also gives you the choice between automatic and manual transmission: auto gives you tighter control as the CPU makes tight turns for you but lose the ability to hop and turbo. Manual gives you both of those techniques but requires you to have more driving skill. Manual transmission with the steering wheel is a bit of challenge if you started on automatic -- just give yourself some time to adjust.

Most of the Mario Kart drivers return like Mario and Toad (my personal fave) but you also get some new drivers like King Boo and Funky Kong (?!) The game also introduces motorbikes as an option instead of just carts. Each version of each vehicle has different attributes and there's a difference between bikes and carts: bikes allow you do wheelies and such to get turbo boosts but its drifting boots are not as potent as the karts. The introduction of bikes is very seamless and offers a nice bit of variety to the driving.

Another new feature is slipstreaming, where you drive directly behind another and get a speed boost due to less wind resistance.

However, there a few knocks against the game: game modes are a little scarce (Grand Prix, Time Trial, Versus, and Battle -- including the all new Coin Runner) but you do get to go online and race against other players. Still, it feels a little scarce. Also, out of the 32 tracks in the game, only half are new. That's right....HALF! Sixteen tracks are re-makes of ones from previous games, such as Ghost Valley and Sherbet Land. While it's cool to see classics get ported over to the Wii, 16 new tracks is a little less than inspiring.

Despite these flaws, the experience is as fun as it has ever been. While the Mario Kart series didn't pioneer "weapon racing", it certainly perfected it. Mario Kart Wii doesn't make any huge innovations in the area, but everything is executed so well, from the controls to the sound to the gamplay, that no one will be overtaking them as the leader in combat racing.

Send your comments or questions to: the_big_n_@hotmail.com