MKWii is my favorite MK ever, and I love every one of them (yes, even DD. DD really had some great tracks, and IMNSHO got it's bad rap from the 2 player karts and switching. I think the worst MK is the GBA one).

In MKWii I miss "non team" battle mode, and hate the way 4 player splitscreen looks, but those are minor points compared to the phenominal gameplay and online.

I agree the major "rubberbanding" is there so that everyone can win sometimes, and that works out well in my house. I think it's great that a non skilled player can occasionally enjoy that "moment of winning" and that a pro can feel defeat. Nintendo did a great job with this, as I win "most" of the time, and my 3 year doesn't always lose. Though I do get frustrated when I get "triple shelled" with the final one coming over a lava jump in Bowsers Castle. But it all works out.

Funny thing, my kids (12, 8, and even the three year old) refuse to use the wheel because it's not precise. They only use Wavebirds, while I now prefer the Wiimote/nunchuck. And shockingly I don't miss snaking at all. It's much more fun to compete now, another good move on Nintendo's part.

@NintendoTogepi .... it's worth the money. Definitely. Even if you throw the wheel away. You will play this game today for years to come...

For me Mario Kart Wii is so great because I hated Double Dash. I thought it was the weakest entry in the series.

I wish Grand Prix was thought out a little more. It's frustrating to be stuck in 1 place for 8+ seconds getting repeatedly blasted by weapons in the last turn of the last lap of the last race.

The rest of it I love, but 150cc and Mirror GP are exercises in frustration, unlike the previous installments.

It would have been nice to be able to unlock everything in a couple days and not feel like you want to throw your controller through the TV screen. It's one thing to lose because you made a mistake, it's another to lose because you're winning when all you want to do is unlock something so you have more options when you play with your friends.

So yeah, minus GP 150 and Mirror I love this one better than any previous one.

So basically everyone who has actually played the game much says that it is the best Mario Kart game ever, and maybe that's why its sales are so awesome.

I guess we can consider this case closed.

It's the lowest rated one? Really?

It is my favorite one by far! It's a shame my friend downright refuses to play it since it is back to one character per kart. :-/

I thought it was beserving a beter score because they added some kool new features, mainly the jump boosts, motorcycles online and more battle stages, gives it something more and very enjoyable.

Reviewers it depends who it is and their bias and where they are going from.

Example if my mother played mario kart, which she did, and had a lot of fun with it she would give it a high score, which would be appropiate for people like her who dont really play games.

However if someone is used to playing rigde racer all the time would most likely point out a lot more flaws than someone like my mom, and will give a lower score for sure.

Im just saying reviewing depends on the reviewer and what games they play and enjoy depend on their scores.

Scores of games do not reflect the target audience and who would enjoy a game they are just numbers.

I bought Mario Kart Wii, and boy do I regret it.

I still would of bought a few copies anyway but that game is just not my cup-o'-tea.

I played it offline and it's fun like any Mario Kart has been for me in the past, I play it online and I give me that feeling I get everytime I see a person with a cute kitten in thier avatar: I want to pop off it's head and siphon out the guts. Of course I'm a sore loser ^_^.

I never could understand how I can go an entire match not getting hit and shooting red shells at but always end up in 6th or some other mid place. How that happens is beyond me. Maybe some cars are just faster I guess.

Some cars are faster, yes, but there are also dozens of little tiny tricks which add up to skilled players driving a lot faster than the unskilled. Tricks for getting the most mini-boosts, tricks for avoiding enemy weapons, taking hidden/dangerous shortcuts, laying traps where enemies will hit them.

If you watch what some of the good racers do, you get a sense for all these little tricks and why the most skilled racers win so much. Racing ghosts will help to teach you where the shortcuts are and how to whore out those mini-boosts. When it comes to using and avoiding items, nothing beats practical experience.

The thing is, Mario Kart offers a lot for the hardcore as well.  I've played a lot of games -- some games are too softcore for me.  For example, Halo 3 isn't any fun because of all of the auto-aiming and the simplicity of the game.  Almost anyone can jump in online and compete, or even be the best on their team after just a few matches of practice.  The game aims for you, people still manage to miss each other like crazy, and in general the level of competition is way lower than Mario Kart Wii.

You can't just jump on Mario Kart and expect to win.  You've got to be a very fast racer.  People who don't get hit much are often near the back of the pack.  If you're fast, you can get hit a lot and maintain a fairly high position.  There are many tricks to keeping fast, and racing precisely becomes essential near the top.

It's a better game than ridge racer, no question.  It's just better quality, more balanced, more competitive.

I would say it's as good as any gran turismo game.