Launching in April 2008, this Nintendo Wii romp was a smash hit and got the series right back on track. Indeed, this one truly is proper belting.

Mario Kart Wii

After the disappointing Mario Kart Double Dash!! (2003) Nintendo totally overhauled the series with this thing.

One of the big deals about the Wii was its accessibility. And the motion controls really caught the world’s attention.

The console shifted over 100+ million units worldwide, meaning a big Mario Kart release like this would result in sales anarchy.

And, yes, this Wii edition remains the ninth best selling video game in history. A very well deserved statistic, we think.

Bundled with the game was the Wii Wheel, which let you steer and slide your way through courses. Here’s an example—one of our all time favourite Mario Kart tracks.

Again, like with the console this game’s appeal is its accessibility. Mario Kart games are just like that. Anyone can pick it up, play, and have an absolute blast.

However, for those who want to take the game more seriously there’s that option, too. Namely in the time trial and online races modes.

We’ve ranted before about Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Edition and the intensity of its online racing. Well, Wii started all that off in 2008.

It was less refined back then, but still a lot of fun. The dawn of a new gaming era for consoles.

But, anyway, there’s the standard single-player mode. Where you race against computer AI. You can include friends with that, too, if you hook them up to a second, third, or fourth controller thing.

And you complete to win! Hindering each other as you go along, either with the likes of red shells, banana peels, or the notorious bloody blue shell.

It’s brilliant fun. The motion controls really adding to the experience.

Seriously, if you’ve ever wondered about why video games could ever appeal to anyone (except nerds or kids), you need to play a Mario Kart game.

They’re joyous. And highly addictive. And just really fantastic fun.

So, yes, we’d say this is the second best Mario Kart game on record. Mario Kart 8 is the best, no doubts for us, but this is a marvellous entry in the series.

Not least as it corrected the wrongs of Double Dash!! With an iconic title that epitomises the absolute fun and enjoyment video games offer.

The Shortcuts

On an end note, we’re flagging up the Summoning Salt channel again. Simply as we love his work on video game speedrunning.

It turns out (along with Mario Kart 64), you can shred Mario Kart Wii to bits as a game.

And players across the world are taking incredible steps to lower absurdly low records. Basically, by exploiting the game’s code.

Now, the odd thing with speedrunning is it’s only really started hitting the mainstream in the last decade. Thanks to platforms such as Twitch emerging.

But the success of Summoning Salt’s videos highlights the popularity of it all—folks will put time into it. And the results are spectacular.