NASCAR Kart Racing is a pretty obvious attempt to cash in on the success of Mario Kart Wii, though it does add some interesting ideas to the mix. The game pits several teams of two racers against one another, with each team vying to place as high as they can. While the actual racing is pretty basic and arcade-like in style, you also get several items that either help you, or knock your opponents aside. What really makes things different is the team racing aspect; you have to stay near your partner to build your Boost meter, which can be used for both of you to slingshot ahead of one another (think “Talladega Nights”). This is actually a fascinating idea, and it has a lot of potential.

 Before we go any further, I want you to envision my horror as I tried to register a profile for this game. I clicked ’Create Profile’, and was greeted by an ’anime super-deformed’ style fat old man named Fred, spouting off nonsense in a voice a lot like the Tasmanian Devil from Looney Tunes. That was a fabulous way to start things off since I wasn’t sure whether he was hilarious or had become nightmare fuel. It turns out every other character in the game talks this way, however.

Unfortunately, NASCAR Kart Racing falls short because it is blatantly copying Mario Kart. The controls work fine, even going with a steering wheel style Wiimote is a fine way to play. But after that, you hit uninspired courses (more interesting than actual NASCAR tracks, but not by much), and the very limited ’character’ of the licensed NASCAR drivers removes a lot of charm from this. Sure, it’s random wacky fun, but it doesn’t improve on the game it’s taking cues from aside from the teamwork slingshot.