NASCAR Kart Racing (Wii)

When held up to Mario Kart franchise, the golden standard of kart racing, Nascar Kart Racing falls a little short, but it's still a solid racing game that introduces a unique emphasis on teamwork. When you select a racer (one of 12 Sprint Cup drivers, with 12 more characters unlockable) you'll be automatically paired with a teammate. During the race, whenever you're close to your teammate, your boost meter charges to enable extra bursts of speed. Smart teammates will use this technique to "slingshot" past each other and zip to the front of the pack.

Unfortunately, the game suffers from intrusive and relentless corporate advertising. Ads are par for the course in NASCAR, but in NASCAR Kart Racing ads aren't just limited to the drivers' cars and firesuits, but to trackside billboards and even the game menus (the restart screen is "sponsored" by Coke Zero, for example). Even a power-up meant to distract by temporarily blocking your view of the track acts by flashing a giant logo of the sponsor of the attacking driver across the screen. The in-game dialogue is peppered with references to "NASCAR (R)" and the "Sprint Cup (TM)," too. Players willing to put up with this, however, will find an entertaining and laid back racing game that captures the spirit of NASCAR.