Metareview (Euro Edition) -- Mario Kart Wii (Wii)

As we continue to cope with the fact that Europe got a Nintendo game before North America (instead of six months later), we've had the surreal experience of perusing European reviews for Mario Kart Wii a couple weeks before its NA debut. The European outlets have given the game solid marks, but don't expect this iteration to rethink the Mario Kart experience for those who aren't fans.

• IGN UK (89/100): "Despite a few minor flaws - most notably the failure that is offline Battle mode - the sheer quality of this latest Mario Kart installment pretty much sits it right alongside the near-faultless SNES original. Despite initial fears, this is proper Mario Kart, and it's Mario Kart done right. It's fast, it's fun and still one of the best party games ever created. Thanks to some seriously well-implemented online options though, it brings so much more to the table than its forebears, most notably in terms of longevity."

• CVG (88/100): "A really solid Mario Kart with a terrific online setup. There's plenty here to make up for the disappointment of local multiplayer, but it does stop short of magnificence."

• EuroGamer (80/100): "Ultimately, the sheer sensory pleasure of playing Mario Kart Wii - from the charming animations, to the bopping tunes, to the sugar-rush boosting, to the exquisite steering - far overcomes the few concerns we have about it. It still has to be docked a mark for the awkward structure and compromised battle modes - but it's still unreservedly recommended to anyone for whom Mario Kart is a gaming cornerstone. And really, that should be everyone."

%Gallery-16165%