It seems inevitable that every time there is a racing game, with an arcade feel, it draws some comparisons to Mario Kart. In fact, my 13-year-old daughter first said it reminded her of the Nintendo classic even as her first race had barely started. But MySims Racing tries to push away from that and while it certainly does not do a lot that is new, what it does do is provide a decently rounded entertainment experience that younger gamers, as well as older games can enjoy. It’s a family affair, with offline multiplayer featuring up to four competitors.

The game does feature some customization, and as players move through the story mode, they can collect blueprints that will allow them to alter the three main stats of their rides, as well as alter the looks of the vehicle.

You begin the game by creating your own avatar (which is along the lines of the Mii characters) and then you can enter the story mode and work from the tutorial through the races and challenges. The challenges come in several varieties: there are the races against NPCs, timed challenges and collection challenges. There are variations on those themes, but generally everything falls under those categories.

The set-up is simple – pick a racer or race track and then start the race. The Wii remote is held on its side and acts more like a steering wheel. The No. 2 button on the face of the remote is the accelerator and the No. 1 button is the brake (also used for backing up). The D-pad will trigger power-ups collected during the race. The latter also come in many flavors, from boosts to alien space ships that will zoom the player’s kart around the track, to attacks on other karts (like planting a tree in the middle of the track, splashing slippery pumpkins onto the track to force spin outs, launching soccer balls at opponents, or leaving water bubbles behind that envelop and stop pursuit temporarily). Some of the tracks have obstacles on them in the form of low barriers. You can pump the Wii remote upward to jump your kart and hurdle those.

Each of the tracks have gems to collect (which translate into items you can purchase in the garage to improve your ride), presents that are the power-ups, in-built track speed boosts (for a short distance you can go fast) as well as jumps and a few alternative routes. The tracks can also have some dangers like the tornadoes that embrace your kart and turn the world upside down (which means all your controls are backwards). There are even the chance you might get gummed and your view fills with pink bubblegum for a short spell meaning you drive blind. There are 12 power-ups in total.

As for game modes, there is the Quick Race, Multiplayer (split-screen for up to four, each with their own Wii-motes), and the Story mode. The latter will guide players through a town that was once considered the epicenter of racing but the top racer moved on and the town fell on hard times and awaits a new champion racer to lift it out of lethargy.

The game has a decidedly young flair to the presentation and story, but should find a broad appeal with family-oriented gamers.

MySims Racing won’t appeal to hardcore kart racers, but for younger gamers, this is a title that they will play for hours on end. The game could have been a bit deeper of an experience, but for what it is, and for younger players, it should provide several hours of entertainment value.

Gameplay: 7.0
Easy to understand controls and intuitive gameplay makes this an easy pick-up-and-play for all ages.  

Graphics: 7.0
Serviceable about sums it up. The colors are bright and the animations are Ok.

Sound: 6.5
The sounds – especially the reaction of the racers – can get a tad repetitive.

Difficulty: Easy/Medium

Concept: 6.8
Nothing truly innovative here, but a nice combination of elements nonetheless.

Multiplayer: 7.2
This is of the split-screen variety and you will need a Wii remote to participate, but racing against others is much more entertaining than racing against the AI.

Overall: 7.0
There is nothing particularly new or fresh about this title, but it still manages to be entertaining to a wide age group. Hardcore gamers might find this a little too juvenile in its approach, but younger players and rookie kart drivers should find it accessible and fun.