It's been over four years since Nintendo released Mario Kart: Double Dash!! for GameCube, a racing game that eventually became the 7th best-selling GameCube game of all time. It should come as no surprise, then, that Nintendo is gearing up to release yet another console Mario Kart game -- and this time, for its remarkably popular Wii console.

The ABC's of Mario Kart

Though most readers will need no introduction to Mario Kart, it never hurts to give a little background. Basically, Mario Kart takes several of the most popular Nintendo characters -- such as Mario, Luigi, Peach, Toad, Yoshi, and Bowser -- and throws them into go-karts that zoom around on the zaniest of tracks. Players must guide the karts all the way to the finish line, all the while avoiding weapons such as "green shells" shot off by their opponents.

The Mario Kart series also has a reputation for multiplayer fun -- gamers can race their friends on the game's standard race tracks, or engage their friends in the popular "battle mode," in which the player who can best avoid being hurt from weapons wins.