Speed Racer: The Videogame has now hit the Nintendo Wii, however before you stop reading due to the though of this game being based on a movie, let me just say it isn’t actually that bad (yeah I never thought I would say that either).

Rather than concentrate on any of the movies plot, Speed Racer just brings with it the racing, after all that’s what we are interested in and this is also more than likely the reason that this game doesn’t suck big time. The on screen action is certainly not for the faint hearted, once a race starts everything seems to zip along at speeds previously unknown on the Wii, on track hazards include loops, jumps and of course the almost endless stream of opponents who are just waiting for you to slip up.

Of course racing is no good without control over your car and the developer has decided to make use of Nintendo’s recently released Wii Wheel, which to be fair does work quite well. Steering obviously explains itself, jumping is done by moving the wheel quickly up and towards you, shunting an opponent is done by moving the wheel to the left or right, while accelerating (a very important command in a racing game as you are well aware) is done by pressing the 2 button.

Now if only winning a race was as simple as using the controls above, however there is a slight twist in speed racer which really adds to the action, you see the developer has included something called Car-Fu, what this enables you to do is fight opponents using all manner of attacks, from round houses to tail tosses, these moves will ensure that you gain an advantage while your opponents curse their luck. Pulling off special Car-Fu moves is quite easy, a tail toss can be performed by performing a jump while pressing down, while a move impressive move such as Hyper Spin is pulled off by performing a shunt while also pressing up, the other moves are also fairly simple to learn, while also being pretty effective.

Speed Racer has a very futuristic feel to it’s racing, the tracks are quite narrow, which helps to add to it’s sense of speed, as do the boosts which are placed at different intervals throughout the race, go over more than one of these and catching your opponents suddenly seems more likely, though once this wears off you opponents do seem to have a habit of being right behind you again.

Races come in three forms, first off you can play a single race to get you used to the game, then if you are still uncomfortable with the feel of the Wii Wheel an in game tutorial is there to help you get used to it. The main event however is the Championship, here you will work your way through the different competitions, each of which are made up of two or more races, then depending on your finishing position you will be given points, there are also extra points on offer for performing a car-fu move or getting the fastest lap. During the championship races you can use allies in order to gain an advantage, this also has the added bonus of meaning you will not be a victim of a Car-fu or attack from this driver, similarly though you will also have a rival, who is focused on taking you out, so just make sure you get to them first.

Speed Racer also includes a multiplayer split-screen which allows for both players to take part in championship mode, this is a fairly decent inclusion as it is always more fun to take on a friend, especially when you know that once you have pulled away from them they won’t catch up, unlike the dodgy computer AI, which always seems to be on your tail no matter how good you are.

The games presentation is of fairly decent standard, as previously mentioned there is a very futuristic feel to the game, the colours are bright and the backdrops are nicely polished, the only downside is that the framerate is a bit on the erratic side, however that being said, the developers have done a decent job here.

Overall Speed Racer is a fairly good game, it has a real sense of speed and seems to be in the unique position of being one of its kind on the Wii. If you are a fan of racers and are looking for something other than Mario Kart then this is certainly a game worth looking at.