Creating a sense of speed in a racing game, no doubt, is not easy. Maybe that’s why so many racing games on the market are missing that whipflash-fast feeling of raw, uncooked speed. Thankfully, Speed Racer—the new Wii game based on the flick of the same name—has speed to burn.

Even if you have no interest in the movie, you still might find Speed Racer to be compelling. If you’ve played other futuristic racing games like F-Zero or WipeOut, then you know what to expect here, as the game borrows gameplay elements from both series.

Fans of the flick, which is based on a 1960’s anime of the same name (ask your dad; he’ll know what we’re talking about), will no doubt be excited to get behind the wheel of Speed’s very own Mach 6. Other series favorites, like Trixie and Racer X, are also playable. All told, there are more than 20 different car and driver combinations for you to toy around with on the track.

And oh my, what tracks these are. Since this is, afterall, a futuristic racing game, the tracks have more in common with your average roller coaster than they do with anything you might find on, say, the NASCAR circuit.

Sports Gamer Hot Tip: Generate boost quicker by navigating the tracks without hitting the walls. Fill up your boost meter not once, not twice, but three times over, then use all three at once, and you’ll enter “The Zone,” achieving unbelievable speeds.

CLICK THE PICTURE TO SEE A VIDEO TRAILER FOR THE GAME!

Control is simple and intuitive. Turn the Wii remote sideways a la Excite Truck, and voila, you’re good to go. Tilt the remote left and right to handle your turns. The 2 button is the gas; and the big round A button gives you a health boost.

And the races? Absolute mayhem. With 19 other drivers all scrambling for first place—and trust us, none of them are shy about ramming into you—you’ll need to find some way, somehow to stay ahead of the pack to grab the glory.

The way to do this, of course, is via Car Fu. Yes, we said Car Fu. Again, your dad will know what we’re talking about. Car Fu is the ability to do awesome things mid-race to either dole out damage to opponents or to get yourself out of potentially sticky situations. Car Fu allows you to flip, jump, smash, and spin your way up, over, and around pesky opponents. A sampling of the Car Fu moves we used in the game include Tail Toss, Hyper Spin, and Torpedo. Trust us, you haven’t lived until you’ve pulled off a Torpedo. (Hint: hit the Boost while performing a Barrel Roll.)

Sound surreal? Are there doubters among you? We feel your pain. But as Mario Kart Wii recently reminded us, racing games don’t always have to be set in real-world settings in order to capture the spirit and flavor of racing. Recommended.

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