Take Mario Kart, add in multiple race paths, crank up the speed 300%, and give you a transformer. This game is a blast!
I am a fan of the original ExciteBike and Mario Kart Wii, but the total number of racing paths, the online play, the variety of Bots, and sheer –speed- of this game make both of those look like playing with kid gloves. Even once you have "mastered" the game, by getting an "S" rank on all courses in Excite, Super Excite, Mirror, minigames, and Poker, there are still plenty of challenges left. Play online and grab a ton of stars with the betting system (bet against your place, not really against other racers), play with friends in pre-set race tourneys, get all the icons, statues, dioramas, and bot colors. And my personal favorite, which I have done – "S" every course on Super Excite with every bot while coming in first place. I've played a –lot-, and know I still don't have the best lines on at least half the courses, and with the speed of the game, I sometimes still crash on those lines (unlike Mario Kart, which even at top speed is like moving in slow motion compared to this).
One thing to note, coming in first time-wise is not the key to victory. While you do get a nice bonus for first, the game is ranked by gaining stars, which you get by doing tricks and finding items throughout the courses. I must say I really like this approach, as it adds another dimension to a very interesting game, especially online. The controls are similar to Mario Kart (no nunchuks though...) and easy to learn, although some of the trick maneuvers will take a little time, as each bot is ~slightly~ different, which just adds to the re-playability.
Bottom line, my family and I have certainly gotten our money's worth out of this game several times over. My kids love the Excite level, and I enjoy all of the aspects (although poker and the minigames are pretty much a one-time deal, online and challenging yourself never get old). I would recommend this to any fan of racing games, and the fact that the bots transform at some points during the races made it an instant hit with my kids (okay, and me…)
Enjoy.