Sadly, Nitro doesn’t break any ground on the graphical front. This speedy title screams "Wii" when you first look at it, but the developer did throw in some added touches to distract you from the poor visuals. The game features dynamic graffiti that peppers the walls of each stage. Each driver can chose or create their own pattern, and their tag will be plastered across the landscape when they are winning a race. This feature adds a nice bit of customization, but also invokes a gameplay element by allowing players to see who they should be gunning for. Thankfully, the game runs at a steady 60 frames per second, even when playing thein four-player split screen matches.

Like Bizarre Creation’s competing racer Blur, Nitro features power-ups beyond the boost meter. They are more subtle here, offering small repairs or the ability to send a cop after another player mid-race. This idea of pick-ups pushes the title further down the arcade side of the racing genre, which should please fans that are disappointed by NFS:Shift’s more realistic approach.

In the end, Need For Speed: Nitro is a casual title at its roots. Before departing the kiosk, I was told the game will supply racing fans with a diverse list of 30-35 licensed cars, all of which will be customizable. Unfortunately, the single-player and local multiplayer races will have to be enough to keep you busy, as Nitro does not include online play.

Need For Speed: Nitro will ship in Fall 2009 for the Wii and Nintendo DS.