For those of us who have been impatiently waiting for Mario Kart to be released on the Wii, that wait is finally over. Almost.

Actually, not almost. Not even close. Nintendo announced today that Mario Kart would hit the shelves sometime in the first quarter of 2008. What?! That’s in, like, a billion years. I’ll be old and grizzled by then. By 2008, I’ll probably have my own compact car that shoots turtle shells and other delightful objects at passing motorists.

If you’re still in the market for Mario Kart by the time it comes out, you’ll be happy to know that it’ll feature online play and will come with it’s own gimmicky plastic steering wheel for you to snap your Wiimote into. A price hasn’t been set yet but if Nintendo stays with the whole “no game over fifty dollars” pledge, you might be able to grab the game and the wheel at a pretty decent price.

If history is any indicator, Mario Kart should be a huge seller for Nintendo. Plus, the online play is going to bring a whole new element to the game. I will be purchasing it the day it comes out, despite the exasperated tone of this post. You had me at “Lets-a-go!” Mario Kart. How could I ever stay away?

‘Mario Kart’ coming to the Wii with online play [CNET News.com]