Mario Kart
Mario Kart | |
---|---|
Publisher(s) | Nintendo |
Creator(s) | |
Platform(s) | |
First release | Super Mario Kart August 27, 1992 |
Latest release | Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit October 16, 2020 |
Spin-offs |
Mario Kart
The series was launched in 1992 with Super Mario Kart on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), to critical and commercial success.[1] The Mario Kart series totals fourteen games, with six on home consoles, three on handheld consoles, four arcade games co-developed with Namco, and one for mobile phones. The latest game in the series, Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit, was released on the Nintendo Switch in October 2020. Over 178.19 million copies in the series have been sold worldwide.
Gameplay
In the Mario Kart series, players compete in go-kart races, controlling one of a selection of characters, mainly from the Mario franchise. Up to twelve characters can compete in each race (varying per game). Players can perform driving techniques during the race such as rocket starts, slipstreaming, drifting, and mini-turbos.
Gameplay is enhanced by
In the original game, Super Mario Kart, the player takes control of one of eight Mario series characters, each with differing capabilities. In single player mode players can race against computer-controlled characters in 4 multi-race cups consisting of 20 tracks (5 in each cup) over three difficulty levels (50cc, 100cc and 150cc). Alternatively players can race against the clock in a Time Trial mode. In multiplayer mode two players can simultaneously take part in the cups or can race against each other one-on-one in Match Race mode. In a third multiplayer mode – Battle Mode – the aim is to defeat the other players by attacking them with power-ups, destroying balloons which surround each kart.
Each new game has introduced new gameplay elements, such as new circuits, items, modes, and playable characters.
- Mario Kart 64 introduced 3D graphics, 4-player racing, slipstreaming,[2] items dangling (the ability to hold bananas and shells to defend against projectiles) and introduced two new playable characters: Wario and Donkey Kong. It also introduced seven items: the Fake Item Box, Triple Red Shells, Triple Green Shells, Triple Mushrooms, the Banana Bunch, the Golden Mushroom, and the Spiny Shell. In addition to the three Grand Prix engine classes, Mirror Mode was introduced, in which tracks are flipped laterally.
- Mario Kart: Super Circuit included all 20 Super Mario Kart tracks as unlockable content, as both games use the mode 7 effect.
- King Boo. It introduced a revamped Spiny Shell and character exclusive items, and introduced unlockable characters and karts. Mirror mode is now played on 150cc. It also introduced new alternate battle modes: "Shine Thief", and "Bob-omb Blast".
- DS Download Play). This game also added three new items, the Blooper, the Bullet Bill, and the triple bananas. The Bob-omb is now a normal item, no longer being Wario and Waluigi's special item.
- Dry Bowser, and two Mii outfits. It introduced three new items: the Mega Mushroom, the Thundercloud, and the POW Block, the last two of which are exclusive to this kart game. It also introduced a new battle mode titled "Coin Runners".
- Wiggler, and Honey Queen. In addition, Shy Guy is a fully playable character as opposed to being exclusive for Download Play. It also re-introduced Coins for a small speed boost, though they can now be used to unlock kart parts.
- Villager (male and female) and Isabelle from Animal Crossing, the last six which are available as downloadable content.[4]
- Inklings from Splatoon, in addition to giving the female Villager her own character slot. From 2022 to the end of 2023, the "Booster Course Pass" DLC expansion pack added new race courses and returning characters to the game.
- mechanics. It reintroduced character-specific items and the Mega Mushroom. Multiple new tracks were introduced in this game and later added to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe via the DLC expansion pack.
- Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit uses a combination of augmented reality (AR), remote-controlled karts, and cameras, to create tracks using markers in the physical world, on which onscreen opponents are raced.
Modes
Each game has a variety of modes. The following five modes recur most often in the series:
- cc, 100cc, 150cc, and Mirror Mode, where all tracks were flipped horizontally. In Mario Kart 8, a fifth difficulty level: 200cc, was added.[b] Players earn points according to their finishing position in each race and the placement order gets carried over to the next race as the new starting grid. At the end of the cup, the top three players with the most points overall will receive a trophyin bronze, silver, and gold. As of Mario Kart DS, players are also ranked based on how well they raced (three to one stars, A, B, C, D, and E). Three stars is the best rank, while E is the worst.
- ghost, which the player can race against in later trials. Mario Kart: Double Dash!! introduced Staff Ghosts, which are ghosts set by members of the Nintendo development team.
- Match Race (or VS.) – Multiple human players race on any course with customized rules such as team racing and item frequency.
- Battle – Multiple human players use in-game offensive items (shells, etc.) to battle each other in a closed arena. In the most common battle type, balloon battle, each player starts with three balloonsand loses one per hit; the last player with at least one balloon wins. Various battle types have been added to the series, and single-player battles with CPU controlled players.
- Online Multiplayer – Players compete in races and battles through online services, such as Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, Nintendo Network, and Nintendo Switch Online. Players can share Time Trial ghosts, and participate in tournaments. In races and battles, players are matched by VR (VS Rating) and BR (Battle Rating) respectively, which is a number between 0 and 99,999 (9,999 in Mario Kart Wii). Players gain or lose points based on performance in a race or battle. The game attempts to match players with a similar rating.
Development
The debut game in the Mario Kart series was Super Mario Kart released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) in 1992. Its development was overseen by Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto, the Japanese designer of many successful Nintendo games including Super Mario Bros. Darran Jones of NowGamer suggests that the success of Super Mario Kart resulted from the Super Mario characters, and being a new type of racing game.[5]
Games
1992 | Mario Kart Arcade GP VR |
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2018 | |
2019 | Mario Kart Tour |
2020 | Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit |
Console
Year | Game | Platform | Virtual Console/ Nintendo Switch Online re-release | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wii | Wii U | 3DS | New 3DS | Switch | Android /iOS | |||
1992 | Super Mario Kart | SNES | ||||||
1996 | Mario Kart 64 | Nintendo 64 | ||||||
2001 | Mario Kart: Super Circuit | Game Boy Advance | [nb 1] | [nb 1] | ||||
2003 | Mario Kart: Double Dash!! |
Nintendo GameCube | † | |||||
2005 | Mario Kart DS | Nintendo DS | † | † | ||||
2008 | Mario Kart Wii | Wii | ‡ | † | ||||
2011 | Mario Kart 7 | Nintendo 3DS | ‡ | ‡ | ||||
2014 | Mario Kart 8 | Wii U | ‡ | |||||
2017 | Mario Kart 8 Deluxe |
Nintendo Switch | ‡ | |||||
2019 | Mario Kart Tour | Android/iOS | ‡ | |||||
2020 | Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit | Nintendo Switch | ‡ |
Arcade
- Mario Kart Arcade GP (2005, developed by Namco)
- Namco Bandai Games)
- Mario Kart Arcade GP DX (2013, developed by Namco Bandai Games)[6]
- Mario Kart Arcade GP VR (2017, developed by Bandai Namco Studios)[7][8]
Mobile
- Mario Kart Tour (2019)
Upcoming games
In January 2022, Serkan Toto, an industry analyst for
Canceled games
- VB Mario Kart was scheduled for the Virtual Boy in 1995. It was revealed in a 2000 issue of German gaming magazine The Big N, but was canceled early in development prior to its official announcement due to the Virtual Boy's commercial failure.[12][13]
- Mario Kart XXL is a Game Boy Advance tech demo developed by Denaris Entertainment Software for Nintendo in 2004. It was originally created as a non-Mario demo known as R3D-Demo before being repurposed.[14]
- Mario Motors was a planned spin-off of the Mario Kart series for the Nintendo DS. It was revealed for the first time at the Reboot Development Conference 2018.[15] The game was going to be co-developed by Yoot Saito. The concept of the game was to build your own kart.[16]
Reception
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (June 2008) |
Game | Year | Units sold (in millions) |
GameRankings | Metacritic |
---|---|---|---|---|
Super Mario Kart | 1992 | 8.76[17] | 94% | 94/100 |
Mario Kart 64 | 1996 | 9.87[17] | 87% | 83/100 |
Mario Kart: Super Circuit | 2001 | 5.90[17] | 92% | 93/100 |
Mario Kart: Double Dash | 2003 | 6.96[17] | 87% | 87/100 |
Mario Kart DS | 2005 | 23.60[18] | 91% | 91/100 |
Mario Kart Wii | 2008 | 37.38[19] | 82% | 82/100 |
Mario Kart 7 | 2011 | 18.98[20] | 85% | 85/100 |
Mario Kart 8 | 2014 | 8.46[21] | 88% | 88/100 |
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
|
2017 | 60.58[22] | 92% | 92/100 |
Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit | 2020 | 1.27[23] | 75/100 |
The Mario Kart series is critically acclaimed. Nintendo Power named it one of the greatest multiplayer experiences, citing the diversity in game modes and the entertainment value.[24]
Guinness World Records listed six records set by the Mario Kart series, including "First Console Kart Racing Game", "Best Selling Racing Game", and "Longest Running Kart Racing Franchise". Guinness World Records ranked Super Mario Kart number 1 of the top 50 console games of all time based on initial impact and lasting legacy.[25] Super Mario Kart was inducted into the World Video Game Hall of Fame in 2019.[26]
Sales
Like the Super Mario series, the Mario Kart series is a commercial success with 178.19 million copies sold in total.[27] It is currently the most successful racing game franchise of all time. Super Mario Kart is the fourth-best-selling Super Nintendo Entertainment System game with 8.76 million copies sold.[17] Mario Kart 64 is the second-best-selling game for the Nintendo 64 (behind Super Mario 64), at 9.87 million copies.[17] Mario Kart: Double Dash is the second-best-selling GameCube game (next to Super Smash Bros. Melee) with 6.96 million copies sold.[17] Mario Kart Wii is the second-best-selling in the series and is the second-best-selling Wii game (next to Wii Sports) at 37.38 million copies.[19] Mario Kart 8 is the best-selling Wii U game at 8.46 million total copies sold.[21] It was the fastest-selling Wii U game with 1.2 million copies shipped in North America and Europe combined on its first few days since launch, until Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.[28][29] The enhanced port for the Nintendo Switch, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, is the fastest-selling game in the series with 459,000 units sold in the United States in one day of its launch.[30] It is the highest-selling Nintendo Switch game[31] with a total of 57.01 million copies worldwide, outperforming the Wii U version. Both versions have a combined total of 65.47 million copies sold, making it the best-selling game in the series, and also the best selling Mario game as a whole.
The handheld games are commercial successes. Mario Kart: Super Circuit is the fourth-best-selling Game Boy Advance game at 5.9 million copies.[17] The second portable game, Mario Kart DS, is the third-best-selling Nintendo DS game and the best-selling portable game in the series with a total of 23.6 million copies.[18] Mario Kart 7 is the best-selling Nintendo 3DS game as of March 2023 at 18.98 million copies.[20]
Legacy
Merchandise
The Mario Kart series has had a range of merchandise. This includes a
Rental go-kart dispute
In September 2016, Nintendo filed an objection against the Japanese company MariCar, which rents go-karts modified for use on public roads in Tokyo along with costumes resembling Nintendo characters.[34] MariCar's English website warned customers not to throw "banana peels" or "red turtle shells".[35] The service is popular with tourists.[34]
Nintendo argued that the MariCar name was "intended to be mistaken for or confused with" Mario Kart, citing games commonly known by abbreviations in Japan, such as Pokémon (for Pocket Monsters) and Sumabura (Super Smash Bros.). In January 2017, the Japan Patent Office dismissed the objection, ruling that MariCar was not widely recognized as an abbreviation of Mario Kart.[34]
In February 2017, Nintendo sued MariCar over copyright infringement for renting unauthorized costumes of Nintendo characters and using their images to promote its business.[34] In September 2018, MariCar was ordered to stop using the characters and pay Nintendo ¥10 million in damages.[35]
Theme park attraction
Formula E attack mode
Starting with its
Notes
References
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- ^ "5 Ways Mario Kart 64 Is Timeless (& 5 It Hasn't Aged Well)". Game Rant. October 1, 2020. Archived from the original on March 20, 2022. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
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- ^ Farokhmanesh, Megan (August 26, 2014). "Link, F-Zero and Animal Crossing are coming to Mario Kart 8 as DLC". Polygon. Archived from the original on August 27, 2014. Retrieved August 26, 2014.
- NowGamer. Imagine Publishing Ltd. Archived from the originalon June 25, 2013. Retrieved September 15, 2013.
- ^ "Namco Formally Announces Mario Kart Arcade Grand Prix DX – Arcade Heroes". February 5, 2013. Archived from the original on February 8, 2013. Retrieved February 6, 2013.
- ^ "MARIO KART ARCADE GP VR – VR ZONE SHINJUKU". Archived from the original on June 25, 2017. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
- ^ "Mario Kart Arcade GP VR announced for Bandai Namco's virtual reality arcade, played with HTC Vive – Nintendo Everything". June 13, 2017. Archived from the original on June 15, 2017. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
- ^ Gurwin, Gabe (January 7, 2022). "Mario Kart 9 Is Reportedly In Development With A "New Twist"". GameSpot. Red Ventures. Archived from the original on January 8, 2022. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
- ^ Diaz, Ana (January 7, 2022). "Mario Kart 9 reportedly on the way, this time with a 'new twist'". Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on January 20, 2022. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
- ^ Moore, Jared (January 7, 2022). "Mario Kart 9 Is Reportedly In Development, 'With a New Twist'". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on January 11, 2022. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
- ^ "VB Mario Kart". Big N. Archived from the original on November 5, 2013. Retrieved November 3, 2013.
- ^ Jurkovich, Tristan (May 22, 2020). "10 Canceled Mario Games You Never Knew Existed". TheGamer. Archived from the original on September 27, 2020. Retrieved September 27, 2020.
- ^ https://www.timeextension.com/news/2022/10/a-demo-of-the-failed-mario-kart-xxl-pitch-is-now-available-online
- ^ Skrebels, Joe (April 23, 2018). "Unreleased Mario Racing Game Revealed". IGN. Archived from the original on June 10, 2022. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
- ^ "Yoot Saito worked on Mario Motors, a canceled DS game about building engines". Destructoid. April 21, 2018. Archived from the original on February 13, 2023. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
- ^ Univision Communications. Archivedfrom the original on February 28, 2017. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
- ^ a b "IR Information: Sales Data – Top Selling Software Sales Units – Nintendo DS Software". Nintendo. Archived from the original on April 27, 2016. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
- ^ a b "IR Information: Financial Data Wii". Nintendo. Nintendo, Co. Ltd. Archived from the original on December 19, 2017. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
- ^ a b "Top Selling Title Sales Units (Nintendo 3DS)". Nintendo. Nintendo, Co. Ltd. Archived from the original on February 12, 2023. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
- ^ a b "IR Information: Financial Data – Top Selling Title Sales Units – Wii U Software". Nintendo. Nintendo, Co. Ltd. Archived from the original on October 31, 2017. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
- ^ "IR Information : Sales Data – Top Selling Title Sales Units". nintendo.co.jp. Nintendo. December 31, 2023. Archived from the original on January 30, 2020. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
- ^ "Fiscal Year Ended March 2021 Financial Results Explanatory Material" (PDF). nintendo.co.jp. Nintendo. March 30, 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 1, 2021. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
- ^ Nintendo Power 250th issue!. South San Francisco, California: Future US. 2010. p. 47.
- ^ Ivan, Tom (February 28, 2009). "Guinness ranks top 50 games of all time". Computer and Video Games. Archived from the original on August 24, 2011. Retrieved March 14, 2009.
- ^ Good, Owen (May 3, 2019). "Wait a minute, the Video Game Hall of Fame inducted ... Solitaire? Yes, and also Mortal Kombat and Super Mario Kart". Polygon. Archived from the original on May 4, 2019. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
- ^ Futter, Mike (June 2, 2014). "Mario Kart 8 Speeds To Over 1.2 Million Sales In Opening Weekend". Game Informer. GameStop. Archived from the original on June 4, 2014. Retrieved June 2, 2014.
- ^ "Mario Kart 8 ships 1.2 million, fastest selling Wii U title to date". Nintendo Today. Nintendo Today. June 2, 2014. Archived from the original on May 3, 2018. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
- ^ Minotti, Mike (November 25, 2014). "Super Smash Bros. for Wii U is the system's fastest-selling game". VentureBeat. VentureBeat. Archived from the original on May 3, 2018. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
- ^ Cowley, Ric (May 2, 2017). "Mario Kart 8 Deluxe becomes fastest-selling game of the franchise with 459,000 units sold in the US". Pocket Gamer.biz. Steel Media Ltd. Archived from the original on May 3, 2018. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
- ^ "IR Information: Sales Data – Top Selling Title Sales Unit (Switch)". Nintendo. Nintendo, Co. Ltd. Archived from the original on November 1, 2019. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
- Nintendo Life. Archivedfrom the original on December 2, 2022. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
- ^ Jordan Gerblick (October 1, 2020). "Mario gets an official Rainbow Road cake for his 35th birthday". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on October 9, 2020. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
- ^ from the original on September 28, 2018. Retrieved September 28, 2018.
- ^ a b "Nintendo wins lawsuit against Tokyo's 'Mario Kart' tour company". Polygon. Archived from the original on September 27, 2018. Retrieved September 28, 2018.
- ^ Frank, Allegra (June 8, 2017). "Super Nintendo World looks like a dream come true in first teaser". Polygon. Archived from the original on June 8, 2017. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
- ^ Allen, Katrina (March 10, 2021). "Unique Aspects in Each Super Nintendo World Around the Globe". Inside the Magic. Archived from the original on January 21, 2023. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
- ^ Kalinauckas, Alex (April 28, 2018). "Formula E evaluating "Mario Bros"-style race format". motorsport.com. Archived from the original on February 14, 2022. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
- ^ McKenna, Laurence (January 11, 2019). "Formula E's Attack Mode is like real-life Mario Kart – and it's a racing revolution". mirror.co.uk. Archived from the original on February 14, 2022. Retrieved January 10, 2022.