We are a few weeks after a brand new Mario Kart and say that we are enthusiastic is a considerable euphemism. THE Pass of the Booster coursewho came to waves starting from 2022, he breathed his life Mario Kart 8 DeluxeBut the underlying basic mechanics are the same MK8 that we have played since May 2014 on Wii U.
Don’t get me wrong – we loved every minute with the best -selling Switch game (and we also had fun Live: home circuitAnd we liked it Tour more than most), but after a decade Of it, we are definitely ready to expand our horizons and explore a new world – a Mario Kart WorldAlso.
While we get together on the grid and start making our engines turn, we use this break before the storm to take a look at the rear -view mirror and let’s see to what extent Mario arrived in his kart from his debut race in 1992.
In this series of “countdown” feature films, NL staff will look at every game of the series and will follow the line of races that brought us from which it brought us Super Mario Kart to Mario Kart in the world of the course of 33 (!) Years. We will discuss the additions that each item has brought, as they evolved with the passage of the laps, the things we loved, the things we were happy to leave us behind and what Mario Kart World takes from everyone.
Start your engines …
I am a child in the great scheme of Nintendo’s story, so it took a long time before I played Super Mario Kart for the first time. I think it was on the Wii or maybe even the new 3DS virtual console that I got to see where everything started. And it must be said … I was not so impressed.
I think many professionals of Super Mario Kart come the first. I am sure that if I had not already played the subsequent rumors, this would have been a little fun for two players. The sprites are full of slender sweetness, the concept is so there and the courses, although rather dry by today’s standards, were great Alternative solution for 16 -bit hardware limitations.
Returning it in 2025 is interesting. It is the game that has set the model for the series I know and love, and is full of the type of nostalgic charm that only a hyper-They the sensitive drift button and the flattened objects can bring. But there is no sense of stupidity and festive vibrations that I am looking for in a Kart Mario.
It is worth a replay on NSO if you haven’t started it in a few years, but I can’t say that I would end up … any other voice of the series. – Jim Norman
- Loose tracks: Bowser’s Castle 3, Vanilla Lake 2, Rainbow Road
- Funny done: THE Game manual It has special classification names for each of the drivers: “The Bros.” For Mario and Luigi, “The Dragon and the Lady” for Yoshi and Peach, “The Showdown” for Bowser and Dk Jr. and (my favorite) “The Small Guys” for Koopa and Toad
- What does Mario Kart World take from this? Only the entire concept of Mario & Co. in Karts, as well as iconic objects and places such as Rainbow Road. The foolish format would have come in its own right, but this is the Foundation.
Mario Kart 64 was my first, so he will always keep a special place on the podium. Era This game, together with GoldeneyeWhich made the four -door advantage of the controller incorporated into the front of the console obvious. Which does not mean that I spent a lot of time playing four Mk64 players: those bearings were expensive!
In fact, most of my 64 -bit kart were two players and a lot of That He was spent in battles on the strong fort or on skyscraper, simultaneously hitting “a” and “B” to turn on a penny and sneak from a blunt tree blush on my brother. Sometimes we would have made three players even if only two of us played because the PAL version would have worked at a faster speed in the NTSC style for some reason.
I tended to DK or Wario, but also at the moment when the sprites felt “old” compared to the great pilots/polygonal drivers Diddy Kong Racing. The circuits, however, were such a leap on 16 -bit flat rings. With multiple paths and environmental dangers, as well as opponents who handle objects, the original snor seems to be a corridor with a straight face of the carnival atmosphere, countless hairdresser and bold shortcuts here. Perform the connection of Mario Raceway Wall-Jump three laps in a row remains one of my greatest game results. Little crazy in the scheme of things, but I still have treasure of those ghost data!
Special also to music, burned forever in my synaptic paths. It took me a blow to understand why I was smiling so much during Mario Kart World DirectBut then he clicked on: The theme of the Raceway He was playing. Infernal game. – Gavin Lane
- Loose tracks: Royal Raceway, Koopa Tropa Beach, Yoshi Valley, Toad’s Turnpike
- Funny done: If it’s all too much, you can hit ‘the to lower the music or go out completely in this
- What does Mario Kart World take from this? The first four -player player Mario Kart, 64 has set the model for the Multiplayer Mayhem to follow, with crazy tracks and news that have removed the series from the straight races
Mario Kart Super Circuit was My Introduction to the series, and while I am aware that it is not considered particularly favorable in these days, I still love its simplicity. Of course, it has remained behind in my personal ranking slightly in recent years, but even now I can still appreciate its slimmer approach compared to MK64 e Double dashboard; It has aged better than Super Mario Kart.
I still remember playing him on the back of the car every time my family was traveling to a destination for the holidays (skillfully tilting my original GBA to capture the light); Even when I had rinsed every family doctor and earned the best ranks, I went back and played again. The checks seemed like this, and even if I probably liked it Superstar Saga AND A connection to the past Only that little more, Super Circuit is one of my favorite GBA games in terms of pure game.
Returning it in 2025, I admit that I had to dedicate time to acclimatize the controls, which perhaps is not a problem that I would have anticipated with any other item (apart from the original). The drift, in particular, seems incredibly contracted. There were certainly sometimes times when I flew straight into a wall. Or a lake. Not ideal. – Ollie Reynolds
- Loose tracks: Sky Garden, Boo Lake, Sunset Wilds, Bowser’s Castle 3
- Funny done: Super Circuit was the first entry to present the Lightning cup; The previous games were limited to mushrooms, flowers, stars and special cups.
- What does Mario Kart World take from this? You could argue that Super Circuit brought very little to the series, but we are honest, it’s the first portable voice, right? There are many games Mario Karts that are not at this point!
And there is the checkered flag. All three games here are playable on Switch if you have an NSO subscription at the Expansion Pack level (and SMK is available with a standard subtitle), so if this has brought you all nostalgic, go to the circuits for a lap or two and feel free to share your memories below.
In part 2, we will look at the GameCube Double dashboard, Mario Kart DsAND Mario Kart Wii – keep an eye on next week.
And if you are interested in seeing where these three ended up in the race for the improve Mario Kart, we have an classified list that only covers that topic …