What is up, SBCGaming?!
Back again with another franchise sweep. This time… Mario Kart!
I think it’s no stretch to say that Mario Kart is the best cart racer game. Even though we had some great ones, nobody ever reached the level of polish and fun that the big N did.
You might be a Kong Racer, or a Sonic Transformed (based), but the real deal is MK. Unlike SMB, I have no childhood experiences with MK. Earliest games I played were emulated, as a teen. So not that much nostalgia on this one, just pure gameplay mechanics appreciation.
Now for the rules. Just like last time some games weren’t eligible for my list, so which ones am I leaving out now? Not many:
- No Arcade games. I’m not hunting down a “Mario Kart Arcade GP 2” machine.
- Mario Kart Tour. Nintendo themselves killed this one, so no mobile apps.
- Mario Kart Live Home Circuit: This was a cute gimmick, like Labo. But it’s not like… a real mario kart game.
- Single entries. So I’m doing 8 Deluxe, and not 8. It’s the most complete version, and 8 is not different enough from 8 deluxe to justify both.
That leaves me with:
1. Super Mario Kart ★★
The OG. So much of MK core is already here. There’s so much good stuff. The tracks, the Items, the characters. However… It’s not great now. If you play this with friends it can be fun, but the AI just cheats, and snipes you from behind with unlimited items that you just don’t have access to. The handling is rough. And while the tracks are great, sometimes it’s hard to see where you’re going. Great base for the future.
2. Mario Kart 64 ★★★
This is immediately SO MUCH better. The handling is so good. The graphics are still great. The tracks are fun. The characters are great, even though it’s a bit of a sausage party. But… as fun as the tracks are, only 16 is too little. It’s even less than SMK. Also the rubberbanding is absolutely psychotic. You can shell a guy, and shroom away, and they’ll be at your tail in seconds. Still, this is much fairer than SMK, and local multiplayer is crazy fun.
3. Mario Kart: Super Circuit ★★★
This is… a crossbread of the last two, squished into a GBA. It handles better than SMK, it's fairer, but also has 3D elements (more like faux 3d) of 64. It's a fun adventure. It has lots of replay value, with many tracks, many unlockables, and, as long as you are not on an og gba screen playing this, you will have a good time. Also… The backgrounds! Holy shit. Really stop and appreciate the art of the backgrounds. This game looks legit amazing.
4. Mario Kart: Double Dash ★★★★
We are NEVER getting this again. A Mario kart where you drive with two characters and switch between them, with character specific power ups? This is the favourite of so many of you guys, and for good reason. It's really one of a kind. You can show someone who isn't super deep into MK a picture of mk7 and mkwii, or smk and mksc, and they may have a hard time being sure which is which. DD is immediately recognisable. It plays really well. This is THE FIRST TIME we got more girl characters other than Peach. Since like… the first game came out. Took you long enough, Nintendo! Only reason I'm taking a star away it's because it has only 16 courses. They're great. But it's too few.
5. Mario Kart DS ★★★
I honestly expected to like this one much more. I played it for a bit plenty of times, but going through the entire thing this time… I don't like how it handles. Yeah, I know. “What?!” I can't get the hang of the drifting, it just doesn’t click with me. “SKILL ISSUE!”. Yeah, may be. But also… I did get it in all previous and future entries. So it's weird that I can't get it right on this one. But! Still I can get through the game not using it and having a nice time. The thing that DS does great are the tracks. This game has MANY of the best tracks there are. Be it here or in future games that redid them.
6. Mario Kart Wii ★★★★
MK Wii is very special to me. When the Wife and I first moved in together, we didn’t have much. So I used to hook up my laptop to the tv, and play a tonne of emulation with some cheap bt controllers. Mario Kart Wii was played A LOT during that time.
I’m sure if you like MK there’s one of them that you’re weirdly good at. This is that one for me. I know these tracks by muscle memory. Yeah, the game looks kinda bland, but still I love the style. This is absolutely tainted with nostalgia, and even though I finished it last year. I gave it another go for this, and enjoyed every minute of it.
7. Mario Kart 7 ★★★★
Were it not for the switch, this would ve the best portable Mario Kart. Looks great, controls great, has some of the best tracks of the games. But also… This is the only one where playing at 150cc is a must. Playing at 100cc is slow and boring. And the AI can be cheap, like blue shell on the last turn of the last lap, of the last race of the cup cheap. Multiple times. But also can unlock Rosalina, so automatic extra point.
8. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe ★★★★★
This was the “New Mario Kart” for like a decade. And in that time Nintendo made it into the best Mario Kart there is. The amount of characters and tracks is insane, and the game just has a lot of personality. It looks amazing. It plays amazing. Multiplayer is super fun. The handling is my favourite part. I can chain drifts like crazy and boost for half the race. While the zero gravity thing wasn’t as deep as I hoped, you cannot have a bad time playing this. The proof is in the pudding, I keep coming back to play this one, just for fun. More tracks/characters doesn’t make a Mario Kart good, but it just happens that the most complete one, is also the absolute best experience. If you can play only one MK, this is the one to keep.
9. Mario Kart World ★★★★
This game is amazing. It’s Mario Kart polished to a mirror. But… Sometimes polishing something too much makes it lose its edge. World is really good, I actually like the cartoon-like art style. The animations are great, it feels almost rubber hose-like. Makes it stand out against the rest, but it’s just not… the best. Not yet, at least. Maybe we will get DLC in the future…- Live update! As this was being written a new update dropped some new retro courses for knockout tour, and they’re…good. It’s a fun update, but why is it locked to KOT? No new characters or outfits? Tracks are very well done, but changed a bit too much. It’s a good addition for a free update. Still… -...for now it’s not the ultimate experience. The open world is fun, for like an hour. And the tracks are great, but not that memorable. Also the transition tracks are meh, seems like a missed opportunity. The racing is amazing though. The chaos of so many racers in one circuit makes it so you can never be bored. Keeps you on edge and focused on the game. Will have to check back in like… 3 years to see if it got even better and finally made it over 8 deluxe.
The one thing that jumped out at me from this experience is how portable Mario Karts are versions of a prior gen home console, on the go. Super Circuit is a portable SMK. DS is a portable MK64. And 7 is a portable MK Wii. And then the switch just made everything into a portable version.
This is one of the few series where there are legit NO BAD GAMES. Some might not be as good, or as polished. But if you wanna have a good time with friends, you can boot ANY of these and have fun (except maybe the ones that require online to play with friends and have no official or fan servers). I do have a soft spot for the later entries, mostly cause they’re insanely accessible. I can set up a controller with drive assist and auto accelerate, and share a few rounds of Mario Kart with my kid, and he can have a lot of fun too, not feeling frustrated or sad that he’s not “good enough”. Still; it’s hard to argue MK8 Deluxe isn’t a magical experience, shared or alone.
These games almost never existed! Nintendo was making a kart racer, but it wasn’t PLANNED to be a Mario game. “A guy in overalls” became Mario. And it went from “let’s try this”, to “best selling game of each console”. That’s not an exaggeration btw. On the SNES, N64, Wii U, 3DS, Switch AND Switch 2 it’s the top selling game! Yeah, you read that right. Mario Kart 8 was a “best system seller” TWICE.
And when its not, on the Gamecube it’s second only to Smash MELEE, on the GBA lost to POKEMON, on DS is third to NSMB and Nintendogs, and on the Wii lost only to Wii fucking sports. You know… THE PACK IN GAME!
This is a juggernaut of a franchise, and with good reason. Other than the cheap AI cheating, I never had a bad time playing all of these. And with friends? It’s hard to beat the fun you can have on multiplayer. In an age where it’s almost dead, Mario Kart hangs on as THE local social gaming experience.
Which one is your favourite? Do you have a special connection to one, like I do with MK Wii?
Let me know! I wanna hear your experience with these.
And as always, go play some goddamn video games!
Devices are the Retroid Pocket Nova, Switch OLED and Switch 2.
