What are your thoughts on the Mario Kart Franchise?

Mario Kart 8 is going to come out on May 30th and a collector's edition was recently announced. I want to know what you guys think of the Mario Kart Franchise.

After playing Mario Kart 7, I was not interested at all about a new Mario Kart. I don't explicitly like racing games to begin with, but I have had every Mario Kart that had been released. I have fond memories of playing the original on the SNES and I thought the 64 game was really good. I never cared too much for Mario Kart Super Circuit, aside from the fact that you could unlock the tracks from the SNES game. My friend bought me Mario Kart Double Dash when it was on sale, and it was okay, but I didn't like the double team thing that was going on. Mario Kart DS was also okay, but it just seemed like the same old game I had been playing for years. I was actually pretty happy with Mario Kart Wii because I thought the introduction of the bikes was a cool idea. Using the Wii-remote and Nunchuck I felt like I had the control on the bike that I always wanted in a Mario Kart game. I thought the level designs were good and the Retro tracks were okay.

Then came Mario Kart 7. The added an air glider but took away the bikes. Also, the unlockable characters seemed really blah to me. I felt like the control wasn't as tight, and the game didn't impress me at all. When I got the Wii-U I played a demo of Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing Transformed, and I thought the game was really cool. I liked how the vehicle would change with the stage and I found the game to be slightly reminiscent of Diddy Kong Racing. The outlay of Sonic Racing Transformed isn't as polished as it could be, and the fact that each character has just one vehicle model to choose from is a bit sad, but I really like the gameplay. I feel like it was more innovative than what Mario Kart has done for a long time.

I know this is a lot of text, but does anyone else feel like the Mario Kart Franchise has become stale? Is anyone going to rush out to buy the new Mario Kart?

I like all the games of the franchise, and I have the weird opinion that Mario Kart is stale but at the same time it isn't.

Every Mario Kart is the same, more apparent in single player, however it's in multiplayer where the series shines. The fact that you're playing against other people is enough to call it a completely different experience, specially Double Dash, it has the best multiplayer I've ever seen. Maybe I'm blinded with nostalgia and great memories of my mom and me playing it, but Co-op mode was a blast. My mom was highly competitive in that game, I even remember her not-technically-yelling that "you focus on driving, and I'll destroy the rest" (For obvious reasons, our favorite track was Baby Park :V).

Mario Kart Wii and Mario Kart 7, despite being completely broken due to hacks or insane shortcuts, it's still fun to play them online. And believe me, I *WILL* buy a WiiU just for this game. Who cares about Smash, this is the system seller for me.

Double Dash and 7 I love to bits.

Wii didn't spark my interest.

Double Dash, to me, is the absolute best I've seen in the series. Eight does have interesting concepts though, so I'll definitely check it out in terms of footage at least.

Whether I'll ever actually play it myself...

What bugs me in Mario Kart is than it feels like it relies very little on actual skill and very much on getting the right item at the right time.

Double Dash was the bomb diggity.

I have two problems with the franchise. 1) A lack of ambition (though that can be said for pretty much any Mario property these days, most Mario sequels are far too similar to their predecessors) and 2) the vehicle customization system. The main problem I have with the latter is that in online play, it's pretty cut and dry how you need to build your racer, and some characters just aren't worth using. I like the concept of having different vehicles with unique stats like in Mario Kart Wii, but Mario Kart 7 fucked it up by allowing you to tweak them with parts which ruined the game balance with min-maxing.

Mario Kart's gliders were fun (I guess I just want Diddy Kong Racing 2...) but the series is really suffering from a "add one new gimmick" kind of system with each game. Two characters, bikes, gliders, now gravity (with the latter two of the previous mechanic returning.)

Txn wrote:

Every Mario Kart is the same, more apparent in single player, however it's in multiplayer where the series shines. The fact that you're playing against other people is enough to call it a completely different experience, specially Double Dash, it has the best multiplayer I've ever seen.

Maybe that is what I am missing. I haven't really played Mario Kart with other people of my skill level since Double Dash. Even though I owned Mario Kart Wii, I would still play Mario Kart 64 on the Wii Virtual Console because that was the game that my friends knew the best. I would bring over Mario Kart Wii, but since I knew the tracks and my friends didn't, it wasn't really fair.

Jean wrote:

What bugs me in Mario Kart is than it feels like it relies very little on actual skill and very much on getting the right item at the right time.

At least the newer games give you the option to tone down the items in multiplayer or eliminate the items completely. However, I do wish that they would give you an option to turn items off individually, like in Smash Bros. I'm pretty sure everyone hates the blue (or purple, I'm not good with colors it seems) shell, especially in the single player campaign.

Taiyz wrote:

Mario Kart's gliders were fun (I guess I just want Diddy Kong Racing 2...) but the series is really suffering from a "add one new gimmick" kind of system with each game. Two characters, bikes, gliders, now gravity (with the latter two of the previous mechanic returning.)

^This. Especially the Diddy Kong Racing 2 part. If you liked Diddy Kong Racing and haven't given Sonic and Sega All Stars Racing Transformed a shot, then you should. You won't get to choose to be a plane or a hovercraft like you did on most of the levels in DKR, but the different transformations throughout the stages are really cool. Also, I feel like the game handles really well. As I mentioned in my first post, the game suffers from a lack of ease if you want to play local matches. Maybe I haven't figured it out since I have only done that a handful of times, but it just seems clunky. However, I feel like the single player mode is fun, and there is much more than just beating each cup.

Slivendiferious wrote:

(Mario Kart) Eight does have interesting concepts though, so I'll definitely check it out in terms of footage at least.

^Also this. This is where I really hate myself. I told myself after Mario Kart 7 and really liking S&SASRT that I wasn't going to rush in and buy Mario Kart 8, but as more details and videos come out, I start to change my mind. Damn you Nintendo for toying with me! If I am wise, I will rent it first, but I did the same thing with Mario Kart 7 and I still bought the game. C'est la vie, je pense.

I have Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed, but I've never been a fan of the game's feel. Couldn't even tell you why, it's kind of like how I don't like Hydro Thunder Hurricane despite the original being one of my favourite racing games ever. Sumo Digital, the Sonic and All-Stars Racing developers, did a much better job with the Outrun series, IMO.

I think the series as a whole is fun.

I just have a pet peeve against removing/replacing characters which was pretty much what turned me away from Mario Kart Wii. I prefer seeing rosters expand over time, not fluctuate.

I only skimmed through this topic but my ten cents towards the subject are that Double Dash was my favorite MK game for quite a long time, until 7 beat it out. 7 is my favorite because it plays so well, the controls are really tight with no bullshit like snaking, the game looks beautiful, and it's pretty well balanced. What sets it apart from MKWii is that it's less luck-based, and when you're in first, you feel like you DESERVE your spot there and it wasn't from getting a great item from being in last place. I find that the whole game in general is pretty skill-based (which is why I'm such a baller at it wink wink), and I'm hoping MK8 will be the same.

Having said that I do agree with Taiyz on the fact that its noticeable pattern of 'adopt one tiny gimmick' is starting to feel kind of transparent. I mean, I personally don't think that a series like this needs TOO much to keep it fresh, but I would like to see more than just 'woop gravity' for a new game. For modern MK titles, I think all it really needs to make me satisfied with it is tight controls, fair balance and good netplay.

All I have to say is f*** Rainbow Road and f*** everyone who subjects me to that track

It's a series I can only play in short bursts- I'm of the mind that if I want to play a race, I don't want to spend a good 5 minutes either holding the A button in 1st or waiting to lose.  Thus 64 is the only one I can really say I like (have not played the original Super to judge) and I find both Diddy Kong Racing and F-Zero to better overall.  But then that's my problem with the racing genre overall; if I'm going to lap, either make them short and sweet with a load of variety (Diddy Kong) or most consistently dynamic and uncertain (F-Zero).  Anything in-between those two extremes is boring.

So naturally the fact that it's become a part of Nintendo's "We now live off 5 franchises" quintet disappoints me, but who am I to deny others their fun when I will be playing Super Smash Brothers (and X- glad Nintendo pegged a Monoltih Soft game as one of their key games) that much longer, should I get a Wii U.

warriorangel01 wrote:

All I have to say is f*** Rainbow Road and f*** everyone who subjects me to that track

You wouldn't like playing with me. When I play MK7 with friends I always make sure that SNES RR gets picked at least once (because it's my best track, lol). I'm not a big fan of the other RRs, though.

I know I am diabolical, but I hope someday they make a retro cup that is all rainbow road tracks. I would hate it and love it at the same time.

Bo Staff Katana wrote:

I know I am diabolical, but I hope someday they make a retro cup that is all rainbow road tracks. I would hate it and love it at the same time.

This would be perfect! I would do nothing but choose every single Rainbow Road on WiFi.

I will never play Mario Kart with any of you bastards

warriorangel01 wrote:

I will never play Mario Kart with any of you bastards

Ya know what? That's fair.

Bo Staff Katana wrote:

I know I am diabolical, but I hope someday they make a retro cup that is all rainbow road tracks. I would hate it and love it at the same time.

I would so be down to clown with this.

Mario Kart's okay, but it's no Jak X.