Mario Kart is one of the best multiplayer franchises ever created, which is what makes its recent dip in form so sad. In fact, it’s fair to say that the series peaked in the 90s, and since then has struggled to regain the quality promised by those first two titles (for the SNES and N64). For too long, Nintendo have been content to add only some new maps, throw a few more characters into the mix, introduce one negligible feature and call it a sequel. Which simply isn’t good enough (unless you’re Fifa). So, with a new title inevitably heading to the Wii U this year, it’s time to consider how Nintendo can return the family fun racer to its rightful place as the king of multiplayer gaming.
6. Story Mode
In many ways Diddy Kong Racing, for the N64, was superior to Mario Kart 64. In almost every way, in fact, (except for Battle Mode) – Diddy Kong Racing had 3 vehicle types (car, plane and hovercraft), a great item system and (most importantly) a fully fledged story mode. An island acted as a central hub, and you earned balloons by race results, which in turn let you unlock new races and ultimately boss battles. Keys cunningly hidden on the courses added to the fun, and further challenges (such as winning a race while collecting 8 silver coins scattered around the track) added great replay value. Oh, and did we mention it included cooperative game-play?
Now, Mario Kart has an amazing universe to work with in the Mushroom Kingdom, and is just crying out for a Story Mode like Diddy Kong Racing managed 15 years ago. At the moment, the 1 player game is very much an unfortunate task one feels compelled to complete in order to unlock vehicles for the multiplayer component, and that shouldn’t be the case. A lot of the current characters would work better as bosses than karters (imagine a race through a haunted mansion against a giant flying King Boo, or a huge piranha plant chasing you through a maze of underground warp pipes) and the game is just far too easy to complete at present. Which brings us to…
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3 Comments
I’ve been a Mario Kart fan right from the start and whilst I agree that the original Snes and 64 games were outstanding, the Ds and Wii versions are very good follow ups.
I fully agree with your comments on snaking – just get rid of that. I love the slide technique but there’s no need for a boost.
I also think a good talking point is the infamous blue shell. Now, i’m not bragging here but I like to think of myself as a kart king – yet i’m punished for being the best driver with that darn blue shell. Punished for being the best? Ok, you can take out second place if you slow down and get near them upon impact but again you’re having to slow down.
Still, one of the great games of our time and I fully endorse a revamp. No big changes, keep it simple but fresh.
Metro
Now that’s an interesting point, the blue shell. Personally I’m a fan, although it’s caused me plenty of annoyances over the years, just because it levels the playing field somewhat. It doesn’t strike often enough that who wins is totally random, but it does allow less skilled players the chance to occasionally triumph. Let’s face it, for a competition to be fun all players should have a chance of victory, and the blue shell gives hope to the weaker players, however the best karter will still win the majority of races. It also can lead to interesting tactical situations in which 1st and 2nd are both racing along trying not to get too far ahead, so that they can immediately hit the breaks if they hear that blue shell noise coming up behind them and let it hit the other person. There should definitely be an option to play without it, though.
As you say, keeping the game fresh is the most important thing, while never losing that core gameplay that makes the series great.
i much prefer sonic racing these days (original and transformed). great racing games. fun too!