Mario Kart’s Lasting Legacy

     On December 8, 2005, Mario Kart DS was first released on the Nintendo DS. This Mario Kart returned to an old traditional Mario Kart, probably due to the low profit in Double Dash. So this game instead focuses on bonus modes and Minigames, and it worked since everyone loved it: mainly Boss Battles, since it incorporates challenges without making the game feel repetitive over time. Each boss battle is unique, so it is not just to race one big character and win a challenge, like the Big Bully boss, where your main goal is to throw the BIg Bully off the course. That’s just one example. I also mention the battle modes. They made the balloon battle feel right. Since Mario Kart DS was the first Mario Kart to be played with eight players, they made balloon battles as chaotic as possible yet fair. For example, you can get broken items, but if you are out of balloons, you’re out.

     Mario Kart DS also had one of the most fluid controls, making the game easy for beginners. Also, some of their tracks are classic bangers for racing and the music, such as Waluigi's Pinball and Peach’s Garden.  Also, Mario Kart DS is the first Mario Kart game (not including the Arcade games) to feature a character not from Mairo. This character is R.O.B . Which stands for Robotic Operating Buddy. It was a weird and obscure character, but a fun one nonetheless. Mario Kart DS also has a custom emblem, meaning you can make your sign and have it on your character. Overall Mario Kart DS is one of the simplest Mario Kart games but focuses more on Multiplayer, which makes it one of the best Mario Kart games within their communities.

     Now it’s time for the best Mario Kart game of all time. Well, it’s debatable. So on April 27, 2008, Mario Kart Wii was released on the Nintendo Wii. This game has a lot to bring. It brought back some old characters like Toadette and Dry Bones, but it also introduced many new characters that no one would know during its release, such as Diddy Kong, Funky Kongs, and even the Baby Characters. This Mario Kart is also the first and last Mario to introduce save files, and no, I don’t mean like the memory card for the GameCube. Like an actual save file where you can save your files and races, and if you wanted to restart, you would need to buy the game again. Like all Mario Kart games, it also brought new tracks, but they are the best tracks introduced in the series. Like Koopa Cape, the song is a banger. The track is wild but fun, and it is not repetitive. 

     Or what about Toad’s Factory? A beginner track perfectly introduces the game's physics and mechanics. Although the physics are the worst in the Mario Kart series, it is what makes the game more fun: breaking the game to access secret shortcuts or skip a big portion of the race with a single mushroom. You can also play the game normally, but they made the items way more broken in this game compared to previous titles and the titles after this one. The game's mechanics made it so that you can get locked in hit stun (when you get you’re unable to move) for an infinite amount of times and not have invincibility frames (Frames where you are invincible, meaning you get hit twice). If you get hit by the Spiny Shell (Blue Shell or First Place target), you can be hit again with a red shell. This also brings the terminology getting Mario Karted. You are about to win the race but are being hit with many items, and you end up in last place. The game also introduced new items like the Mega Mushroom (which can make you big) and the Thundercloud (portable lightning, but it targets you). As well as bring the infamous fake item box from Mario Kart 64 back. This Mario Kart game is also the first Mario Kart game to have online multiplayer rather than local play/wireless.

     Now time for the best Mario Kart game, Mario Kart 7. On December 1, 2011, Mario Kart 7 was released on the Nintendo 3DS. This game introduced a lot of things. Like new tracks, characters, and items, but what is most important is two new mechanics that revolutionized the Mario Kart series as a whole: you can customize your kart and the glider. Before discussing those two items, let’s talk about the characters first. Mario Kart 7 introduced Metal Mario, Queen Bee, and the best Mario character introduced was the Wiggler. The new item is the tanooki tail. This item is the most fun item in the entire series because of how spammable it is, and it acts like a simple defense tool without being a banana or a green shell. The game also introduced the fire flower. An item that allows you to shoot little fireballs quickly, allowing you to destroy people with triple red shells, green shells, or bananas.

     Like all the others, they brought new tracks, which all hit hard and were fun. Some examples are Toad’s circuit, a simple beginner map demonstrating the glider mechanic. Neo Bowser City is a hard, challenging map that feels rewarding to finish, as well as Wuhu Island, the first map not from a Mario Game that feels like it can be incorporated into Mario Game. But now let’s talk about the two new mechanics starting off with the custom Karts mechanic. In previous Mario Kart games, you could choose your own kart to race, but what is different in Mario Kart 7 is that you can choose each part for your kart. Well, only the kart, the wheels, and the glider, that is. So no custom wheel or emblem. So now, with the glider mechanic. The glider mechanic allows you to race in the air. This doesn't seem to change much at first glance, but you are wrong. First, the glider can make secret shortcuts or skip some grounded sections due to being in the air faster than on the ground. Second, you can be hit in the air, and you will fall down, making it more risky to be in the air. Finally, the sensitivity is increased in the air, so you have to time your turns properly unless you want to bump into a wall. Overall Mario Kart 7 changed the racing aspect of the Mario Kart series as a whole while maintaining the Mario Kart Culture.

     There are two versions of Mario Kart 8. Mario Kart 8 on the Wii U and Mario Kart 8 deluxe. They are the same game, but Mario Kart 8 Deluxe just adds more and improves the original Mario Kart 8, but I’ll get to that later. Mario Kart 8 came out on May 29, 2014. Like previous Mario Kart traditions, it brought back old tracks and returning characters. As well as new characters and introduced new tracks. This Mario Kart game brought in new items like the Super Horn, which can block incoming items and slow down nearby opponents by using sound waves and being a counter to the blue shell. Mario Kart 8 is also the first Mario Kart game to introduce DLC, which gave us new characters like Isabelle, Link, and Inkling, new cups like the Animal Crossing Cup, and karts like the Mercedes GLA. That was all for Mario Kart 8 until, in April 2017, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe came out. This made it easier to play with smart steering and added a mini turbo boost, but that is what it seemed until it brought a new DLC with the booster course pack, which brings 12 new cups (8 cups being playable) and six new characters with Birdo being the first character introduced. That’s all the information with the Booster Course since the rest haven’t been released yet.