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Mario Kart

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File:Mariokartwii sslg3.jpg
A screenshot from Mario Kart Wii.

Mario Kart is a series of go-kart-style racing video games developed by Nintendo as a series of spin-offs from its trademark Mario series of platformer adventure-style video games. At least one Mario Kart game has been released for every Nintendo console since the SNES era. To date, there have been four Mario Kart games for home consoles, two portable games, and two arcade games. The eighth and latest installment, Mario Kart Wii, was released in Japan on April 10 2008, in Europe on 11 April 2008, in Australia on 24 April 2008 and in North America on April 27 2008.

Series

  1. Super Mario Kart — (Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), 1992).
  2. Mario Kart 64 — (Nintendo 64 (N64), 1996). Also available on Virtual Console, as of 2007.
  3. Mario Kart: Super Circuit — (Game Boy Advance (GBA), 2001).
  4. Mario Kart: Double Dash!! — (Nintendo GameCube (GCN), 2003).
  5. Mario Kart DS — (Nintendo DS, 2005).
  6. Mario Kart Wii — (Wii, 2008).

Arcade Series

  1. Mario Kart Arcade GP — (Arcade, 2005).
  2. Mario Kart Arcade GP 2 — (Arcade, 2007).

Gameplay

In Mario Kart, the characters from the Mario series of video games get together and race go-karts around a variety of tracks. Players can obtain items by driving through (or over in Super Mario Kart) question mark blocks, which can be used for either defense, offense or by powering up the engine for a short amount of time (boost). Each Mario Kart game hosts several gameplay modes, which can be played in both singleplayer and multiplayer.

In Time Trial the goal is to achieve the fastest time in the selected track. Players are usually given three mushrooms (speed boosts) which they can use any time during the trial. Once a record is set, the game saves a "ghost", a replay of the set record, to compete against. In Mario Kart 64, Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, and Mario Kart DS, the developers put in their own "Staff Ghosts" for the player to race against. They must be unlocked by achieving a certain time which differs on each track. In Mario Kart Super Circuit and Mario Kart DS, it is also possible to download a ghost from friends. In Mario Kart DS, two ghosts (the player's own, and a friend's) can be saved. In Mario Kart Wii, ghosts can be downloaded from across the world via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. There are two sets of staff Ghosts in-game--one available at the start, and a faster ghost that is unlocked after the player achieves a certain time in the Time Trial.

In Grand Prix, the characters compete against each other in a themed Cup. There are usually four Cups: Mushroom Cup, Flower Cup, Star Cup and Special Cup.

  • Super Mario Kart features the Mushroom Cup, Flower Cup, Star Cup in the three engine classes (50cc, 100cc, 150cc), and Special Cup in the 100cc and 150cc. 150cc mode must be unlocked by beating the 100cc cups first, while the player must clear each of the other cups to unlock the Special Cup. Each cup in this game holds five tracks for a total of twenty tracks in the game.
  • Mario Kart 64 has the Mushroom, Flower, Star, and Special Cups available in all three (50cc, 100cc, and 150cc) classes. This game adds a Mirror Mode to the series (called "EXTRA" in this game) which is unlockable by beating the 150cc cups. It also features four tracks to a cup, which has been repeated in each game since.
  • Mario Kart Super Circuit adds in a fifth cup (the Lightning Cup), which is between the Flower and Star Cups. The player must beat the four cups (Mushroom, Flower, Lightning, and Star) to unlock the Special Cup in that certain class. It also includes an "extra" version of each cup that features all the tracks from Super Mario Kart. There is no Mirror Mode in this game.
  • Mario Kart: Double Dash!! starts with Mushroom, Flower, and Star Cup, with the Special Cup unlockable. This game features an "All-Cup Tour" that has all sixteen tracks, which always starts with Luigi Circuit and ends with Rainbow Road, and the fourteen other tracks are mixed up in a random order. Like its console predecessor, it also features the unlockable Mirror Mode. It is also the first game in the series to feature unlockable characters. It is also the first game that allowed multiple kart selections.
  • Mario Kart DS has two Grand Prix modes: The Nitro Cups (all-new tracks) and the Retro Cups (all classic remade tracks). Nitro Grand Prix features the four standard cups, Mushroom, Flower, Star, and Special cups, while Retro Grand Prix features the return of the Lightning Cup from Super Circuit, this time as the Retro equalvent of the Special Cup. Also featured in the Retro Grand Prix are the Shell, Banana, and Leaf Cups acting as the counterparts of the first three Nitro cups. The Retro mode features four tracks each from all four previous Mario Kart games. This game features 50cc, 100cc, 150cc, and an unlockable 150cc Mirror Mode. Players can also play mission mode, as for the first time in the series' history can race online using the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.
  • Mario Kart Wii also has cups with all-new tracks and cups with all classic remade tracks. Like Mario Kart DS there are four cups featuring new tracks (Mushroom, Flower, Star, and Special), while four other cups (Shell, Banana, Leaf, and Lightning) offer four tracks each from the previous five games, with the exception of Super and Super Circuit which have two each. This game features 50cc, 100cc, 150cc modes and an unlockable Mirror Mode, as well as thirteen unlockable characters and online racing using the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. The game also comes with the Wii Wheel peripheral, which attaches itself to the Wii Remote.

The player wins the cup by receiving the most points throughout the Grand Prix. Points are allocated based on the position the player finishes in. The most a player can get is 60 points, comprised of fifteen points in each of the four courses in Mario Kart Wii. This increased score is due to the higher number of racers in the Wii game (12 compared to previous games' 8). A maximum of 40 points (10 per race) is available in Mario Kart: Double Dash!! and Mario Kart DS. In Super Mario Kart, Mario Kart 64, and Mario Kart Super Circuit, there is a maximum of nine points for each race. In addition, Mario Kart Super Circuit, Mario Kart DS and Mario Kart Wii feature a rating system, which, from lowest to highest, is E, D, C, B, A, one star, two stars, and three stars. The player's rating is based on how well he played in a cup, such as performing mini-turbos, avoiding items, etc.

In Super Mario Kart and Mario Kart: Super Circuit, while racing on a track players are to pick up coins. Once ten or more coins have been obtained a player's car can reach maximum speed. However, if a kart is hit by any items, bumps into another car, or falls of the track, coins will be lost. These coins can also determine a player's rating (3 stars, 2 stars, 1 star, A, B, C, D, E) and unlock other tracks.

Mission mode is only present in Mario Kart DS, and includes several levels, each of which contain nine challenges (one of which is a boss battle). These challenges range include collecting X number of coins, driving through X number of gates, destroying X number of enemies, etc. The player is given a grade upon completing a mission, with E being the lowest and three stars being the highest. There is only one mission level to start with, but by beating each mission level's boss players can reach level 6, and, by achieving a rank of at least one star in all missions, level 7.

In VS. mode, multiple players can compete against each other in a race. The one who crosses the finish line first wins. Depending on the platform, up to eight players can play simultaneously. In Mario Kart DS, players can race against CPU opponents for the first time.

In Battle Mode, every player is assigned a set of balloons that can be popped. The aim of battle mode is to pop the opponent's balloons by attacking his or her with items. Once all balloons are popped, the player loses. In Mario Kart Wii, another type of Battle Mode games involves acquiring more coins than an opponent. There have been several types of Battle Mode games, and they can be played in teams or "free for all" mode.

Some items do not appear in Battle Mode because of the sheer advantage they give their users. This includes Spiny Shells, Bullet Bills, Chain Chomps, Thunderbolts, and triple red shells, Mushrooms being removed before the stealing of balloons was also introduced in Mario Kart: Double Dash!! . Mario Kart DS and Mario Kart Wii are the only games where players can battle against CPU opponents.

Playable characters

Characters are listed in alphabetical order. Shaded cells denote unlockable characters.

Racer Super
Mario Kart		 Mario
Kart 64		 Mario Kart
Super Circuit		 Mario Kart:
Double Dash!!		 Mario
Kart DS		 Mario
Kart Wii
Baby Daisy Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY
Baby Luigi Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Green tickY
Baby Mario Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Green tickY
Baby Peach Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY
Birdo Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Green tickY
Bowser Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Bowser Jr. Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Green tickY
Daisy Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Diddy Kong Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Green tickY
Donkey Kong Jr. Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN
Donkey Kong Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Dry Bones Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Green tickY
Dry Bowser Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY
Funky Kong Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY
King Boo Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Green tickY
Koopa Troopa Green tickY Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Green tickY
Link Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN
Luigi Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Mario Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Mii Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY
Paratroopa Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN
Peach Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Petey Piranha Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN
R.O.B. Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN
Rosalina Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY
Shy Guy Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY(refactored from 1) Red XN
Toad Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Toadette Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Green tickY
Waluigi Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Wario Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Yoshi Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Note:

Template:EntShy Guy only appears in the Simple DS Download play mode and is only controlled by players who do not have the Game Card. Players who use their cart to join a simple match do not play as Shy guy and can choose their characters normally.

Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection

Main article: Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection

This mode was introduced in Mario Kart DS. Abbreviated as WFC, this mode allows players to use Nintendo's online gaming service to match up against other players elsewhere in the world, nationally, or with comparable skill levels. Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection Mode also includes a "friends roster" which allows a player to play with a group of people he or she knows. Wi-Fi gameplay follows the same scoring as multiplayer VS matches, except with a limit of 4 players instead of 8. Mario Kart Wii also makes use of the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, in which up to twelve people can race online via Wi-Fi.

Other appearances

In Nintendogs, players can find a remote-controlled Kart during walks. There are three different karts, the Mario Kart, the Bowser Kart, and the Peach Kart. Each version of Nintendogs has only one type of kart. [citation needed]

Several Mario Kart-related items appear in the rival Super Smash Bros. series. In Super Smash Bros. Melee, a trophy of a kart from the Mario Kart series is available. In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, a new item, Lightning, which is from Mario Kart, was introduced and one of the stages is themed after the series' leading stage, Mario Circuit, with a look based on Figure-8 Circuit from Mario Kart DS.[1]

Recurring tracks

There are several types of tracks that have been featured in many of the Mario Kart games.

Circuits

Every Mario Kart to date has included several "circuit" courses, one of which serves as the starting course for the Mushroom Cup. Circuit courses are built to resemble actual raceways, with paved track, loose gravel or sand sides, and (in the 3D games) grandstands with onlookers, as well as signs and billboards scattered throughout the course advertising various imaginary racing products. These tracks range widely in difficulty, from simple turns to complex hairpins and banked curves. Particularly memorable circuit tracks are the Yoshi Circuit from Mario Kart: Double Dash!! and Mario Kart DS, which is designed in the shape of a large Yoshi (resembles one if seen from air) and Royal Raceway (called "Peach Circuit" in Japan) from Mario Kart 64. In Mario Kart 64, Circuits are referred to as "raceways".

Beaches

In every Mario Kart game so far, there has been at least one beach stage. Super Mario Kart on SNES, Mario Kart: Super Circuit on Game Boy Advance, and Mario Kart Wii had or have two beach courses. In Mario Kart 64, "Koopa Troopa Beach" became popular due to its infamous cave jump which allows players to skip a large portion of the course. The others (excluding the GP versions) had only one beach course. These beach courses consist of rising shore waters (in the 3D titles), deep waters to drown in, crabs, Cheep Cheeps, and other beach-themed obstacles.

Public roads

In all 3D Mario Kart games, there are tracks that include other traffic to avoid. Mario Kart 64 had Toad's Turnpike, which has huge vehicles that go the same direction as the karts. (In the Extra mode, they come toward the karts, making it one of the most unpredictable and most difficult tracks). Mario Kart: Double Dash!! had Mushroom Bridge and Mushroom City. They featured different kinds of cars, such as Mushroom trucks, the Wiggler vehicle, and Bob-Omb cars. Mario Kart DS has Shroom Ridge, in which vehicles travel on the left-hand side of the road, much like the road system in Japan, Australia, New Zealand and the UK (in Mirror Mode they go on the right-hand side), set on road which winds around a mountain, and a slightly modified version of Mushroom Bridge. Mario Kart Wii features "Moonview Highway", where trucks, Bob-Omb cars, mini vans, and everyday cars create traffic that moves forward on the left side of the road, and towards the racers on the right side. The stage transitions from a winding road to a more urban environment, complete with toll booths, billboards, and big-city lights. The karts themselves have headlights. Public roads usually come in the middle of the Flower Cup or Star Cup, with the exception of Mario Kart Wii, which has its public road in the Special Cup.

Deserts

There has been a desert track in each Mario Kart game since Mario Kart 64. Deserts usually feature quicksand, hills, and long stretches of bumpy terrain. In Mario Kart 64, there is the Kalimari Desert, in which a train crosses the track in two places. For Super Circuit, Yoshi Desert makes an appearance (the Sphinxes have Yoshi heads), and Double Dash!! with Dry Dry Desert has a tornado that makes characters fly into the air, plus an area with quicksand and a hungry Piranha Plant living at the bottom. There are also several Pokeys that bend back and forth impeding drivers. The desert in Mario Kart DS (Desert Hills) includes Pokeys, which move from left-to-right and back, the Angry Sun, who rains fire down on the track, and a Super Mario Bros. 3 desert level-like theme with pipe structures and huge stone structures. A course in Mario Kart Wii called Dry Dry Ruins (named after a dungeon in the N64 title Paper Mario with the same name) is similar to Dry Dry Desert in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!. Also in Mario Kart Wii, DS Desert Hill is a reminiscent of the corresponding DS track. On the course, columns with hieroglyphics inscribed in them fall onto the track to then be used as ramps. In the ruins section of the level, a central bowl with Pokeys slowly fills with sand over the course of the race, and the music changes.

Jungles

All games from Mario Kart 64 onwards featured at least one jungle type track. Mario Kart 64 had DK's Jungle Parkway, set atop a waterfall with a steamboat patrolling the river. Mario Kart Super Circuit had both Riverside Park and Lakeside Park, the latter featuring volcanoes which shot out lava balls that spun players out when hit. Mario Kart: Double Dash!! had both DK Mountain and Dino Dino Jungle. DK Mountain's centerpiece was a gigantic DK Barrel which shot players to the top of the mountain. They would then have to drive down the mountain, avoiding massive boulders and traversing a swaying bridge over a fast flowing river. Dino Dino Jungle, as the name suggests, had several dinosaurs stomping and flying around the course. Mario Kart DS had Yoshi Falls, set in a large valley and circling a lake. Mario Kart Wii had Koopa Cape as its jungle level, it runs through the jungle area with waterfalls and rivers. It than sucks in the player into a long water slide tube, where the player has to stay in the center to run down the water and achieve maximum speed.

Haunted tracks

Most Mario Kart games have had some courses with a spooky theme. Common themes in these 'haunted' tracks have included dark lighting, Boos, or (in the 2D games) railings which break upon impact. Boo Lake, Broken Pier (both from MKSC), and Ghost Valley 1 & 2 from Super Mario Kart, are four tracks which embody all these themes. Luigi's Mansion in Mario Kart DS (based on the GameCube game with the same name), includes a muddy swamp in which traction is lessened. While not strictly haunted, Airship Fortress (in MKDS) takes place in a crumbling castle. It is the only track in the game that includes Bullet Bills firing at players as a part of the level. Also in Mario Kart 64 there is a track called Banshee Boardwalk, which was later revamped in Mario Kart DS as a Retro Cup stage and is a haunted boardwalk and castle. Mario Kart Wii does not have its own haunted track, albeit remaking one.

Snow Tracks

All of the games have at least one snow track included. Common themes of these courses are icy surfaces with little or no grip, water that would freeze the racer if fallen into and snow-themed obstacles such as snowmen (Frappe Snowland from Mario Kart 64, Snow Land from Mario Kart Super Circuit, and DK Pass from MKDS), penguins (Sherbert Land from Mario Kart 64 and a remake in Mario Kart Wii), ice-skating Shy Guys (Sherbet Land in "MK:DD") and rolling snowballs (DK Pass from Mario Kart DS). DK Summit in Mario Kart Wii is set in a ski resort and features ramps and a half pipe for racers to perform stunts, including a giant DK Barrel resembling DK Mountain's DK Barrel from MKDD.

Stadiums

In three of the games, there has been a stadium track, which takes place in a dirt arena surrounded by grandstands, similar to a Supercross track. Typically associated with Wario and Waluigi, they contain many jumps, bumps, turns, and (more recently) fire and oil. Stadium tracks are normally around the middle of the game in regards to difficulty, although the stadium (Wario Stadium) in Mario Kart DS is among the most challenging tracks. Instead of a new dirt stadium track, Mario Kart Wii features a slightly modified, graphically enhanced-version of Waluigi Stadium (from Double-Dash!) as a returning stage.

Bowser Castles

Bowser Castles are particularly well known for unforgiving and straight 90-degree turns, lava pits, and Thwomps. Super Mario Kart features three Bowser Castle tracks, while Super Circuit has four; the rest only have one (Mario Kart DS has two and Mario Kart Wii has three, but the former has one taken from Super Circuit and the latter has one taken from Super Circuit and Mario Kart 64). They are usually the penultimate tracks of the game, with the only track afterwards being Rainbow Road, with the exception of Mario Kart 64, who has its own in the Star Cup. Due to their stiff turns and obstacles, they are technically demanding. The name has also been spelled as "Bowser's Castle." Mario Kart Wii is slightly unique as its own Bowser Castle has a giant Bowser statue different from the one in Mario Kart 64 throwing giant balls of flame onto the player and fully lava-pitted floors akin to Super Mario Galaxy.

Rainbow Road

Rainbow Road is the name for the final track in the last cup (the Special Cup) of every Mario Kart game to date. It is one of the toughest tracks to master, as the track is suspended in space (in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, however, it is suspended over a city) and generally has few or no guard rails to prevent the player from falling off of the edges during a turn. Mario Kart 64 is an exception, where guard rails are used for the entire track, but it is still relatively easy to jump over them.

Other features of the Rainbow Road tracks include 90-degree turns and flashing Thwomps (Super Mario Kart), Chomps and steep drops (Mario Kart 64 and Mario Kart Wii), speed boost panels, Jumps, Storm Clouds (Mario Kart Super Circuit), a teleporting pipe (Mario Kart: Double Dash!!), and a corkscrew and looping elements (Mario Kart DS). Double Dash!! features a set of hairpin turns, and also is the only game in the series to feature stars that occasionally land on the track and become a star power up for anyone who touches them.

Since Mario Kart 64, Rainbow Road is the only track to have the same music theme in every game, each arranged slightly different. The Rainbow Road in Mario Kart Wii has some elements from the game Super Mario Galaxy such as star bits floating in the background and dash panels with sling stars around it. Part of the course's soundtrack was taken from Good Egg Galaxy, a galaxy in Super Mario Galaxy. Also, a giant Launch Star launches the player near the starting line and it has a rainbow coming out of it.

Recent Mario Kart games have included backrounds to set where Rainbow Road specifically is in the Mario Kart world. In Mario Kart: Double Dash!! Rainbow Road is located directly above the urban Mushroom City stage. In Mario Kart Wii Rainbow Road is located above Earth, usually showing the Northern Hemisphere.

Merchandise

Mario Kart has also had a range of merchandise released. This includes a Scalextric style Mario Kart DS Figure-8-Circuit. It came with Mario and Donkey Kong figures, while a Yoshi and a Luigi are available separately.

A line of remote-controlled Mario Karts are available in stores. Each kart has a Game Boy Advance-shaped controller, and features forward driving and rotates when put in reverse, instead of steering. The current line-up of karts are Mario, Donkey Kong and Yoshi. There are three large karts that depict the same trio. These karts are controlled by a GameCube controller shape.

Japanese figurines of Mario, Luigi, Peach, Yoshi, Wario, Donkey Kong, and Bowser exist.

See also

References

  1. ^ Smash Bros. DOJO!!
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