Looking in the rearview mirror
This year,Mario Karthit one of those milestones that just doesn’t seem right. Have we really been slinging shells between go-karts for30 years? As it turns out, we have (at least “we” have in the broader cultural sense — I am a few years younger thanMario Kart).
For the last 30 years, it’s been seemingly impossible to unseatMario Kartas the multiplayer game of choice for many. It doesn’t have the thriving competitive scene of your average fighting game, but if you put 10 people from any walk of life in a room and ask what game they want to play, nine of them will sayMario Kart. One asshole will sayTowerfall, and that asshole is me, but that’s not relevant.
Where we’ve been
It’s often been said that your favoriteMario Kartis either the first one you played or the newest one. Because of the iterative nature of the series, the latest title is usually “the best,” but it’s hard to shake off nostalgia. Sure enough, I’ve always been very fond ofMario Kart Wii. I played it when I was young, and because my family did the same thing everyone else did and refused to buy a Wii U, I kept playing it right up until the Switch arrived.
The motion controls, the little plastic wheel, the fact that it was on the Wii and therefore accessible at all my friends’ houses —Mario Kart Wiihad it all. It remains one of three or four video games that my mom earnestly enjoys, and for that, I must give it high marks.
During the wait betweenWiiandMario Kart 8 Deluxe, I dabbled in some otherMario Karts. I got a Game Boy Advance after I got a Wii (my choice, I was a weird kid), so I played a good bit ofMario Kart: Super Circuiton my own. As the only person who still had a GBA in a post-DS world, I gained a healthy appreciation for single-playerMario Kart, which I carry with me to this day. I eventually snagged a 2DS and played a good bit ofMario Kart 7there – that game is lovely, but, in trueMario Kartfashion, it’s basically a lesser version of the next entry, which makes it mostly unnecessary to return to.
I’ve dabbled in the otherMario Kartgames, but I wasn’t around to play them when people actually cared about them, so I can’t say too much about that experience. I quite likeMario Kart:Double Dash, I kind of hateSuper, and I am utterly neutral onMario Kart64.
Where we’re heading
Naturally,Mario Kartshows no sign of slowing down.Mario Kart 8 Deluxeis the best-selling Nintendo Switch game by a pretty dramatic margin, and the ridiculously expensive peripheral-based spinoffMario Kart Live: Home Circuitis somehow in the top 100.Mario Kart8 Deluxecontinues to receive DLC tracks, and the mobile gameMario Kart Tourhas been active and relatively successful for a few years now.
I still playMario Kart 8 Deluxewhenever I get the chance, and I dabble inMario Kart Wiiwhen I’m at my family’s house (they’re purists). I wouldn’t sayMario Kartis afavoritefranchise of mine, but it’s pretty undeniable that it brings folks together.
It’ll take some time, I expect, for Nintendo to bless us with another full-fledgedMario Kartentry. Thankfully, it’s still pretty easy to get a group together to playMario Kart 8 Deluxe, and the Switch’s handheld nature makes it easy to nurture my love for single-playerMario Kart, so I’m alright for now.
We’d love to hear about your history withMario Kart— what’s your favorite entry? Does the age-old first-game/newest-game doctrine hold true for you? Do you ever play the game on your own, or is it strictly a multiplayer experience for you? Fill those comments withMario Kartstories, if you’d be so kind.
