Mario Kart
is a series of go-kart-style racing video games developed and published by Nintendo as spin-offs from its trademark Super Mario series. The first in the series, Super Mario Kart, was launched in 1992 on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System to critical and commercial success.
With six Mario Kart games released on home consoles, three on portable handheld consoles, four arcade games co-developed with Namco and one for mobile phones, the Mario Kart series includes a total of fourteen entries. The latest game in the main series, Mario Kart Tour, was released on iOS and Android in September 2019. The series has sold over 150 million copies worldwide to date.
History
The first title in the Mario Kart series, Super Mario Kart, was released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1992. The development of the first game was overseen by Shigeru Miyamoto, the Japanese video game designer who created the original Super Mario Bros. as well as many other successful games for Nintendo. Darran Jones of NowGamer suggests that the original success of Super Mario Kart was the result of including characters previously seen in Mario Bros. games, while also being a new type of racing game.Gameplay
In the Mario Kart series, players compete in go-kart races, controlling one of a selection of characters, typically from the Mario franchise. Up to twelve characters can compete in each race; the exact number varies between games.One of the features of the series is the use of various power-up items obtained by driving into item boxes laid out on the course. These power-ups include mushrooms to give players a speed boost, Koopa Shells to be thrown at opponents, banana peels and fake item boxes that can be laid on the course as hazards. The type of weapon received from an item box is influenced by the player's current position in the race. For example, players lagging far behind may receive more powerful items, such as Bullet Bills which give the player a bigger speed boost depending on the place of the player, while the leader may only receive small defensive items, such as shells or bananas. Called rubber banding, this gameplay mechanism allows other players or computers a realistic chance to catch up to the leading player. They can also perform driving techniques during the race such as rocket starts, slipstreaming, and mini-turbos.
As the series has progressed, each new installment has introduced new gameplay elements, such as new circuits, items, modes, and playable characters. These changes include:
- Mario Kart 64 introduces 4-player racing, slipstreaming and 3D graphics. This game also introduced Wario and Donkey Kong as playable characters, as well as seven new items: the Fake Item Box, Triple Red Shell, Triple Green Shell, Triple Mushroom, Banana Bunch, Golden Mushroom, and the infamous blue shell. In addition to the three Grand Prix engine classes, Mirror mode is introduced in 100cc.
- ' introduces the ability to unlock all of the Super Mario Kart tracks, as both games use the same mode 7 principle.
- ' features co-operative LAN play and two-player karts. It also introduces eleven new playable characters. The game also features special items that are specific to each character, a feature that was previously accessible only to computer-controlled drivers in the original game and re-introduced in Mario Kart Tour. Finally, this game introduced unlockable characters and karts to the series. Mirror mode is bumped up to 150cc.
- Mario Kart DS features dual-screen play and introduces online multiplayer & retro battle arenas. Shy Guy, Dry Bones, and R.O.B. are introduced as playable characters. DS was also the first Mario Kart game to feature retro tracks from all previous titles of the series, as well as the first entry in the series to feature mission mode. It also introduces two new items: the Blooper, which temporarily obscures the screens of players in higher places with ink and Bullet Bill, which is given to players in lower places and grants a larger speed boost depending on the position from first place.
- Mario Kart Wii introduces motion controls, performing tricks, 12-player racing, and motorbikes. Six new playable characters were introduced: Baby Peach, Baby Daisy, Rosalina, Funky Kong, Dry Bowser, and two outfits for Mii characters. It also introduced three new items: the Mega Mushroom, Thunder Cloud, and POW Block, the last two of which are only seen in this game. This game also marks the final appearance for the Fake Item Box.
- Mario Kart 7 features stereoscopic 3D graphics, introduces hang gliding and submersible karts, as well as an alternate first-person perspective and kart customization. Introduces Metal Mario, Lakitu, Wiggler, and Honey Queen as new playable characters. It is also the first Mario Kart game after Mario Kart: Double Dash not to feature Waluigi as a playable character. This title also re-introduces collectible Coins to give players a small speed boost after a ten-year absence.
- Mario Kart 8 introduces 200cc mode, anti-gravity racing, ATVs, uploading highlights to YouTube via Mario Kart TV, up to four local players in Grand Prix races, downloadable content, and is the first in the series to boast HD graphics. Mario Kart 8 introduces the Koopalings, Baby Rosalina, Pink Gold Peach, Tanooki Mario, Cat Peach, Villager and Isabelle from Animal Crossing, and Link from The Legend of Zelda as new playable characters. The Nintendo Switch version, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, also adds the Inkling Girl and Inkling Boy from Splatoon as playable characters for the first time in the series, as well as a new battle mode, "Renegade Roundup", which plays similarly to a game of cops and robbers.
- Mario Kart Tour introduces Peachette, Pauline, Hammer Bro, Monty Mole, Dixie Kong and Nabbit to the series. Alternate outfits for certain characters are also available as rare items. This is the first Mario Kart game to be released for a non-Nintendo device and introduces gacha and loot box mechanics, as well as continuously-renewing character outfits and karts. Character-specific items and increased item probabilities have been re-added. The Mega Mushroom also makes its return after an eleven-year absence. The game also added Frenzy Mode, which happens when the character receives three of the same item during the race. The game utilizes a point-based system, which players earn points for doing actions like mini-turbos, hitting opponents and other special cases.
Characters
Courses
Many course themes recur throughout the series. Most are based on existing areas in the Mario franchise, but there are a number of courses that have not appeared elsewhere, yet still belong in the Mushroom Kingdom, such as Rainbow Road, which usually takes place above a city or in space. Each game in the series includes at least 16 original courses and up to 6 original battle arenas. Each game's tracks are divided into four "cups", or groups in which the player has to have the highest overall ranking to win and they are the Mushroom Cup, the Flower Cup, the Star Cup, and the Special Cup. Most courses can be done in three laps, except in the original game where all circuits required five laps to finish, seven in Mario Kart: Double Dash!! when racing on Baby Park, and two in Double Dash!! when racing on Wario Colosseum as well as in Mario Kart Tour. The first game to feature courses from previous games was Mario Kart: Super Circuit, which contained all of the tracks from the original Super NES game. Starting with Mario Kart DS, each entry in the series has featured sixteen "nitro" and 16 "retro" tracks, spread across four cups each with four races. The four Retro Grand Prix cups are the Shell Cup, the Banana Cup, the Leaf Cup, and the Lightning Cup. In Mario Kart 8, sixteen additional tracks are available across two downloadable packages, eight for each package downloaded, including seven retro courses, four original courses, and five courses based on other Nintendo franchises, including Excitebike, F-Zero, The Legend of Zelda, and Animal Crossing divided into four additional cups; the Egg Cup, the Triforce Cup, the Crossing Cup, and the Bell Cup. Mario Kart Tour introduced courses from around the world including New York City, Tokyo, Paris, London, and Vancouver; as well as variants of courses where drivers race in reverse, with additional ramps and elevation, and a combination of the former two.Modes of play
Each installment features a variety of different modes. The following five modes recur most often in the series:- Grand Prix – Players compete in various "cups," of four courses each with difficulty levels based on the size of the engine, larger engines meaning faster speeds. Before Mario Kart 8 there were four difficulties: 50cc, 100cc, 150cc, and 150cc Mirror. Mario Kart 8 added a fifth difficulty level: 200cc. Players earn points according to their finishing position in each race and the placement order gets carried over to the next race as the new starting grid. At the end of the cup, the top three players with the most points overall will receive a trophy in bronze, silver, and gold.
- Time Trials – The player races alone in order to finish any course in the fastest time possible. The best time is then saved as a ghost, which the player can race against in later trials. Since Mario Kart: Double Dash, a new function called Staff Ghosts is introduced. Staff Ghosts are members of the Nintendo development team that set staff times for players to try and beat. Upon success, players will unlock Expert Staff Ghosts, which only appeared in Mario Kart Wii and Mario Kart 7, which unlock characters, vehicles, or stamps once beaten, in addition to viewing ghost data.
- VS Race – Multiple human players race against each other on any course with customized rules such as team racing and item frequency. The mode also includes single-player races and CPU controlled players to compete in VS races as well since Mario Kart DS. Super Circuit, however, features a Quick Run mode, which shares similarities with VS mode.
- Battle – Multiple human players use in-game offensive items to battle each other in a closed arena. Each player starts with three balloons and loses a balloon with every hit sustained; the last player possessing at least one balloon wins. Different battle types were added as the series progressed, as well as single-player battles with CPU controlled players. Starting with Mario Kart Wii, there is a time limit for each battle. For Mario Kart 8, the battles take place on race courses. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe reintroduces dedicated arenas.
- Online Multiplayer – Players are able to compete in races and battles through online services, such as Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, Nintendo Network, and Nintendo Switch Online. Players can also share Time Trial ghosts, and participate in tournaments. In races and battles, players are matched by VR and BR respectively, which is a number between 0 and 99,999. Players gain or lose points based on their performance in a race or battle. The game attempts to match players with a similar rating.
List of ''Mario Kart'' games
Console games
= Handheld Console.Arcade games
- Mario Kart Arcade GP
- Mario Kart Arcade GP 2
- Mario Kart Arcade GP DX
- Mario Kart Arcade GP VR
Mobile games
- Mario Kart Tour
Canceled games
- VB Mario Kart was scheduled for the Virtual Boy in 1995. The game was cancelled early in development prior to its announcement due to the Virtual Boy's commercial failure, but was revealed in a 2000 issue of German gaming magazine The Big N.
Other appearances
Certain courses from the series have also appeared in F-Zero X, Fortune Street, the Mario & Sonic series, , and the WarioWare series. Various items from the series can also be seen in games such as Nintendogs and Animal Crossing.
Merchandise
The Mario Kart series has had a range of merchandise released.Among them are a slot car racer series based on Mario Kart DS, which comes with Mario and Donkey Kong figures, while Wario and Luigi are available separately. A line of radio-controlled karts have also been marketed, with are controlled by Game Boy Advance-shaped controllers, and feature Mario, Donkey Kong, and Yoshi. There are additional, larger karts that depict the same trio and are radio-controlled by a GameCube-shape controller.
Japanese figurines of Mario, Luigi, Peach, Toad, Yoshi, Wario, Donkey Kong, and Bowser are also available for purchase as well as for Mario Kart 64, figures of Mario, Luigi, Wario, Bowser, Donkey Kong, and Yoshi were made by Toybiz. There are also Sound Drops inspired by Mario Kart Wii with eight sounds taken from the game including the Spiny Shell and the Item Box. A land-line telephone featuring Mario holding a lightning bolt while seated in his kart, has also been marketed.
K'Nex released Mario Kart Wii sets, with Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, Donkey Kong, and Bowser in karts and bikes, as well as tracks from the game. Mario Kart 7 and Mario Kart 8 K'Nex sets have also been released.
LINE has released a animated sticker set with 24 stickers based on Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
Nintendo's own customer rewards program Club Nintendo released merchandise from the series as well. These included a Mario Kart 8 soundtrack, a Mario Kart Wii-themed stopwatch, and three gold trophies modeled after those in Mario Kart 7. Before Club Nintendo, a Mario Kart 64 soundtrack was offered by mail.
In 2014, McDonald's released Mario Kart 8 toys with Happy Meals. They featured eight of the characters in karts that were customizable with stickers.
In 2018, Monopoly Gamer features a Mario Kart themed board game with courses from Mario Kart 8 serving as properties, ten playable characters as tokens, and a special die with power-ups taken from the series.
In 2019, Hot Wheels teamed up with Mario Kart to release cars and track sets based on the series.
Reception
The Mario Kart series has received acclaim from critics. Nintendo Power listed the series as being one of the greatest multiplayer experiences, citing the diversity in game modes as well as the entertainment value found.Guinness World Records listed six records set by the Mario Kart series, including "First Console Kart Racing Game", "Best Selling Racing Game" and "Longest Running Kart Racing Franchise". Guinness World Records ranked the original Super Mario Kart number 1 on the list of top 50 console games of all time based on initial impact and lasting legacy. Super Mario Kart has been inducted into the World Video Game Hall of Fame in 2019.
Sales
Like the Super Mario series, the Mario Kart series has achieved successful sales with over 150 million copies sold in total. Super Mario Kart has sold 8.76 million copies and is the fourth best-selling game on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System console. Mario Kart 64 is the second best-selling game for the Nintendo 64, selling a total of 9.87 million copies. ' has sold 6.96 million copies. It is the second best-selling game on the GameCube. Mario Kart Wii has achieved highly successful numbers, selling a total of 37.32 million copies. It is the best-selling installment in the series and is the second best-selling game for the Wii. Mario Kart 8, released for the Wii U, has shipped 1.2 million copies in North America and Europe combined on its first few days since launch, which was the console's fastest-selling game until the record was beaten by Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. It sold a total of 8.45 million copies and is the Wii U's best-selling game. In contrast, the enhanced port for the Nintendo Switch system, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, has sold 459,000 units in the United States in one day of its launch, making it the fastest-selling game in the series to date. Deluxe sold a total of 24.77 million copies worldwide, outperforming the original Wii U version, and is the best-selling Nintendo Switch game of all time. Both versions sold a combined total of 33.22 million copies, making it the second best-selling game in the series.In the portable entries, the series also performed outstanding sales. ', has sold a total of 5.9 million copies, making it the fourth best-selling game on the Game Boy Advance. The second portable game, Mario Kart DS, has sold a total of 23.60 million copies. The third best-selling game for the Nintendo DS, it is also the best-selling portable game in the series. Mario Kart 7, released for the Nintendo 3DS, has sold 18.71 million copies, and is the best-selling 3DS game as of March 2020.
Rental go-kart dispute
In September 2016, Nintendo filed an objection against the Japanese company MariCar, which rents go-karts modified for use on public roads in Tokyo along with costumes resembling Nintendo characters. MariCar's English website warned customers not to throw "banana peels" or "red turtle shells". The service is popular with tourists.Nintendo argued that the MariCar name was "intended to be mistaken for or confused with" Mario Kart, citing games commonly known by abbreviations in Japan, such as Pokémon and Sumabura. In January 2017, the Japan Patent Office dismissed the objection, ruling that MariCar was not widely recognized as an abbreviation of Mario Kart.
In February 2017, Nintendo sued MariCar over copyright infringement for renting unauthorized costumes of Nintendo characters and using their pictures to promote its business. In September 2018, MariCar was ordered to stop using the characters and pay Nintendo ¥10 million in damages.