Mario Kart

is a series of racing games developed and published by Nintendo. Players compete in go-kart races while using various power-up items. It features characters and courses from the ''Mario'' series as well as other gaming franchises such as ''The Legend of Zelda'', '' Animal Crossing'', '' F-Zero'' and '' Splatoon.''

The series was launched in 1992 with ''Super Mario Kart'' on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, to critical and commercial success. The ''Mario Kart'' series totals fourteen games, with six on home consoles, three on handheld consoles, four arcade games co-developed with Namco, and one for mobile phones. The latest game in the main series, '' Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit'', was released on the Nintendo Switch in October 2020. Over 164.43 million copies in the series have been sold worldwide.

History

The first game in the ''Mario Kart'' series is ''Super Mario Kart'' for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1992. Its development was overseen by Shigeru Miyamoto, the Japanese designer of many successful Nintendo games including '' Super Mario Bros.'' Darran Jones of NowGamer suggests that the success of ''Super Mario Kart'' resulted from the ''Super Mario'' characters, and 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, mainly from the ''Mario'' franchise. Up to twelve characters can compete in each race (the number depends between games).

Gameplay is enhanced by 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, Shells to be thrown at opponents, Banana peels, and Fake Item Boxes as hazards. The game chooses an item based on 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 racers a realistic chance to catch up to the leading racer. They can perform driving techniques during the race such as rocket starts, slipstreaming, drifting, and mini-turbos.

Each new game has introduced new gameplay elements, such as new circuits, items, modes, and playable characters.
* '' Mario Kart 64'' introduces 3D graphics, 4-player racing, slipstreaming, items dangling (the ability to hold bananas and shells to defend against projectiles) and introduced two new characters, Wario and Donkey Kong. it introduced seven new items: the Fake Item Box, Triple Red Shells, Triple Green Shells, Triple Mushrooms, the Banana Bunch, the Golden Mushroom, and the Spiny Shell. In addition to the three Grand Prix engine classes, Mirror Mode is introduced, in which tracks are flipped laterally.
* '' Mario Kart: Super Circuit'' introduces ''Super Mario Kart'' unlockable tracks, as both games use the same mode 7 principle.
* '' Mario Kart: Double Dash!!'' features co-operative LAN play and two-player karts. It introduces double item boxes. it also further adds eleven new playable characters: Daisy, Birdo, Baby Mario, Baby Luigi, Paratroopa, Diddy Kong, Bowser Jr., Waluigi, Toadette, Petey Piranha, and King Boo. It introduces character-specific special items, and introduces unlockable characters and karts. Mirror mode is now played on 150cc. It also introduces new alternate battle modes: "Shine Thief", and "Bob-omb Blast".
* '' Mario Kart DS'' features dual-screen play. It introduces Online play via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, a mission mode, and retro tracks. New playable characters include Dry Bones, Shy Guy (exclusive to DS Download Play) and R.O.B.. This game adds two new items, the Blooper and the Bullet Bill.
* '' Mario Kart Wii'' introduces motion controls, the ability to perform mid-air tricks, 12-player racing, and bikes. It introduces six new playable characters: Baby Peach, Baby Daisy, Rosalina, Funky Kong, Dry Bowser, and two Mii outfits. It introduces three items: the Mega Mushroom, Thunder Cloud, and POW Block, the last of which are exclusive to this game. This game is the final appearance of the Fake Item Box. It also introduces a new battle mode titled "Coin Runners".
* ''Mario Kart 7'' features the introduction of stereoscopic 3D graphics. It introduces gliding and submersible karts, an alternate first-person perspective, and kart customization. It introduces four new characters, Metal Mario, Lakitu, Wiggler, and Honey Queen. It re-introduces collectible Coins for a small speed boost.
* ''Mario Kart 8'' introduces a 200cc mode, anti-gravity racing, ATVs, uploading highlights to YouTube, up to four local players in Grand Prix races, downloadable content, HD graphics, and the Koopalings, Baby Rosalina, Pink Gold Peach, Tanooki Mario, Cat Peach, Link from ''The Legend of Zelda'', and Villager (male and female) and Isabelle from '' Animal Crossing'' as playable characters.
* '' Mario Kart 8 Deluxe'' adds the Inklings from '' Splatoon'' as playable characters, sees the return of double item boxes, and adds alternate skins for Metal Mario and Link that respectively depict their gold and ''Breath of the Wild'' appearances, and adds "Renegade Roundup", a new battle mode similar to cops and robbers.
* '' Mario Kart Tour'' is the ''Mario Kart'' debut on a non-Nintendo device, and introduces a points-based system for certain racing actions. It introduces Peachette, Pauline, Hammer Bro (and their boomerang, fire, and ice versions), Monty Mole, Captain Toad, Dixie Kong, Kamek, Nabbit, King Bob-omb, Meowser, and many more alternate outfits for characters. The alternate outfits are rare items. It introduces Frenzy Mode, and before its removal in 2022, gacha and loot box mechanics, and continuously-renewing character outfits and karts. Character-specific items and increased item probabilities have been re-added. It reintroduces the Mega Mushroom.
* '' Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit'' uses a combination of augmented reality (AR), remote-controlled karts, and cameras, to create tracks using markers in the physical world, on which onscreen opponents are raced.

Characters

''Mario Kart'' mainly features characters from the ''Mario'' franchise, such as Mario, Luigi, Peach, Daisy, Donkey Kong, Bowser, Wario, Toad and Yoshi. The ''Mario Kart Arcade GP'' series features Bandai Namco characters from the ''Pac-Man'', '' Tamagotchi'', and '' Taiko no Tatsujin'' series. '' Mario Kart: Double Dash!!'' introduced a number of characters to the series that are partners to the more common characters, such as Waluigi, Diddy Kong, Bowser Jr. and King Boo. Some of these would appear in future instalments. '' Mario Kart Wii'' added Miis, which are created in Mii making tools. The DLC for ''Mario Kart 8'' added Link from ''The Legend of Zelda'', and Villager (male and female) and Isabelle from '' Animal Crossing''. '' Mario Kart 8 Deluxe'' added Gold Mario, which is the unlockable palatte swap for Metal Mario, and the Inklings from '' Splatoon''. '' Mario Kart Tour'' features 192 characters, the most of any ''Mario'' game.

Courses

Many recurring course themes are based on the ''Mario'' franchise, such as Bowser's Castle. Unique courses inspired by the Mushroom Kingdom include Rainbow Road, above a city or in space. Each game after ''Super Mario Kart'' includes at least 16 original courses and up to 6 original battle arenas. Each game's tracks are divided into four "cups" (except ''Mario Kart: Super Circuit'', which has five), or groups in which the player has to have the highest overall ranking to win. 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, the unlockable tracks in ''Mario Kart: Super Circuit'', where all of them are five laps, seven in ''Mario Kart: Double Dash'' when racing on Baby Park, and two in ''Mario Kart: Double Dash'' when racing on Wario Colosseum, five laps in ''Mario Kart DS'' when racing on GCN Baby Park, one lap split into three sections in ''Mario Kart 7'' when racing on Maka Wuhu (Wuhu Mountain Loop in PAL regions), Wuhu Loop (Wuhu Island Loop in PAL regions), and Rainbow Road, one lap split into three sections in ''Mario Kart 8'' and ''Mario Kart 8 Deluxe'' when racing on Mount Wario, N64 Rainbow Road, Big Blue, and 3DS Rainbow Road, seven laps in ''Mario Kart 8'' and ''Mario Kart 8 Deluxe'' when racing on GCN Baby Park, and in ''Mario Kart Tour'', where all tracks are two laps (five when racing on GCN Baby Park, and one lap split into three sections when racing on 3DS Rainbow Road).

The first game to feature courses from previous games was ''Mario Kart: Super Circuit'', which contained all of the tracks from the original SNES game. Starting with ''Mario Kart DS'', each entry in the series has featured sixteen "nitro" (brand new courses introduced for said game) and sixteen "retro" tracks (reappearing courses from previous ''Mario Kart'' games) (not including DLC tracks and games from ''Mario Kart 8 Deluxe''), 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 courses 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 themed from places around the world including New York City, Tokyo, Paris, London, Vancouver, Los Angeles, Berlin, Sydney, Singapore, Amsterdam and Bangkok, and variant courses raced in reverse, with additional ramps and elevation, and a combination of the two. Forty-eight additional courses, most from every game in the series, plus a few new original tracks, are set to arrive to ''Mario Kart 8 Deluxe'' in the Booster Course Pass in six waves, divided into twelve additional cups: Golden Dash, Lucky Cat, Turnip, Propeller, Rock, Moon, Fruit, Boomerang, Feather, Cherry, Acorn, and Spiny.

Modes

Each game has a variety of modes. The following five modes recur most often in the series:
* Grand Prix – Players compete in various "cups" of four courses each (five in ''Super Mario Kart'') with difficulty levels based on the size of the engine, larger engines meaning faster speeds. Before ''Mario Kart 8'' there were four difficulties: 50 cc, 100cc, 150cc, and Mirror Mode (courses that see their tracks flipped horizontally; played on 100cc in ''Mario Kart 64'', but 150cc in all other games with Mirror Mode). ''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. ''Mario Kart: Double Dash!!'' introduced Staff Ghosts, which are ghosts set by members of the Nintendo development team.
* Match Race – Multiple human players race on any course with customized rules such as team racing and item frequency.
* Battle – Multiple human players use in-game offensive items (shells, etc.) to battle each other in a closed arena. In the most used battle type, balloon battle, each player starts with three balloons and loses one per hit; the last player with at least one balloon wins. Various battle types have been added to the series, and single-player battles with CPU controlled players.
*Online Multiplayer – Players compete in races and battles through online services, such as Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, Nintendo Network, and Nintendo Switch Online. Players can share Time Trial ghosts, and participate in tournaments. In races and battles, players are matched by VR (VS Rating) and BR (Battle Rating) respectively, which is a number between 0 and 99,999 (9,999 in ''Mario Kart Wii''). Players gain or lose points based on performance in a race or battle. The game attempts to match players with a similar rating.

Games

Console

Arcade

* ''Mario Kart Arcade GP'' (2005, developed by Namco)
* '' Mario Kart Arcade GP 2'' (2007, developed by Namco Bandai Games)
* ''Mario Kart Arcade GP#Mario Kart Arcade GP DX, Mario Kart Arcade GP DX'' (2013, developed by Namco Bandai Games)
* ''Mario Kart Arcade GP#Mario Kart Arcade GP VR, Mario Kart Arcade GP VR'' (2017, developed by Bandai Namco Studios)

Mobile

* '' Mario Kart Tour'' (2019)

Upcoming games

In January 2022, Dr. Serkan Toto, an industry analyst for ''GamesIndustry.biz'' indicated that a new entry in the ''Mario Kart'' series (referred to by some as ''Mario Kart 9'') was "in active development" at Nintendo. The game would feature "a new twist", and could be announced as soon as 2022. After the report, fans theorized that the "twist" present in the next entry in the series would be crossover-centric, or take inspiration from Formula One racing.

Canceled games

* ''VB Mario Kart'' was scheduled for the Virtual Boy in 1995. It was revealed in a 2000 issue of German gaming magazine ''The Big N'', but was canceled early in development prior to its official announcement due to the Virtual Boy's commercial failure.
* ''Mario Kart XXL'' is a Game Boy Advance tech demo developed by Denaris Entertainment Software for Nintendo in 2004. It was originally created as a non-Mario demo known as R3D-Demo before being repurposed.

Merchandise

The ''Mario Kart'' series has had a range of merchandise. This includes a Scalextric, slot car racer series based on ''Mario Kart DS'', which comes with Mario and Donkey Kong figures and Wario and Luigi are separate. A line of radio-controlled karts are controlled by Game Boy Advance-shaped controllers, and feature Mario, Donkey Kong, and Yoshi. There are additional, larger karts which are radio-controlled by a GameCube-shape controller.

Many racer figurines have been made. Sound Drops were inspired by ''Mario Kart Wii'' with eight sounds including the Spiny Shell and the race start countdown. A land-line telephone features Mario holding a Lightning discharge, lightning bolt while seated in his kart.

K'Nex released ''Mario Kart Wii'', ''Mario Kart 7'', and ''Mario Kart 8'' sets.

Line (software), LINE has released an 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 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.

In 2018, Monopoly (game), Monopoly Gamer features a ''Mario Kart'' themed board game with courses from ''Mario Kart 8'' serving as properties, ten playable characters as tokens (pingas) and a special die with power-ups.

In 2019, Hot Wheels released ''Mario Kart'' sets of cars and tracks. In commemoration of Mario Day celebrations for March 10, 2021, Hot Wheels also released a ''Mario Kart'' track set based on Rainbow Road on June 24, 2021.

In 2020, for the Super Mario Bros. 35th Anniversary, ''Super Mario Bros.'' 35th Anniversary, Cold Stone Creamery released Mario themed desserts including a Rainbow Road themed ice cream cake, from September 30 to December 15.

Reception

The ''Mario Kart'' series is critically acclaimed. ''Nintendo Power'' named it one of the greatest multiplayer experiences, citing the diversity in game modes and the entertainment value.

''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 ''Super Mario Kart'' number 1 of the top 50 console games of all time based on initial impact and lasting legacy. ''Super Mario Kart'' was inducted into the World Video Game Hall of Fame in 2019.

Sales

Like the ''Super Mario'' series, the ''Mario Kart'' series is a commercial success with 169.59 million copies sold in total. It is currently the List of best-selling video game franchises, most successful racing game franchise of all time. ''Super Mario Kart'' is the fourth best-selling Super Nintendo Entertainment System game with 8.76 million copies sold. '' Mario Kart 64'' is the second best-selling game for the Nintendo 64 (behind ''Super Mario 64''), at 9.87 million copies. ''Mario Kart: Double Dash'' is the second best-selling GameCube game (next to ''Super Smash Bros. Melee'') with 6.96 million copies sold. '' Mario Kart Wii'' is the second best-selling in the series and is the second best-selling Wii game (next to ''Wii Sports'') at 37.38 million copies. ''Mario Kart 8'' is the best-selling Wii U game at 8.46 million total copies sold. It was the fastest-selling Wii U game with 1.2 million copies shipped in North America and Europe combined on its first few days since launch, until ''Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U''. The enhanced port for the Nintendo Switch, ''Mario Kart 8 Deluxe'', is the fastest-selling game in the series with 459,000 units sold in the United States in one day of its launch. It is the highest-selling Nintendo Switch game with a total of 48.41 million copies worldwide, outperforming the Wii U version. Both versions have a combined total of 56.87 million copies sold, making it the best-selling game in the series.

The handheld games are commercial successes. '' Mario Kart: Super Circuit'' is the fourth best-selling Game Boy Advance game at 5.9 million copies. The second portable game, '' Mario Kart DS'', is the third best-selling Nintendo DS game and the best-selling portable game in the series with a total of 23.6 million copies. ''Mario Kart 7'' is the best-selling Nintendo 3DS game as of September 2020 at 18.92 million copies.

Legacy

''Mario Kart'' elements are a staple of the ''Super Smash Bros.'' series, such as the Figure-8 Circuit based on ''Mario Kart DS'', a Rainbow Road stage based on ''Mario Kart 7'', a Mario Circuit stage based on ''Mario Kart 8'', Spirits, trophies, stickers, and songs.

''Mario Kart'' courses are in ''F-Zero X'', ''Fortune Street'', the ''Mario & Sonic'' series, ''Paper Mario: Color Splash'', ''Paper Mario: The Origami King'', and the ''WarioWare'' series. Items are in ''Nintendogs'' and '' Animal Crossing''.

Some of ''Mario Kart''s elements will be featured in ''The Super Mario Bros. Movie'', including a Rainbow Road.

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'' (for ''Pocket Monsters'') and Sumabura (''Super Smash Bros.''). 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 images to promote its business. In September 2018, MariCar was ordered to stop using the characters and pay Nintendo ¥10 million in damages.

Theme park attraction

Universal Parks & Resorts and Nintendo have a ''Mario Kart'' themed ride in Super Nintendo World at the Universal Studios Japan theme park called ''Mario Kart: Koopa's Challenge''. This is also to be installed as ''Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge'' at the Universal parks in Universal Studios Singapore, Singapore and Universal Studios Hollywood, California, alongside Universal's Epic Universe in Universal Studios Florida, Orlando.

Formula E Attack Mode

Starting with its 2018–19 Formula E Championship, 2018–19 season, electric car, electric open wheel racing series Formula E added a so-called "Attack Mode", which allows a driver to gain a temporary speed boost if he or she takes an alternate lane (highlighted on television via augmented reality Digital on-screen graphic, computer graphics). The concept has been described by members of the press and by series CEO Alejandro Agag as inspired by ''Mario Kart''.

Notes

References

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Nintendo franchises
Video game franchises introduced in 1992