Mario Kart

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Mario Kart
Mariokartwii sslg3.jpg
A screenshot from Mario Kart Wii, early in development.
Genre(s) Racing game
Developer(s) Nintendo
Publisher(s) Nintendo

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. The series debuted in 1992 with critical and commercial success.

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.[1]

Contents

[edit] Gameplay

Mario Kart, the characters from the Mario series of video games get together and use a go-kart to race around a variety of tracks. Players can obtain items by driving through (or over in Super Mario Kart) item boxes or coins, which can be used for either protection, hitting other racers, or by powering up the engine for a short amount of time (called a boost). Each Mario Kart game features several gameplay modes, which can be played in both single player and multiplayer.

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, and Star Cup in the two engine classes (50cc and 100cc) 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 20 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 particular 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 cups, with the Special Cup unlockable. This game features an "All-Cup Tour" that has all 16 tracks, which always starts with Luigi Circuit and ends with Rainbow Road, and the 14 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 and the first to allow multiple kart selection. Also there are two characters per cart.
  • Mario Kart Arcade GP has its cups that start with the names of the characters (Mario Cup, Luigi Cup, Wario Cup, Pac-Man Cup, Bowser Cup, Rainbow Cup). It does not have engine classes (cc), but its time trial is called time attack. Many of its items and tracks are not found in the console games. Ex. of items baisin, thumb tacks, oil, tornado.
  • 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, the Mushroom, Flower, Star and Special, while Retro Grand Prix features the return of the Lightning Cup from Super Circuit, this time as the Retro equivalent 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, like the "Extra" Mode from Mario Kart 64. Players can also play a Mission Mode, and for the first time in the series' history can race online using the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.[2]
  • Mario Kart Arcade GP 2 has, like in Mario Kart Arcade GP, its cups that start with the names of the characters, its time trial is called time attack. Features include: an extra challenge at the end of each cup, increased difficulty, Mario coins, and more characters.
  • 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 and 150cc modes and an unlockable Mirror Mode, as well as 13 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, comprising 15 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 the previous games' eight). 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, *, ** and ***.

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.

In Time Trial (or Time Attack) the goal is to achieve the fastest time in the selected track. Players are usually given up to three mushrooms (speed boosts) which they can use any time during the race against time. However, in Mario Kart DS, the number of mushrooms depends on the kart used, so sometimes you only get one mushroom. They are useful for shortcuts otherwise unavailable. 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!!, Mario Kart DS, and Mario Kart Wii, 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 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. Racing against CPU opponents was for the first time an available option in Mario Kart DS. The number of races, teams, items, CPU difficulty, and more can be set. On Mario Kart Wii 's VS and Battles, there is team protection in which some items, such as shells, bananas, and Bobombs, do not affect the driver if deployed by a teammate.

In Battle Mode, there is at least one battle scenario. Battles can only be fought on teams in Mario Kart Wii but on all other Mario Karts there is a free-for-all option. In Balloon Battle, 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 their with items. You lose a balloon if you are hit by an item or fall off the stage. Once all balloons are popped, the player loses. However, in Mario Kart Wii, there is a 3-minute period in which you pop the other team's balloons. You start with 3 balloons and every time your item(s) cause someone to lose a balloon, you receive a point. If you lose all 3 balloons, you are regenerated but you lose a point. In "Mario Kart DS", another mode is Shine Runners, where the player has to collect the most Shine Sprites. In Mario Kart Wii[3], 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. Mushrooms were removed before the stealing of balloons was introduced in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, Mario Kart DS and Mario Kart Wii. The latter two games are the only ones where players can battle against computer-controlled opponents.

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 a number of coins, driving through a number of gates, destroying a 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 six, and, by achieving a rank of at least one star in all missions, level seven.

[edit] Series

  1. Super Mario Kart — (Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), 1992). Also available on Virtual Console, as of 2009.[4][5]
  2. Mario Kart 64 — (Nintendo 64 (N64), 1997). 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 Arcade GP — (Arcade, 2005).
  6. Mario Kart DS — (Nintendo DS, 2005).
  7. Mario Kart Arcade GP 2 — (Arcade, 2007).
  8. Mario Kart Wii — (Wii, 2008).

[edit] 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
Arcade GP		 Mario
Kart DS		 Mario Kart
Arcade GP 2		 Mario
Kart Wii
Baby Daisy Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY
Baby Luigi Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY
Baby Mario Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY
Baby Peach Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY
Birdo Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY
Blinky Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Red XN
Bowser Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Bowser Jr. Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY
Daisy Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Red XN Green tickY
Diddy Kong Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY
Donkey Kong Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Donkey Kong Jr. Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN
Dry Bones Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Green tickY
Dry Bowser Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY
Funky Kong Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY
King Boo Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY
Koopa Troopa Green tickY Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY
Luigi Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Mametchi Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN
Mario Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Mii (Outfit A and B) Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY
Ms. Pac-Man Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Red XN
Pac-Man Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Red XN
Paratroopa Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN
Peach Green tickY Green tickY 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 Red XN Red XN
R.O.B. Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN
Rosalina Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY
Shy Guy Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY1 Red XN Red XN
Toad Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Toadette Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY
Waluigi Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Wario Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Yoshi Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Note:

^1 Shy 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 card to join a simple match can not play as Shy Guy but choose their characters normally.If you have Action Replay cheat system for DS you can play as Shy Guy if the cheat is turned on.

[edit] 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. Also, only half of the courses available in vs matches are available in Wi-fi.Mario Kart Wii also makes use of the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, in which up to twelve people can race online via Wi-Fi.

[edit] 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 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. It features arranged versions of the music that accompanies Super Mario Kart's Mario Circuit, Mario Kart 64's Luigi Raceway, Mario Kart DS's Waluigi Pinball, and the original score of Mario Kart Double Dash's Rainbow Road.[6]

The Mario Kart 64 version of the Rainbow Road track makes a cameo in F-Zero X, also for the Nintendo 64. The stage is similar, only missing rails on many straightaways. The Special N64 Disk Drive also allowed the F-Zero X Expansion, which added the music that accompanies Mario Kart 64's Rainbow Road, remixed in F-Zero-style rock.

[edit] Recurring tracks

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

[edit] Circuits

Every Mario Kart game to date has included several "circuit" courses, one of which serves as the starting course for the first cup of the game and is often associated with Luigi. Circuit courses are built to resemble actual raceways, with paved track, loose gravel or sand sides, and (in some of the 3D games) grandstands with onlookers, as well as signs and billboards scattered throughout the course advertising various fictional racing products. These tracks range widely in difficulty, from simple turns to complex hairpin turns and banked curves. In the English version of Mario Kart 64, all circuits are referred to as "raceways". One of the simplest circuits is the Figure 8 Circuit from Mario Kart DS, which features broad curves and a wide track.

Particularly memorable circuit tracks include the Royal Raceway (known as the Peach Circuit in Japan) from Mario Kart 64, and the Yoshi Circuit from Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (brought back in Mario Kart DS), which is designed in the shape of Yoshi himself (the circuit resembles him if seen from the air). Though very different from other "circuit" courses, the Daisy Circuit from Mario Kart Wii is set in a resort town next to a harbor and features tight turns around two fountains which resemble Luigi and Daisy and their baby counterparts dancing, a lighthouse, as well as in other areas.

[edit] Beaches

In every Mario Kart game, there has been at least one beach stage. Super Mario Kart has the two Koopa Beach courses, with Cheep Cheeps and grass spots on an island. The Koopa Troopa Beach in Mario Kart 64 became popular due to its infamous cave jump which allows players to skip a large portion of the course. Mario Kart: Super Circuit has the Shy Guy Beach (brought back in Mario Kart Wii), where players must avoid exploding cannonballs that are fired upon the shores by Shy Guy pirates and crabs called Sidesteppers, and Cheep Cheep Island, with a large farm in the background. Peach Beach from Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (also brought back in Mario Kart Wii) features Cataquacks that roam the beach, similar to the Gelato Beach area from Super Mario Sunshine. If a kart gets too close, a Cataquack may begin to chase the kart. If caught, the creature will toss the kart into the air, making the kart drop its items in the process. The Daisy Cruiser, the location of another Double Dash!! course, is docked here. Cheep Cheep Beach from Mario Kart DS features bouncing Cheep Cheeps, dash paneled ramps, Sidesteppers, and rising and falling tides. There a short dirt road through a tropical jungle before heading out towards the dock. Mario Kart DS also includes Koopa Beach 2 from Super Mario Kart. Mario Kart Wii has Koopa Cape, which, while more cliff-oriented than beach-oriented, features a river that flows into an underwater pipe with electric spinners that can shrink a character in the fashion of the Thunderbolt item. There is a large waterfall similar to Yoshi Falls from Mario Kart DS (see Jungle Tracks).

[edit] Public roads

In all 3D Mario Kart games, there are tracks that resemble major roadways. These courses include other traffic to avoid. Mario Kart 64 has Toad's Turnpike, which has huge vehicles that go the same direction as the karts (in the Mirror/Extra Mode, they come toward the karts, making it one of the most unpredictable and most difficult tracks in the series). Mario Kart: Double Dash!! has Mushroom Bridge, where players can take an alternate route over the bridge by driving on its support structures, and Mushroom City, where players must choose from multiple paths to take them through the city. They feature different kinds of cars, such as Wiggler vehicles, Bob-omb cars and Mushroom trucks (which produce a Mushroom when hit). Mario Kart DS has Shroom Ridge, set on a peaceful road that winds around a mountain with steep turns and a short tunnel, and a slightly modified version of Mushroom Bridge. The vehicles travel on the left side of the road, matching traffic systems in Japan, Australia, New Zealand and the UK (though this is reversed in Mirror mode). Mario Kart Wii features Moonview Highway, which combines elements from both Mushroom City and Shroom Ridge. This track transitions from a winding mountain road to a more urban environment, complete with toll booths (inhabited by Miis), billboards, and big-city dash-panel floor lights. Trucks, Bob-omb cars, minivans, and everyday cars create traffic that moves forward on the left side of the road, and towards the racers on the right side (once again, this is reversed in Mirror Mode).

[edit] Deserts

There has been a desert track in each Mario Kart game so far except for Super Mario Kart. Desert tracks usually feature quicksand, hills, and long stretches of bumpy terrain. Other deserts match more of an American Western-style environment, such as the Sunset Wilds track in Mario Kart: Super Circuit and the Kalimari Desert in Mario Kart 64, in which a train crosses the track in two places. The gaming guru Oliver Worsdall has criticised the 'Kalimari Desert' track, claiming that it is a track that is too dependent on items. In particular, he claims that the victor is determined by "whoever gets a lightning, star or golden boost on the final stretch of the last lap". The Yoshi Desert in Mario Kart: Super Circuit features Sphinxes that bear the head of Yoshi. The Dry Dry Desert course in Mario Kart: Double Dash!! features a tornado that makes characters fly into the air, plus an area with a Piranha Plant living at the bottom of a quicksand pit. There are also several Pokeys that bend to the left and right, impeding drivers. Mario Kart DS features Desert Hills, a desert with steep hills and a large lake. This track includes Pokeys that move from left-to-right and back, the Angry Sun, who rains fireballs down on the track, a giant pyramid, and a Super Mario Bros. 3 desert level-like theme with pipe structures and huge stone structures in the fore and backgrounds. This course is brought back in Mario Kart Wii with living, bouncing fire (such as in Grumble Volcano from Mario Kart Wii) instead of the DS's inanimate fireballs, and also features a course of its own called Dry Dry Ruins (named after a dungeon in Paper Mario). On this course, pillars inscribed with hieroglyphics fall onto the track to then be used as ramps, and there is yet another Yoshi Sphinx. Inside the ruins, there are bats and a bowl with Pokeys that fills with sand over the course of the race, and the music changes somewhat while inside.

[edit] Farms/Rural Environment

There has been at least one farm or rural course in each Mario Kart game. Mario Kart 64 has Moo Moo Farm (brought back in Mario Kart DS), a simple dirt road full of Montly Moles, winding through fenced-off grass fields. Super Mario Kart has the Donut Plains courses. Mario Kart: Super Circuit has the Sky Garden (also brought back in Mario Kart DS), which is a racetrack on top of a cloud, with vines growing from below. This track has many off-road shortcuts that reduce time considerably, but the player needs multiple mushrooms to use them or else the racer can fall from the cloud. While not really a "rural enviorment" course, Mario Kart: Double Dash! features Baby Park (another track brought back in Mario Kart DS), a short oval track in a country fair/amusement park area that is themed around the Baby Mario characters. Because of its length, drivers are required to do seven laps in Mario Kart: Double Dash!! and five laps in Mario Kart DS instead of the usual three. Mario Kart DS also features Peach Gardens, which resembles a garden in the back of Princess Peach's Castle, featuring tall hedges, flowers beds that slow racers down if driven through, several Chain-Chomps running loose among a partial maze of hedges, and a short dirt path infested with Monty Moles. This course is brought back in Mario Kart Wii, which features two new courses called Moo Moo Meadows and Maple Treeway. On Moo Moo Meadows, cows begin crossing the track and impeding drivers after the first lap. Also in Moo Moo Meadows, there are certain areas of the course that are infested with Monty Moles that dig tunnels across the track. Maple Treeway is set in a forest in autumn (looking somewhat like the Gold Leaf Galaxy from Super Mario Galaxy), and features a cannon similar to the ones used in DK Mountain (in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!) and DK Summit from the same game. Piles of leaves which can release Mushrooms, Bananas, and Stars when driven through, a net blown by wind and a treetop where Giant Wigglers block the player's way are also features of this track.

[edit] Jungles

All games except for Super Mario Kart feature at least one jungle course. Mario Kart 64 has DK's Jungle Parkway, set atop a waterfall with a steamboat patrolling the river. Mario Kart: Super Circuit has Riverside Park and Lakeside Park, the latter featuring volcanoes which shoot out balls of lava that will spin players out when hit. Mario Kart: Double Dash!! has DK Mountain and the Dino Dino Jungle. DK Mountain's centerpiece is a gigantic DK Barrel which shoots players to the top of a volcano, which they then have to drive down from, avoiding massive boulders, as well as traversing a swaying bridge over a fast-flowing river. Dino Dino Jungle, as the name suggests, has several dinosaurs stomping and flying around the course. Mario Kart DS has Yoshi Falls, set in a large valley and circling a lake with a giant Yoshi egg in the center. Mario Kart Wii does not have a new jungle track, however, Mushroom Gorge (known as Mushroom Canyon in Japan), featuring bouncy mushrooms and dirt roads, was originally supposed to be called Mushroom Jungle. Mario Kart Wii also brings back DK Mountain, DK's Jungle Parkway, and Yoshi Falls.

[edit] Haunted tracks

Most Mario Kart games have some courses with a spooky theme. Common themes in these 'haunted' tracks include dark lighting, Boos, or (in the 2D games) railings which break upon impact. Boo Lake, Broken Pier (both from Mario Kart: Super Circuit), and the 3 Ghost Valley courses from Super Mario Kart are five tracks which embody all these themes. Mario Kart 64 has the Banshee Boardwalk (brought back in Mario Kart DS), which consists of a haunted boardwalk and castle. Luigi's Mansion in Mario Kart DS, based on the GameCube game with the same name, includes the titular mansion, a muddy swamp in which traction is lessened, walking trees to potentially slow down drivers, and a Boo-filled graveyard. While not strictly haunted, the Airship Fortress in Mario Kart DS takes place in a crumbling castle and on a large, floating airship, similar to ones found in Super Mario Bros. 3. The drivers are shot from the ship's cannons all the way to the castle. Though Mario Kart: Double Dash!! has no haunted track, it does feature an unlockable battle course called Luigi's Mansion that embodies this theme. Mario Kart Wii does not have its own haunted track, but it does bring back Ghost Valley 2 from Super Mario Kart as a Retro course.

[edit] Snow Tracks

All of the games have at least one snow track included. Common themes of these courses are icy surfaces with little to no grip, water that freezes the racer if fallen into and snow-themed obstacles such as snowmen that knock drivers over when they hit them. Super Mario Kart has the two Vanilla Lake tracks. Mario Kart 64 features Frappe Snowland, a snowman-filled hinterland, and Sherbet Land, a course on an ice floe, with penguins and caverns. Frappe Snowland is brought back in Mario Kart DS and Sherbet Land is brought back in Mario Kart Wii. Snow Land from Mario Kart: Super Circuit has penguins and a very wintery theme. Ice-skating Shy Guys are in some snow tracks. Flash-freezing icebergs are featured in Mario Kart: Double Dash!! 's version of Sherbet Land. DK Pass from Mario Kart DS is set on a steep mountain and has cliffs, rolling snowballs, snowmen, and a winding descent down the mountain. DK Summit (known as DK's Snowboard Cross in the European version and as DK Skilane in the Japanese version) in Mario Kart Wii is set in a ski resort. It features ramps, moguls, and a half pipe for racers to perform stunts, snowboarding Shy Guys that the player must avoid, and a barrel-cannon resembling DK Mountain's barrel-cannon from Mario Kart: Double Dash!!.

[edit] Stadiums

In most 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 or Waluigi, they contain many jumps, bumps, turns, and (more recently) fire and mud. Mario Kart 64 features Wario Stadium, a motorcross track which features a few ramps, small dirt hills, and many turns, as well as a tricky shortcut that can cut the player's time in half or possibly more if done successfully. Mario Kart: Double Dash!! features Waluigi Stadium, featuring a halfpipe with giant Pirahna Plants coming out of pipes, and Wario Colosseum, a long, spiraling course with numerous tight curves and several dash panel jumps. Due to Wario Colosseum's length, there are only two laps required to complete the course, as opposed to the usual three. While not strictly a stadium, Waluigi Pinball in Mario Kart DS features a "pinball launch" and a section in a pinball field where players have to avoid rolling pinballs that seemingly come from nowhere and electrifying flippers. Mario Kart DS also features its own Wario Stadium, which has many jumps, speed dash panels, fire rings, and tight turns. The Wii version, besides bringing back a slightly modified Waluigi Stadium, also has a battle stagecalled Funky Stadium which is associated with Funky Kong and has many jumps and stunt opportunities.

[edit] Bowser Castles

Bowser Castle (sometimes spelled Bowser's Castle) courses are particularly well known for their unforgiving 90-degree turns, lava pits, and Thwomps. Super Mario Kart features three Bowser Castle tracks, Mario Kart: Super Circuit has four; and the rest only have one (however, in their Retro Grand Prix, Mario Kart DS has one more and Mario Kart Wii has two more, in addition to their own, but the former has Bowser Castle 2 from Mario Kart: Super Circuit and the latter has Bowser Castle 3 from Mario Kart: Super Circuit and Mario Kart 64 's Bowser's Castle, complete with a rooftop section, floating Thwomps, and bridges over flaming pits). They are usually the penultimate tracks of the game, with the only track afterwards being Rainbow Road, with the exceptions of Mario Kart 64, which has its own as the last course in the Star Cup, and Super Mario Kart and Mario Kart Super Circuit, which have more than one original Bowser Castle course. Due to their stiff turns and obstacles, they are technically demanding. Mario Kart DS has a Bowser Castle with moving metal platforms, a spinning bridge, and a rotating room. Mario Kart Wii is slightly unique as its own Bowser Castle features a large and more lively Mecha-Bowser statue (different from the one in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!) which spits giant, spinning balls of lava that the player must avoid, as well as fully lava-pitted floors akin to Super Mario Galaxy.

[edit] Rainbow Road

Rainbow Road is the name for the final track in the Special Cup of every Mario Kart game to date. These tracks are the toughest to master, as they are suspended in midair and generally have few to no guard rails to prevent the player from falling off the track during a turn or being knocked off the track by an opposing driver. Mario Kart 64 is an exception, as guard rails are present throughout the track, though it is still relatively easy to jump over them, which can result in a massive shortcut if done successfully, but if the player jumps over the wrong section of wall, they might be sent back to the start of the lap.

Other features of the Rainbow Road tracks include 90-degree turns and flashing Thwomps (Super Mario Kart), loose Chain Chomps (Mario Kart 64), steep drops (Mario Kart 64 and Mario Kart Wii), speed boost panels, jumps, storm clouds (Mario Kart: Super Circuit), a transporting pipe (Mario Kart: Double Dash!!), and a corkscrew and looping elements (Mario Kart DS). Mario Kart: Double Dash!!'s Rainbow Road features a set of hairpin turns, and is currently the only track in the series that features shooting stars that occasionally land on the track and become Star power-ups for anyone who touches them, though Mario Kart Wii's Maple Treeway features a similar mechanic.

The Mario Kart 64 Rainbow Road is the longest track in the series' history (measuring 2 kilometers per lap). It takes approximately two minutes per lap for expert players not using the aforementioned shortcut; this track is also duplicated in the F-Zero X track of the same name, only with a remixed version of the background music and the absence of guard rails. (Nor is there any system for rescuing drivers who fall from the track, as is normal for games in the F-Zero series.) This track's background music is also the base for the music of all subsequent Rainbow Roads.

The Rainbow Road in Mario Kart DS features a loop and corkscrew, super dash panels, and a smaller version of the drop in Mario Kart Wii. The Rainbow Road in Mario Kart Wii features several elements from Super Mario Galaxy, such as Star Bits floating in the background. Part of the course's soundtrack was also taken from the Good Egg Galaxy. Another noticeable feature is a giant Launch Star with a rainbow that transports the player upward, similar to the giant pipe featured in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!.

Recent Mario Kart games have included backgrounds to set where Rainbow Road specifically is in the Mario Kart world. In Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, Rainbow Road is located directly above a city, most likely the Mushroom City course from the same game. In Mario Kart Wii, Rainbow Road is located above Earth, usually showing the Northern Hemisphere. If a player is knocked off this track, the character will burn up in the atmosphere before being rescued by Lakitu, and brought back to the track.

[edit] 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 Wario 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, Toad, Yoshi, Wario, Donkey Kong, and Bowser exist.

For Mario Kart 64, figures of Mario, Luigi, Wario, Bowser, Donkey Kong, and Yoshi were made by Toybiz.

[edit] Awards

Because of the tremendous success of the Mario Kart franchise, Guinness World Records awarded the series with 5 world records in the Guinness World Records: Gamer's Edition 2008. These awards include, "First Console Kart Racing Game", "Best Selling Handheld Racing Game", and a mention of Mario Kart Arcade GP as the only Mario Kart game to feature guest appearances by non-Nintendo characters, with Pac-Man, Blinky, and Ms. Pac-Man available as playable characters. Guinness World Records also named 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.[7]

The Mario Kart World Championship was held in Sydney Australia in 2005, where Zie Rad out-raced Shae Ryan to win the title. Shae was declared runner up in this event and Zie was crowned World Champion. Mario Kart was also a Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards winner for Favorite Video Game in the 2010 Kids' Choice Awards broadcast.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Mario Kart Wii at Nintendo :: Games
  2. ^ Mario Kart DS Walkthrough guide
  3. ^ Mario Kart Wii Guide/Walkthrough
  4. ^ "Virtual Console バーチャルコンソール" (in Japanese). Nintendo. http://www.nintendo.co.jp/wii/vc/vc_mk/index.html. Retrieved 2008-07-14. 
  5. ^ "Download New BIT.TRIP Kicks, Speeding Karts, Magic Castles and More". Nintendo of America. 23 November 2009. http://www.nintendo.com/whatsnew/detail/O-6Hu5sS3KndAbl1v6fJElEIDoveAwhn. Retrieved 23 November 2009. 
  6. ^ Smash Bros. DOJO!!
  7. ^ Ivan, Tom (2009-02-28). "Guinness ranks top 50 games of all time". Computer and Video Games. http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=209385. Retrieved 2009-03-14. 

[edit] External links

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