For Nintendo Systems
This is a series of reviews covering all seven currently released Mario Kart games. Although I have already reviewed Mario Kart Super Circuit and Mario Kart 7 they will be re-mentioned in this series of mini-reviews. The order of reviews are by release date. Enjoy!
Super Mario Kart: 7.5
I know Super Mario Kart was the first Mario Kart ever and apparently a huge deal at the time of release, but I’ve never liked this game as I find it to be relatively poorly made. I guess the reason I feel this way is because the graphics are dated and things like item boxes are flat on the pavement which I guess was the best Nintendo could do at the time, but irks me when I play it. Not only that but the controls are awful and I have never been able to control my car and win a race. Pretty much everything about the game bothers me though I do love the tracks in their re-made format in later Mario Kart games, especially Rainbow Road. The only reason my score is relatively descent is because although to me the game is a failure, it’s legacy among other gamers makes me not be too harsh on it, plus if it weren’t for this game there would be no Mario Kart today. The innovation of a Nintendo kart racer with bananas, koopa shells, and Bowser castles is one that could only be done with Super Mario Kart.
Mario Kart 64: 9.0
Being that it was the first Mario Kart to give us an outstanding multiplayer, beautiful 3-Dimensional visuals, and wonderful track designs, it’s hard to complain when it comes to Mario Kart 64. Mario Kart 64 by far has the best music in the series, and while may be the simplest of most Mario Karts it instead offers the most fun and excitement of all the games in the franchise. Whereas many Mario Kart games put too much emphasis on items, Mario Kart 64 puts more emphasis on the way you drive which means it’s much more difficult to maintain a good position in the race. There is plenty of criticisms I have of the game though including the mandatory need to replay a race in Grand Prix if you do not place 4th or higher, and the lack of a single player battle mode. But then again, Mario Kart 64 is quite possibly the greatest game in the franchise, and certainly the most memorable. Although I’m not very good at Mario Kart 64 compared to my skill on other Mario Karts, I can still spot a good racer when I see one.
Mario Kart Super Circuit: 7.5
Being that it is the first handheld Mario Kart I had trouble complaining too much about Super Circuit, but the fact is that it’s one of the worst Mario Kart games ever. The visuals have aged terribly, the controls are off, and the tracks aren’t designed nearly as well as in later Mario Kart titles. The only saving grace for Super Circuit is the amount of tracks: 20 new tracks compared to the usual 16, plus a handful of returning tracks from Super Mario Kart. When it comes to quantity Super Circuit delivers, when it comes to quality it most certainly does not.
Mario Kart Double Dash: 9.2
Mario Kart Double Dash has always been one of my favorite Mario Kart titles despite its widespread criticism that I’ve found to be invalid. Not only does it have the most revolutionary design (the graphics were a massive jump from N64, the two people per kart idea was genius, the huge character roster was amazing, the kart designs were fantastic, and the courses were ingeniously designed) but the game is the absolute best of all Mario Karts for multiplayer from it’s fantastic battle mode (best in the series) to its unique “double” design. Plus, the game is much more difficult in 150cc than in recent Mario Kart titles, making it one of the most challenging games in the series, and the idea of having character specific items is wonderful and should have never been abandoned. I see practically no faults with Double Dash with just a few exceptions: only sixteen tracks makes for a lack of content but there are six battle courses to enjoy, and whereas the controls still aren’t to perfection they work pretty well. I also wish (as I wish with all the old Mario Karts) that you could play battle mode with one player, which is absent in most Mario Kart titles but only recently trending to allow single player battles. Mario Kart Double Dash may just be the best of the best when it comes to Mario Kart. It may not have the stellar refinements of Mario Kart 7, but it’s an amazing game and one of the best racing games I’ve ever played.
Mario Kart DS: 8.8
Mario Kart DS offers some of the best aspects of the Mario Kart series, while also offering the worst. As usual, the tracks are fantastically designed and a blast to race on, but the fun is held back thanks to a bit smaller character roster, other players “snaking”, and a somewhat disappointing online mode. Of course, the mission mode included with Mario Kart DS is fantastic and makes this Mario Kart the best when it comes to Gameplay Amount. With the lack of an analog stick, the controls aren’t as good as usual, and the graphics while relatively good for the DS do not compare to many other Mario Kart titles. The map screen is well utilized and makes racing quite a bit easier as it can be glanced at with ease. Battle mode in Mario Kart DS works well enough although the tracks are a bit lackluster. Finally, possibly my biggest problem with Mario Kart DS (and all handheld Mario Karts) is that the multiplayer simply isn’t as fun. You can’t all sit on the same couch and play off the same screen, and unless your friend has a DS, then you can’t play with them at all. Mario Kart DS takes advantage from its map screen, mission mode, and well designed tracks, but includes faults such as the somewhat poor controls and visuals, as well as the multiplayer and online. Don’t get me wrong, in some ways, Mario Kart DS is the best Mario Kart but I’ll never enjoy a handheld racer as much as a home console one.
Mario Kart Wii: 9.3
Being that Mario Kart Wii is one of the most refined Mario Kart titles, it makes sense that my score is one of the highest. Mario Kart Wii introduced some new elements to the Mario Kart mix while not as many as others, Mario Kart Wii continued the new tradition of offering online play and returning tracks that was set into place with Mario Kart DS, and also introduced new elements such as bikes and tricks. Most of Mario Kart Wii works to expectations or even better, but I wish the battle mode was better, and the tracks didn’t seam to be quite as well designed as in most other Mario Karts. Most of the new items were terrible ideas and were taken from the series before Mario Kart 7 was released (including the POW block and thundercloud). The online play makes Mario Kart Wii a keeper as it is still in my opinion the best in the series. The multiplayer is fun as always and the challenges presented through the Mario Kart channel help add endless replay value to the racer and mirror the mission mode from Mario Kart DS. Mario Kart Wii is without a doubt one of the finest Mario Kart racers to date, and some of its weaker aspects have been removed in Mario Kart 7.
Mario Kart 7: 9.3
The most recent Mario Kart put things into high gear and delivered a fantastic racer and certainly the best handheld Mario Kart to date. The game really stuck out when it came to graphics and innovation. The 3D visuals were beautiful and the game maintained 60 FPS consistently, and the music that accompanied the tracks sounded beautiful and modern. The traditional gameplay was enhanced thanks to hangliding and underwater sections, coin collection, a customization system, 1st person mode, and more. The track designs in Mario Kart 7 are unbelievable and are undoubtedly the best designs in the series’ ever-growing history. The game controls extremely smooth and overall the controls (with the exception of motion) worked perfectly. Of course, I did have a few minor quibbles here and there including the smaller than usual character roster, and I think it’s about time the series starts including more total tracks, but for the most part Mario Kart 7 was a blast to play, and let’s not forget the amazing online mode. For my full Mario Kart 7 review check it out on this site.
The Mario Kart series has had seven installments now, most of which have proven to be outstanding multiplayer adventures. Check back later this week for my list of my Top 7 Mario Kart tracks, items, games, and more. I also averaged every Mario Kart game review and this is the total average for the Mario Kart series below.
Mario Kart Series Average: 8.7
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