User blog:BlurayOriginals/The Bluriginals Blogs Episode 2: Top 7 Mario Kart Games

Mario Kart. One of gaming’s most iconic series. Whether it be the childhood memories, notorious unbalanced gameplay, cheating A.I or just the pure fun that comes from it, Mario Kart is cherished amongst the community. We all have our favorite Mario Kart however, and that’s what we’re here to discuss today. I’ve taken a poll with 57 people contributing to decide what Mario Kart game people think reigns supreme, just in time AND in celebration of Mario Kart 8’s upcoming release. Now let’s get moving. Oh, and this is probably self-explanatory, but no spin-offs. So that means the Arcade GP trilogy is not included since let’s face it, barely anyone here has probably played it. With that all said, let’s-a-go! Top 7 Mario Karts!

 7.

Now to me, it was fairly obvious what games were going to be at the bottom just from their lack of relevance and popularity in the series. However I had highly underestimated this games prowess as with 2 votes we have, Super Mario Kart.



Initially after seeing this game I wrote it off as an archaic sort of prototype of the future Mario Kart games. Of course I was an ignorant little bug back then so let’s forget about that shall we. All joking aside the reason I was surprised to see this game get 2 votes was because I had highly doubted anyone of this generation would still remember it. Even if they did why would they choose it over 64 which came out a relatively short time after for us. 64 had more options and was 3D. However, I soon learned there was more to meet with SMK than I initially anticipated. It looks like a truly good game and it probably is. It set the foundation for all future Mario Karts and over all revolutionized the racing genre. Super Mario Kart, while definitely not forgotten or underrated truly deserves more recognition amongst it’s younger brethren.

 6.

Let’s just cut to the chase. Super Circuit.



We all knew SMK and it’s portable little brother were going to be at the bottom of the list, there’s no denying that much. I don’t think anyone was expecting Super Circuit of the two games to come out on top. With 3 votes (one more than SMK! Nice job!!!!!) we have Super Circuit the first portable outing in the Mario Kart series. Like it’s sister game Super Mario Kart, it features fully spirited tracks, going a step down from Mario Kart 64, but also taking a step up as the game not only features 20 new tracks, but also all 20 tracks from the original game technically making it the first Mario Kart to feature retro tracks! Not bad for a non EAD team huh? That’s right, Nintendo EAD themselves didn’t develop the game, Intelligent Systems did, known for such other beloved games like the Paper Mario quadrilogy and the WarioWare series. Being the black sheep of the series however, Super Circuit is often forgotten about and swept under the rug for it’s more “advanced” siblings. It’s not undeserving of this unacknowledgement however as it has it’s fair share of flaws like rubber band A.I. However with the right circumstances the game can be quite the fun little time passer. Not too bad for the worst selling and least recognized entry in the series if I do say so myself.

5.

We’ve got the two most of us expected to be to be at the bottom out of the way, but what about the other five. 64, 7, Double Dash!!, Wii and DS. I think we’ve all formed our own notions about these games in our head’s already and what order we think they’ll be in. All of these games (unlike the other two) have extremely strong and avid fanbases. So which will come out on top?

Well…

the results may shock you.

The results may devastate you…

The results may even OFFEND YOU.

but the game that has ranked number 5…

on Top 7

Mario Kart Games…

is…



Duh, duh duh duh duh duh duh duh



Yeah...didn’t see that coming.

Mario Kart 64 is one of the most nostalgic, beloved and favorite games amongst fans and to see it not make it into the top 4, and be in the same grounds as /Super Circuit/ is extremely strange. I blame my lack of branching out. More votes probably would’ve turned the tide for this game. Mario Kart 64 received a total of 6 votes but by no means does that make it OK in comparison to all the other Mario Karts. Where Super Mario Kart set the foundation and Super Circuit rode off the success of said game Mario Kart 64 helped define much of what Mario Kart is today. For one it introduced not only the eight main Mario Kart characters and solidified them (Mario, Luigi, Peach, Toad, Yoshi, Bowser, Wario and Donkey) but also pure 3D Mario Kart action. It also introduced the bane of many players’ existences: the Spiny Shell.



Unholy nightmare.

Despite the introduction what is essentially everyone’s most feared Mario item ever, it’s still regarded as one of the best games in the series to date. With tons of inventive tracks and ideas (such as Yoshi’s Valley maze like set up and the magic of not knowing who’s going to win or Toad’s Turnpike’s traffic coming towards the racers in mirror mode rather than a simple flip) Mario Kart 64 still holds up to this very day, even against it’s modern competitors.  4.

After such a curveball, ya’ know: with 64 at 5th, this list has probably gotten a bit unpredictable. Rest assured the order of this list really doesn’t matter to most, excluding one game but we’ll get to that. Regardless here’s another shocker. Number 4 is a tied entry.



What are these two games then? Well number 4 is a tie of 8 votes between…



&



 3.

How fitting is it for the two portable games to knock each other out of the ring huh? Welp, let’s get started! Mario Kart DS is the fifth installment of the series and also one of the most beloved. It introduced online (sorry Double Dash!!, not local online) to the series which actually WORKS. (Unlike some OTHER great Nintendo games)



Nintendo Wi-fi and it’s bipolar ways…

Not to mention it introduced a mode that was never seen before or since: mission mode. Whether people liked it or not I have no idea, but what I do know is that it sounds cool! It even introduced Dry Bones and Shy Guy! To boot it even brought back R.O.B. (who also returned for the previously mentioned Brawl). But it’s biggest innovation of all is properly introducing retro tracks. Classic tracks could not only be played once more, but be revitalized with updated looks and updated mechanics to show off even more hidden potential. All this in addition to having your OWN emblem you can have on the kart and you’ve got one of the most innovative Mario Kart titles to date. And it’s all portable too! What an accomplishment Mario Kart DS. You were truly the stairs to the next generation of Mario Kart. Speaking of nexts…

Mario Kart 7. What did it do that makes it so special? Every Mario Kart has down special things to lure people in. 64 had 3D environments, Super Circuit brought the kart racing frenzy to the handhelds, Double Dash!! had dual racing and LAN, DS had online, retro tracks introduced and brought 3D environments to portable for the first time. Wii brought everything DS had (minus the environments), a bigger roster, motion control and multiple ways to play and bikes. What boundaries could 7 possibly break?

The boundaries of racing through land, sea and air.

One of Mario Kart 7’s big innovations was that no longer would you be restricted to the streets but now you’d be able fly through the air and traverse underwater. Without certain boundaries still in place of course, but you were slowly getting more and more options on where to go and how to race which is always excellent. Bikes were completely removed but in their place we got /customizable karts/. That’s right you pick the body, wheels and hang glider to find what character kart combo works for you! It even brought back coins in all their glory. Though it did have one foley, being that we regressed from 12 player races back to 8, that’s alright as Mario Kart 7 certainly brought enough to the table to survive.

Overall it makes sense why Mario Kart DS and 7 tied. They both brought extreme innovations to the series and were on the go which gave it a huge credibility boost.  2.

Welp we’ve made it to the final two. The last two generation’s console Mario Karts. Duking it out for supremacy as Mario Kart 8 watches from above. It’s time to see which game will reign supreme.





In another reality. In our’s Double Dash!! won.



In a battle of 17-13 Double Dash!! has claimed it’s spot as the best Mario Kart ever! I am extremely happy about this as Double Dash is my favorite Mario Kart…

i didn’t cheat guys i swear

Anyway, let’s start off with Mario Kart Wii. As I mentioned before it did a lot to give the series a big boost. Online, bikes, lots of new characters, motion controls. It’s overall a fine game. I hear complaints about the battle mode, but never big enough to completely cripple the overall game. It’s roster is something to make note of due to it’s diversity and overall feel of completion. Make LOTS of notes (cough)MarioKart8wastingtherosteronkoopalingseventhoughtheyrenothatbadbutstoleveryonelsesslotsandbringingback/creatingmorerecolors/babiesakametalmariopinkgoldpeachandbabyrosalina(cough). Mario Kart Wii often sees a lot of flack due to the supposed unfair difficulty coming the rather unusual amount of spiny shell bombardment. Accompany this with triple red shells, the Lightning Bolt, Bullet Bill and P.O.W Block and first place is BOUND to have a bit of a rough time. However the pure fun that I hear people having with this game is able overcome these flaws in flying colors. Mario Kart Wii is definitely deserving of its spot as king.  1.

Now onto Double Dash!!. First however let me gush.

HOLY CRAP DOUJBLE DASH WON AHAHA EAT IRT SUXKCZ YESYEYSYEYS BUZZ OFF DZ HAHAHHAHAHNAAHAHHJAHAHAHAHAAHHAHAHA

Double Dash!! introduced dual kart racing (obviously) a unique mechanic yet to be seen again. Hint hint. It featured fun fast paced gameplay where two players could team up for the first time in Mario Kart during a race. This gave you more options on how to play and made cooperation a key part in the game. For a game with no system gimmicks to fall back on like it’s predecessors (being the first, being 3D, being on a portable console) it was a surprising leap and helped set the foundation for DS which set the foundation for the rest of the series. It even marked the one time return of special items from Super Mario Kart, however did it right this time (in SMK only the A.I could get special items and they’d spam them). Double Dash!! featured 16 unique tracks that were all linked together through background cues and had 20 different characters with a total of over 100+ combinations, to see which ones worked best for you. Not to mention on top of weights mattering for both characters you also had karts which further enhanced and emphasized that everyone can play differently. Double Dash!! truly is deserving of the title of top Mario Kart game. Don’t take it just me gushing at this was a voted countdown. Regardless I’m happy to say that Double Dash!! has claimed its rightful place as the best Mario Kart.

I’m Bluriginals and I hope you enjoyed the countdown! Look out for more to come and also look at for Mario Kart 8 which like I said before, is launching today. Thanks for watching and see you next time!