~Mario Kart Thread

[oarfish]

This thread is dedicated to the Mario Kart series of games. I understand that they are made by Nintendo, so I supposed that this was the appropriate forum for it. In this thread, we should discuss any of the Mario Kart games, from the original Mario Kart up to the anticipated Mario Kart 8.

Here are some possible topics for discussion:
What is your favorite Mario Kart game?
What do you think was the easiest/hardest Mario kart game?
What is/are your favorite track(s)?
What is/are your least favorite track(s)?
What are your least/most favorite items?
What do you think about missions (in any games that they are included)?
What do you think about the different types of battles?
What do you think about the recent changes in the series?
What do you think about the changes in Mario Kart 8?
Any other discussions that pertain to the Mario kart series.

I will start out with some opinions. I personally cannot wait until Mario Kart 8. I believe that the anti-gravity feature looks great and quite innovative. The idea of a Mobius Strip is a nice change. I think that the tracks revealed thus far look interesting, especially the aforementioned Mobius Strip track. I do hope that they revert back to the original DS version of balloon battles. I do not really care for the 3DS version of said battles. There are numerous maps that I would like remade (especially Tick-Tock Clock), but I will formulate those opinions if this thread is successful.

Feel free to post now .

 

[grovyle1997]

What is your favorite Mario Kart game? - I've only played Super Circuit, Mario Kart DS, Mario Kart WII and Mario Kart 7 but my favourite is probably MK7 (with MKDS on a close second)
What do you think was the easiest/hardest Mario kart game? - The easiest was definitely MK7, the hardest was either MKWII (because of the controls) or MKSC
What is/are your favorite track(s)? - For MKSC: Ribbon Road, for MKDS: Tick-Tock Clock, for MKWII: Koopa Cape and for MK7: Neo-Bowser City
What is/are your least favorite track(s)? - I like most tracks, I think my least favourites are the ones like Figure-8 Circuit
What are your least/most favorite items? - Least: the Mega Mushroom, Favourite: Red Shell
What do you think about missions (in any games that they are included)? - I like them. I think they should include them in all Mario Kart Games
What do you think about the different types of battles? - I don't play a lot of battles, but I think Balloon Battle is my favourite.
What do you think about the recent changes in the series? - Some changes are good, some are worse. I like the underwater propeller and glider from MK7, however I don't like the new balloon battle (I haven't had the chance to play it on MKSC, but I like the one in MKDS most).
What do you think about the changes in Mario Kart 8? - I'm not sure, the anti-gravity sounds fun. I guess we'll have to see when it comes out.

 

[stupot]

What is your favorite Mario Kart game? Mario Kart DS, closely followed by Mario Kart 7
What do you think was the easiest/hardest Mario kart game? Easiest was DS, hardest was Super Circuit (STILL only got 3 stars on one cup all these years on!)
What is/are your favorite track(s)?Baby Park, Coconut Mall, Airship Fortress, Piranha Pipeway (purely for the music )
What is/are your least favorite track(s)? Shy Guy Beach (Wii version), too much water and slowing down
What are your least/most favorite items? Least is that horrific lightning cloud on Mario Kart Wii! Most is probably the Chain Chomp from DD for pure entertainment during multiplayer
What do you think about missions: I really enjoyed them
What do you think about the different types of battles? Balloon Battles is best (but not the Wii version). Quite liked the modes on DD as well.
What do you think about the recent changes in the series?: Hang gliders/water good, bikes bad
What do you think about the changes in Mario Kart 8? I'll wait until I've played it first...

 

[Zultiner]

What is your favorite Mario Kart game? Mario Kart 64. My first in the franchise and still my favorite to play around with.
What do you think was the easiest/hardest Mario kart game? Mario Kart DS was easy, Super Circuit was fairly difficult.
What is/are your favorite track(s)? Rainbow Road is my favorite of them all.
What is/are your least favorite track(s)? Probably Desert Hills, was really challenging for me.
What are your least/most favorite items? Least is banananananas, most is Blue Shell >: )
What do you think about missions (in any games that they are included)? Very fun and challenging, gives a slightly new pace to the games.
What do you think about the different types of battles? Amazingly fun.
What do you think about the recent changes in the series? Meh, I think there are some goods and bads, but overall...meh
What do you think about the changes in Mario Kart 8? Meh

 

[oarfish]

People, I appreciate your answers, but I did not mean for you to just copy and fill in the possible discussion topics .
I meant for you to choose one, (or come up with one on your own), and start/contribute to a discussion that is already occurring.
Please keep that in mind when posting.

 

[725roy]

Well, generally whenver I play me some Mario Kart, it tends to be on one of the more complex tracks. I don't know a really good reason other than Tracks like Luigi Circuit or Toad Circuit just seem boring to me. Cheese Land or Tick Tock Clock on the other hand and some of my favorite tracks in the whole series.

Also, Mario Kart 8 feels really solid. Speaking from experience, I was able to play the demo of it. While the anti-gravity features aren't terribly noticeable, they do provide some interesting angle. Also their controls are very similar to Mario Kart 7, but a bit smoother.

 

[oarfish]

Well, generally whenver I play me some Mario Kart, it tends to be on one of the more complex tracks. I don't know a really good reason other than Tracks like Luigi Circuit or Toad Circuit just seem boring to me. Cheese Land or Tick Tock Clock on the other hand and some of my favorite tracks in the whole series.

Also, Mario Kart 8 feels really solid. Speaking from experience, I was able to play the demo of it. While the anti-gravity features aren't terribly noticeable, they do provide some interesting angle. Also their controls are very similar to Mario Kart 7, but a bit smoother.

I agree with you here. The longer, more complex tracks are the more fun ones. I do get quite bore on the more simple ones as well.
It is interesting to hear the opinion of someone who has played a demo of Mario Kart 8. I enjoyed the controls of MK7, so I am glad to hear that MK8 is similar.

 

[Cyberra]

I have Mario Kart DS and Mario Kart Wii. Most of the tracks I like, though there are some that drive me right up the wall and back down the other side. It took me FOREVER to beat the Frappe Snowland and Choco Island 2 tracks because it's so frelling easy to slip and skid and lose speed. In Mario Kart Wii, it's the Toad's Factory and DK's Jungle Parkway courses I can't stand.

I do play MKWii online with the wireless, though I absolutely HATE it when one or more of the other drivers have star rankings. They get so far out in front you don't have the chances of a snowflake in a bonfire of catching them even if you spam blue shells. Star-ranked players should have their own set of tracks where they can compete among each other instead of driving the rest of us insane. At least I have a chance of finishing in the top 5 if there are no star-ranked players.

 

[oarfish]

I have Mario Kart DS and Mario Kart Wii. Most of the tracks I like, though there are some that drive me right up the wall and back down the other side. It took me FOREVER to beat the Frappe Snowland and Choco Island 2 tracks because it's so frelling easy to slip and skid and lose speed. In Mario Kart Wii, it's the Toad's Factory and DK's Jungle Parkway courses I can't stand.

I do play MKWii online with the wireless, though I absolutely HATE it when one or more of the other drivers have star rankings. They get so far out in front you don't have the chances of a snowflake in a bonfire of catching them even if you spam blue shells. Star-ranked players should have their own set of tracks where they can compete among each other instead of driving the rest of us insane. At least I have a chance of finishing in the top 5 if there are no star-ranked players.

You make some good points here. I personally hav nt played MKWii much, but I do have MKDS. I remember Frappe Snowland and Choco Island, and they were hard to navigate.
I enjoyed MKDS a lot, and felt that there were many good tracks in it. I hope that a lot of them get remade in future games.

 

[Excitable Boy]

What is your favorite Mario Kart game?

Wii. I've played Double Dash, DS, Wii, and 7.

What do you think was the easiest/hardest Mario kart game?

DS for easiest, Wii for hardest.

What is/are your favorite track(s)?

Wii had a lot of memorable courses, so it'd be tough to pick just one. I like the enormity and challenge of Wii Bowser's Castle, with the half-pipe and the mechanical Bowser spitting fireballs. DK Summit, Dry Dry Ruins, Coconut Mall, Toad's Factory, Maple Treeway, and Koopa Cape are other noteworthy ones from that game. 7 had DK Jungle, Piranha Plant Slide, and Wario Shipyard. Others I enjoy are Waluigi Stadium and Dino Dino Jungle from Double Dash, as well as Airship Fortress from DS.

What is/are your least favorite track(s)?

Waluigi Pinball and DK Pass from DS. Goddamn pin/snowballs. DS had forgettable courses overall, though.

What are your least/most favorite items?

I'm personally a fan of the POW Block and the Mega Mushroom from Wii.

What do you think about missions (in any games that they are included)?

I don't think I've played any games with these, at least not that I know of. I don't own DS any more and haven't touched Double Dash in forever, though.

What do you think about the different types of battles?

eh

What do you think about the recent changes in the series?

7 didn't really do much to change up the series, but there's not much reason for it to change. I do like the emphasis on customization; part of what I like about Wii is the individual character bonuses, on top of five different karts and five different bikes for each class. 7's roster was a bit small for my liking, and many of the customizable parts were just slightly different variants of parts with similar stats.

What do you think about the changes in Mario Kart 8?

They're not exactly a whole new paradigm, but they don't need to be.

 

[Grey Wind]

What is your favorite Mario Kart game?

Probably Wii, followed by 7. I don't really prefer one over the other for their mechanics or anything, but I think got more enjoyment out of the former if only because of the amount of multi-player I played with my brothers. I also liked the larger roster better. I did have a lot of fun online with 7, because I never really ventured into that area with Wii.

What do you think was the easiest/hardest Mario kart game?

I don't think there's that much of a difference. I'll say Double Dash but only because I was young when I played it so I sucked.

What is/are your favorite track(s)?

I agree with Excitable Boy for the most part, I think Wii had the best tracks. Maple Treeway is probably my favourite because I love the autumnal feel too it, but Coconut Mall, Mushroom Gorge and Grumble Volcano were pretty cool too. 7 also had some great tracks (Wario's Galleon, Koopa City, Melody Motorway) and I really liked the introduction of the one lap tracks like the Wuhus. It had by far the best Rainbow Road too, what with the sheer craziness of it. DK Jungle, Waluigi Stadium and Airship Fortress are some of my other favourites.

What is/are your least favorite track(s)?

Agreeing with Excitable Boy again, DK Pass is my least favourite. I don't even know why, I've just always hated the place and I nearly always come last when I play there. There aren't really any other places that I hate, just some (like Luigi's Mansion or that ghost place with the disappearing rails) that I find kind of boring.

What are your least/most favorite items?

I've always found the Red Shell to be one of the most useful, and the Mega Mushroom is pretty fun to use. The Tanooki Tail is a more interesting first/second place item, but I really hate the annoying little hop it makes you do when you use it because it stops you from drifting. The Lightning Cloud always annoyed the hell out of me too. Sooo nervewracking.

What do you think about missions (in any games that they are included)?

I honestly forgot that this was a feature.

What do you think about the different types of battles?

Never really played them all that much, but some are fun to pass the time.

What do you think about the recent changes in the series?

Bikes are pretty cool, but I don't think they change all that much about the game and I prefer to use karts myself. It just feels better to control for some reason. Gliders and underwater karting don't really change a whole lot. I guess it feels more... floaty underwater and there are some cool things you can do with gliders, but I kind of wished that there was more of a challenge to the two because right now, it's mainly an aesthetic change. I thought customisation was pretty sweet though.

What do you think about the changes in Mario Kart 8?

Like I said with gliding/underwater, I don't think that the gravity defying courses are anything more than a nifty little gimmick. As long as the courses are good I'll be happy.

 

[oarfish]

What is your favorite Mario Kart game?

Probably Wii, followed by 7. I don't really prefer one over the other for their mechanics or anything, but I think got more enjoyment out of the former if only because of the amount of multi-player I played with my brothers. I also liked the larger roster better. I did have a lot of fun online with 7, because I never really ventured into that area with Wii.

I also enjoy the larger roster games. Online playability is also important.

What do you think was the easiest/hardest Mario kart game?

I don't think there's that much of a difference. I'll say Double Dash but only because I was young when I played it so I sucked.

I have not played Double Dash, but I hear it was fun.

What is/are your favorite track(s)?

I agree with Excitable Boy for the most part, I think Wii had the best tracks. Maple Treeway is probably my favourite because I love the autumnal feel too it, but Coconut Mall, Mushroom Gorge and Grumble Volcano were pretty cool too. 7 also had some great tracks (Wario's Galleon, Koopa City, Melody Motorway) and I really liked the introduction of the one lap tracks like the Wuhus. It had by far the best Rainbow Road too, what with the sheer craziness of it. DK Jungle, Waluigi Stadium and Airship Fortress are some of my other favourites.

I did not Wii much, but I like the tracks that you mentioned that were remade for MK7. They are some of my favorites of that game. I also liked the one lap tracks like the Wuhus. I enjoyed the DS remakes as well.

What is/are your least favorite track(s)?

Agreeing with Excitable Boy again, DK Pass is my least favourite. I don't even know why, I've just always hated the place and I nearly always come last when I play there. There aren't really any other places that I hate, just some (like Luigi's Mansion or that ghost place with the disappearing rails) that I find kind of boring.

I am fine with DK Pass, but that might be because I have played it a lot across two games. I personally like Luigi's Mansion. I like that type of track; I am excited for the ghost house track in MK8.

What are your least/most favorite items?

I've always found the Red Shell to be one of the most useful, and the Mega Mushroom is pretty fun to use. The Tanooki Tail is a more interesting first/second place item, but I really hate the annoying little hop it makes you do when you use it because it stops you from drifting. The Lightning Cloud always annoyed the hell out of me too. Sooo nervewracking.

I also like the Red Shell and Mega Mushroom. I have not had much experience with the Lightning Cloud, and I agree about the Tanooki Tail.

What do you think about missions (in any games that they are included)?

I honestly forgot that this was a feature.

. I like the missions.

What do you think about the different types of battles?

Never really played them all that much, but some are fun to pass the time.

I agree, they are great things to pass the time. I always enjoyed Balloon Battles, but I prefer the DS version, the one without a time limit.

What do you think about the recent changes in the series?

Bikes are pretty cool, but I don't think they change all that much about the game and I prefer to use karts myself. It just feels better to control for some reason. Gliders and underwater karting don't really change a whole lot. I guess it feels more... floaty underwater and there are some cool things you can do with gliders, but I kind of wished that there was more of a challenge to the two because right now, it's mainly an aesthetic change. I thought customisation was pretty sweet though.

I feel the same way, preferring karts over bikes. I also agree that there was not much change with underwater/gliders. I also love the kart customization in MK7.

What do you think about the changes in Mario Kart 8?

Like I said with gliding/underwater, I don't think that the gravity defying courses are anything more than a nifty little gimmick. As long as the courses are good I'll be happy.

Yes, course design is one of the most important things about the games. The rest is largely just extra.

Comments in bold.

 

[Poetry]

What is your favorite Mario Kart game?

Wii, by a long shot.

What do you think was the easiest/hardest Mario kart game?

Wii and Super Circuit were the most difficult. The latter because it had awful controls which were near-impossible to master, and the former because it was just generally difficult in all areas: track design, controls, item usage, etc.

What is/are your favorite track(s)?

Wii Rainbow Road is my personal all-time favourite, because for me it had the most features, the most excitement and highest difficulty of all the Rainbow Roads. One of the reasons why I didn't like 7's Rainbow Road was because there were just long stretches of track with no distinguishing features, so it wasn't really much of an exciting track for the most part. Otherwise, I'm a fan of Mushroom Gorge, DK Mountain from Double Dash, Wii Bowser's Castle, Delfino Square, Koopa Cape, Maple Treeway and Waluigi Pinball.

What is/are your least favorite track(s)?

I dislike Yoshi Falls, as I find it to be very bland and just generally horrible - I always do badly in that one for one reason or another. I also dislike the Wuhu Island/Mountain tracks from 7, as they're also just very plain and tedious tracks for me to play through. The beginning tracks like Luigi Circiut, Figure-8 Circuit, Toad Circuit, etc are also quite unremarkable, I don't get why so many people are smitten with these ones. Wario's Gold Mine I hate with a passion also, and pretty much every single track from the SNES and N64 games. Good god, the tedium.

What are your least/most favorite items?

I don't really have preferences, but Lightning is always an irritating hassle, as are red shells. I really didn't like the Tanooki Tail as it didn't allow you to get another item until it went away, and that was really a big annoyance at times.

What do you think about missions (in any games that they are included)?

I remember liking them a lot in the DS version. It would be nice if they returned in the future but it's not really a must, for me.

What do you think about the different types of battles?

Never really had the interest in battles.

What do you think about the recent changes in the series?

7 was sort of lacking in the changes area for me. I never really clicked with the customisation feature because I'm able to adapt to pretty much any kart, as long as it has good control. The gliding and underwater sections didn't do anything for me, as I still think that they were just normal sections of track just disguised as new features to give the illusion of innovation. I liked the introduction of the bikes in Wii, it's definitely my preferred method of transport whenever I play it.

What do you think about the changes in Mario Kart 8?

Changes? What changes?

Yeah, gravity is a nice idea, but it's not going to do much at all, imo.

 

[oarfish]

What is your favorite Mario Kart game?

Wii, by a long shot.

I did not play Wii really, but I hear it is good.

What do you think was the easiest/hardest Mario kart game?

Wii and Super Circuit were the most difficult. The latter because it had awful controls which were near-impossible to master, and the former because it was just generally difficult in all areas: track design, controls, item usage, etc.

I did not play Super Circuit, but I have heard that it was quite hard.

What is/are your favorite track(s)?

Wii Rainbow Road is my personal all-time favourite, because for me it had the most features, the most excitement and highest difficulty of all the Rainbow Roads. One of the reasons why I didn't like 7's Rainbow Road was because there were just long stretches of track with no distinguishing features, so it wasn't really much of an exciting track for the most part. Otherwise, I'm a fan of Mushroom Gorge, DK Mountain from Double Dash, Wii Bowser's Castle, Delfino Square, Koopa Cape, Maple Treeway and Waluigi Pinball.

I did not really care for MK7's Rainbow Road. It just seemed to difficult. I did like Delfino Square, Koopa Cape, Maple Treeway, and Waluigi Pinball as well. They were fun tracks.

What is/are your least favorite track(s)?

I dislike Yoshi Falls, as I find it to be very bland and just generally horrible - I always do badly in that one for one reason or another. I also dislike the Wuhu Island/Mountain tracks from 7, as they're also just very plain and tedious tracks for me to play through. The beginning tracks like Luigi Circiut, Figure-8 Circuit, Toad Circuit, etc are also quite unremarkable, I don't get why so many people are smitten with these ones. Wario's Gold Mine I hate with a passion also, and pretty much every single track from the SNES and N64 games. Good god, the tedium.

I understand about the early tracks; they were too simple and were not very notable. I was fine with Yoshi Falls personally. I get your point about the Wuhus though; they could get tedious at times.

What are your least/most favorite items?

I don't really have preferences, but Lightning is always an irritating hassle, as are red shells. I really didn't like the Tanooki Tail as it didn't allow you to get another item until it went away, and that was really a big annoyance at times.

I dislike Lightning as well. Whenever I only went for coins and disregarded winning, Lightning was my main worry. I also agree about the Tanooki Tail. I could never make it work without anyone near me.

What do you think about missions (in any games that they are included)?

I remember liking them a lot in the DS version. It would be nice if they returned in the future but it's not really a must, for me.

It is not really a must for me either, but I did enjoy them immensely, especially in the DS version.

What do you think about the different types of battles?

Never really had the interest in battles.

I did. As I have said before, I really enjoyed the DS version of the Balloon Battles. I would play it continuously for hours.

What do you think about the recent changes in the series?

7 was sort of lacking in the changes area for me. I never really clicked with the customisation feature because I'm able to adapt to pretty much any kart, as long as it has good control. The gliding and underwater sections didn't do anything for me, as I still think that they were just normal sections of track just disguised as new features to give the illusion of innovation. I liked the introduction of the bikes in Wii, it's definitely my preferred method of transport whenever I play it.

I understand your point about the kart customization. I am also able to adapt easily. I also see your point about the underwater/gliding sections; they did seem like normal areas. I personally am not one for bikes, but they are an alright addition to the series.

What do you think about the changes in Mario Kart 8?

Changes? What changes?

Yeah, gravity is a nice idea, but it's not going to do much at all, imo.
I do not see it changing much either honestly.

Again, comments in bold.

I appreciate everyone's opinions. They are quite intriguing.

 

[Excitable Boy]

IMO, if the Tanooki Tail returns in MK8, they should change it to allow it to bat away Blue Shells, but only if swung manually (as is, if you don't swing the tail, Red and Green Shells won't make you spin out, but you lose the tail).

Out of curiosity, what controller do other people use for Wii? I usually go for the Wiimote and Nunchuk inside the gun.

 

[Poetry]

IMO, if the Tanooki Tail returns in MK8, they should change it to allow it to bat away Blue Shells, but only if swung manually (as is, if you don't swing the tail, Red and Green Shells won't make you spin out, but you lose the tail).

Out of curiosity, what controller do other people use for Wii? I usually go for the Wiimote and Nunchuk inside the gun.

I'm not too sure about batting it away entirely, myself. Maybe just lessen the impact? It would sort of defeat the purpose of the blue shell, for me.

I use the Wiimote by itself. I've never really used the Nunchuck combo but I use the GameCube controller from time to time as well, just for the whimsy of it.

Another question: what tracks do people want to return as retro tracks in 8? I'm an big fan of Wario Colosseum and Cheese Land, it would be pretty interesting to see them remade in HD.

 

[Aurath8]

I'm not too sure about batting it away entirely, myself. Maybe just lessen the impact? It would sort of defeat the purpose of the blue shell, for me.

I use the Wiimote by itself. I've never really used the Nunchuck combo but I use the GameCube controller from time to time as well, just for the whimsy of it.

Do you get Tanooki Tails often in first place? If not, then I'd be fine with it completely swatting it away. You could avoid Blue Shells using Mushrooms in MKWii/DS but it was hard since Mushrooms never appeared in first.

 

[oarfish]

Do you get Tanooki Tails often in first place? If not, then I'd be fine with it completely swatting it away. You could avoid Blue Shells using Mushrooms in MKWii/DS but it was hard since Mushrooms never appeared in first.

Yes, you do (well, I do). I see the point about at least dampening the effect of Blue Shells with a Tanooki Tail. Of course, Blue Shells are made to keep the races unpredictable, so....

 

[Cyberra]

Out of curiosity, what controller do other people use for Wii? I usually go for the Wiimote and Nunchuk inside the gun.

Wiimote and nunchuk. I tried using the wiimote as a wheel once, but my steering was worse than a drunkard dodging potholes. I sucked so bad. So I stick with the wiimote/nunchuk combo. As long as the nunchuk works properly, of course. I had one incident while playing Super Mario Galaxy where my nunchuk died; my character was stuck in a crouch and could only waddle in circles. Which royally sucked since it happened during a boss fight.

 

[oarfish]

Another question: what tracks do people want to return as retro tracks in 8? I'm an big fan of Wario Colosseum and Cheese Land, it would be pretty interesting to see them remade in HD.

I would like Tick-Tock Clock to return. With its wide, open spaces, there could be many places possible for gliding.
Most of my favorites from MKDS have already been remade, so....yeah.
But your suggestions seem like nice tracks to be remade. They were fun tracks if I remember correctly.

As for what I used for MKWii, I preferred the classic controller/gamecube controller. I plan on buying the pro controller when I get a Wii U for various reasons/games. I suppose that is just what I am used to mainly.