Poll

How many games in the series have you beat?

Super Mario Kart
13 (11.9%)
Mario Kart 64
18 (16.5%)
Mario Kart: Super Circuit
8 (7.3%)
Mario Kart: Double Dash
16 (14.7%)
Mario Kart DS
17 (15.6%)
Mario Kart Wii
14 (12.8%)
Mario Kart 7
9 (8.3%)
Mario Kart 8 / Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
11 (10.1%)
I've Completed Every Game Fully (The Few and the Proud)
3 (2.8%)
I've Never Finished/Played a Game in the Series (The Few and the Not-So-Proud)
0 (0%)

Total Members Voted: 24

Author Topic: Run The Series 5: Mario Kart  (Read 55019 times)

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Offline Khushrenada

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Run The Series 5: Mario Kart
« on: February 01, 2017, 09:12:18 PM »
Hello NWR Forumers. Welcome to the 5th edition of Run the Series, the latest installment of the highly popular series. I know it may seem like we hardly finished talking about the last edition and already the next one is upon but time just flies, doesn't it?  :P

Run the Series Mission Statement

From past posts, I am sometimes surprised at what games users on these forums have played or missed in a franchise and it's made me curious about the gaming habits of all our various users here. It also made curious as to what my gaming experience looks like compared to others. I thought I'd see if I could find out more information on the matter by creating a series of threads designed to look at different franchises found on Nintendo systems to see what series the users here like. What franchises do people still find important to keep up with and what series have they let lapse or play infrequently? What are the franchises people haven't even touched or have fully completed? Which games are the most common shared experience in a series and which ones are the least?

For each entry, I've created a poll and the poll lists all the games considered as franchise entries.* Users can then select which games in the series they have beat. When I mean beat, I'm just referring to completing the main quest or storyline and seeing the credits and not if you've completed every other side quest or mission similar to how Backloggery would classify those terms. This poll is a chance to let all users see how they stack up again users from this forum.

In addition, if you want to provide more information about what your level of completion is on games, feel free to post about it. For that matter, feel free to give your thoughts on the series. Why you play it, why you don't, what's your favorite entry, least favorite entry, how you'd rank the entry in the series, what you'd like to see, what you don't want to see, etc. You know the drill. Whatever comments you want to make based on the series under discussion or specific games in the poll, this thread is open for you to do so.

*Or at least my take on what the series consists of. You are welcome to tell me how wrong I am with my selections.  :'(


Past Entries in the Series

1st Edition - 2D Mario Platformers
2nd Edition - Pokémon Main Series
3rd Edition - Donkey Kong (Country Style)
4th Edition - Wario Platformers

If you are new to this forum series or missed an entry, feel free to check out the past entries and comment on them too if interested. Bumping Khushrenada threads is always a welcome practice on these forums.  ;)
« Last Edit: September 17, 2018, 02:24:06 AM by Khushrenada »
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Offline Khushrenada

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Re: Run The Series
« Reply #1 on: February 01, 2017, 09:31:28 PM »
The Series Up for Discussion

In an effort to rekindle interest in this dormant series, I thought I'd jump back to a more popular franchise. In this case an offshoot of Mario via the Mario Kart series. There's a lot of different Mario Series to run so might as well get another one done. Of all the various spin-offs, however, Mario Kart has become the most popular and a big system seller just like Mario's platforming adventures. It's often a highlight game for each Nintendo generation and system.

That said, I am curious to see just how much of this series the users of NWR have played in it. With the Mario games, some games had low numbers in the poll and I'm curious to see how things shake out now with this one. Therefore, I hope to see lots of votes on this one.


Why Are These Games Part of the Series?

Because they all have Mario and Kart in the title. This particular entry of Run the Series isn't going to be that controversial. Unlike other entries where an entry may be included or excluded due to its gameplay, story elements or other factors, there have been no offshoots or variations on the Mario Kart series to split this particular franchise into different paths or series.

One thing to note about the poll and series is that even though Mario Kart 8 Deluxe for the Switch hasn't come out yet due to it's overwhelming similarity to Mario Kart 8 on the Wii U with just some new Battle Mode changes, I've included those entries as one. That way, if someone didn't play the Wii U version but plays the Switch version and later wants to vote and add their two cents to this thread then that option will exist for them do so.

What Games Weren't Included

Even though I mentioned that this is an easy series to categorize, I did leave a few Mario Kart games off the list. That would be the three Mario Kart Arcade games: Mario Kart Arcade GP, Mario Kart Arcade GP 2 and Mario Kart Arcade GP DX. The reason for this is because this series of threads has always been focused on titles you can play on Nintendo consoles. At this point, none of the Mario Kart Arcade games have released on a console so they were not included. If you have been able to play them, congratulations on you being able to step above and beyond in conquering this series.


So, with that quick little rundown, let's open it up to the rest of you forum users and let's see how well NWR has Run the Series!
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Offline Khushrenada

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Re: Run The Series: Mario Kart
« Reply #2 on: February 01, 2017, 09:36:34 PM »
One last thing I'll mention since you may wonder what it means to beat a Mario Kart game. I'd say being able to win a gold cup on the Special Cup at 150cc would qualify. Yes, that means a person could "beat" a Mario Kart by not playing the other courses at 50 or 100 or even 150 if they just have to get a gold cup there. However, Special Cup is usually the hardest challenge in a Mario Kart game with Rainbow Road signify the last race and the credits for the game will play after conquering it so it serves as the best "end-goal" marker. If you beat the other Cup and Modes as well, good on you for being a great Mario Kart player.
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Offline ClexYoshi

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Re: Run The Series: Mario Kart
« Reply #3 on: February 02, 2017, 01:09:23 AM »
Boo, no Mario Kart Arcade GP? :C I've actually been to two seperate arcades in october that had different entries in that series.

Offline Miyamoto

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Re: Run The Series: Mario Kart
« Reply #4 on: February 02, 2017, 04:23:23 AM »
Boo, no Mario Kart Arcade GP? :C I've actually been to two seperate arcades in october that had different entries in that series.


Who here hasn't bought an old Wii on the cheap and modded it out to play Tri-Force Arcade games?




Offline Phil

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Re: Run The Series: Mario Kart
« Reply #5 on: February 02, 2017, 07:37:02 AM »
All of them, and last February I got to play Mario Kart Arcade GP 2 at Dave and Buster's.
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Offline Mop it up

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Re: Run The Series: Mario Kart
« Reply #6 on: February 04, 2017, 02:15:12 PM »
I've somehow been missing this series, I'll have to go check out the other topics at some point.

I own and have played all of the games. I was never a fan of the series until Mario Kart Wii, where the tracks, controls, and other elements finally mixed together in such a way that really clicked with me. Of course, the awesome 12-player online certainly helped matters. Still, the subsequent games haven't lived up to MKWii either, and I place it far above every other game in the series. That isn't to say I still haven't gotten some enjoyment out of some of the others, but they're nothing special to me.

I've never tried the arcade games. Too bad they never released them on a system.

My ranking would probably look like this:

1. Mario Kart Wii
2. Mario Kart 7
3. Mario Kart Double Dash!!
4. Mario Kart 8
5. Mario Kart DS
6. Mario Kart 64
7. Super Mario Kart
8. Mario Kart Super Circuit

Offline Clonester11

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Re: Run The Series: Mario Kart
« Reply #7 on: February 05, 2017, 07:34:52 PM »
I've finished every game, and Mario Kart 64 could be the video game I've played the most. My personal rankings:

1. Mario Kart 8
2. Mario Kart 64
3. Mario Kart 7
4. Mario Kart Super Circuit
5. Mario Kart DS
6. Mario Kart Wii
7. Mario Kart Double Dash
8. Super Mario Kart

Offline pokepal148

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Re: Run The Series: Mario Kart
« Reply #8 on: February 05, 2017, 10:44:45 PM »
Mario Kart 7 is a rushed mess. I don't see how you people can like it.

Offline Evan_B

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Re: Run The Series: Mario Kart
« Reply #9 on: February 06, 2017, 09:34:40 PM »
Yo, how the hell have all you peeps gotten your hands on MK8 deluxe already?

Mario Kart 7 is a rushed mess. I don't see how you people can like it.
Yeah well, that's like, just your opinion, man. In all seriousness, I quite enjoyed playing online, and I thought the game had a nice selection of tracks. I'm sure you're more knowledgeable about the ins-and-outs of how it's unbalanced than I am, though.
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Offline Khushrenada

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Re: Run The Series: Mario Kart
« Reply #10 on: February 06, 2017, 11:11:52 PM »
Yo, how the hell have all you peeps gotten your hands on MK8 deluxe already?


Didn't you know? Nintendo released a demo for the game on the Wii U. Just look for the title Mario Kart 8 on the e-shop.
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Offline Khushrenada

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Re: Run The Series: Mario Kart
« Reply #11 on: February 06, 2017, 11:13:51 PM »
And how the heck did the poll get all jumbled up? It was just fine yesterday. The thing is now a mess. How does this happen? The only thing I can think of is all the spambot bannings and post removals today may be triggering it but I don't see why that would correlate to mixing up a forum poll. Where's Megabyte on this mystery?
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Offline Evan_B

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Re: Run The Series: Mario Kart
« Reply #12 on: February 07, 2017, 06:48:54 PM »
Didn't you know? Nintendo released a demo for the game on the Wii U. Just look for the title Mario Kart 8 on the e-shop.
What is this bullshit? I have to pay 60 dollars to demo the game and another 20 to unlock all the features?!
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Offline Khushrenada

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Re: Run The Series: Mario Kart
« Reply #13 on: February 07, 2017, 07:10:55 PM »
It's called modern gaming. Ain't it grand?
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Offline Phil

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Re: Run The Series: Mario Kart
« Reply #14 on: February 07, 2017, 07:30:14 PM »
Expensive demo disc. Mine usually came with a copy of a magazine. I don't like modern gaming, Khush. :(
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Offline Khushrenada

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Re: Run The Series: Mario Kart
« Reply #15 on: February 07, 2017, 08:12:01 PM »
You're not alone in that regard.
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Offline Order.RSS

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Re: Run The Series: Mario Kart
« Reply #16 on: February 09, 2017, 10:04:35 AM »
Interesting to see that the Wii version is pretty well-liked here. I personally think it's the weakest one of all the versions I've played, especially as a follow-up to Double Dash. Didn't mind the removal of the two-riders so much and I liked that they expended the races to now have 12 cars going, but just visually it's rather muted in colour no? Double Dash was super vibrant and cartoony and I genuinely believe it looks better. Also liked its drifting mechanics more for some reason, it just felt more natural for some reason.

Kart Wii has some fun tracks like Bowser's Castle, the mall level, and that one high up in the trees. But then again they also had that weird team-based version of Battle Mode with way too large stages, the whole thing just never really clicked with me for some reason.

I'm gonna pick up #8 for Switch though I think, never played it on Wii U so everything will be brand new to me and the fact that it comes with 2 controllers for on the go seems perfect.

Offline Phil

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Re: Run The Series: Mario Kart
« Reply #17 on: February 09, 2017, 12:34:24 PM »
I find the Wii version has great tracks, a wonderful roster (probably my favorite in the series), an improved powerslide mechanic, and terrific karts to race with, but the AI just frustrates too much, and the item balance is lacking tremendously. It's my second least favorite 3D Mario Kart behind Mario Kart 64. 64's problems come from the lack of content, which was fine for the time, as well as ridiculous rubber-band AI, the worst the series has ever seen. Though I still do have great memories of the game and love the music a lot.
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Offline Evan_B

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Re: Run The Series: Mario Kart
« Reply #18 on: February 09, 2017, 12:53:10 PM »
Of the Mario Karts I've played, I'd rank them as such:

Mario Kart 8
Mario Kart DS
Mario Kart 7
Mario Kart 64
Mario Kart Wii

I've never "beaten" Super Circuit despite owning it, and I have played Double Dash but the partnering up, while novel, should have been reserved for a single game and didn't need to be expanded upon. MK8's tracks, mechanics, and item distribution are amazing and I have never been a fan of Battle Mode so its absence never bothered me, DS is amazing for its track selection and missions, but the mechanics were a bit wonky. MK7 sits right in the middle because its item distribution is mediocre and though I love a lot of tracks, its ultimately a little bland- however I appreciate the movement options it gave us in the form of gliders and sub parts. I have no real love for MK64, it was a huge step up at the time but some of the tracks are awful, however it does have better item distribution than MKWii, which I have probably played the most of out of all the games, but still have major issues with despite that.

Ultimately, a lot of that ranking came down to splitting hairs though, I love MK as a series in general.
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Offline Mop it up

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Re: Run The Series: Mario Kart
« Reply #19 on: February 09, 2017, 06:35:04 PM »
Actually, the AI in MKWii has some of the least rubber-banding the series has seen. As a result, I've found it to be one of the easiest games to earn all the golds. Overall though, the series has always had poor AI. I don't care though, multiplayer is where it's at.

I also enjoyed the battle mode in it, I like team games and playing 6-on-6 online was the only real time I've enjoyed a battle mode in an MK game. The arenas were fun too.

I don't know if people are considering all factors when they say that Mario Kart Wii has poor item balance. I actually found it to be the best the series has seen, outside of the first game which hardly used items. For starters, in games like Mario Kart 64 and especially Mario Kart 8, all items can appear in all places except for first, which means that powerful items like lightning and stars can show up for second and third place, and junk like green shells and coins can show up in 12th place in MK8. That's pretty whack. The character-specific items in Double Dash were also pretty unbalanced.

What makes MKWii more balanced is that, while you're likely to be smacked around by items, you're also likely to receive good items in return and regain ground. Overall, I find this tends to even things out, and smart use of items can still be part of the strategy. In MK8, a single item hit can be devastating, though you're likely to be hit by more than one at a time since the game has less defensive options with its one-item limit. The reason is because when you get smacked back by items, you're unlikely to receive enough helpful items to regain your ground, and speed-boosters like mushrooms and stars got nerfed to the point of being nearly useless. This means the main factor in catching up revolves around your opponents getting smacked by items also, which in turn makes the game more luck-based. With less items flying around however, it gives the illusion of being less about luck than it really is. This also makes it much easier for one person to front-run in MK8, since anyone who can escape from the pack is unlikely to be challenged by the pack behind them who are battling it out, with nothing slowing down first place. 1st is often decided at the first set of item boxes.

MK Deluxe may fix some of the balance issues with its two-item system. Should be interesting.

That said, balance isn't really a thing that can exist in MK games without nerfing items to the point where they are mostly visual effects. And at that point, it'd just be a boring ol' racing game. There will always be a luck factor, and I'm okay with that. I love the challenge and the variety that items bring, so a game with less emphasis on them is less interesting to me. Mario Kart Wii is controlled chaos at its finest, and I love it.
« Last Edit: February 09, 2017, 06:55:00 PM by Mop it up »

Offline Spak-Spang

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Re: Run The Series: Mario Kart
« Reply #20 on: February 09, 2017, 08:06:09 PM »
Wow, Ranking the Mario Karts is hard.  Taking nostalgia out I will try to carefully rank them...but Mario Kart 64 is hard.  See Mario Kart 64 plays poorly compared to the more modern karts, but it has one of the better Battle Modes and has the BEST version of the Blue Turtle Shell.  If Nintendo made the Blue Turtle Shell behave like in Mario Kart 64 with a smaller explosion for the final collision I would like it more. 

So my list:

Super Mario Kart DS:  This game had some problems but overall the package is the deep and a great Mario Kart experience

Super Mario Kart Double Dash:  This game innovated the series in such a fun way, and I wish they would revisit the double kart idea, just to flesh out the idea of multiplayer with one kart.

Super Mario Kart 64:  The controls are clunky but the package is legit and it has a great battle mode.

Super Mario Kart Wii:  This should be tied with Double Dash, but although the complete package is there, missteps like battle mode being poor just hurts the ranking.

Super Mario Kart:  The original did so many things great, but it has not aged well.  Racing on the tracks now is just doesn't feel nice at all.

Super Mario Kart: Super Circuit:  In some ways this game is better then Super Mario Kart, the controls feel more refined, but in other ways being portable just makes it worse. 

Offline NWR_insanolord

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Re: Run The Series: Mario Kart
« Reply #21 on: February 09, 2017, 09:31:18 PM »
I think Mario Kart DS might still be my favorite. One of the better sets of original tracks, the original set of retro tracks, and by far the best Battle Mode in the series.
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Offline Evan_B

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Re: Run The Series: Mario Kart
« Reply #22 on: February 09, 2017, 10:05:28 PM »
I don't know if I agree with you, insano. I think the addition of coins has made the game far more aggressive, to the point where people are much more willing to throw around items instead of saving them. There's lot of factors that can cause you to lose your spot, but ultimately, you need to drive and attack as aggressively as the others in your party if you want to get a decent spot.
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Offline Phil

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Re: Run The Series: Mario Kart
« Reply #23 on: February 10, 2017, 12:03:00 AM »
Mission Mode makes Mario Kart DS one of my favorites, and it annoys me how it hasn't returned in full form ever since. However, I like the retro selection better in the other games featuring retro tracks. Probably 7 has my favorite retro tracks.

If I were to list my ranking of Mario Kart games...

1) Mario Kart 8

2) Mario Kart DS
3) Mario Kart 7
4) Mario Kart: Double Dash
5) Mario Kart Wii
6) Mario Kart: Super Circuit
7) Mario Kart 64
8) Super Mario Kart
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Offline Mop it up

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Re: Run The Series: Mario Kart
« Reply #24 on: February 10, 2017, 03:24:59 PM »
The Mission Mode was pretty simple, but it was a nice way to add more single player content into Mario Kart DS. I wouldn't mind seeing some more modes like that, but I'm okay if the series sticks to its focus on multiplayer.

I don't know if I agree with you, insano. I think the addition of coins has made the game far more aggressive, to the point where people are much more willing to throw around items instead of saving them.
I feel like you intended to reference me here. I actually think the coins make things more unbalanced. Since coins increase top speed, then it makes item hits more powerful as it permanently reduces the player's speed until they find more coins. In my experience, this makes people play more defensively since they don't want to lose their coins. It also contributes to the 1st-place runaway problem, as it's easy for them to collect and maintain their ten coins over everyone else. How lucky!

Interesting to see that the Wii version is pretty well-liked here.
Actually, judging from everyone's rankings, it would appear that I'm the only one here who likes Mario Kart Wii, hee hee.