Topic: Series Series - Wii in Third - Next Round finally up!

[Spak-Spang]

I voted for Mario Kart 64.  Mario Kart Double Dash and Mario Kart Wii are very similar to me.  I think the Wii game does everything that Double Dash does better.  However, Mario Kart 64, has some great elements that need to be recognized.

The Blue Turtle Shell is the best example.  To me Mario Kart 64, may be the best of the old school Mario Karts.  (SNES, N64, GBA)

[Spak-Spang]

I think the reason so many of us like Mario Kart 64 is because it's got the right mix of racing and crazy-luck.  Beyond that point, there's so many items and track designs that are built around killing you, then defiling your corpse with sex toys that it tends to lose some of the competitive spirit.

Few of the tracks really have truly random threats.  If you learn the tracks and its patterns you can avoid the threats easily enough, and you can balance risk-taking with safety depending on how the course is going and your personal inclination.  This adds a lot of strategy and a lot of benefit to practice, since you can learn just how close you can come to a threat and still be okay, when something will likely be in a certain place and what you can do to avoid it or take advantage of it.  It also means you can't just close your eyes and do the track from memory, you need to actually pay attention to what is going on around you and plan your next move on-the-fly.  I wouldn't consider those cheap or "built around killing you", and it prevents the tracks from getting boring because you actually have to pay attention to what is going on around you in order to get through the fastest.

The only things that I recall that I would really consider cheap and annoying are the random green shells popping out of pipes in Koopa Kape on MK Wii, since they are unpredictable and come at you from behind.

This post really got me thinking, and it really helped me think about designing levels that are "moving" or living levels with obstacles within the track that aren't just other racers.  When done right the levels create an awesome balance of tension from racers and the track.  Mario Kart 64 and even more so Double Dash had the best examples in the series about racing tracks.  But, there is nothing more frustrating, then having a random or ill-timed environmental hazard take you out of the race, because of chance. 

Mario Kart Wii has the worst examples of these...but also had some great examples of well designed levels.  I think Mario Kart Wii's levels were sometimes had too much going on. 

[Mop it up]

The only things that I recall that I would really consider cheap and annoying are the random green shells popping out of pipes in Koopa Kape on MK Wii, since they are unpredictable and come at you from behind.

What are you talking about? There is no such hazard on that track.

[UncleBob]

Mario Kart Arcade GP 2    - 0 (0%)
Super Mario Kart (SNES)    - 4 (19%)
Mario Kart: Super Circuit (GBA)    - 1 (4.8%)
I have no opinion on the remaining titles    - 1 (4.8%)
Mario Kart 64 (N64)    - 9 (42.9%)
Mario Kart: Double Dash (GCN)    - 6 (28.6%)
Mario Kart Arcade GP    - 0 (0%)

Total Members Voted: 21

[UncleBob]

Double Dash next.  It's the Mario Kart I own the most copies of!

Reminder: This poll runs three days, due to the weekend.

[Shaymin]

I voted the original, since it's the one besides 64 I played the most. Plus it has the Feather, and no ****ing blue shells.

Also, I believe the standing were made public again...

[TJ Spyke]

Blue shells are fun.

Going with Double Dash, the 3rd best in the series IMO and I will keep picking it until it wins.

[TheBlackCat]

What are you talking about? There is no such hazard on that track.

Shortly after the finish line there are some green pipes.  Green shells occasionally pop out of them.

[TheBlackCat]

Mario Kart Wii has the worst examples of these...but also had some great examples of well designed levels.  I think Mario Kart Wii's levels were sometimes had too much going on. 

What, specifically, are you referring to?

[Morari]

I voted for Mario Kart 64.  Mario Kart Double Dash and Mario Kart Wii are very similar to me.  I think the Wii game does everything that Double Dash does better.

Except present any sort of strategy when it comes to item juggling or character-specific special weapons. Mario Kart Wii always felt like beginner's distillation of the series. Some of the tracks were epic in terms of crazy **** going on, but that's about it.

[Mop it up]

What are you talking about? There is no such hazard on that track.

Shortly after the finish line there are some green pipes.  Green shells occasionally pop out of them.

I've never seen any such thing. I think you are mistaken, and are confusing them with shells launched by other players.

[UncleBob]

Mario Kart Arcade GP 2    - 0 (0%)
Super Mario Kart (SNES)    - 6 (31.6%)
Mario Kart: Super Circuit (GBA)    - 1 (5.3%)
I have no opinion on the remaining titles    - 1 (5.3%)
Mario Kart: Double Dash (GCN)    - 11 (57.9%)
Mario Kart Arcade GP    - 0 (0%)

Total Members Voted: 19

[UncleBob]

I figure the original will win the poll.
I'd like to vote for the GBA version, since it's the version I own the second most amount of, but I think I'm going to break away from the pack and vote for the first arcade game.  It's really a great game...

[Spak-Spang]

I went with the original Mario Kart.  The Gameboy advanced Mario Kart was difficult to get multiplayer going, and although great it had its moments that made it just not as grand as I would like.  Portable Mario Kart is awesome...but the original has so many awesome moments, and traits.

1) Special enemy weapons during single player, really made racing against your 2nd place rival dangerous.  Bowsers moving fireballs or Mario's invincibility were always scary.  And I loved them all.

2) Being able to lap opponents and even sometimes second place racer.  I loved hitting the computer with a shell right before a jump and screwing them a lap.  (Mario Circuit I heart you.)

3) Levels based on Super Mario World, the second best 2D Mario game....second only to Yoshi's Island.

4) Being introduced to the concept of Kart Battle Modes...that would become standard in many racing games. 

[NWR_insanolord]

I either don't really like or haven't played the remaining titles, so I'm going to have to go no opinion.

[BeautifulShy]

I haven't played the arcade games but I have played the original and GBA games and I prefer the SNES game. Mainly for the reasons that Spak-Spang stated. I loved playing on Bowser Castle and lapping everybody. I used the Princess most of the time.

I also liked how if you picked someone you would have your rival.

It also had fun ways to add to the challenge. I liked running over toad and princess toadstools mushroom and playing shrunken through the race.

It was also fun to race backwards on certain tracks.

[UltimatePartyBear]

2) Being able to lap opponents and even sometimes second place racer.  I loved hitting the computer with a shell right before a jump and screwing them a lap.  (Mario Circuit I heart you.)

The best part about that is that the computer controlled racers had infinite feathers, and their use of them seemed to be completely deterministic, i.e. if they did use them, they'd always use them in that same spot.  That meant if you placed a banana peel perfectly, every single one of them would jump over it every single time, as well as over the boost and jump markers.  The entire pack could be stuck in an endless loop.

Another thing I liked was how speed boosts affected your jump height when you hit the jumps.  I loved using a mushroom so I'd be at ludicrous speed and jump clear off the top of the screen.  It was possible to do some shortcuts that way, but really, really risky.  Which is why it was awesome.

I've been voting for the original the whole time because it was the game I was best at in my prime, and it was a hard game, too.  Also, none of the others have felt quite as precise to me.  I could snipe with green shells reliably in that game, but in every one since I've felt like the green shells don't get fired quite straight.  I just haven't ever developed as good a feel for them as I did in the original in spite of probably logging as many hours in MK64 as in the original.  I can list a lot more stuff I miss from the original, like how I prefer the larger turning radius for red shells (that got me killed a lot when first starting MK64), but it's going to turn into nitpicking if I don't stop now.

[vudu]

I either don't really like or haven't played the remaining titles, so I'm going to have to go no opinion.

Ditto.  I hate the original and I haven't played the other remaining titles.

[TJ Spyke]

I've never played the SNES or GBA ones (the closest i've come is playing their tracks in the retro cups of later games), and the one arcade that used to be in my county never had either arcade game. I guess I have to go with the no opinion option.

[Stratos]

I'm pushing for GP now. I agree it is quite enjoyable.

[Mop it up]

I'm voting for the arcade game since it can't possibly be worse than the SNES and GBA ones, plus there's a Birdo cameo in it.

[UncleBob]

Interesting...

[Stratos]

GP is actually gaining some support. But I doubt it will beat SNES. People don't like it, but I don't think enough will rally to others to help them win.

[Spak-Spang]

The original deserves much more credit than its getting.  Sure its not as good as the later, but you need to respect and put it somewhere. 

That is one reason I love the Mega Man series...they are so similar that the second and 8th game can compete together even though the graphics are quite different.

[UncleBob]

Mario Kart Arcade GP 2    - 0 (0%)
Super Mario Kart (SNES)    - 7 (35%)
Mario Kart: Super Circuit (GBA)    - 2 (10%)
I have no opinion on the remaining titles    - 8 (40%)
Mario Kart Arcade GP    - 3 (15%)

Total Members Voted: 20