Mario Kart: How The Game Has Changed In The Last 20 Years
The Mario Kart series was born in 1992 with the release of Super Mario Kart for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The kart-racing games see you choosing a racer, hopping into a vehicle, and speeding your way through a bevy of colorful courses. Choose from one of the dozens of available racetracks, organized into circuits across the games for smooth transitions. Snag items to hurl at opponents in an effort to slow them down, or even use them on yourself for a helpful speed boost.
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Any fan of Nintendo has most likely played a Mario Kart game in their time, and with such a big anniversary happening this year in 2022, we wanted to take a nostalgic look back at what made each of the mainline entries into the series so enduringly great.
This game set the stage for the rest of the Mario Kart franchise - it was a 16-bit, colorful delight in a time when racing games were all the rage but difficult to execute on a home console. Nintendo, however, was not to be daunted and overcame the challenge to practically invent the kart-racing genre.
Arcade cabinets simplified road movement in racing games, but this home release utilized a background that moved with your kart. The controls, though, were notedly more difficult - your character slips and slides across the course regardless of your skill. The additional challenge comes from the camera, fixed behind you and hell-bent on capturing every slight move your kart makes.
But for what the game lacked in control, it made up for in simplicity. Things were more straightforward – you picked your character and started the race. Not only that, but each character brought their own unique special ability to the table, too. Courses were presented in
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