With Mario Kart 9 rumors swirling, we need these 4 features

digitaltrends.com:

It’s hard to believe that it’s been almost eight years since the last entry in the Mario Kart series. Mario Kart 8, the most recent foray into Nintendo’s zany racing universe, came out on the Wii U in 2014. An updated Switch version, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, was released in 2017, but it was an expansion of Mario Kart 8 rather than a fully new entry. It’s understandable that fans are chomping at the bit for a new entry, myself included.

Last week, games industry analyst Dr. Serkan Toto told Gamesindustry.biz that not only is Mario Kart 9 in active development, but it also includes “a new twist.” The series is no stranger to gimmicks — Mario Kart: Double Dash allowed two players to ride on the same kart, for example — but Toto’s announcement sent the community into overdrive regardless.

For the last several days, many have been dreaming up their perfect Mario Kart, complete with fresh courses, characters, and ideas. As someone who’s put more than 1500 hours into Mario Kart over the last decade, here’s everything I want to see in Mario Kart 9.

One of Mario Kart 8‘s biggest shake-ups was its inclusion of racing tracks themed around other Nintendo properties. For the first time, players could race through Hyrule from The Legend of Zelda, a town from Animal Crossing: New Leaf, and more — alongside the usual Marioverse-themed courses.

Though these tracks only made up a handful of the full roster, they made the game seem infinitely bigger in scope. Mario Kart 9 would do well to follow in 8‘s footsteps by expanding the roster of playable courses even more. Players could potentially race through a wooded route from Pokémon, a desolate planet from Metroid, or even one of the golf courses from Wii Sports for a real throwback.

Of course,