Mario Kart

Random Rankings – Mario Kart 8 Courses

/ Michael Beckwith / 1 Comment

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Despite telling myself there was no point in buying it again, I recently caved and wound up getting Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on the Nintendo Switch. Between the new characters, improved Battle Mode and all the included DLC, it’s easily the definitive version of the game. If you missed out on MK 8 the first time around, you have no excuse to not grab a copy.

As I replayed it, I was reminded of how good a lot of the race courses were, which got me to wondering which ones I liked the best. So, just for shits and giggles, I’ve ranked each and every course from Mario Kart 8, from my least favourite to my most favourite, with brief explanations as to why. Continue reading →

Five Great Racing Games That Aren’t Mario Kart

/ Michael Beckwith / Leave a comment

(originally posted June 20th 2014)

So, how about that ‘Mario Kart 8,’ eh? One of the most hyped games of 2014; one that increased Wii U sales by 666% (truly work of Satan himself). I can safely say it is one of the best ‘MK’ games I’ve played – maybe even the best. But you know where you are with ‘Mario Kart.’ Every game has been at least of decent quality (except for the GBA one) – with ‘Mario Kart,’ fans of the mascot racing genre can sleep easily.

But imagine, if you will, that ‘Mario Kart’ never existed. Maybe somewhere, in a parallel universe or alternate history, Nintendo never considered sticking their mascot in a go-kart. It’s a grim and terrifying image, I know, but do not worry, because even without it, there are plenty of great cartoony racing games that can fill up an evening with friends, and here are five of them. Continue reading →

Eight Characters That Should Be in Mario Kart

/ Michael Beckwith / 1 Comment

(originally posted May 16th 2014)

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We’re less than a month away from ‘Mario Kart 8’ hitting the shelves and I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much hype for a new ‘Mario Kart’ before. Since its announcement at E3 last year, we’ve slowly but surely seen more of it and I have certainly become more and more excited. But if there’s one thing I have to take issue with, it’s Nintendo’s choice of characters.

Now, ‘Mario Kart’ isn’t exactly something you play for its playable characters, unlike a fighting game like ‘Super Smash Bros’ but as the cast has grown, certain characters have unexpectedly cropped up… and not in the good way. ‘MK8’ will star many fan favourites but the rest are a bit of a head scratcher. All seven of the Koopalings? Are they really that popular? Baby Rosalina? Do we really need another baby version of an existing character? Even Baby Daisy was pushing it. And Pink Gold Peach? You’re not even trying with that one.

It wouldn’t be so bad if there wasn’t a far richer selection of Mushroom Kingdom inhabitants to choose from. So, here’s my personal pick of new and old racers that should be allowed onto the racecourse.

Continue reading →