And we’re back for another lap of Mario Kart history as we slipstream our way to the chequered flag and Mario Kart World on 5th June.
Having looked back at the first three instalments in Mario’s karting chronicles, today we’re accelerating on to the GameCube, DS, and two-duct-taped-GameCubes entries, as the series went online and embraced motion controls for the first time.
Before we hit the gas on ‘2’, it’s worth mentioning Mario Kart Arcade GP and its sequel, which came to arcades during this period. We’ll discuss those a little in a later feature – don’t worry, we haven’t forgotten them!
Let’s get to it, on the double…
Super Circuit was my introduction to Nintendo’s racing behemoth, but Double Dash is the entry that well and truly consumed me. I always felt the GameCube took a few interesting risks with its titles: first-person Metroid; cel-shaded Zelda, the entire premise of Pikmin… Double Dash was no different, and while the two-person kart setup might seem gimmicky now, it really caught my attention back in the day.
Playing it for the first time did require a bit of rewiring in my brain; I had no issue swapping characters out and making use of the right team-ups to unlock unique items, but what really got my steering wheel in a tizzy was the lack of the iconic ‘hop!’ when power sliding. It was weird, man! That said, a few quick laps around Baby Park soon allowed me to master the art of the boost.
I don’t mind now that the whole two-person premise was ditched, but for a good while I was really hoping Nintendo might give it another shot. Mario Kart Wii introduced… bikes, I guess? Cool, and optional motion controls were neat, but Double Dash felt really unique. It’ll always remain a personal favourite. – Ollie Reynolds
- Standout tracks: Mushroom Bridge, Waluigi Stadium, Baby Park, DK Mountain
- Fun fact: Double Dash!! added a load of new racers, one of which – Paratrooper – hasn’t been playable since.
- What does Mario Kart World take from this? Swapping characters mid-race was certainly a novelty, but not one that really has a place in Mario Kart World. That said, it opened the door to holding two items at a time, and frankly, we can’t imagine ever going back to one.
I had dabbled in some MK before 2005, but Mario Kart DS is where my love for the series really took hold. You can keep your local multiplayer, we’re firing up the DS Download Play and staying up until the early hours!
Everyone had a DS and, it seemed, everyone had MKDS. This game had my brother and me in a chokehold at just about every event possible. Oh, you haven’t unlocked R.O.B. yet? Gimme your DS for a second and let me blast through some Retro Cup.
And it wasn’t just local play either. Mario Kart DS introduced me to the world of online gaming back in the mid-2000s, and despite the criminally broken ‘snaking’ drift move ruining just about every online match I hopped into, I still remember the feeling of actually playing with strangers from different countries for the first time. Magic stuff.
There are so many other features that blew my little mind — retro courses, emblem customisation — but let’s give the biggest shoutout to Mission Mode. Until World, this was the closest the series has ever come to a single-player campaign, with a boatload of challenges to make handheld racing feel a little less lonely. The boss stages were a particular standout. Imagine explaining the 1v1 King Bob-omb mission to someone who’s only played 8 Deluxe! Oof, we used to have it good. – Jim Norman
- Standout tracks: Yoshi Falls, Wario Stadium, Waluigi Pinball, Peach Gardens & the Nintendo DS Battle Course
- Fun fact: This is the only Mario Kart game to not have a Mario-themed circuit in the Flower Cup. The DS’ Mario Circuit instead appears in the Star Cup.
- What does Mario Kart World take from this? Retro courses, online play, Dry Bones… but the focus on single-player content feels like the big hitter here. World’s Free Roam mode is far bigger than DS’ Mission Mode, but it’s nice to see the return of fun solo play.
Double Dash is where my real love for Mario Kart started, but I think Mario Kart Wii cemented it. When the Wii came out, I was in high school and trying to navigate new friendships in a new setting was weird. Most people didn’t really play video games at my school either, and the ones who did only played Call of Duty or FIFA; none of that RPG or platformer stuff.
The Wii was the exception. Everyone had a Wii. So everyone played Mario Kart. Mario Kart Wii is one of the few video games that actually made me enjoy motion controls and online play. I’d schedule matches and competitions with friends and we’d either race against each other or online to try and outsmart the competition.
Online was nuts; it felt like everyone was out for blood all the time. Somehow, I managed to get to a three-star rank (the highest) online. I’ve never been as competitive online with any other game, and that’s because the game was actually good online! *side eyes Smash Bros. Brawl*
Going back to Motion Controls, the Wii Wheel made all the difference there. Holding the Wii Remote on the side? Nuh-uh. The extra plastic, though? Genius idea to package that with the game. I don’t play with gyro in future entries, but this one time I thought it really worked.
Offline, I still loved the game, honestly. Up until Deluxe, Wii was the gold standard for the character roster. Rosalina joined the ranks, as did Funky Kong — and we know how much people loved that. It’s admittedly unbalanced due to vehicles and character-stat variety and getting extremely good items even if you’re high up. And its retro course selection is average-ish.
But I spent hundreds of hours on it, so you know what? Mario Kart Wii might be a janky, unbalanced mess, but it’s my mess and I love it. – Alana Hagues
- Standout tracks: Coconut Mall, Maple Treeway, Koopa Cape, Mushroom Gorge
- Fun fact: If you time a ‘hop’ just right, you can actually avoid getting hit by a POW block, meaning you’ll keep your item and won’t spin out. It’s a one-frame trick but if you can pull it off consistently? You’re pretty darn good.
- What does Mario Kart World take from this? Funky Kong. Where is he???? In all seriousness, bikes are now my go-to vehicle, so I’m glad vehicular variety has stuck around. Mario Kart World has a chance to go really nuts with this, and we’ve already seen a bit of that.
And that’s the end of the second circuit. Check out our first lap below if you missed it, and we’ll see you again for the next batch!
