Could a Nintendo Compilation “Nintendo Kart” Replace Mario Kart Going Forward?

Jeremy Damen
Sep 4, 2018 · 2 min read

An idea that has been on my mind lately is if Nintendo could eventually just forego Mario Kart and move towards a “Nintendo Kart.” It would essentially be the Super Smash Brothers version of Mario Kart, compiling a history of Nintendo characters, courses and vehicles into a whole new style of Mario Kart.

Could Bowser eventually be driving across a Fire Emblem race course?

We’ve already seen that with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe they are willing to branch beyond just the Mushroom Kingdom universe. You can play as Link, Inklings and Villager, all of which are outside the Mario related worlds. There is also an Animal Crossing track along with a Legend of Zelda track.

If Nintendo were to create a “Nintendo Kart” instead of just continuing with numbered Mario Kart games, I could see a lot of plus sides to it.

First and foremost, I believe the biggest plus side is all the Nintendo history you have to create compelling tracks that all have their own tone and style to them. Imagine going through a Super Mario Odyssey themed level like New Donk City, then going through a Fire Emblem themed level. The options are out there to create amazing tracks.

Second, it adds much more cross promotion. You could even add the racer and course as DLC to cross promote for an upcoming release, like the new Yoshi game, the new Fire Emblem game, or the new Metroid Prime game. Nintendo was very smart to add DLC to Mario Kart 8 because for those who take a break after the initial release, it gives them an added reason to return to the game.

A third plus side to me is an extension of the first, but you have endless ideas that you can draw from. You don’t have to worry about just adding old tracks into the games or using too many ideas from the same game, since I think most would expect a Super Mario Odyssey track to make it into the next Mario Kart game. One or two tracks from Super Mario Odyssey would be fantastic in a new Mario Kart game. Going much further than that may be a little too much, so you don’t have to reach from the same game titles and you don’t run out of ideas.

As a lifelong Nintendo fan, I would love to see Nintendo take on this type of challenge instead of just continuing on with numbered Mario Kart games. Don’t get me wrong, I greatly enjoy the Mario Kart games and if Mario Kart 9 is in production, I am sure it will be fantastic just like 8 was. I’d be lying if I said a “Nintendo Kart” didn’t intrigue me and get my creative juices flowing as I map out all different sorts of maps from different series.

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