Hopes for the next Mario Kart (discussion)

[Perkilator]

I think reserving crossover stuff for DLC is a smart way to go.

On another note, your post made me realize how much I’d appreciate “themed cups.” What's the point of having the "Triforce Cup" if we just go to Hyrule Castle and then a bunch of random Mario locations? I feel like no one's really concerned with "immersion" in Mario Kart, but it really is weird that they never even attempt solid theming when it comes to cups, aside from like...Mushroom is easy, Special always has Rainbow Road, etc.

But why not a Shine Sprite Cup with Delfino Airstrip, Delfino Plaza, Gelato Beach, Corona Mountain? Or a "Barrel Cup" with DK Mountain, Mine Cart Madness, Fruity Factory, Gangplank Galleon. Maybe people would miss the diversity that every cup would bring, but it's easy to make a Sunshine, Galaxy, Yoshi, DK, etc. theme that still offers plenty of unique locations. I feel like this could make the cups feel more meaningful and distinct, while only slightly restricting the variety each cup could bring.

My pitch for a new does bring back the Egg Cup form 8's DLC, but themes it around Yoshi. Kamek Book Store, Poochy Park, Stork Bay, and Yarn Yoshi Yard are the tracks I have for it. (Here's the pitch itself)

 

[Geno Boost]

idk if its just me i dont want mario kart to become smash kart i know there could few exception like captian falcon or excitebiker would make sense but i feel there is alot of mario characters that people want that still have yet to make it in like the mario RPGs or wario series or even foreman spike that have been ignored

 

[Mamboo07]

My hot take is that I'd like to see Smash Kart in addition to Mario Kart, not replacing it.

Same, would be better as its own thing, an entire separate game on its own.

 

[Kirbeh]

"My name is Bumpty, and I live in the cold world." - bumptytext

 

[Diddy Kong]

I'd like that to happen as well but I do have to wonder how much Nintendo actually owns. There's Diddy and Krunch but what about the tracks, music and vehicles? Can they use any of that without having to go through Microsoft first?

Tracks, music and vehicles are maybe impossible. Those are owned by Rare. But maybe the Jungle tracks from the DS version ? Bananas in Diddy Kong Racing work exactly the same as coins, so there's another possible reverence. The DK Island tracks Thunder Cove or Meandering Mount are good choices maybe.

 

[NintenRob]

I'd be surprised if anyone at Nintendo or Rare even remembered that Diddy Kong Racing DS exists


They barely remember the original, add it to Switch online already

 

[chocolatejr9]

I'd be surprised if anyone at Nintendo or Rare even remembered that Diddy Kong Racing DS exists


They barely remember the original, add it to Switch online already

They probably remember it more than Barrel Blast, I'll say that much. So many original Kremlings, just to never be used again...

 

[Perkilator]

Here's a mockup I made for if Delfino Square came back. Red denotes Lap 1, blue denotes Lap 2, and yellow denotes Lap 3. (Added arrows for visual clarity)

 

[Gorgonzales]

They probably remember it more than Barrel Blast, I'll say that much. So many original Kremlings, just to never be used again...

I'd love some of those Kremlings to become Mario Kart racers, though. Mainly Kludge.

 

[MBRedboy31]

A gimmick I think could be interesting is if they had some kind of super boost pads on some tracks so that massively increase your speed for a specific section of the track. It wouldn’t really be something you could miss, it’d just be a super boost section of the track. It’s kind of like the cannons that several tracks have that make you fly super fast for a bit, but you’re still driving, so they could have (gentle) turns and you could place stuff like bananas there to make it extra hazardous due to the absurd speed. Maybe the karts would have rocket engines that appear when in super boost mode, kinda like the propeller and glider that only appear when needed.

 

[Thegameandwatch]

They probably remember it more than Barrel Blast, I'll say that much. So many original Kremlings, just to never be used again...

The only thing they remember from that game is reusing voice clips because Funky and supposedly Diddy Kong had their voice clips from that game when they returned in 8 Deluxe. (also used in MK Wii).

 

[Mario & Sonic Guy]

I'd love some of those Kremlings to become Mario Kart racers, though. Mainly Kludge.

Knowing Nintendo, we likely won't be seeing any of the Kremlings any time soon, which is rather sad.

 

[Blackwolf666]

Hope they decide to put Kirby in the next one and give him a warp star as a vehicle

 

[Mario & Sonic Guy]

Hope they decide to put Kirby in the next one and give him a warp star as a vehicle

Nintendo would have to go through HAL Laboratory, Inc. first, since it doesn't have the full rights to the Kirby series.

 

[MBRedboy31]

Nintendo would have to go through HAL Laboratory, Inc. first, since it doesn't have the full rights to the Kirby series.

They already did that for both MK8 and MK8DX for the Kirby Mii racing suit. If they decide that they want Kirby as a full character (which is a big if, to be fair) they’ll do it again.

 

[Mario & Sonic Guy]

They already did that for both MK8 and MK8DX for the Kirby Mii racing suit. If they decide that they want Kirby as a full character (which is a big if, to be fair) they’ll do it again.

Perhaps, but even then, Nintendo will probably just stick with its own property.

 

[Thegameandwatch]

Perhaps, but even then, Nintendo will probably just stick with its own property.

That’s probably why all of the non-Mario characters that are playable in 8 were fully owned by Nintendo since they don’t need to negotiate that much.

I think the only two other franchises regularly advertised by Nintendo that aren’t included as playable characters are Pikmin and Metroid.

 

[Mario & Sonic Guy]

That’s probably why all of the non-Mario characters that are playable in 8 were fully owned by Nintendo since they don’t need to negotiate that much.

I think the only two other franchises regularly advertised by Nintendo that aren’t included as playable characters are Pikmin and Metroid.

And that's pretty much it. When you look back at Super Mario Maker 2, one of the biggest reasons why the Mystery Mushroom never returned was to avoid having to deal with the copyright issues involving the characters whom Nintendo doesn't have the full rights to.

 

[BritishGuy54]

I know many people want to see many second time retro tracks.

But I do wonder if we could see lesser talked about options make a comeback, such as GBA Luigi Circuit or N64 DK’s Jungle Parkway.

 

[Thegameandwatch]

There is also Figure-8 Circuit which has appeared more in Smash than Mario Kart. It being generic is probably why it hasn't returned.

 

[Ruler of Subspace]

I really just want them to bring back arcade tracks and Toad's Factory. Nintendo, give me these and my life is yours

 

[Gorgonzales]

Kinda hoping they go all in on the new tracks this time.

I'd be fine with significantly less retro tracks. If we get 40 new and 8 old, I wouldn't be mad at all. I want to see the dev team extend their creative muscles for some truly new ideas.

 

[Perkilator]

Kinda hoping they go all in on the new tracks this time.

I'd be fine with significantly less retro tracks. If we get 40 new and 8 old, I wouldn't be mad at all. I want to see the dev team extend their creative muscles for some truly new ideas.

40 new and 8 old, huh? Well, I suppose I could create a course list around that.

Mushroom Cup	Flower Cup	Feather Cup	Egg Cup	Star Cup	Special Cup
Peach's Driving School​	Mario Bros. Circuit​	SNES Mario Circuit 4​	Kamek Book Store​	Haunted Hotel​	Big Band Boulevard​
Goomba Skate Park​	Sand Castle Scramble​	Wii Toad's Factory​	Poochy Park​	Morton Construction​	DK Docks​
Area 64​	Nabbit's Heist​	Tour Warp Pipe Canyon​	Stork Bay​	Bone-Dry Badlands​	Bowser's Kingdom​
Luigi's Casino​	Piranha Plant of Horrors​	3DS Wuhu Loop​	Yarn Yoshi Yard​	Koopa Clown Carnival​	Rainbow Road​

Shell Cup	Banana Cup	Leaf Cup	Bell Cup	Lightning Cup	Spiny Cup
Koopa Troopa Resort​	Bob-omb Battlefield​	Sherbet Palace​	Mario Maker​	Waluigi Sea Slide​	N64 Wario Stadium​
Honeybee Hiveway​	Boothill Kalimari​	Autumn Mountain​	Chargin' Chuck Stadium​	Fuzzy Battery​	DS Airship Fortress​
Bonneton Museum​	Birdo Jewelers​	Sparkling Seaside​	Wiggler World​	Luma's Milky Way​	GCN Bowser's Castle​
Doki Doki Theater​	Funky Bowling​	Tomorrow Hill​	Lake Lapcat​	Wonder Circuit​	GBA Rainbow Road​

 

[MBRedboy31]

My personal ultra-niche pick for a new generic mook character is Skedaddler.

Admittedly, they're not really important in Wonder since they only appear in 2 levels (although these two levels are near the beginning of the game, so that makes them more notable to a lot of players than enemies that only appear later in the game.) Their main thing is running away from you, though, seems perfect for a game designed around outrunning all your competitors, right?

 

[Gorgonzales]

My personal ultra-niche pick for a new generic mook character is Skedaddler.

Admittedly, they're not really important in Wonder since they only appear in 2 levels (although these two levels are near the beginning of the game, so that makes them more notable to a lot of players than enemies that only appear later in the game.) Their main thing is running away from you, though, seems perfect for a game designed around outrunning all your competitors, right?

I love mook characters and Wonder's got no shortage of fantastic designs for em.

My favorite is probably Outmaway. He genuinely feels like a lost SMB2 character.
His design is a nice Yin to Ninji's Yang. Would love to see him appear in more titles.

 

[Perkilator]

My top 5 favorite Tour courses in 8 Deluxe:

1. Squeaky Clean Sprint
   • The most creative course in the entire game, with plenty of hidden shortcuts to boot. Probably my favorite course in the entire series.
2. Ninja Hideaway
   • Plenty of alternate paths to the point of truly feeling like Mario’s platforming roots
3. Singapore Speedway
   • Probably the best city course in the game purely for how varied its laps are and because its aesthetics make it feel like a proper race course
4. Athens Dash
   • The second best city course IMO, because it feels like you’re going on an adventure throughout Greece
5. Piranha Plant Cove
   • The only non-city course to have unique routes on each lap. Admittedly the weakest of the five courses on this list, but still a good, solid track.

I am hoping that these five tracks are the standard for new courses in the next Mario Kart game: courses with unique and varied laps and plentiful shortcuts / alternate paths that truly embrace their creative themes.

 

[P4ST4N4G4]

I love mook characters and Wonder's got no shortage of fantastic designs for em.

My favorite is probably Outmaway. He genuinely feels like a lost SMB2 character.
His design is a nice Yin to Ninji's Yang. Would love to see him appear in more titles.

View attachment 398295

They would make for great obstacles on new courses. I mean Wonder does have a lot of potential for new circuits and cups.

 

[NintenRob]

Here's what I hope that I mentioned in the another topic.

Unlockable characters. And make me work for them. None of this random unlock bs

 

[NintenRob]

Here's what I hope that I mentioned in the another topic.

Unlockable characters. And make me work for them. None of this random unlock bs

Edit: I feel so deeply about this it was worth saying twice oops

 

[Perkilator]

I guess another thing I’d like to see aesthetically is more unique colors and patterns for the various panels

• Orange/red for the Dash Panels (like the one we saw in the Switch 2 trailer)
• Sky blue/sky green for the Glide Ramp panels
• White with red arrows for half-pipe panels
• Blue/magenta (in reference to the “8” in 8 Deluxe’s logo) with hexagon patterns for antigravity panels

 

[Diddy Kong]

Double Dash brought something better than the dual race system, the personalised items for each character and their counterpart. I miss that. Bring that back.

Also since DK looks like that, am curious they'll add Diddy too with the look from the Mario Movie. It was kinda cool I felt.

 

[Perkilator]

Double Dash brought something better than the dual race system, the personalised items for each character and their counterpart. I miss that. Bring that back.

Funny you say that, I actually just thought of another way to bring back the concept of special items.

I’ve seen speculation on what the glowing yellow object could be, but I could see it being a fuel tank for a resource called Frenzy Fuel. Frenzy Fuel would be a gauge that allows you to use a special item upon picking up an Item Box. Aside from the fuel tank, you’d also gradually build up Frenzy Fuel by performing trick combos (like in Tour) and picking up Coins.

 

[BritishGuy54]

I don’t know how I feel about the fuel tank gimmick that’s being rumoured.

If it’s supplemental, or just a new item, that sounds cool. But if it’s integral to the game… I think it’ll take getting used to.

 

[Mario & Sonic Guy]

A fuel tank gimmick does sound interesting, but probably not a good idea to implement if one was to look at Sonic Riders and its sequels. After all, if you run out of fuel, you'd be forced to retire, which would feel very aggravating.

 

[Perkilator]

I don’t know how I feel about the fuel tank gimmick that’s being rumoured.

If it’s supplemental, or just a new item, that sounds cool. But if it’s integral to the game… I think it’ll take getting used to.

A fuel tank gimmick does sound interesting, but probably not a good idea to implement if one was to look at Sonic Riders and its sequels. After all, if you run out of fuel, you'd be forced to retire, which would feel very aggravating.

Don’t worry—my concept of Frenzy Fuel is entirely limited to Special Items. It’s not like Sonic Riders where you need it to drive.

 

[KingofPhantoms]

Honestly, I just want the Bowser Shells to return.

 

[Mushroomguy12]

You know what, I talked about about Mission Mode from DS earlier, but screw it, let's have a full Adventure Mode like Diddy Kong Racing. I just want something to do other than racing and battling.

 

[Slime Scholar]

Also since DK looks like that, am curious they'll add Diddy too with the look from the Mario Movie. It was kinda cool I felt.

I don't think DK's design is inspired by the movie any more than it is the OG art. Mind you, we haven't had the best look at it, but all they've really done is make his head wider and lift his brow so that his default expression is less angry-looking, and admittedly a bit doofier. We've also seen them rolling out merchandise that uses updated official art and Diddy is, more or less, the same.

Here's what I hope that I mentioned in the another topic.

Unlockable characters. And make me work for them. None of this random unlock bs

It would actually be cool to unlock stuff in a structured way again. I remember how triumphant it felt to get the Parade Car in Double Dash.

Randomly getting vehicle parts in MK8 as a reward for picking up coins wasn't as satisfying, and I think it was evidently confusing for some considering how many people I've seen who didn't know the coins also had a function in the actual race.

 

[Perkilator]

You know what, I talked about about Mission Mode from DS earlier, but screw it, let's have a full Adventure Mode like Diddy Kong Racing. I just want something to do other than racing and battling.

Maybe call it “Cross-Country Tour” like you’re going on a tour of the country! You could compete in races as part of the “main story,” do missions, fight bosses, and drive around hubs to get a feel for the controls.

 

[Louie G.]

Reading up and taking into account topics like the fuel tank, or the spread of old and new courses, I'm reminded of how Mario Kart 8 Deluxe will still be playable on the Switch 2 along with all of the DLC content that it received on Switch. Sure, reinterpreting old courses with whatever new gameplay elements are present in MK9 is great, but I do think 'retro' stages will be a bit less of an emphasis when so many of them are available to go back to for tens of millions of players whenever they want already.

And that goes for the potential fuel mechanic too - it could definitely be a big change that will take some getting used to. But I'm here for a new experience after a decade of Mario Kart being, well, the same Mario Kart. I feel pretty similarly about Smash, whatever direction they choose to go. But I think the Switch 2 feeling more like an extension of the previous generation rather than a full overhaul justifies series deviating from their formulas, emphasizing new ideas and concepts, with the promise that you can always fall back on the old stuff in arms distance.