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Discussion Controversial topic: Mario Kart or "Smash Kart"?

What would you prefer to see in an upcoming Kart entry?

  • Go all in and make it "Smash Kart"/"Nintendo Kart"

    Votes: 42 31.3%

  • Orthodox Mario Kart with Mario franchise only

    Votes: 21 15.7%

  • Keep Mario Kart with DLC Smash Characteristics

    Votes: 71 53.0%
  • Total voters
    134
Terrell

Terrell

The Great Equalizer
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Some background to start...

So I think this has been a hotly debated subject in most video game circles and has been something fans have considered wanting for as long as Smash Bros. has existed, but I think it's pretty clear that the doors busted open on this topic thanks to Mario Kart 8 and its DLC on Wii U, followed by its further expansion in 8 Deluxe. And it's difficult to argue against the appeal there, considering how kart racers and tracks from other Nintendo series were so well-received. But it's also starting to look more possible that a change is coming.

Why would you think that they're going to change Mario Kart? Just because of some DLC from other series?

Nope. It mostly comes back to Mario Kart's evolution since DS showing that it's already been changing. The series was starting to take turns away from the purely Mario aesthetic and style.
The logo change was the first big change. Stripping it of the "Mario fonts" that began in Mario Kart 7 was another. But the soundtrack was the big one for me. Transitioning the game to a sort of cohesive musical oeuvre for the course remixes and original tracks (that high tempo big-band style being most prominent) pushed the series very firmly into its own sort of visual and audio style that's becoming more and more wholly separate from the Mario style it originated from. (I can't tell you how impressed I was with the soundtrack other than to say that the folks who were in charge of it make me rest easy if Koji Kondo ever retires, particularly Shiho Fujii, who has had her hands in Splatoon, Mario Odyssey and Mario Kart 8)

To summarize, I'll re-word a Simpsons quote: Y'know Fox Mario Kart turned into a hardcore sex channel Smash Kart so gradually, I didn't even notice.

So what does "Smash Kart" even mean?

Honestly, I don't know. I'm not a game designer or a marketer at Nintendo. It could just mean kart racers and tracks from other series. It could mean items change by course, by racer or a bit of both. It could mean keeping the name "Mario Kart" but changing it to be like a Smash Kart, it could mean a rebranding to fit a new style. I don't even know what a suitable alternate name would be, hence the quotations.

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I certainly expect people to be talking about ideas they'd want to see from such a game, but really, I just want to see who'd be down for the idea at all.

So your options are: does Nintendo dial back on the cross-series stuff and keep Mario Kart as it was (Orthodox Mario Kart), does it keep the status quo and leave non-Mario cameos in as things are now (Mario Kart with DLC Smash Characteristics), or does it go all the way and make their kart racer series-agnostic, opening up some interesting new opportunities? I know what I'd want to see, anyways.
 
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Keep it mario kart. Go for the deep cuts. Wart, Tatanga, the RPGs, WarioWare, DK and Luigi’s mansion characters.

smash kart would be such a shame to me because Mario Kart’s roster doesn’t even use the full potential of the marioverse itself
 
Keep it Mario Kart. Even Tour has barely scratched the surface of what the Mario universe can offer.
 
Kart with Smash style DLC. Its a formula that can evolve but doesn’t need to change drastically beyond bringing Double Dash back!
 
Definitely in the Mario Kart camp. I don't mind the odd character from a different series or Smash-style DLC but there's so much more they could do with the extended Mario universe.
 
I think the Mario universe (and others close enough like Zelda) offer more than enough character variety to keep the IP interesting and fresh for a long time. Besides, there's not exactly a major difference between characters anyway, since they all fall in a few weigth and style categories anyway. So importing, say, Crash Bandicoot or Master Chief would be interesting, but they would also play exactly the same as similarly sized characters.
 
I don't necessarily oppose having third party content in MK, but it should definitely take a backseat to the actual Mario content, especially considering how much the Mario universe still has to offer. Like, having Link and 1 Zelda themed track are find. Having Link, Zelda, Ganon, Ganondorf and a bunch of Zelda tracks is dumb.
 
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Unfortunately even if they kept it strictly Mario Kart there's little chance they would deep dive into the interesting characters and lore as it seems like Nintendo runs a pretty tight ship on Mario spin-offs nowadays.

I don't have a strong opinion on Mario Kart's integrity as a Mario spin-off because they'll never do more than a shallow dip into the vast universe of the series anyway.
 
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It seems to be unpopular, but I want to see more Mario Kart crossovers. However I think it should be limited rather than blowing the roster wide open. Maybe even limit crossovers to DLC. Old guest characters shouldn't return but of course their tracks would be in the pool of potential retro tracks in later games.

Pikmin, Pokemon, Kirby, hell even a track on a Fire Emblem battlefield or through some Xenoblade environment would be kind neat. Starfox during a space Battle, an Earthbound town with weird stuff going on, a black and white Game and Watch track—even Mega Man, Sonic, or Pac-Man would be neat.

Would be a novel little thing to get excited for but if they do it too much it wouldn't be as neat when it does happen.
 
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I don't mind the non-Mario characters and tracks and wouldn't have a problem with them increasing a bit, but ultimately I don't think trying to lean too hard in to the "smash kart" angle would really be beneficial. This is a kart racing game, not a fighting game. Adding more series to the mix doesn't really bring much new to the table outside of aesthetics, which isn't nothing, but it just doesn't really have the same impact.
 
Pokemaniac said:
I don't mind the non-Mario characters and tracks and wouldn't have a problem with them increasing a bit, but ultimately I don't think trying to lean too hard in to the "smash kart" angle would really be beneficial. This is a kart racing game, not a fighting game. Adding more series to the mix doesn't really bring much new to the table outside of aesthetics, which isn't nothing, but it just doesn't really have the same impact.
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When you consider items, though, it could.

Like, as an example, certain items have some basic characteristics. Green shells shoot straight, red shells seek the person ahead of you, etc.

Let's say Samus is in this game. Replace green shells with missiles, red shells with super missiles. But unlike green shells that can rebound off terrain, missiles explode on contact with terrain. As a trade-off to that, they pack more punch than a standard green shell. It keeps items somewhat uniform, but with altered characteristics.

What I'm saying is that there are potential non-aesthetic applications to opening the series up beyond Mario in this sense, should they wish to go that route. It would all depend on how they chose to use those potential new options, if they choose to at all (cuz they very much COULD just go the visual representation route)
 
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Mario Kart should stay as it is, including the third party guest character.
Everytime i hear about Smash Kart i imagine a kart game where they trying to punch each other of the karts Smash style.
 
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Sander RX said:
What if we get Chris Pratt and 90s movie Mario as a downloadable characters?
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cute-kid.gif
 
Please keep it in the Mario universe. I dont mind characters from spinoffs (quite the opposite), but I dont want to see Samus racing and I definately dont want to see someone like Joker from Persona series behind the wheels.

Remove all the babyversions and add some Kongs and some of Marios enemies and I will be more than pleased.
 
As cool as it was getting the Zelda/AC/F-Zero/Excitebike content in Mario Kart 8, I never really liked the idea of "Smash Kart" with characters from all over the place.

What they do need though is to get rid of endless baby versions and do what they did with Tour and just add more ACTUAL characters form the Mario universe. As a nice little extra, I'm cool with more little throwbacks to other franchises, though. Like a wild water-focused course themed around Wave Race.
 
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Mario Kart. Keep the Smash fans contained to Smash.
 
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Keep it Mario Kart. I'm fine with DLC having other Nintendo characters like in MK8. I don't think I ever want to see other company's characters in Mario Kart though, even as DLC.

Tour has been a lot of fun in part because they're digging through the Mario series catalog and adding a lot of longtime requests.
 
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I wouldn't mind either way. I enjoyed the inclusion of Zelda, Animal Crossing, and Splatoon stuff in MK8, so I can't say I wouldn't enjoy more from other series as well. But folks are right, there's so much more to dig and use and create from the entire history of Mario. Though, no matter what it is going forward, it should still be called Mario Kart and nothing else.

But also, with the term Smash Kart being thrown around, I thought of a new "battle" type mode for Mario Kart, where you race on the regular 3-lap tracks, but instead of only racing for first place, it's kinda Smash rules, where you can damage other players, accumulate damage percent like Smash Bros, and that makes it easier to knock people off the track, and maybe if you get knocked off 3 times or so, you're eliminated from the race - last person standing wins. I think that would be cool, new, and fun, on TOP of regular race mode and the existing battle modes.
 
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Give me Mario Kart feat. Nintendo All-Stars please.
 
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I guess I have the unpopular opinion of going all out and making it Smash Kart. Though obviously still naming it Mario Kart.

The reason being this opens up so many different types of courses. Zelda courses, Kirby courses, Kid Icarus courses, hell get third party characters too for Metal Gear Solid courses, MegaMan courses, etc.
 
I don't know, I always wanted Mario Kart to open up to other franchises and when they finally did it with 8 it was awesome. I can see where y'all are coming from, but personally I would be really surprised to see Nintendo including more unique and weird stuff of the expanded Mario lore with any mainline entry. And I feel like they have reached a point, where they can't offer anything really new and exciting visually and thematically by focusing only on core Mario games and characters.
 
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I personally prefer it to stay Mario-verse only.

Like, until the likes of Wart and Captain Syrup are added as permanent additions, I personally don't see the need for Link or Inkling to bring their friends along. Hell, it wasn't until the mobile game that Kamek and Dixie finally got in, and that, to me, is just sad.
 
I don't think there will be a Nintendo Kart like Smash Bros because driving and fighting are 2 different things. With a fighter, a character's personality can be better manifested and shown off than in a racer where they are stuck in a Kart. In other words, putting Zero Suit Samus in Mario Kart 9 wont make it sell any better. Also because Mario Kart is such a BIG seller, I don't think Nintendo will tinker with it too much.
 
There isn’t really a good description here of what “Smash Kart” even entails or means. But I can say while I couldn’t care less about “Mario Characters” and the lore , enjoyed the dlc guest characters of Mario Kart 8 , and think the base Mario Kart 8 roster was atrocious , I’m still vehemently opposed to “smash kart “. For a number of reasons , firstly being I think the fan base and discourse around a Smash Kart would just make a game I usually can derive some pleasure in just not that fun . But also I just enjoy the wild and silly courses that the “mario kart team” makes while being refined to “just” the mario universe , I do not want to see concepts like “toad shopping mall” and “daisy’s cruise ship” and “waluigi has either a giant pinball machine or has shrunken you down “ give way too much to a “smash kart” with just tracks from a bunch of nintendo series . I think what Mario Kart 8 did in terms of introducing “guest characters” with cups that feature tracks from other games but primarily still a majority being “Mario” characters and courses was the right balance for anything like this and what I’d still like to see for the next one , even if they increase or better round out the guests .
 
Skittzo said:
I guess I have the unpopular opinion of going all out and making it Smash Kart. Though obviously still naming it Mario Kart.

The reason being this opens up so many different types of courses. Zelda courses, Kirby courses, Kid Icarus courses, hell get third party characters too for Metal Gear Solid courses, MegaMan courses, etc.
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I agree wholeheartedly

Smash Kart while keeping the MK name.

Like, it doesn’t have to be full on Smash levels of franchise diversity and it can still be biased towards Mario representation, I just want the MK8 DLC guests, but way more of them, with tracks and characters from more Nintendo franchises.
 
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Personally I am greedy and therefore want both of the following:

Super Smash Racer: Yes, absolutely, give me the Everyone Is Racing game, but make it mechanically different to Mario Kart. New modes, different vehicles, different track designs. I don't want Mario Kart reskinned as Smash Kart; I do think Smash Racing as its own entity could be a great MK alternative rather than a replacement.

More Mario Kart with More... Mario: as others are saying, do the obvious thing and use Tour's roster as a starting point. Then go further and go for the deep cuts that fans will enjoy - Tatanga, Fawful, and Captain Syrup, please.
 
MisterSpo said:
Super Smash Racer: Yes, absolutely, give me the Everyone Is Racing game, but make it mechanically different to Mario Kart. New modes, different vehicles, different track designs. I don't want Mario Kart reskinned as Smash Kart; I do think Smash Racing as its own entity could be a great MK alternative rather than a replacement.
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What about a racing mode in super smash bros?
 
eli said:
What about a racing mode in super smash bros?
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My concern here would be that it wouldn't end up very fleshed out. I'd really prefer a racing game that takes the Smash approach to its modes and, on top of several core modes, it has a bunch of wacky mini-games. Let's have racing Home Run and racing Target Practise.
 
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I am a traditionalist with when it comes to Mario Kart so I would prefer to keep Mario Kart as is.

Honestly I'm not sure Smash cart would be given enough attention to be a worthwhile game/mode.
 
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I say keep the Mario Kart brand; have a good chunk of the roster still be the mainstay Mario cast (the Mario Kart 64 roster, + Waluigi, Toadette, Bowser Jr., Diddy and Rosalina) but the rest of the game is all about an internal Nintendo crossover; from the tracks, the characters, the cars, everything.

Mario Kart: Nintendo Cup
 
I'm biased because I find the "Marioverse" pretty dull compared to other Nintendo worlds, so in recognition of that bias I voted for Mario Kart with crossover DLC. Let Mario Kart stay Mario, I think.
 
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I’d vastly prefer keeping it within the Mario universe. Having a few guest characters, as with the MK8 DLC, is fine I guess, but I definitely would rather they not go any further than that.
 
Keep it Mario but with the extended Mario franchises too, add Wario and Luigi's Mansion characters
 
I'd be happy with whatever, Mario Kart with Nintendo ips as dlc extras like MK8, a MK9 with other Nintendo stuff included at launch (IE Mario & Friends Kart), or go all in on Nintendo/Smash Kart.
 
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I think the current split we have is good - some Nintendo crossover but the majority of the content is Mario. I'm going to take a slightly different angle than most here, though.

The characters don't bother me at all. Link, Isabelle, Inklings, they're all great choices, and I can see other characters fitting in perfectly if they had them in the game (Zelda, Kirby). I also think that the expanded Mario universe is ripe for characters and themes, though my expectations are pretty low there. But one of the things I like about Mario Kart is that its tracks get to expand the Mario universe in fun ways. You would probably still get great tracks and track design with other franchises (Mute City and Big Blue are some of my favorites in 8), but when you gotta make individual stages for each series in a massive crossover, I feel like there's less room for expanding on existing universe and more so making a track from an existing locale or to purely represent a franchise. Of course I can see that appealing to a lot of people, Sonic All Stars Racing Transformed takes that very approach and people love it, but it's not my preference.

I don't think this is necessarily an unsolvable problem (8 and 8 Deluxe already handle it well, I feel), but I feel like they need to take a balanced approach if they aim to expand the number of other franchises in Mario Kart.
 
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I'm on Team Smash Kart. But not just a Smash Kart with open invitation. No. Just cute platforming mascots. Cartoony and colorful. No creepy realistic humans or anime swordfighters. Meaning no to "pretty boy Link" but yes to "Chibi Link".

A sample roster I have in mind: Mario, Luigi, Peach, Toad, Yoshi, Kirby, Meta, DK, Diddy, Wairo, Merelda, Chibi Link, Tetra, Tingle, Isabella, Tom Nook, Inkling, Starfy, Dillon, Megaman, Arthur, Joe, Pac-man, Taizo, Mr. Driller, Taiko, Bomberman, Bonk, Master Higgins, Frogger, Q-bert, Bub & Bob, Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, AiAi, Samba, Billy Hatcher

Maybe some theme DLC packs too.
 
I'm probably one of these weirdos who feel very particular about their Mario games. I want less Mario games but every Mario game to go full Mario, namsayin?
 
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Phendrift said:
Keep it mario kart. Go for the deep cuts. Wart, Tatanga, the RPGs, WarioWare, DK and Luigi’s mansion characters.

smash kart would be such a shame to me because Mario Kart’s roster doesn’t even use the full potential of the marioverse itself
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First post nails it here. If Nintendo simply expanded the cast to include some more Mario universes, I think most people would already be satisfied. Plus give me that Wario Ware Track.
 
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Terrell said:
When you consider items, though, it could.

Like, as an example, certain items have some basic characteristics. Green shells shoot straight, red shells seek the person ahead of you, etc.

Let's say Samus is in this game. Replace green shells with missiles, red shells with super missiles. But unlike green shells that can rebound off terrain, missiles explode on contact with terrain. As a trade-off to that, they pack more punch than a standard green shell. It keeps items somewhat uniform, but with altered characteristics.

What I'm saying is that there are potential non-aesthetic applications to opening the series up beyond Mario in this sense, should they wish to go that route. It would all depend on how they chose to use those potential new options, if they choose to at all (cuz they very much COULD just go the visual representation route)
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I suppose you could do something like that, but I'd be worried about how it could affect the item balance.
 
I would say keep as is. They are 2 tentpole brands and 1 is of course cruising past 40m sales. I don't think calling it Smash Kart would boost sales, nor would it blue shell them either, but why throw people off track for another "is this an add on for the Wii?" head-scratching Nintendo moment?
 
9-Volt said:
I'm on Team Smash Kart. But not just a Smash Kart with open invitation. No. Just cute platforming mascots. Cartoony and colorful. No creepy realistic humans or anime swordfighters. Meaning no to "pretty boy Link" but yes to "Chibi Link".

A sample roster I have in mind: Mario, Luigi, Peach, Toad, Yoshi, Kirby, Meta, DK, Diddy, Wairo, Merelda, Chibi Link, Tetra, Tingle, Isabella, Tom Nook, Inkling, Starfy, Dillon, Megaman, Arthur, Joe, Pac-man, Taizo, Mr. Driller, Taiko, Bomberman, Bonk, Master Higgins, Frogger, Q-bert, Bub & Bob, Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, AiAi, Samba, Billy Hatcher

Maybe some theme DLC packs too.
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while I agree on the part of keeping characters proportioned as the rest of the Mario cast (even though I wouldn't mind characters like Link or Samus), I wouldn't say jump straight to 3rd Party guests...

sure, Pac-Man, Don-Chan and Mametchi were on the Arcade games and both Pac-Man and Sonic got Mii Costumes in MK8.. but that would also be an opportunity to Nintendo bring more of their underappreciated IPs like Mole Mania or Drill Dozer, I dunno.. (well, considering if The Pokémon Company would be playing ball)

In fact, if we go only by EAD/EPD franchises, we already got a good and varying roster;
 
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Just keep it Mario! There are too many characters already, they don’t need more and they definitely don’t need to branch out.

Though I will say this: “Smash” literally means to fight! They won’t call it “Smash Kart” or anything

Let me put forth: “Super Dash Bros.”
 
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I don't see why they wouldn't have two separate series. I am all for "Smash Kart" (and hope they use a different name lol). I think there's plenty of places where a Nintendo All-Star Kart could differentiate from Mario.
 
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