- Pronouns
- He/Him
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'knowFox 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.
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
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.
-----
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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