The first ever Mario Kart game became a huge milestone for the Super machine. Pretty much creating an entire new genre, the game was an instant success selling eight million copies throughout the world. With eight playable characters from the Mario legacy, there was no shortage of competition with two player tournament and battle modes. Super Mario Kart was also notifiable for its use of a new technology called Mode7 which at the time, was the best way to display three dimensional graphics on affordable consumer hardware. Many things have changed since the original version of the game. Items were originally picked up from question mark boxes located on the floor which you would have to drive over to activate. Coins also played a big part in the original game giving you speed boosts as a reward for collecting more. Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Toad, Yoshi and Bowser all became staples of the series and have remained in every game since.

Created specifically for the Nintendo 64, Mario Kart 64 was definitely a worthy successor to the original. Boasting an advanced four player mode, the game was a console seller purely for being the first truly multiplayer game on the machine. With advanced 3d graphics the game was also able to do things the first game couldn’t including different elevations in terrain and walls. Many things were taken away from the original formula but for the most part it was the same old fun. Wario and Donkey Kong replaced characters Koopa Trooper and Donkey Kong Jr. but the rest of the racers remained. The game is reported to be one of the most successfull in the series thus far, selling over nine million copies the world over. It is also a massive fan favourite due to it’s popularization of four player console gaming which has been copied by many games since.

A five year wait for a successor to the massively successfull Nintendo 64 version brings Mario Kart to a handheld machine and does not dissapoint. The title surpassed the technical prowess of the original game but incorporated gameplay changes brought about in the 64 version. Mario Kart has always been built from the very start to be a multiplayer game, to be fun with friends and by yourself. Sadly due to the handheld nature of the Gameboy, it was difficult to setup multiplayer matches with Super Circuit, requiring three other friends with the console, a copy of the game and a massive array of wires. Many fans were incredibly happy with the inclusion of every single track from the original Super Nintendo Mario Kart game as an added bonus for finishing all of the new tracks. Bringing back the older race tracks became an excellent way of reliving the older game on the go. The handheld version was a brilliant addition to the already versatile series and gave fans to take the game outside and with them wherever they went, but what could they possibly do next?

Nintendo felt the need for a change with this entry in the series, feeling that each new addition needed something new to boast about. Double Dash added an extra racer into the mix creating frantic character switching and a boosted character roster. Although all around well recieved by gamers, the game was slated by reviewers and press for being too gimicky and straying away from the themes which defined the series. The new two-racer aspect allowed for some brilliantly epic multiplayer battles and fast paced single player races but did at times feel a little unneccesary. Overall a fun addition but not the best game in the series due to it’s meagre track selection which relied heavily on replaying the same levels over and over again.

Perhaps the best entry into the series for its sheer number of features and unlockables. Mario Kart DS was the first online Mario game allowing racers all over the world to finally battle it out for Kart supremacy. Also eradicating the issues of the previous handheld Mario Kart, no wires were needed and only one cartridge was neccesary to play against friends. There were more characters, pick-ups, race tracks and karts than any previous game in the series and the volume of extras made the game worth replaying over and over. The game also featured sixteen older tracks compiled from previous games much like a ‘greatest hits’ collection, with four tracks taken from each of the older entries in the series. The game also featured a mission mode which brought even more replay value to the title. Selling over 9.2 million copies worldwide, the DS version is the most successfull entry so far and definitely with good reason.