What's the best/worst Mario Kart Game?

Mintiously

Prince of LOUD.
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The best is Mario Kart Wii, and the worst is SMK. But that's just my opinion.
 
worst is super circuit.
 
Mine would be MK8/MK8D is best and SMK is worst. I know that MKSC is usually considered the worst, but from my point of view it improved on SMK in nearly every way and is therefore better, as I don't really give SMK points just for starting the series.
 
MK8/MK8DX is the worst, it’s just a game of luck, with little to no skill required.

Mario Kart Wii is the best, there’s a high level of depth to the mechanics that isn’t there in the later games.

Honourable mentions to MKDS & MK:SC, they’re also fantastic games.
 
Every Mario Kart game is luck based to a considerable extend, let's not lie to ourselves please.

The best to me has to be between MKWii and MK8DX ... MKWii has way more fun during races while 8DX is just better in everything else.

Worst to me is SMK, because of how dated it is.
 
Every Mario Kart installment has a luck factor involved, so trying to find the best one so far is not easy.

Mario Kart: Super Circuit is probably the worst of the bunch, since the GBA's system limitations resulted in tracks that are just as flat as the ones from Super Mario Kart; a step backward after Mario Kart 64.
 
Of the ones I've played (Super Mario Kart, Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, Mario Kart DS, Mario Kart Wii, Mario Kart 7 and Mario Kart 8 ), I'd say Mario Kart 8's the best and Mario Kart DS is the worst, just because it never seems that much fun to play.
 
MnSG said:
Mario Kart: Super Circuit is probably the worst of the bunch, since the GBA's system limitations resulted in tracks that are just as flat as the ones from Super Mario Kart; a step backward after Mario Kart 64.
How does that make it worse than SMK though?
 
MKDS is my favorite, unless you count modded games which brings MK8 up there.

Super Circuit is my least favorite. GBA and Mario Kart don't mix.
 
Mario Kart 8 is my favorite Mario Kart

Mario Kart 64 is a Mario Kart I'll never want to play again, though I never had the misfortune to play Super Mario Kart.

The rest, I wouldn't mind picking up at a later point. I also enjoyed Super Circuit a bunch.
 
Mcmadness said:
worst is super circuit.
unless you really like DK JR and AI items, there is no reason for Super Circuit to be worse than Super Mario Kart

for me Super Mario Kart and Mario Kart 64 are vying for last and I generally rank those two last depending on my mood

best would be Mario Kart 8 though it wishes it has Mario Kart 7's battle mode

Mario Kart Wii gets mod bonus points
 
I do actually like AI items. It's cheap sure but I find it gives an extra bit of challenge when playing solo.
 
Lucky because DK Jr. repeatedly pelted me with bananas and it's very annoying, and I haven't seen him use any other item. :/
 
best thing to do is try to stay ahead since there are no blue shells to fuck you over.
 
Princess Mario said:
Mcmadness said:
worst is super circuit.
unless you really like DK JR and AI items, there is no reason for Super Circuit to be worse than Super Mario Kart
Super Mario Kart was perfectly in line with its time.

Super Circuit was Super Mario Kart but after 3D was introduced to the series. As soon as actual track models existed, having them be 2D isn't something you can go back to imo. I may not have the most objective view on this since I started with 64, but I played Super Circuit after DS and Double Dash and it was unplayable, same for Super Mario Kart when I tried that later on, but at least Super Mario Kart was the first game and there was no 3D Mario Kart to compare it to when it released. Acceptable for the first game.
 
SMK also has champagne in it and everything is better when champagne is involved.
 
Mcmadness said:
best thing to do is try to stay ahead since there are no blue shells to fuck you over.
DK Jr. might be more of the easier opponents too because it seems like bananas are the only items he uses, OR I'm just playing 50cc.

One thing I absolutely hate about Super Mario Kart is how there is no feedback whatsoever when you're boosting from a Mushroom or boost pad. You hear a sound effect and your character goes a little faster but it's so unsatisfying.

There's also no Wario either.
 
mario kart wii is the only one that i thought was legitimately poorly designed. i find the original and 7 a bit boring(never played super circuit) but wii could have been good if it was balanced in a way to stop literally anything hitting you immediately sending you behind the pack, also why is battle mode so bad wtf

i'll always have a soft spot for 64. 8 is also really good, but also has a horrible battle mode(havent played the switch version). why every mario kart game doesn't just add on to 64's battle mode is beyond me

also why are wii's graphics so bad?? double dash has the same problem. like compared mkwii to smg, or dd to sunshine. why were the mario kart devs not trusted with good graphics until 8.
 
Fawfulthegreat64 said:
Super Mario Kart was perfectly in line with its time.

Arguably, Mario Kart Super Circuit is also a product of its time and you shouldn't hold out against it either if you're going to defend Super Mario Kart with that line of reasoning. It was the first handheld Mario Kart, on a GBA nonetheless, so fully 3D tracks on it is not to be expected.

Also, I don't like Super Mario Kart and Mario Kart 64 specifically because they were products of their time, and I have no reason to come back to them when later Mario Karts are an option.
 
Bare in mind I'm not saying SMK is the best game or anything. I just find it more enjoyable then SC.
 
Reminder that the Mario kart games will always look "worse" than basically any other Mario game due to the amount of action it has plus the amount of characters it loads at once.

It's not the same playing just as Mario jumping around levels and specific scenarios than a fast kart racing that has lots of stuff going on with different characters all at once.

If you put into perspective , you will notice every single Mk game looks lower quality compared to Mario Tennis or Mario Party for instance. All of them have lower poly models than other series.
 
Fawfulthegreat64 said:
Super Mario Kart was perfectly in line with its time.

Super Circuit was Super Mario Kart but after 3D was introduced to the series. As soon as actual track models existed, having them be 2D isn't something you can go back to imo. I may not have the most objective view on this since I started with 64, but I played Super Circuit after DS and Double Dash and it was unplayable, same for Super Mario Kart when I tried that later on, but at least Super Mario Kart was the first game and there was no 3D Mario Kart to compare it to when it released. Acceptable for the first game.
They couldn't exactly have 3D tracks on a GBA... If you compare the two games just as they are without taking when they came out and the series' past into account, I find that MKSC simply plays better than SMK. Its physics feel closer to a 3D Mario Kart than SMK's physics (although still not the same at all), it has a bit more course variety, and it's just easier to play than SMK. Both games feel off and disorienting to someone who's only played 3D Mario Kart, but MKSC is not as bad as SMK in that regard. Therefore, it's like MKSC is like SMK but improved. Of course, the question is whether you compare games at face value or compare them to their time period and what improvements had already been made in the series. To me, both should be taken into account, but I can't deny that MKSC just plays better than SMK, even though it is a step backward from MK64.
 
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