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FEATURE
GAMES
Mario Kart:
Double Dash
Mario Kart: Double Dash
made its way to the
GameCube in 2003. It was
(and still is) the only game
in the series to put two
characters to a kart. You could
switch between either character
at any time – one would be driving,
the other would be using items. The
addition of a passenger also doubled
the player roster. Diddy Kong, Daisy,
Birdo, Waluigi, Bowser Jr., Baby Mario,
Baby Luigi, Toadette, Petey Piranha
and King Boo all joined the ranks, and
each racer had their own ability that
you could use as a passenger.
Mario Kart DS
When Nintendo went touchscreen
with the Nintendo DS, they also
took advantage of the dual screen
in their next Kart instalment –
Mario Kart DS
. The lower screen
displayed the course map, and
you drove on the top screen.
You could also make use of DS
Download Play to take on your
mates.
Mario Kart Wii
The revolutionary (at the time)
hardware of the Nintendo Wii
enabled the company to take more
daring leaps with
Mario Kart Wii
. The
motion controllers could be turned
sideways and used as a steering
wheel (the game even came with
a wheel accessory), and you could
also ride motorbikes as well as karts.
Mario Kart Wii
’s roster included
Dry Bowser, Baby Peach and Baby
Daisy, and you could even unlock
Rosalina if you played
Super Mario
Galaxy
, or race as your very own Mii.
Mario Kart 7
Mario Kart 7
took things to a
new level – literally – adding
gliders for bigger jumps. Being
a 3DS title, the art style was
very inclusive of the shiny new
3D graphics, and the game
also featured much more
customisation than seen in
previous titles.
Mario Kart 8
Released for the Wii U,
Mario
Kart 8
saw the return of the Wii’s
motorbikes, a huge roster upgrade,
and also the addition of altered gravity
on tracks, letting you climb up walls
and drive upside down.
Mario Kart
8 Deluxe
, coming to the Switch this
month, includes all the content from
Mario Kart 8
, as well as all the post-
launch DLC.
2003
2005
2008
2011
2014