I know this is old but it's a good read and since no one posted it before, i'll post it here...
Another sequel is on the way for Wii U, and we've got some ideas for how to keep the franchise fresh.
It’s been three weeks now since Nintendo President Satoru Iwata confirmed the development of a new Mario Kart sequel for Wii U, an announcement that shocked absolutely no one. The Kart series has solidified itself as one of Nintendo’s no-brainer franchises – it’s just a foregone conclusion that a new sequel will show up on every new piece of hardware the company puts out.
For some, that regularity has become a comfortable consistency. For others, the series has grow too stale after too many sequels. So how can the upcoming Wii U edition keep the racing feeling fresh? We have a few ideas.
Smart Integration of DLC
The easiest thing to wish for with any new Kart game is simply more of everything – more characters, more karts, more courses. We want to have new faces from the Mushroom Kingdom to put behind the wheel of vehicles we’ve never seen before, driving through racetracks that are all new. All of that will happen anyway, though – so what could make it feel fresh is a new approach.
DLC. Not overpriced, of course, and some should be given away free. But releasing new characters, karts and courses after the game’s launch – even months or years after – could be an incredible way to enhance the game’s shelf life. Kart games have long legs at retail already, as Mario Kart DS was being pushed into new hardware bundles more than half a decade after its release, and Mario Kart Wii is still selling at a decent clip for the Big N to this day. But we early adopters who’ll grab the Wii U Kart on day one would especially love the option to refresh the experience down the road for a few bucks here and there.
And if Nintendo wanted to really get in good with the fans, it would take suggestions from all of us for which characters to release that way.
Being able to earn DLC characters through in-game accomplishments would be nice, too.
GamePad Usage
An easy way for the Wii U Kart sequel to separate itself from the series’ past would be to take advantage of the GamePad controller in novel ways. A couple of features are easy to predict. GamePad-only play should be a given while you’re racing solo, and local multiplayer should expand to support five players total (one with the Pad, four with Wii Remotes). The GamePad’s built-in motion control should be able to easily recreate the Wii Wheel experience from the previous generation, too.
None of those things would really bring a “wow” factor, though, so Nintendo will need something else. So how about NFC integration? We all know near-field communication is built into each GamePad, just as we all know Nintendo hasn’t yet utilized it for any of their games. What if Kart were the first? There have been several Mario Kart action figures/K’NEX toy sets released over the years, and the Big N has partnered with several fast-food chains in the past as another avenue of getting physical toys into the hands of its fans, so the precedent’s been set. But what if new characters were unlocked this way, as in Skylanders? Or you could pre-load an item for a race about to start by physically placing a real-world Mushroom toy near enough to the Pad to be registered?
I can hear the mocking comments already, but you can’t deny that a feature like this would definitely make the Wii U Kart feel different than any of its predecessors.
One of the K'NEX Mario Kart models. Yes, it is quite swank.
Finding the Right Hook
The critical point – the thing that will get everyone on board with yet another kart – is a unique gameplay hook. Double Dash was defined by its two-character karts. MK Wii introduced motorcycles, MK7 brought in the gliding and underwater sections. What's that critical hook for MK Wii U? NFC integration would be an external feature, so it doesn’t count. We’d need something totally new in the gameplay itself.
Or would we? Here’s a thought – what if Nintendo actually tapped back into Kart’s past for a change? Each of those defining hooks I just mentioned – two-character karts, motorcycles and gliding/underwater areas – appeared only once in the past and haven’t been seen since. What if the next Kart brought them all back?
Seriously, all of them. A grand celebration of Kart’s entire history as a series, with the option to double up in a two-seater vehicle or jump back on a bike. Character-specific power-ups could make a return, as they helped add individuality to each racer back in the Double Dash days. Heck, the arcade games could even be tapped for a feature or two. The GamePad’s camera is perfectly suited to recapturing the coin-op titles’ funny photo-taking moments.
Two characters per kart was such a unique idea – why was it only used once?
Dynamic Courses
Having such a grand variety of references to the past might seem a little far-fetched, but consider the modern sequels’ selection of racetracks – each new Kart game that comes along now comes equipped with a selection of race courses pulled forward into the present from their origins in older installments. Kart certainly has a sense of the importance of history.
The old track practice, though, is actually something I wouldn’t mind seeing come to an end. It’s one of the things keeping Mario Kart’s gameplay stuck with one foot in the past. The next game should have an array of nothing but new courses.
Take a look at Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing Transformed for a good example – its tracks change direction as the landscape shifts with every lap. Mario Kart could be like that. Not just three loops in the same circle any more, but races that play out across tracks that get re-directed after a huge Bob-omb explosion, or some tame course that gets attacked by Bowser’s airship armada – but only during lap three.
It's time to evolve past the closed, unchanging loops of 20 years ago.
The Importance of Online
Last of all, even if everything I’ve mentioned so far turns out to be nothing but wishful thinking, Mario Kart on Wii U absolutely must kill it with online. Mario Kart DS was the flagship release for Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection years ago and both MK Wii and MK7 have continued that tradition. But expectations increase exponentially for what online multiplayer experiences need to look like in this industry.
So the next Kart needs to blow them away. Lightning-fast, lagless connections to opponents. Regular tournaments for fans, in all game modes. Leaderboards for time trials. And Nintendo’s trump card – MiiVerse integration. Drawing, commenting on the results of a race with a fast text message, and screen grabs need to be streamlined to happen quickly – before the next race in a cup begins – or else Nintendo will miss out on capturing the majority of karting's drama.
MK7 made great strides. Let's keep the progress going.
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