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IGN: How to Keep Mario Kart from Going Stale


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#1 BlueBlur

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Posted 15 March 2013 - 09:01 AM

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.

 

DLCcharacters.jpg

 

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
.

 

Mario_Standard_Kart_model610.jpg

 

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.

twocharacters.jpg

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.

SNES_MK7.jpg

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.

 

Mk7-1.jpg


MK7 made great strides. Let's keep the progress going.

 


 

IGN



#2 xBASSxMONSTAx

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Posted 15 March 2013 - 09:08 AM

Online shortcuts ruined MK7!



#3 Hunter

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Posted 15 March 2013 - 10:53 AM

The NFC suggestion is stupid. What does buying a toy to unlock a character bring to the game besides more money for Nintendo? It also makes the game seem very childish. I'm almost 19, I don't buy or play with toys anymore. And if I did it would only be collectibles that would stay in their box. 

 

All the other suggestions are fine, but honestly the series doesn't feel stale to me. Every MK has been different to the last, so I think we can trust Nintendo to do the same with this one.


Edited by Hunter, 15 March 2013 - 02:02 PM.


#4 Blake

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Posted 15 March 2013 - 11:36 AM

Online shortcuts ruined MK7!

 

Nintendo fixed those shortcuts.



#5 tboss

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Posted 15 March 2013 - 11:51 AM

DLC maps are fine, DLC charters are okay if they have stats common between characters(like all heavies similar/same), no DLC karts.

 

have more maps. also have more HARD maps, have 5-6 cups. 



#6 kirbylover

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Posted 15 March 2013 - 11:59 AM

Hmmmm. I think there should be a update on the 3ds game to where you can have communtions with the wii u,like monster hunter 3 ultimate. There should be local play with the wii u & ghost trading. Yep. I know what your gonna say, this is a brand new verison of mario kart! I mean playing tje 3ds courses on the wii u. (Beacuse the 3ds doesn't have the graphic abilties of the wii u)


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#7 syks-1

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Posted 15 March 2013 - 12:21 PM

If nintendo just make a TRUE nxt gen mario kart then that will do me fine,i love mario kart,best kart racer there is!



#8 Scumbag

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Posted 15 March 2013 - 12:39 PM

Can't wait for Mario Kart U. There's nothing quite like playing a new version of Mario Kart on newer hardware.



#9 Guy Fieri

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Posted 15 March 2013 - 01:21 PM

I agree with everything the article said ( besides the NFC stuff, blech). Though most of those things are a given ( each Mario Kart game has brought something new to the table). But I hope Nintendo does deliver with the next Mario Kart for Wii U.



#10 Soul

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Posted 15 March 2013 - 01:42 PM

Sorry that was a complete accident!

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#11 kingdomcode

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Posted 15 March 2013 - 01:59 PM

Knowing nintendo they probably won't make major changes they love being rehashy

#12 TheUltimateWaddleDee

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Posted 15 March 2013 - 03:20 PM

I really want character specific powerups to return.

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#13 ChrisTerror

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Posted 15 March 2013 - 05:38 PM

I want it to have some depth and difficulty, and be a true next gen version, not just a sharpened up textured wii version.



#14 Penguin101

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Posted 16 March 2013 - 03:21 AM

I want

 

- Fully customisation of Karts and Bikes

- NFC cards to save your kart and licence onto and load your kart or licence onto another machine.

- Massive online tracks

- No DLC characters, If DLC is there make it challenge modes or extra tracks



#15 Kao

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Posted 16 March 2013 - 09:12 AM

I want

 

- Fully customisation of Karts and Bikes

- NFC cards to save your kart and licence onto and load your kart or licence onto another machine.

- Massive online tracks

- No DLC characters, If DLC is there make it challenge modes or extra tracks

Liked the card idea!


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#16 Colinx

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Posted 16 March 2013 - 09:20 AM

I actually think a shop system where we could earn/buy coins (similar to an IOS game) could be a good idea. So you earn how ever many coins you get in a game and you can use them to buy new characters, tracks ect.


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#17 Penguin101

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Posted 16 March 2013 - 09:26 AM

Liked the card idea!

Thanks, in fact you could have an NFC "Mario Kart Driving Licence" to carry around in your wallet that contains your licence and customised Kart.



#18 J.D.R

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Posted 16 March 2013 - 10:20 AM

I actually think a shop system where we could earn/buy coins (similar to an IOS game) could be a good idea. So you earn how ever many coins you get in a game and you can use them to buy new characters, tracks ect.

 

Indeed!

 

This is just a thought, customizing karts should be in the game(already stated before in thread). You could use the karts you have unlocked, take the parts from the karts you have unlocked/purchased, and build (for example) a Batmobile looking kart. With Miiverse, you could trade/sell (with in-game coins) your parts or whole karts to other players. The whole customize/purchase concept could pretty much be summarized to be like TF2's system. Just no hats :P.


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#19 tubagodd

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Posted 16 March 2013 - 12:01 PM

Or we could just scrap Mario Kart and just just make Nintendo Kart with a crap ton of Nintendo characters.


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#20 Auzzie Wingman

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Posted 16 March 2013 - 12:15 PM

I agree with everything the article said ( besides the NFC stuff, blech). Though most of those things are a given ( each Mario Kart game has brought something new to the table). But I hope Nintendo does deliver with the next Mario Kart for Wii U.

 

Wait, you don't want NFC? The guy in the forum who notoriously collects Skylanders...

 

I'm leaving the house, I'm buying a smoothie, and when I get back I expect everything to be normal.


Trophy Cards are classy too! LOLZIGZAGOON

 

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