Mario Kart is a popular racing game first released in 1992 with its first edition, Super Mario Kart, on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES).
Mario Kart has been available on all Nintendo consoles released since the SNES. This game is also available on mobile devices but it is more well known on the Nintendo Switch. This game was a huge success and is part of why Nintendo is as massive as it is today.
On the Nintendo Switch, there are many ways to play, such as TV and handheld mode. The Nintendo Switch also has alternative controllers to use. A few examples are handheld mode joy-cons, pro controllers, separated joy-cons, and using a singular joy-con.
A joy-con is another word for controller. In Mario Kart, there are many features players don’t know about.
Ava Przybyla, an eight grade theater major said, “I wish I knew that on your Nintendo Switch if you press the plus button when customizing your car it will give you an analysis on what each choice will get you in the race. For example, weight, speed, and acceleration.”
A feature more commonly found in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Mario Kart World is the analysis feature. While customising your vehicle, you can press the “+” or “-” button to see statistics of your parachute, kart, and tires. You can also drift and use tricks using the “ZR” button (when holding a joy-con, your right hand’s index finger should be hovering above it). These features help players be the best racer they can be. 
Depending on which Mario Kart you are playing, there are many different racing modes. For example, if you have Mario Kart World, then there would be grand prix, time trial, VS race, battle mode, mirror mode, knockout tour and free roam. The most commonly used modes are the grand prix and knockout tour modes.
“There are three modes you can play it in,” said eighth grade theatre major Anna Carreno. “The first one is slow, the second one is average speed, and the third one is really fast. For my first game, I played the really fast version and I got super stressed out.”
Carreno is talking about the 50cc, 100cc, 150cc and 200cc speeds in Mario Kart. The slowest mode is 50cc, which is, best for learning controls and basics, while 200cc is the fastest and hard to control. Just ask anyone who’s ever played Mario Kart 8 Deluxe’s Rainbow Road.
Another reason why your kart may be hard to control is your coins. In Mario Kart, you can collect coins to speed up your cart. The more coins, the higher the speed. The maximum amount of coins one player can have is 10. There are many ways to heighten your gaming experience.
In our survey, almost everyone who chose Mario Kart to be reviewed voted the game five stars. The amount of people who chose Mario Kart was an overwhelming 16.6% (48 votes).
“Its a fun game to play with friends and family,” said Carreno. “People of all ages can play.” Agreed.
However, they also said that if they could add something to the game, there would be more customization options. For example, custom maps, custom characters (which is somewhat available with the use of Miis) and more kart options. Someone even said they wanted a tank kart.
All in all, Mario Kart is a solid game to bring to parties and play with friends.
