Super Mario Kart debuted in 1992 as a lighter alternative to Nintendo’s classic futuristic racing game F-Zero, with an emphasis on casual multiplayer gameplay to set it apart from the latter’s more fast-paced single-player experience. And then there’s Mario Kart, the most iconic and bestselling Mariospinoff of them all. Mario and his friends have played tennis, golf, soccer, baseball, competed in mini-game challenges in Mario Party, and punched each other in the face in the Super Smash Bros.
It’s no secret that part of Nintendo’s success in the last three decades is due to the myriad ways the company has used its iconic cast of characters to explore genres beyond side-scrolling platformers.
