There are many different popular genres ofvideo games, but the kart racing niche has been able to find such a large audience due to the success of the wildly enjoyableMario Kartfranchise.Mario Karthas used its simple take on the racing genre to fuel a rich franchise of games that haven’t lost popularity over the years.
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Many series have turned toMario Kartfor the template on how to do a racer and it’s resulted in some very interesting titles, for both better and for worse. Accordingly, here are 10 awesome kart racing games that we totally forgot about.
10Mega Man: Battle & Chase
It’s always interesting to see established franchises explore spin-off ventures and afterMario Kartproved that characters from aplatformer seriescould work in a racer, everyone started to test their luck.Mega Man: Battle & Chasesees Mega Man and his robot friends and enemies step into vehicles and settle their disputes on the racetrack.
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It’s a bizarre racer that’s clunky in the way that many early PlayStation titles are, but it’s a fascinating direction for theMega Manseries that didn’t really work. TheMega Man X Collectionfinally made the niche title available to North American audiences.
9Banjo-Pilot
Diddy Kong Racingwas such a big success on theNintendo 64that audiences were immediately hungry for a sequel or another racing game from Rare that made use of these exciting characters. A conventional sequel never happened, but Rare did quietly follow the racer up withBanjo-Pilotfor theGameBoy Advance.
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The unexpected return of characters from theBanjo-Kazooiefranchise is a lot of fun and while the title is somewhat simplistic, its core mechanics are solid, and it’s an entertaining entry for the handheld.
8Bomberman Kart (PS2)
Bombermanmay not have the same draw that characters likeSonicor Mario do, but he’s a video game mascot that shouldn’t be underestimated. TheBombermangames have a lengthy legacy and they’ve helped every console at some point with variations on the original game’s addictive formula. TheBombermanseries hasn’t been afraid to dip their toe in other genres, butBomberman Kartfor thePlayStation 2is one of the bigger shifts. It mixes together the explosive characters & mechanics of the franchise with fast racing and doesn’t ruin the balance.
7Digimon Racing (GBA)
TheDigimongames haven’t deviated too far from their origins, but the increasing popularity of the series made it inevitable that something likeDigimon Racingwould come to pass. It may seem silly to saddle a bunch of monsters into tiny karts and parade them around, butDigimon Racingis another enjoyable racing title for the GameBoy Advance. The game doesn’t stray too far fromMario Kart’smechanics, but the presence of Digivolutions and boss battles, plus the possibility of four-player races through the wireless adapter or link cable, makes this game surprisingly deep.
6Konami Krazy Racers
It’s taken some time for companies to clue into the fact that crossover titles that celebrate a company’s history can result in some of the most successful games.Super Smash Bros.is still the formative example of this, but other attempts to create a similar atmosphere can lead to some curious games. The Game Boy Advance title,Konami Krazy Racers,takes the protagonists from popular games likeMetal Gear,Castlevania,orLegend of the Mystical Ninjaand throws them all together. It’s a very fun game that’s full of love for all of theseKonamifranchises.
5Chocobo Racing
TheFinal Fantasyfranchise has proven itself to be one of the biggestRPGseries of all time. The deep storytelling and immersive combat is what’s helpedFinal Fantasybuild an audience, but the titles feature such rich worlds that it’d be a crime to not explore them to a great degree.Chocobo Racingis a PlayStation game that takes the lovable creatures from theFinal Fantasyseries and positions a racing game around them. It’s a risk that could have been a major disaster, but it’s a quirky title that actually works.
4Toy Story Racer
There’s an officialToy Storygame that’s been released across platforms, but the success of the film franchise led to other avenues being pursued.Toy Story Racerdecides to take these popular characters and put them in a racing game. Even though it feels like a random decision, it’s actually a game that plays really well.Toy Story Raceralso features unlockable content and challenges that give the game more value than a lot of racers. While the PlayStation title is a success, theGame Boy Colorversion is unfortunately a disaster.
3Looney Tunes: Space Race
Looney Tuneshave been featured in dozens of video games, all to various degrees of success. However, this resulted in a level of fatigue where it could be easy to write offLooney Tunestitles, even though some have impressive games hiding inside them.Looney Tunes: Space Racebegan development as an N64 game, before the project shifted over to theDreamcast. It’s noMario Kart,but it has addictive gameplay and gorgeous art design that easily makes it one of the best racers on the Dreamcast.
2LittleBigPlanet Karting
LittleBigPlanetturned out to be a colossal success for Sony and while the core series has led to some incredible and intuitive titles, it’s been exciting to see them allow Sackboy to get to show off his skills in other genres of gaming.LittleBigPlanet Kartingbrilliantly takes the core series’ creation gimmick & lovable characters and applies them to a kart racer. It’s a move that’s near seamless and results in one of the more creative racing games that’s come out in recent years.
1Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing
TheSonicfranchise has had an interesting run with racing games.Sonic Driftand its sequel for the Game Gear marked the Hedgehog’s first foray with kart racing, but those games are heavily handicapped by the Game Gear’s hardware.Sonic Rforthe Sega Saturnwas a more successful move, but it’s not a kart racer. Finally,Sonic & Sega All-Starstakes not only Sonic, but a wealth of classic Sega properties and puts them in an amazing racer that easily rivalsMario Kart. Despite the quality of this title,Team Sonic Racinghas marked a decline in the franchise.
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