History YMMV / Mariokart

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** Baby Park, which is the smallest course in the entire series and is nothing but an oval shape. It compensates for its simplistic design by having ''seven laps''[[note]]five laps in ''Mario Kart DS''[[/note]], which often evolves into a ridiculous, chaotic mess with shells bouncing off of every wall. Players will either love it due to the unpredictability that anyone can win the course or hate it because it is the least skilled track in the game due to its chaotic nature.

** While ''Tour'' being bashed from non-mobile ''Mario Kart'' fans for its controls and the use of gacha and micro-transactions, it was praised for its concepts like the costumes and course variants. The addition of a points system also created new fans for the game.

** The matter of ''Mario Kart Tour'' relying on microtransactions for players to acquire additional content is one that's not taken lightly, to say the least.

** Lakeside Park in ''Super Circuit'' has ramps that can make you lose lots of time if you miss them.

** Funky Kong in ''Wii''. While he's a huge EnsembleDarkhorse as mentioned below, he is widely disliked by some people for being by far the biggest TierInducedScrappy in online play; since he is a heavyweight, he naturally has access to the fastest and heaviest vehicles in the game, but the catch is that he holds the largest boost on the Speed stat among the heavyweights, which coupled with the Flame Runner bike (which is fast, heavy, drifts well and has a large mini-turbo), makes for an absolute beast of a combo; one that many StopHavingFunGuys will [[ComplacentGamingSyndrome use to no end]].
** Metal Mario is a big example. He is worshipped among ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' fans and Japanese players ever since he joined the ''Mario Kart'' roster in ''7'', and also disliked by others who consider him [[ItsTheSameNowItSucks a lazy rehash of Mario]], [[JustForFun/RecycledInSpace but as a heavyweight]]. In a similar vein to Funky in ''Wii'', some players disapporve of him for also being a TierInducedScrappy, as he is as fast and heavy as characters like Bowser, while being shorter like a mediumweight (leading to a smaller hurtbox).

** ''Mario Kart Wii'' has each character give invisible bonuses, with the more favorable quickly reaching TierInducedScrappy levels. Expect to see Funky Kong and Daisy a lot.

* TierInducedScrappy: More than a few across the series, whether it be vehicles or characters:
** In ''DS'', the Dry Bomber is far and away the best kart for snaking. The Egg 1 and Poltergust 4000 aren't far behind.
** Funky Kong, Daisy, Baby Daisy, and Miis are abused in ''Wii'' due to their crazy stat boosts.
** Bikes in ''Wii'' due to their wheelie ability and generally higher stats leading to them being undeniably better than karts, so much that "Funky Bike Wii" became a nickname for the game.
** Heavyweights have been at both ends of the spectrum. In earlier games, heavy characters take a ''long'' time to get going, thus limiting their usefulness. In later games, however, the customization feature and stat boosts have rendered it possible for players to go at insane speeds with them, particularly with Bowser, Wario, Morton, Rosalina, and heavy Miis in ''8''.

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* EightPointEight:
** Gamespot (of the "Mario Kart 64 is a 6.4" review controversy) was criticized and harassed by fans for giving ''Mario Kart 7'' an 8.0 when they believed it deserved at least more than an 8.5.
** [[WebVideo/{{Jimquisition}} Jim Sterling]] of ''Destructoid'' also gave ''Mario Kart 7'' a 5 out of 10, due to what they considered a lack of innovation for a series that was 19 years old at the time. Fans weren't happy and harassed them, partially due to Jim giving higher scores to what they considered more formulaic games.

* AuthorsSavingThrow:
** ''Mario Kart Wii'' was released in Europe first. This was most likely in order to make up for Nintendo's earlier announcement that they would release ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosBrawl'' on June 27, 2008, that is, three and a half months after North America's March 9, 2008.
** ''Mario Kart Tour'':
*** The was heavily criticized for its lack of multiplayer and landscape mode at launch. These features were later added in versions 2.0.0 and 2.4.0 respectively.
*** Due to the game's heavy reliance on using rubies to pull racers and kart parts from pipes, an update placed free pipe pulls among Tour Gifts which can be unlocked with Grand Stars. The Western Tour took this further by adding a free golden pipe pull for at least finishing each cup.

** Whereas Baby Daisy has grown on some people in later years, the same can't be said for Baby Rosalina, who is often singled out as the single most egregious instance of "roster padding." While she doesn't outright contradict her storybook backstory from ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy'', it is somewhat difficult to reconcile her baby appearance with her older child self (considering Baby Rosalina looks much more like her adult self than young Rosalina, even wearing the same crown), leading fans of ''Galaxy'' to fear that Nintendo may be attempting to {{retcon}} one of the most emotional parts of the game. The fact [[FlipFlopOfGod Nintendo hasn't addressed this plot hole]] doesn't help her case at all.

** Whereas Baby Daisy has grown on some people in later years, the same can't be said for Baby Rosalina, who is often singled out as the single most egregious instance of "roster padding." While she doesn't outright contradict her storybook backstore from ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy'', it is somewhat difficult to reconcile her baby appearance with her older child self (considering Baby Rosalina looks much more like her adult form than young Rosalina, even wearing the same crown), leading fans of ''Galaxy'' to fear that Nintendo may be attempting to {{retcon}} one of the most emotional parts of the game. The fact [[FlipFlopOfGod Nintendo hasn't addressed this plot hole]] doesn't help her case at all.

** Whereas Baby Daisy has grown on some people in later years, the same can't be said for Baby Rosalina. Not only is she accused of "roster padding" and [[AssPull making characters up]], but her mere existence basically throws the lore from her Storybook in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy'' out of the window[[labelnote:spoilers]]In Rosalina's Storybook, it is explained she wasn't born royalty, rather a simple human who left her old family and found a new one of her own in space, then became the princess of cosmos[[/labelnote]]! Fans of ''Galaxy'' have since then been afraid (and disgusted) Nintendo might have {{retcon}}ned the emotive storybook with the inclusion of Baby Rosalina, and the fact [[FlipFlopOfGod Nintendo hasn't addressed this plot hole]] doesn't help her case at all.

*** ''Nintendo Kart'' and ''Super Smash Kart'' cropped up due to the DLC including [[VideoGame/AnimalCrossing the Villager, Isabelle]] and [[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda Link]] as playable drivers, alongside associated stages (with Bells and Rupees replacing coins and, on Hyrule Circuit, Deku Babas and Keese replacing Piranha Plants and Swoops), as well as the inclusion of [[VideoGame/FZero Mute City and Grand Blue]] tracks. They especially gained popularity after [[VideoGame/{{Splatoon}} the Inklings]] were also introduced for ''Deluxe''.

** With the increased focus on kart combinations, there's been a lot of debate/arguments over whether or not characters should have a factor in the kart's overall stats or not. Those for it often bring up fighting games for comparison and how [[CharacterTiers certain characters will always shine above the rest]] and, even if character stats didn't weigh in, people would still pick [[ComplacentGamingSyndrome very few specific kart combos]] in order to have the best chance of winning. Those against it often cite how it creates infamous situations like "Funky Bike Wii", "Metal Mario Kart 7", and "Morton/Rosalina Kart 8", and hate how people are forced to forgo playing as their preferred character, often for one they don't like/despise, just to have a chance at placing decently in online games.

** Rosalina has always been ''very'' popular... especially in online play in ''8''. This has led to several people becoming sick of seeing her in every race, especially before the DLC was released. Outside of that, some other people dislike the lack of melancholy in her voice starting with ''8'', product of being voiced by [[TheOtherDarrin Laura Faye Smith]].

** The Lightning Bolt as well, which it really shouldn't be considering it affects everyone else with it, with characters closer to the lead being affected for longer periods. The problem comes from it being rigged to happen too often and making you often lose your defensive item just as a red shell is coming. And of course, [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard the AI will coordinate its racers so that they'll use a Spiny Shell just before they use the Lightning]][[note]](if it used the lightning first, like two human players might do, it would destroy the Spiny Shell)[[/note]], [[HumiliationConga setting first place up for a distressingly common one-two punch.]] To make matters worse, if the lightning bolt strikes you while your glider is deployed, it disappears as you fall into the abyss below. Unlike the Spiny Shell, which got a foil in the Super Horn in ''8'', there's ''no'' way to purposefully protect yourself from this (you ''can'' try to fall off course and hope that the lighting strikes when Lakitu is dragging you back on the road, but it's more or less a fluke). Once again, ''Arcade GP'' mercifully doesn't have this item.

** Maka Wuhu was one in ''7'''s online mode, due to an infamous [[GameBreakingBug glitch]] which was easily abused. This has been fixed as of May 2012.

** Sunshine Airport in ''8'', because of how common it is online. If you're playing without the DLC Packs, expect to see it picked very often.
** Inversely, there's [[VideoGame/FZero Mute City and Big Blue]], which are also very frequently chosen.

** Metal Mario is a big example. He is worshipped among ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' fans and Japanese players ever since he joined the ''Mario Kart'' roster in ''7'', and also disliked by others who consider him [[ItsTheSameNowItSucks a lazy rehash of Mario]], [[RecycledInSpace but as a heavyweight]]. In a similar vein to Funky in ''Wii'', some players disapporve of him for also being a TierInducedScrappy, as he is as fast and heavy as characters like Bowser, while being shorter like a mediumweight (leading to a smaller hurtbox).

** Koopa Troopa hasn't appeared in every title (he has skipped ''64'', ''Super Circuit'' and ''DS''), but he has always remained a favorite ever since in the first game, and is still popular even today.

** Coins. You need to hold coins to increase your speed (the boost caps at 10 coins) and getting hit by items, crashing into course hazards, or falling off the track makes you lose coins. In the first game and ''Super Circuit'', bumping into another racer makes you lose a coin! In some games, coins are also an item to give you 2 coins instantly, which doesn't help ''at all'' when it comes to protecting yourself from racers behind you or to attack the ones in front, not to mention that they can appear just as likely ''when you already have the maximum capacity of 10 coins on hand''. ''Mario Kart 7'' changes the coins mechanic slightly where not having a lot of coins won't totally screw you over and bumping into people won't make you lose coins, but you can't hold more than 10 coins and you will lose 3 coins (or two if your coin count is low) every time you get attacked or fall off the track, which makes holding onto your coins a pain in the ass. Luckily, coins regenerate. Unluckily, you need to collect coins to unlock parts for your kart, and you will be playing for a long time since you will need to collect several ''thousand'' coins and even beyond 10,000 coins just to get everything. This is made worse due to only being able to hold up to 10 coins per race.

* ContestedSequel: ''Tour''. The game has maintained a sizable playerbase and received support even two years after its launch. Because of this support, others are upset that a gacha game with microtransactions is getting all manner of new characters, courses, and costumes, while the Switch's ''Mario Kart'' experience has received nothing of the sort, with no sequel to or even DLC for ''8 Deluxe'' in sight.

* FanNickname: These days you'd be hard-pressed to find a player who will refer to the Spiny Shell with its actual name, instead referring to it merely as the "blue shell".

** ''Mario Kart Arcade GP 2'' features Mametchi from ''VideoGame/{{Tamagotchi}}'' as a playable driver. While this does make sense since ''GP 2'' is a co-production with the ''Tamagotchi'' production company Bandai Namco, this doesn't make the cameo from a ''virtual pet toy mascot'' any less surreal and he's easily the single obscurest ''Mario Kart'' character.

** Is "Nintendo Kart" the next logical step for the ''Mario Kart'' series, especially after the introduction of crossover DLC characters in ''8''? Better hope you have a riot shelter to dunk into when this debate is brought up.

* ContestedSequel: ''Tour'', to put it lightly. While the game maintains a sizable playerbase, it has turned a significant amount of fans away from it; in that it is ''Mario Kart'' running under your typical mobile gacha gameplay, complete with microtransactions (which has been increasingly frowned upon in the gaming industry).

** The Honey Queen in ''7'', who in ''Super Mario Galaxy'' and ''Galaxy 2'', is an extremely minor character who onlyappeared in a small handful of missions; by proxy, she is widely considered as being undeserving of a spot in the roster. Her horrendous voice acting doesn't help matters, either.