Line #114 YMMV/MarioKart


1	For individual entries:
2	* ''YMMV/SuperMarioKart''
3	* ''YMMV/MarioKart64''
4	* ''YMMV/MarioKartSuperCircuit''
5	* ''YMMV/MarioKartDoubleDash''
6	* ''YMMV/MarioKartArcadeGP''
7	* ''YMMV/MarioKartDS''
8	* ''YMMV/MarioKartWii''
9	* ''YMMV/MarioKart7''
10	* ''YMMV/MarioKart8''
11	* ''YMMV/MarioKartTour''
12	----
13	%%Even in {{Fanon}}, the Spiny Shell isn't a MemeticMolester. It's an ''non-sentient item''. It's ThatOneAttack and a ScrappyMechanic but not a molester.
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15	[[folder:A-H]]
16	* AccidentalInnuendo:
17	** [[MadLibsDialogue Given how the commentary works]] in ''Arcade GP 2'', the announcer may say some... interesting things.
18	---> "BOWSER is banging away-- MS. PAC MAN! BANG BANG BANG!"
19	** The big pink rock in Peach Beach looks awfully phallic.
20	* AmericansHateTingle: Metal Mario is a BaseBreakingCharacter overseas, as he is seen by some players as a "lazy Mario clone", but Japanese players and ''Super Smash Bros.''/ ''Super Mario 64'' fans absolutely love him.
21	* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: Plenty in every game. [[AwesomeMusic/MarioKart This page]] has more information.
22	* BaseBreakingCharacter:
23	** Funky Kong in ''Wii''. While he's a huge EnsembleDarkhorse, he is disliked by some people for being by far the biggest HighTierScrappy 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]].
24	** Metal Mario is a big example. He is well-liked among ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' and ''VideoGame/SuperMario64'' fans and Japanese players ever since he joined the ''Mario Kart'' roster in ''7'', but 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 disapprove of him for also being a HighTierScrappy, as he is as fast and heavy as characters like Bowser, while being shorter like a mediumweight (leading to a smaller hurtbox).
25	*** Gold Mario, by extension. He has a pretty large amount of detractors for being the ''fifth'' variation of Mario added to the ''Deluxe'' UpdatedRerelease for ''8'', and for being a BonusFeatureFailure that replaces the opportunity of unlocking characters and making the game more interesting. That said, what saves him from being a full-on Scrappy is that he's noted by a good amount of people ([[TakeAThirdOption even detractors]]) to be merely a character skin and not necessarily taking a character slot that could have been filled by someone more beloved, unlike Tanooki Mario, Cat Peach or Peachette. Some people also don't mind him being the only unlockable "character", mainly those coming from the original ''Wii U'' release with every character unlocked.
26	** Daisy, who is already a base-breaker across [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros the entire franchise]] (she has been playable since ''Double Dash!!'', where her classic "[[MemeticMutation Hi, I'm Daisy!]]" line comes from and [[NeverLiveItDown actually the only game where it appears]]). She's less of a base-breaker in ''Mario Kart'', but many of the points reviewed in the YMMV page for the ''Mario'' franchise still stand. Similarly to Funky, she also receives some flak in ''Wii'' for being overused in competitive online due to holding the largest boost on the Speed stat among the middleweights.
27	** Baby Daisy. While some people welcomed her appearance alongside Baby Peach in ''Wii'' (her debut game overall) and a good deal of people either do not mind her as much as other characters or have grown to accept her, she still has detractors who claim that, unlike Baby Mario, Luigi or Peach, she didn't appear in ''Yoshi's Island'' or ''Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time'', and thus has no basis in any previous ''Mario'' games, only contributing to "roster padding" allegations. Baby Daisy's defenders will claim back that Toadette was also created for the ''Mario Kart'' series, whereas detractors will sometimes counterpoint that Toadette at least had precedence in the female Toads from ''VideoGame/SuperMarioRPG'' and ''VideoGame/PaperMario64''. The introduction of a similar baby character, Baby Rosalina in ''8'', proved to be a much more disliked character, being an outright [[TheScrappy Scrappy]] for various reasons.
28	** Miis, starting with ''Wii''. Some love playing with their personal avatars and joke characters (e.g. Franchise/{{Shrek}}, [[Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog Sonic]], [[WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy Peter Griffin]], etc.), while others think they feel [[{{Gonk}} awkward/out of place]] in the ''Mario'' universe.
29	** 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 Creator/LauraFayeSmith (herself having [[TheOtherDarrin darrined]] Mercedes Rose and Kerri Kane in ''Wii'' and ''7'', respectively).
30	** Also from ''8'' are the Koopalings. Is their inclusion well-deserved, or was this game the one that kicked their WolverinePublicity from 0 to 60, making them lazy choices? The fact each Koopaling is their own character (unlike the colors for Yoshi or Shy Guy), and that they were in ''8'' [[ReplacementScrappy in place of characters like Diddy Kong and Bowser Jr.]] didn't help; fortunately, this point [[AuthorsSavingThrow has since been alleviated by]] [[TheBusCameBack Jr.'s return]] in ''Deluxe'' and Diddy's return in the Booster Course Pass.
31	** Peachette wasn't unpopular when she appeared in ''VideoGame/MarioKartTour'' due to the sheer size of its roster, but became significantly more divisive when ''Mario Kart 8 Deluxe'' featured her as one of the Booster Course Pass additions. Some don't mind her due to her adorable design and the overall memetic popularity of the Super Crown, while others bash her for being yet another clone of an existing character with a power-up in the vein of the rather disliked Tanooki Mario and Cat Peach, and would have preferred a more unique ''Tour'' newcomer like Nabbit, Dixie Kong, or King Bob-omb instead.
32	* BestLevelEver:
33	** ''Mario Kart: Double Dash!!'' features Mushroom City, a race around the eponymous city which features many forks that can shave precious seconds off your lap times; Wario Colosseum, a rollercoaster-esque circuit [[MarathonLevel which is so long that a normal race takes only 2 laps instead of the usual 3]].
34	** ''Mario Kart DS'' has Waluigi Pinball, which is ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin: a giant pinball machine where players are launched to the top, then race back down while avoiding bumpers and giant pinballs. It even replaces the sound effects with 8-bit, casino-style jingles. Airship Fortress is also popular due to its clever and challenging design and being based on the already-popular airship levels from ''Super Mario Bros. 3''.
35	** ''Mario Kart Wii'' has Koopa Cape, which features a large river that speeds up players that drive in it, and a shark tunnel. ''Mario Kart 7'' takes it one step further by filling the shark tunnel with water to compliment its underwater driving mechanic. Coconut Mall was also quite beloved, due to its use of Miis in the audience, which allowed players to create some absolutely hilarious audiences.
36	** ''Mario Kart 7'' introduces courses that forgo the usual roundabout design, instead using checkpoints rather than one finish line. Most people regard these as the best tracks in the game, especially Rainbow Road. Also featured in ''7'' is DK Jungle, which is heavily inspired by the beloved ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryReturns'' (which is helped by Creator/RetroStudios assisting with development on the game) and Rock Rock Mountain, an action-packed thrill ride through an alpine forest with boulders crashing down and several big jumps.
37	** ''Mario Kart 8'' has many popular levels on its own, but perhaps most notable are Mount Wario and [[VideoGame/FZero Big Blue]], which are completely linear tracks that are split up into three sections and feature brilliant musical scores.
38	* BreatherLevel: ''Mario Kart 64''[='=]s Rainbow Road, unlike the tracks before it and its ''Super Mario Kart'' counterpart, is merely extremely long, and, unlike later incarnations, has rails on the entire track instead of just the curves, with the only hazards present being Chain Chomps that aren't too hard to avoid. ''Mario Kart 8'' changes this by removing certain railings, and splitting the course with checkpoints, instead of three separate laps.
39	* BrokenBase:
40	** 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'' and ''Mario Kart Tour''[[/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.
41	** Before it was fixed for ''7''[='=]s online mode, Maka Wuhu had one for the online players due to the infamous cliff-falling glitch that puts the user of it ahead of others by several seconds. One portion considered it unfair for those who don't know about it or just wanted a simple race, while the other portion said it was fair game for anyone since it's there.
42	** Snaking in ''Mario Kart DS''. Some took advantage of it, while others (derogatorily referred to as {{Scrub}}s by the other side of the base) thought it was cheating. And others don't mind either way.
43	** 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 duck into when this debate is brought up.
44	** 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/Waluigi 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.
45	** 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. While fans generally understand that free games, especially free mobile games, depend on microtransactions to break even, the ''pricing'' of said microtransactions sparks quite a bit of controversy. Players often single out the infamous Diddy Kong pack ($40[[labelnote:*]]This is due to the pack also including a ticket and 90 [[PremiumCurrency rubies]], though whether this justifies the extravagant price is contested in itself[[/labelnote]]) and Gold Pass ($5 per month, or $60 per year) as overpriced. The backlash against its monetization mechanics is so great that in 2023 Nintendo faced a lawsuit due to their use in BribingYourWayToVictory incentivizing many minors to purchase them; it's unknown what the repercussions are, but it was likely a contributing factor in official support for ''Tour'' ending later that year.
46	** The addition of Gold King Boo in ''Tour'', based on his ''VideoGame/LuigisMansion'' incarnation. Some fans consider it much-deserved attention for a relatively overlooked character, while others see it as shameless bolstering of Metal/Gold variants ala Mario and Peach.
47	** Sandbagging, a strategy where racers deliberately pause mid-race and/or stay near the back of the pack to farm the better items you get from being further from first. Some players feel it's one of the few legitimate strategies you can employ in ''Mario Kart'' outside of [[ComplacentGamingSyndrome character/kart combos]], while others feel it's unsportsmanlike conduct that defeats the point of ''Mario Kart'' being a ''racing game.'' ''VideoGame/MarioKart8 Deluxe'' {{Nerf}}ing this tactic in an update only added fuel to the fire.
48	* CharacterPerceptionEvolution: Lakitu and Wiggler were initially seen as {{Replacement Scrapp\|y}}ies for appearing in ''7'' instead of other more beloved characters. Still, some people didn't mind either of them and actually welcomed the idea of their playability, with them being {{mook}}s PromotedToPlayable (similarly to Koopa Troopa and Dry Bones), especially since friendly Wigglers exist in the ''Mario'' universe, and Lakitu is the game's iconic referee. Come ''8'', the inclusion of the many beloved characters that were thought to be replaced by them both caused Lakitu to be seen more positively, and Wiggler's initial exclusion from ''8'' to be lamented until his return in both ''Tour'' and Wave 5 of ''Deluxe'''s Booster Course Pass.
49	* CharacterTiers: In every single game. Notable examples are:
50	** ''Mario Kart 64'' has Toad, Peach, and Yoshi, who drive circles around any of the other racers.
51	** ''Mario Kart Wii'' has each character give invisible bonuses, with the more favorable quickly reaching HighTierScrappy levels. Expect to see Funky Kong and Daisy a lot.
52	** ''Mario Kart 8''[='=]s tier system is based on weight classes; Bowser, Morton, Wario, and heavy Miis are ubiquitous in Time Trials. It's averted in casual play and especially 200cc, though, where the heavy characters will spend most of their time either struggling to move after being pelted with items or [[TooFastToStop driving off the course]]. However, Waluigi, which serves as a middle ground between heavy and medium characters mostly lacks these drawbacks, which has led ''a lot'' of players to use him, especially in ''Mario Kart 8 Deluxe'', which gives him even more bonuses.
53	* ComplacentGamingSyndrome:
54	** Almost a standard in ''Wii'', where most people will only use a bike and certain characters just for the sake of being faster than others. This is so bad that the game has nickname of ''Funky Bike Wii'' (due to the common combo of Funky Kong on a bike).
55	** In ''Mario Kart 7'', Metal Mario became the go-to character for competitive players because heavyweights were considered to have an advantage, and Metal Mario takes up the least amount of screen space. Between that and Japanese players' love for Metal Mario, he became the most-used character in ''Mario Kart 7'' by far.
56	** The B Dasher in ''7'' is very common online, to the point it's almost as common as Metal Mario is. In fact, it's not hard at all to see multiple players with a Metal Mario/B Dasher combination on the same group. Its top speed bonus on land is the highest in the game, but while other karts with the same speed sacrifice handling, the B Dasher adds handling instead, making it easier to control. It has a few weaknesses, like bad off-road and being lighter than similar karts (while still having an acceleration penalty), but that doesn't stop the players...
57	** Waluigi in ''8'' and especially ''Deluxe''; he lacks most drawbacks of heavy characters while preserving the benefits; along with the Wild Wiggler ATV (which similarly offers the benefits of both bikes and kart), expect him to see him ''just as much'' as Funky and Daisy in ''Wii''. Though this has since been alleviated as of the Booster Course Pass, with many characters/vehicles receiving stat buffs that allow them to keep up or, in some cases, overwhelm the Waluigi/Wild Wiggler combo... including ''[[{{Irony}} Wiggler himself]]'', who's shorter than Waluigi while keeping the same stats.
58	* ContestedSequel: ''Tour'' has maintained a sizable playerbase and received new characters, courses and costumes even years after its launch. Prior to the Booster Course Pass's announcement in February 2022, ''Mario Kart 8 Deluxe'' by contrast had only received a handful of ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild''-related things. Because of this, fans of ''8 Deluxe'' were upset that a gacha game with microtransactions was being treated as the "main" ''Mario Kart'', while ''8 Deluxe'' had minimal post-launch support until the Booster Course Pass began.
59	* EnsembleDarkhorse:
60	** Toadette, who was created for ''Double Dash!!'' as Toad's partner due to the nature of the game, has always resonated well with people. Thanks to her popularity, she eventually became a BreakoutCharacter in recent times. Fans were initially unhappy to see her [[PutOnABus not return]] in ''7'', so when they saw her [[TheBusCameBack returning]] in ''8'', her fanbase rejoiced.
61	** Waluigi (one of the biggest dark horses in the entire franchise), ever since his introduction in ''Double Dash!!'' Many fans were very sad when [[PutOnABus he was omitted]] in ''7'' (especially considering [[ReplacementScrappy Honey Queen]] appeared on the roster while he didn't), but he was one of the first characters [[TheBusCameBack announced to be returning]] in ''8'', making his fans very happy.
62	** Diddy Kong, thanks to being the first ''Creator/{{Rare}}''-created character to actually be incorporated into the extended ''Mario'' universe, starting in ''Double Dash!!''. After [[LongBusTrip his long absence from the series]] (starting with ''7'' and ending with ''Deluxe'''s base game), when he was [[TheBusCameBack revealed to be returning]] in ''Tour'' and later as part of the last Booster Course Pass update in ''Deluxe'', the fanbase was very pleased.
63	** King Boo as well mainly because of [[BreakoutVillain his popularity]] from ''VideoGame/LuigisMansion'' and his and Petey's Piranha's access of everyone's special items in ''Double Dash''. Fans were overjoyed when he made his return in ''Deluxe'''s base game.
64	** Koopa Troopa hasn't appeared in every title (he has skipped ''64'', ''Super Circuit'' and ''DS''), but he has always been a favorite ever since the first game, mainly because how he’s just a regular {{Mook\|s}} in comparison to every other character.
65	** Dry Bones has been one of the most popular racers since his introduction in ''DS'' for his status as a regular mook that can still throw down. After his absence in ''7'' and ''8'', it'd be an {{understatement}} to say the fanbase exploded when he returned for ''Deluxe'''s base game.
66	** [[VideoGame/RoboticOperatingBuddy R.O.B.]], who has only appeared so far in ''DS'', and who [[UnexpectedCharacter absolutely]] ''[[UnexpectedCharacter nobody]]'' [[UnexpectedCharacter saw coming]]. If he's mentioned in a conversation in recent ''Mario Kart'' times, expect to see it in the middle of both "When is" and "returning to Mario Kart?".
67	** Funky Kong is this in spades. He has enjoyed a lot of popularity for being the second ''Rare''-created character to appear in the extended ''Mario'' universe (behind Diddy Kong and preceding King K. Rool), and his omission from ''7'' and ''8'' left fans sour, but his re-inclusion in ''Tour'' and the Booster Course Pass was received ''extremely'' well by the fan base.
68	** Shy Guy is a much more straightforward example from ''Mario Kart 7'', due to Shy Guys already being well-established in the ''Mario'' games.
69	** Pauline, thanks in part to her newfound popularity in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioOdyssey'', was acclaimed on her release in ''Tour'', and has remained one of the most popular new characters since then. This popularity even led to her inclusion in ''Deluxe'''s Booster Course Pass.
70	** ''Tour'' introduces many variants of the current cast. The most popular variants among the fandom include:
71	*** Party-Time Pauline for her flashy New Year's-themed outfit.
72	*** Aurora Rosalina's dress due to its beautiful, multi-colored appearance.
73	*** Fairy Daisy on account of being adorable, and for giving her unique trick animations where she floats above her cart.
74	*** Among the variants, new racers that haven't been playable in the main series include Monty Mole, Hammer Bro, Kamek, and Nabbit.
75	** Item-wise, there's the Bullet Bill. Some fans were pleased to see it replace the Chain Chomp from ''Double Dash!!'', and many others actually wish it would outright replace the [[ScrappyWeapon Spiny Shell]] once and for all.
76	* EventObscuringCamera:
77	** In the Rock Rock Mountain track in ''7'', when you start to climb the hill before the finish line, the camera, which is always behind your kart, has to shift to a different angle so you can get a better view on what's ahead of you on the climb. The problem here is that the camera shifts a bit slowly and leaves you blind for a moment, which can screw you over if you can't see a banana peel or a boulder rolling down at you. This is avoided if you play in first person view.
78	** Occasionally, the camera will get stuck outside a fence lining the track in ''Double Dash!!'' -- particularly prone to this are the Wario Colosseum and Rainbow Road tracks.
79	** ''Tour''[='s=] Piranha Plant Pipeline suffers from some awkward camera work that combines with its cramped, twisty design for some annoyingly cheap shots in the tunnels that make up most of the stage. Possibly for this reason, it's the only ''Mario Kart Tour'' original to not return for the Booster Course Pass.
80	* FanNickname:
81	** The infamous Spiny Shell is usually known as the Blue Shell... or as a [[ClusterFBomb long string of profanity]]. The most common name for the Spiny Shell in Sweden is instead ''Ledarskalet'', translating into "the leader shell", [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin because it targets the leading racer.]] Became an AscendedMeme in ''WesternAnimation/TheSuperMarioBrosMovie'', where the Koopa General [[CallingYourAttacks calls out "BLUE SHELL!"]] before throwing himself at Mario and Donkey Kong in a kamikaze attack.
82	** The Thunder Cloud from ''Mario Kart Wii'' is also known as the "Herpes Cloud", because you give it to other players by contact.
83	** ''Mario Kart Wii'' gets called ''Mario Bike Wii'', ''Funky Bike Wii'', or ''Daisy Bike Wii'' due to rampant use of bikes with certain speed-boosting characters.
84	** ''Mario Kart 8'' has a long list of nicknames of its own.
85	*** ''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 [[Franchise/{{Splatoon}} the Inklings]] were also introduced for ''Deluxe''.
86	*** Similarly to ''Wii'', ''Waluigi Kart 8'' has become a common nickname for the ''Deluxe'' UpdatedReRelease due to the absurd amount of online players who use Waluigion the Wild Wiggler or Biddybuggy with Roller wheels. ''Morton Kart 8'' was the name used for the original release, as he was the most used character there alongside Bowser and Wario, Waluigi got additional boosts in ''Deluxe'', which led [[ComplacentGamingSyndrome players to switch to him instead]].
87	*** It sometimes gets called ''Mario Kart Zero'', due to the anti-gravity being like that of ''VideoGame/FZero''.
88	*** Some people called it ''[[VideoGame/SonicRiders Mario Riders: Zero Gravity]]'' when it was revealed, due to the gravity gimmicks, though they're hardly the same.
89	*** ''Bowser Kart 8'' also became popular due to the seven Koopalings and Bowser being playable, exactly making eight high-ranking members of the Koopa Troop. ''Koopa Kart 8'' is also used when including the Koopalings and Bowser plus Dry Bowser, Koopa, and Lakitu, as well as Bowser Jr. and Dry Bones in ''Deluxe''.
90	** Metal Mario is sometimes called "Silver Mario", mainly by those who view him as just a re-skinned Mario, but sometimes for consistency with his alternate costume Gold Mario.
91	** The Rainbow Road from ''Mario Kart 8'' has been nicknamed by Creator/GeorgeTakei as the "Gay Space Station".
92	* FandomRivalry:
93	** With ''[[VideoGame/SegaSuperstars Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed]]'', due to their vastly different approaches to steering and the effect of items in a race - ''Mario Kart'' has a slower pace, cartoon-like physics, and items that impact outcomes in significant ways, whereas ''Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed'' emphasizes fast-paced arcade-style racing with deliberately weak items and strong defenses against long-range items. In other words, ''Mario Kart'' games are about rapid shuffling of positions where no one is safe, whereas ''Transformed'' is built around long, sustained leads and defensive driving. As a result, fandom wars have broken out about which gameplay style is more fun and more fair. While this rivalry isn't quite as widespread or well-known as most other video game rivalries, it is among the most bitter, as ''Mario Kart'' is one of the poster children of [[LuckBasedMission luck-based video gaming]], deserved or not.
94	** Also with ''VideoGame/CrashTeamRacing'' and its [[VideoGame/CrashNitroKart two]] [[VideoGame/CrashTagTeamRacing sequels]], due to their vastly different takes on the MascotRacer genre - ''Mario Kart'' is a mostly luck-based series with a larger emphasis on WackyRacing, whereas the ''Crash'' series is more strategic and have a greater emphasis on their single-player campaigns. This attitude only increased after the release of ''CTR''[='=]s remake ''VideoGame/CrashTeamRacingNitroFueled'', which some consider to be superior to ''Mario Kart 8 Deluxe''. It became even stronger in light of the said remake's racer roster pooling in from the majority of the ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot'' series by the end of its games-as-a-service lifespan, while ''Mario Kart Tour'' mostly favored adding more clones of existing characters though it did add various haven't been playable in the main series.
95	** Over time, a one-sided rivalry has built up with the ''VideoGame/FZero'' fanbase (on the ''F-Zero'' side), mostly because ever since ''[[FranchiseKiller F-Zero GX]]'', Nintendo seems to have started focusing more on ''Mario Kart''. ''Mario Kart 8'' introduces several ''F-Zero'' tracks as well as [=200cc=] mode, which has led some to believe that Nintendo doesn't care about making an ''F-Zero'' game again. On the other hand, a few ''Mario Kart'' fans have lamented the lack of a new ''F-Zero'' game and will admit that their fanbase is not wrong for being upset.
96	* GameBreaker:
97	** Toad, Yoshi, and Peach are ''by far'' the fastest characters in ''64'' and ''Super Circuit'' due to the way the weight classes' stats were distributed. Normally in the series, lighter characters have better acceleration and handling, while heavier characters have better weight and top speeds. In these two games, the acceleration and top speed bonuses are swapped between the lightweights and heavyweights. The only exception to this rule is Bowser, who can use the turbo-hopping technique more efficiently than the other characters.
98	** "Snaking" is a very overpowered technique where you constantly powerslide back and forth to gain mini-turbos on straightaways (normally, you're only supposed to get mini-turbos when making a sharp turn). It's been essential for setting world records since in ''Double Dash'' and ''DS'', but was [[{{Nerf}} rendered almost impossible]] from ''Wii'' onwards by making the mini-turbo dependent on how hard you turn during your powerslide.
99	** Bikes in ''Wii'' massively overshadow karts. In theory, bikes were supposed to perform better on straightaways due to having the ability to wheelie for more speed at the expense of handling and stability, while karts were supposed to perform better on curvy tracks due to having stronger mini-turbos. In practice, players just wheelie as often as they can. This is more pronounced with the fastest characters in their weight class, like Baby Daisy (fastest of the lightweight characters), Funky Kong (fastest heavyweight), or Daisy (fastest medium-weight). ''Especially'' Funky Kong. Bikes lost the ability to gain additional speed by performing wheelies in ''8''.
100	** The series has tracks that can cut down on your laps greatly due if you abuse exploits of the checkpoint system (this determines where Lakitu drops you off if you fall from the track). A notable one is the glitch in the Grumble Volcano track in ''Mario Kart Wii''; if done correctly, the player can finish the race in 30 seconds or less. Naturally, nearly everyone abused the exploit online and it was more obvious when people started to spam vote for the track. It was fixed for it's reappearance in ''Mario Kart 8'' as a retro course ''Mario Kart 7'' has a similar one with the Maka Wuhu track that allows people to skip huge sections of the course, found just days after the game was released. This was eventually patched out.
101	** Several items are game breakers depending on the game they are used in:
102	*** ''Super Mario Kart'' has the mushroom give players a huge boost and the star gives players insane speed boosts for several seconds which allows them to cut across tracks with dirt/water/sand, etc. These items were nerfed and adjusted to be less game-breaking but still useful in later games, but perhaps the biggest game-breaker is the Feather, which allows you to jump over the boundaries of the track, allowing for massive shortcuts. It would take 25 years before it made another appearance as an item in ''Deluxe'', and even then, it's exclusive to Battle Mode.
103	*** The multi-banana peel in ''Mario Kart 64'' gives you a trail of 5 peels, which means up to 5 shields from shell attacks[[note]]though if one object strikes the trail of bananas following your driver without you laying them down, the entire trail erupts, leaving you with nothing[[/note]] and also 5 peels to spray the tracks with. Later games reduce the item to 3 peels[[note]]but allow each banana to block one attack each[[/note]].
104	*** ''Mario Kart Super Circuit'' gave red shells a secondary function by allowing players to drop it behind them and the next player that passes it gets attacked by it. This made it too easy to place it by gaps or jumps in order to make people fall off the track, so the function got removed in future games.
105	** Nearly every special item in ''Mario Kart Double Dash!!'' is a game breaker: Mario and Luigi's fireballs are a fast-moving SpreadShot that can hit multiple people. Bowser and Bowser Jr.'s giant shell is basically a faster and bigger version of the green shell that's difficult to avoid. Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong's giant banana peel is also difficult to avoid, and it splits into 3 smaller peels when struck. Yoshi and Birdo's egg attack homes in on players and releases several items when it breaks, with Stars being among them. Peach and Daisy's hearts allow them to absorb up to two items, including most special items [[note]]except for Bob-ombs, Blue Shells, or Chain Chomps[[/note]], for their own use later. Baby Mario and Baby Luigi have the Chain Chomp, which not only boosts their speed while it's out, but also wrecks any obstacle in its path (including other racers). Koopa and Paratroopa have exclusive control over the Triple Red/Green Shells, which are normally recurring items throughout the series but are special items in this game only. Toad and Toadette can spam the Golden Mushroom for an absurdly long time and jump to the front of the pack, and Wario and Waluigi can use the Bob-omb to blow the other racers off of the road. Finally, Petey Piranha and King Boo can use ''all'' of the special items we just listed.
106	** The Boo item turns the player invisible, which makes them immune to all forms of attack, and steals another player's item. Players can also drive off-road in ''DS'' without loss of speed with the Boo item, though ''8 Deluxe'' removed this perk.
107	** Maple Treeway in ''Wii'', ''7'', and ''8 Deluxe'' has piles of leaves that often contain items. One of the items you can get is a Super Star, which you can pick up regardless of what place you're in.
108	** Double-shielding with items (holding one item in the reserve, and another behind you to protect from attacks). This was removed from ''8'', but is essentially back for ''Deluxe'' by allowing players to hold on to two items each.
109	** The Egg 1 kart from ''DS'' is a bottle rocket. It boasts extremely fast acceleration, tight steering, and good handling in general. The Egg 1 became an excellent vehicle for posting superb time trial records in ''DS'' because its ultimate weapon is snaking abuse. A bit watered down in ''7'', where you can customize the wheels to adjust its stats (Roller wheels replicate its acceleration perks) and snaking has been jolted from gameplay. The only downside is that it gets flung far away if a heavier vehicle strikes it.
110	** The triple red shell. You easily lose 6 seconds if the racer behind you throws you all three in succession, which is ''worse'' than the infamous blue shell's explosion.
111	* GoddamnedBats: Some levels have hazards which can pop out at bad times to slow you down, including sliding walls, falling presses, and, yes, actual bats. Sometimes, the goddamned bats can be the other racers themselves, as they can get in your way when you are trying to pass them or crash into them while performing a power slide, causing you to lose your momentum. This is much more noticeable with the AI, since they don't deviate from their preferred path too much.
112	* GrowingTheBeard: While the first three games were all well-received, they were clearly fighting against the technical limitations of the platforms they were released on. ''Double Dash'' and ''DS'' are generally considered to be where the series really hit its stride. ''Wii'' further improved the online mode ''DS'' introduced and extended the number of racers, which were also restricted due technical limitations of the Nintendo DS.
113	* HighTierScrappy: More than a few across the series, whether it be vehicles or characters:
114	** In ''DS'', the Dry Bomber is far and away the best kart for snaking. The Egg 1 and Poltergust 4000 aren't far behind.
115	** Funky Kong, Daisy, Baby Daisy, and Miis are abused in ''Wii'' due to their crazy stat boosts.
116	** 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.
117	** Heavyweights in the later games, as the customization feature and stat boosts have rendered it possible for players to go at insane speeds with them, particularly with Bowser, Wario, Waluigi, Morton, Rosalina, and heavy Miis in ''8'' and ''8 Deluxe''. Waluigi and Morton were so used in ''8 Deluxe'' and ''8'' respectively that it led to them also being similarly called "Waluigi Kart 8" and "Morton Kart 8" respectively.
118	* HilariousInHindsight:
119	** ''64''[='=]s manual mentions that Wario built Wario Stadium as a motocross track instead of a traditional speedway. 11 years later, bikes were introduced in ''Wii''. Bonus points for bikes being more popular.
120	** When ''Wii'' was first released, many players felt that Koopa Cape's SharkTunnel was reminiscent of [[VideoGame/FZero Big Blue]]. Several years later, the real deal Big Blue was included as a DLC track for ''8''.
121	[[/folder]]
122
123	[[folder:I-W]]
124	* IKnewIt:
125	** Many had predicted N64 Rainbow Road would return for ''Mario Kart 8''. Same with Yoshi Valley and GCN Sherbet Land.
126	** Several had guessed Baby Rosalina would make her debut here. Pink Gold Peach, however, [[UnexpectedCharacter really came out of the blue]], as did Tanooki Mario and Cat Peach.
127	** When Pauline made her return in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioOdyssey'', everyone guessed that she would be playable sooner or later in the Mario Kart series. Which became true with ''Mario Kart Tour''.
128	** To the surprise of no one, Cat Peach was confirmed to return and headline ''Tour'''s Cat Tour event, due to the tweet announcement talking about cats and its preview picture having pink-colored drivers.
129	* ItsTheSameNowItSucks:
130	** ''Super Circuit'' got some of this reaction from people. It's a handheld ''Super Mario Kart'' with the graphics and sound effects from ''64''.
131	** After the massive glow-ups ''Mario Kart 8'' gave to its retro courses, a lot of people were disappointed when ''Mario Kart Tour'' fell back on the more modest graphics and layout touch-ups seen in ''Tour'', which are more similar to earlier games' retro tracks. Granted, ''Tour'' revamped the visuals of most of its retros, and several tracks did get remakes more in line with what ''8'' did (notable examples include N64 Choco Mountain, GBA Snow Land, GBA Boo Lake, DS Mario Circuit, and SNES Bowser Castle 3 -- unsurprisingly, all five of these returned in the Booster Course Pass).
132	* MemeticMutation: [[Memes/SuperMarioBros Shares its page with the rest of the series.]]
133	* MemeticLoser: Luigi was one for a bit, thanks to the fact that he wasn't part of the launch roster for ''Mario Kart Tour''. It turns out they just held him back for a month in order to tie in with ''Luigi's Mansion''-themed Tour for Halloween (though the announcement tweet did joke that the delay was due to Luigi "losing his keys and getting lost on his way to the course").
134	* MorePopularSpinoff: Ever since the release of ''Double Dash!!'' on the Platform/NintendoGameCube, the ''Mario Kart'' games have actually consistently outsold their platformer counterparts. In particular, ''64'', ''Wii'', and ''8'' were especially well-received. ''8 Deluxe'' turns this into an ExaggeratedTrope; despite being just an UpdatedRerelease of ''8'', it managed to eclipse the sales of ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'' and ''VideoGame/SuperMarioOdyssey'', both widely considered the {{Killer App}}s for the Platform/NintendoSwitch. And it didn't just sell well, it sold ''consistently'' well - to the point it received new content via the Booster Course Pass DLC a full ''five years'' after it first released, something almost unheard of for a mere port.
135	* SugarWiki/MostWonderfulSound:
136	** [[http://www.mariowiki.com/images/3/36/Mkdd_double_item_box.jpg The Double Item Box.]] Polyphony at its finest.
137	** The Bullet Bill's acceleration sounds, especially if you're in a low ranking.
138	** The sound when passing the goal, especially in first place. It sounds a little like a sigh of relief, and that's why players probably are breathing, too.
139	** The rising jingle used for when you cross the finish line at the end of the first lap.
140	** Despite serving as one of the opposing tropes when you're going to be on the receiving end, hearing a Blue Shell's signature jet-like rushing sound when you're in one of the better positions that isn't its target, ''especially'' second place, is almost always a great relief.
141	** Any impact sound an item makes when you hit someone with it. The triumphant shout your character makes upon a successful item hit helps.
142	* {{Narm}}: The English announcer in ''Arcade GP 2'', particularly due to the MadLibsDialogue.
143	* NarmCharm: The Japanese announcer in ''Arcade GP 2'', unlike the English one, remains silly but is seen by some as an outright well-executed LargeHamAnnouncer. Bonus points for being voiced by ''Creator/KoichiYamadera''!
144	* NightmareFuel: Metal Mario and Pink Gold Peach have blank sclera for eyes, unnervingly enough.
145	* NintendoHard: In most games in the series (some more so than others), 150cc and Mirror Mode, particularly the Special and Lightning Cup. ''Super Mario Kart'' tends to be the worst of the bunch due to the following:
146	## Momentum in the game gets wonky at times. If you crash head on into a wall and use a feather at the same time, you bounce quite far going backwards. If you smack into another racer while turning, you stop dead cold no matter what weight class you play as.
147	## Trying to pass the AI, especially on 150cc is a nightmare due to how they all drive on the same path and you're likely to run into them on turns.
148	## The AI on 150cc never lets up, which makes staying in the lead extremely difficult. If you screwed up too many times, you stand no chance of catching up. The AI's rubber band was broken on this level. This is also on top of the AI having infinite items, being able to throw them with near pinpoint accuracy, and having unique items you could never get.
149	## Despite being a racing game, the game has a lives system. Every time you finish in the bottom 5, it costs a life to try the race over and it was GameOver if you lose all your lives. This was just as bad in a 2 player GP mode because if one of the players lost all their lives, they were eliminated from the rest of the cup!
150	* ReplacementScrappy: [[VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy Honey Queen]] got this sentiment for being chosen over fan-favorite veterans like Waluigi in ''7'', similarly to Lakitu and Wiggler. Though she isn't disliked in her origin game, many consider her inclusion to be ridiculous, due to being shrunk down to fit into a kart as well as not being important to ''Super Mario Galaxy'''s story, only appearing in a small handful of missions; her widely-disliked voice acting doesn't help. It's telling that she didn't return in either ''8'' or ''Deluxe'' (for the latter, neither the base game nor the Booster Course Pass), and she's one of the very few characters - if not the ''only'' character - from ''Mario Kart''[='s=] history to have never appeared in ''Mario Kart Tour''. Few fans mourn her absence.
151	* TheScrappy:
152	** Baby Rosalina is the trope's foremost example. Whereas Baby Daisy has grown on some people in later years or never minded her inclusion, Baby Rosalina is often singled out as ''the'' most egregious instance of "roster padding" in the series. Though she doesn't ''outright'' contradict her storybook backstory from ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy'', it's very difficult to reconcile her with her older child self (considering Baby Rosalina looks much more like her adult self than young Rosalina, who [[YouDontLookLikeYou looked completely different]]), 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. When her ''Detective'' variation was first revealed to be playable in ''Tour'', fans either decided that either Nintendo's ''Mario Kart'' division has officially run out of ideas or that [[EpilepticTrees they intentionally added her to troll the fans]].
153	** Pink Gold Peach; similarly to Baby Rosalina, people will readily point out her complete lack of basis in previous games (and thus, no trace of an EnsembleDarkhorse history as Metal Mario), leading to many accusations of "roster padding". This was only further fueled by the addition of Tanooki Mario and Cat Peach as DLC in ''8'' (who are also soundly described below), leading to ''four'' sets of Mario and Peach variations.
154	** Tanooki Mario and Cat Peach, due to them being literal clones of Mario and Peach in power-up outfits, and thus being filler playable characters. Them having new animations instead of just reusing Mario and Peach's animations in the first place didn't please some fans either. Gold Mario and Peachette's better-received (if still {{base\|Breaking Character}}-breaking) inclusions in ''Deluxe'' only made their case even worse.
155	* ScrappyMechanic:
156	** 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, most annoyingly 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 (less if your coin count is low in ''7'' only) every time you get attacked or fall off the track, which makes holding onto your coins a pain in the ass and means getting hit by two items in a row—not too uncommon an occurrence—results in you losing a whopping ''60%'' of your speed buff. 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. ''Mario Kart 8'' keeps the coins and FakeLongevity from ''7'' and makes it worse by adding the coin item back, which can be the perfect recipe for getting bombarded with items if you get hit while in first and the game only gives you coin items instead of anything to defend yourself.
157	** The system of dropping held items since ''Double Dash!!'' when hit by certain items from opposing racers. It's particularly painful when you are hit by a Spiny Shell and lose everything you were using or saving.
158	** In versions of ''Arcade GP'' that have cards, once you purchase a card and pick a character, you can only ever use that character when playing on your card; in order to use other characters with a card, you'll have to purchase more cards.[[note]]This is probably a holdover from ''VideoGame/WanganMidnightMaximumTune'', another Bandai Namco Amusement game that uses cards. It makes sense in ''Maximum Tune'' due to the whole "tuning a car and making it more powerful" gimmick, but there's no kart-tuning in ''Arcade GP'' to justify the character lock.[[/note]] This was fixed in ''Arcade GP 2'', where you can now pick another character every time you start a credit.
159	** The Gold Pass in ''Tour''. For $5 a month, you get more rewards for completing tours, special badges through gold challenges, and most egregiously, 200cc is locked behind it. To say nothing of the fact that it not only costs more per year than ''both tiers'' of Nintendo Switch Online, it also costs the same price as Apple Arcade, which gives you multiple games.
160	* ScrappyWeapon:
161	** The Spiny Shell, if the examples [[{{Pun}} floating around]] don't make it clear enough. Sure, it's annoying when you're in 1st and then you get hit by the Spiny Shell, allowing every other racer a chance to pass or catch up to you, but it also doubles as a PowerupLetdown for the Spiny Shell user. Even if the user can stop the lead, they still have several other racers ahead to contend with. The Spiny Shell is fortunately easier to deal with in ''DS'' and ''8'' for ''Wii U'', since you can see items racers collect in both installments and act accordingly; however, it later [[TookALevelInBadass received a very egregious buff]] from ''7'' onward -- though the shell was [[DiscardAndDraw stripped of its wings]], it can ''still'' fly, and it now works as [[AllYourPowersCombined a hybrid of its]] ''[[AllYourPowersCombined 64]]'' [[AllYourPowersCombined and]] ''[[AllYourPowersCombined Double Dash]]'' [[AllYourPowersCombined appearances]], hitting every racer on the way to 1st place, where it still explodes. The ''Arcade GP'' games don't have Spiny Shells at all, though this is due to them using an almost entirely different set of items compared to the consumer games.
162	** The Lightning Bolt a.k.a. the [[FanNickname Shock]], which it really shouldn't be considering it affects everyone else with it, with characters closer to the lead being affected for longer periods from ''DS'' onward. 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, if you play against the [[SpitefulAI CPU]], they will [[ArtificialBrilliance coordinate its racers so that they'll use a Spiny Shell]] ([[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking and sometimes, even a Blooper]]) [[ArtificialBrilliance just before they use the Lightning]][[note]]If they used the lightning first, like two human players might do, it would destroy the other items)[[/note]], setting 1st place (read: '''[[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard you]]''') up for a distressing HumiliationConga. To make matters worse, if you're shocked while your glider is deployed, it disappears as you fall into the abyss below (mercifully, this was {{nerf}}ed on a late update in ''Deluxe'', and was never the case in ''Tour''). There ''are'' ways around the Lightning, with Stars, Bullet Bills and Boos dodging it just fine, but that requires you to be in lower positions, unlike the Super Horn in ''8''; furthermore, the Lightning can still be timed, so there's practically ''no'' way to purposefully protect yourself from this (you ''can'' try to fall off the course and hope that it goes off while Lakitu drags you back on the road, but [[MortonsFork that comes at the cost of losing time and items]]). Once again, the ''Arcade GP'' games mercifully don't have this item.
163	** The Blooper's main draw is [[CameraAbuse obscuring other drivers' screens with ink]], preventing them from seeing any hazards/items on the course... [[PowerUpLetdown and that's it]]. It doesn't take away items and the ink can be removed with a non-mini-turbo speed boost (or in ''8'', [[LogicalWeakness falling into a body of water]]), so while it may help you once in a blue moon, you may as well be easily punished for it by a maelstrom of projectiles. ''8 did'' buff the Blooper a bit by reducing traction while the effects are active, but unless you're in [[NintendoHard 200cc]], skilled players can still deal with it with no problem at all.
164	** The Thunder Cloud from ''Wii'' is especially reviled. The idea is that you get a big increase to your speed as long as you have the cloud above you, but it zaps you with shrinking lightning after a few seconds. The result is that the player has to choose whether to [[GrenadeHotPotato pass it on to an opponent]] and lose the speed buff, or keep it and risk getting shrunken. All in all, not a conceptually flawed item, and it wasn't hated in ''Arcade GP'' because it was an offensive item you throw at other players. Unfortunately, its main series debut was less than optimal - not only is it no longer throwable, it now triggers on you ''as soon as you get the powerup'', regardless of where you are on the track. And to drive the knife further in, it can be picked up in ''any position, '''even in last place'''''. Many fans are thankful that it hasn't reappeared in the main games since.
165	** The Super Leaf in ''7''. Very useful for blocking stuff (course hazards, shells, bananas, fireballs etc.), but provides no use whatsoever to players who have nothing to hit or are stuck in a position where they need a ranged item or obstacle item. It doesn't help it also slightly decreases the kart's speed on use and makes it harder to drift.
166	** The Fire Flower's {{spam\|Attack}}mability is infamous for depleting a poor racer's coin meter in a matter of seconds, often pummeling them endlessly. It's even worse in ''8'', with every hit depleting three coins instead of just one like in ''7''. At the very least, the changes to MercyInvincibility in ''Deluxe'' have alleviated its perception a bit.
167	** ''Deluxe'' manages to make the Boo one of these, being significantly {{nerf}}ed from its appearance in ''DS'' despite the many buffs it got. The great? Its duration was extended, multiple-use items are fully replenished when stealing them, and failing to steal an item will [[ThrowTheDogABone give its user a Mushroom]]. The egregious? It can no longer be manipulated to steal items from the closest driver or take off-road shortcuts with no speed loss, and its user's location [[SeeTheInvisible can be given away by multiple-use items]] due to them being deployed instantly. The formermost point especially stings for both the user and the victim -- on one hand, since it appears in lower positions, the stolen item may as well be one that won't help the user overtake racers ahead of them, which includes ''coins'', which means players ahead can manipulate this to their advantage to have weak items as their first item; on the other hand, if the victim didn't have Coin items, they may lose an item that was actually helpful in their position (e.g. [[ThisIsGonnaSuck a Mushroom or Super Horn in 1st place to dodge an incoming Spiny Shell]]). Overall, Stars and Bullet Bills are generally considered superior items, as they allow the user to catch on faster, and the former even doesn't take an item slot while active, with the Boo's only advantage being that the user's invisibility may allow them to dodge a mistimed Lightning easier.
168	** ''Tour'' has the Bubble. For all intents and purposes, it's an inferior Bullet Bill: it provides a nearly unnoticeable speed boost, can be popped by simply touching any other kart or hazard, and disables item usage while active. If it's the first item that pops up in your item slots, you'll have to hope another kart is willing to pop it for you in order to use the other items (especially painful if you happen to get Red/Spiny Shells as your items after the Bubble). While it might help protect you from stray Shells, the Heart and Triple Green/Red Shells do a much better job at it. Its only true advantage over a Bullet Bill is that you can still steer while using it, though not enough to make much of a difference. Not without reason, the Bubble Frenzy is considered a major PowerUpLetdown.
169	* SoOkayItsAverage:
170	** The general consensus of ''Super Circuit''. Compared to ''64'' and later installments, it doesn't do anything innovative, but it's still a decently fun game with a catchy soundtrack.
171	** ''Wii'' was also considered this for a time by some people, although [[VindicatedByHistory reactions switched]] once Nintendo discontinued the Wi-Fi Connection service, with those people now also generally seeing it as great game just like prior fans.
172	** While ''Tour'' is disliked by many ''Mario Kart'' fans for its controls and the use of gacha and microtransactions, it was praised for its concepts like city courses, costumes, and course variants. The addition of a points system also created new fans for the game.
173	* StarTrekMovieCurse: The evenly-released installments (''64'', ''Double Dash!!'', ''Wii'', and ''8'') are generally agreed to be much better than the oddly-released installments, which have more contentious elements to them. ''Super Mario Kart'' is often said to lack polish compared to later entries, ''Super Circuit'' is considered a BizarroEpisode that has rather unintuitive controls, ''DS''[='=] {{meta\|game}} became dominated by [[GoodBadBugs snaking]], ''7'''s polished mechanics and excellent controls are overshadowed by the most questionable character roster in the series, and ''Tour''[='=]s microtransactions became a [[BrokenBase hot button]] amongst the fandom.
174	* SurpriseDifficulty: Any long time fan of the series will tell you to not be fooled by the colorful visuals and mellow settings since the games tend to be quite difficult at times, especially on the [[NintendoHard 150cc difficulty]].
175	* ThatOneAchievement:
176	** Beating staff ghost times in ''Mario Kart Wii''. Now, beating a staff ghost in this game is not as simple as "overcome this record to win". For your record to be actually counted as "staff ghost beaten", you don't just beat the staff ghost, ''you have to be about 7 seconds ahead of the staff'', and considering the records most of them have set, and a lot of tracks already being ThatOneLevel, you really need to be damn near ''perfect''.
177	** The NintendoHard Triple star rankings. In order to get the highest star ranking in each cup various underlying conditions need to be attained, which vary between ''Super Circuit'', ''DS'' and ''Wii'' but all pretty much requiere complete mastery of the game(s) racing ''perfectly''. Oftentimes a player can race and assume they did perfectly and get first in each track, yet still not have received a triple-star ranking because they did not meet the underlying conditions. ''7'' and ''8'' made achieving a star ranking much more lenient, changing the system to be more predictable by removing the underlying conditions; getting first in every race guarantees a triple-star ranking. Likely due to being much easier to obtain, they no longer act as a BraggingRightsReward, not appearing in online races anymore.
178	** Perfecting every engine class can also be a pain in the neck. 50cc is simple, and 100cc is manageable, but what about 150cc? Or [[NintendoHard Mirror]], for that matter? There's also FakeLongevity involved as ranking is not carried into other engine classes. ''8'' once again simplifies things so that your ranking carries over into lower engine classes, but Mirror is still counted separately as well as 200cc, which is HarderThanHard and requires borderline-inhuman reflexes and playing the game with a much different strategy than even 150cc.
179	* ThatOneAttack:
180	** Spiny Shells, the bane of any first place racer. It's practically a guaranteed hit, and in single player seems to come in droves, especially in ''Wii''.
181	** Lightning. It comes without warning, you drop your item on hand, there's very few ways to defend against it otherwise, and as if that wasn't bad enough you go slower for a while and are shrunken to boot. [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking It also messes up the music for its duration]].
182	* ThatOneLevel: There's bound to be at least one in each game.
183	** Toad's Turnpike. Extra Cup. Now, Extra Cup normally just mirrors the tracks. For this track, the course is mirrored... and the [[DemonicSpiders traffic cars]] are ''oncoming.'' Welcome to Hell.
184	** [[TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon Rainbow Road]] ends up being this for a majority [[OncePerEpisode of every game]] except the really long and safe version in ''64'' (which has railings across the entire track and no hazards save for the very easy-to-dodge Chain Chomps), thanks to the general lack of railings and the abundance of sharp turns and narrow pathways. That's disregarding everyone trying to throw explosive flying shells at you. Special mention goes to the GBA version, which stands out as one of the nastiest courses in the entire ''series'', for having not just all of the above problems, but having the edges of much of the track lined with boost pads that will launch you off the track if you touch them, although the good news is, they can also be used for some wild shortcuts if you know what you're doing.
185	** Mushroom Gorge in ''Wii''. At least 1/4th of the track is over an abyss with only bouncy mushrooms to launch yourself across to another mushroom until you hit the other side. Hitting the mushrooms at a wrong angle will most likely throw you into the pit. Using a Bullet Bill while over the mushroom pit can also be disastrous if the power-up runs out when you're over the pit instead of a mushroom or the ground. Even simply going too fast with a mushroom item or a star can throw you into the abyss. To make matters worse, you also have to hope people don't try to target you with a red shell, spiny shell, or a thunderbolt as you cross the gap. The kicker to all this is that Mushroom Gorge is only the third track in the game, and the version in ''7'' is only the third retro track in that game as well.
186	** Also from ''Double Dash'' is Dino Dino Jungle. Extremely sharp curves (especially on [=150cc/=]Mirror) and horribly placed dinosaur obstacles (including one that takes up half the space on an already narrow bridge, which means that driving into it guarantees you'll fly off the course) make it an extremely difficult level, even by Special Cup standards. The version in ''7'' isn't much better, but at least the glider sections make for some pretty cool shortcuts that aren't possible in the original version.
187	** Baby Park. The track is just an oval with two turns, no hazards, and is so small that racers must do five laps in ''DS'' and seven laps in ''Double Dash'' and ''Mario Kart 8''. What puts this track into this territory is that it's so small that what would be a simple back-and-forth battle in other tracks becomes a chaotic maelstrom in Baby Park's tight spaces thanks to the items. It's also not very hard to drop behind most of the racers, grab a powerful Special Item, then launch it and blast to first in a matter of seconds, only for that to happen to you because of all the people you knocked behind you. For ''Double Dash!!'' and ''Tour'', items are chaotic enough and cause too much disruption. For ''DS'' and ''Tour'', five laps can either make it worse or better for (in)consistent results. For ''8'', the addition of anti-gravity can cause even more chaos by having players bumping into each other and randomly boosting, which can cause accidental collisions to hazardous items; ''8 Deluxe'''s addition of a second item, and ''Tour''[='s=] possibility of up to three, push it over from "chaos" to "anarchy". This level is considered to be the bane of competitive players and the tracks that one needs the least skill to win on, since the item placement turns the whole course into a LuckBasedMission.
188	** Mushroom City from ''Double Dash'' (at least on 150cc) deserves a mention. Think Mirror Mode Toad's Turnpike, only far more chaotic. It is much wider than the aforementioned course, but the vehicles coming through are relentless, and at times, they seem to home in on you. The Bob-omb car and Wiggler buses barreling down the track are especially nasty due to the massive stun of the former and extreme length of the latter.
189	** Lakeside Park in ''Super Circuit'' has particularly nasty [[SchmuckBait decoy ramps]] (set up all along the walls on certain turns) that can launch you into a previous section of the track on contact, making you lose one ''hell'' of a lot of time if you even just accidentally brush against them. The [[DeathFromAbove fireballs that randomly rain down]] from the erupting volcanoes from Lap 2 onwards don't help, either.
190	** Broken Pier, also from ''Super Circuit''. It's got plenty of unguarded sharp turns and narrow areas (including particularly perilous '''invisible''' shortcut paths) that you can easily fall off of, blocks that knock you back and bring you to a dead stop (sometimes pinballing you into other ones or even off the track) upon clipping them, and Boos that can actually attack you (unlike the mostly decorative ones in Boo Lake) if you get too close, slowing you right down and sapping away your coins for several seconds.
191	* ThatOneSidequest: ''Mario Kart Tour'' features daily and weekly sidequests to get extra Grand Stars, in addition to the ones earned for hitting point plateaus in races, which unlock bonus gifts (rubies, coins, drivers, karts, and gliders) for the biweekly tour. While some are straightforward, there are a few that can be frustrating.
192	** Early on, any of the weekly quests that specify a type of driver (''e.g.'' a driver with only three hairs or a driver wearing gloves). While some of the qualities in question are common (gloves and shells, for example), others are found only on a couple characters (ties, for example, are found only on four drivers, three of which were limited-time-only draws). If a player hasn't obtained a driver that fits those qualifications, those quests are impossible.
193	** Any quest that requires hitting an opponent with a Super Horn. For one thing, they're not common draws regardless of what place you're in, so even having the chance at it is difficult. It doesn't help that, while there are gliders that can boost the chance of getting a Super Horn, there are only four of these, and three are limited-time-draws. For another, they're very close-range in their attack radius, so if nobody is within about two kart lengths from you, you can't do it. Finally, they're of very limited duration - about two seconds before the damage radius wears off. If timed poorly, an opponent may be weaving out of the way as you're about to set it off, wasting the move. Somewhat mitigated if you use any of the drivers with the Lucky 7 special item (of which there are only ''three'', one High-End, and another both High-End and limited-time-only), since they technically have two chances in each item draw to get a Super Horn, but the other issues still stand.
194	** Any quest that requires a particular score on a single race or a single cup. Not only can they fall afoul of the "don't have the right driver" issue noted above, but even if you do have a driver that qualifies (or one isn't specified), it can be impossible to reach certain score plateaus on the courses where they (and your karts) get the best bonuses. Some also basically require at least one Frenzy to pull off, which not only requires having the right driver/course combination but also hoping the RandomNumberGod feels like giving you three of the same item in a given item pull. Also, since some races make your final placement a significant factor in how many points you get for the race, you have to hope that [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard the computer doesn't feel like throwing]] [[ScrappyMechanic Lightning Bolts or Blue Shells]] at you right before the finish.
195	* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: The first couple games allowed players to boob-ytrap the big jumps in a way that let careless racers fall down to an earlier part of the track, dooming them to a low finish. When those tracks come back in newer titles, Lakitu catches the falling karts and deposits them across the jump. It's an AntiFrustrationFeature when you hit something, but it's this trope when you were trying to sabotage the computer racers.
196	* UnderusedGameMechanic:
197	** The first game has a single track with a jump over itself (Mario Circuit 2).
198	** As far as the ''Arcade GP'' lineup goes, ''Arcade GP'' and ''Arcade GP 2'' have time trial modes much like the rest of the series, but ''Arcade GP DX'' conspicuously does not, not even in Japanese builds.
199	** The arcade games give you a handy shield while performing drifts, another neat gimmick that has never been brought to the console ''Mario Kart'' games.
200	* UnexpectedCharacter:
201	** Some of the (so-far) one-off characters can qualify, such as Petey Piranha in ''Double Dash!!'', R.O.B. in ''DS'', Funky Kong in ''Wii'', Honey Queen in ''7'', and all seven Koopalings in ''8''. Definitely applies to the characters who were created just for these games, such as Toadette, Baby Daisy, Baby Rosalina and Pink Gold Peach.
202	** [[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda Link]], [[VideoGame/AnimalCrossing Isabelle, and Villager]] are DLC for ''8''. Although people often talked about how it would be fun to have other Nintendo characters in ''Mario Kart'' (''Super Smash Kart'', anyone?), no one expected it to actually happen, especially in Link's case.
203	** While King Boo was expected for ''Tour'', no one expected for both the sports spin-off and ''VideoGame/LuigisMansion'' incarnations of the character to be included, especially since the latter is often considered to be the ''true'' incarnation of King Boo by many fans.
204	** Mario (SNES) and Donkey Kong Jr. (SNES). The former isn't so much as unexpected since he was revealed in light of the ''Mario'' franchise's 35th anniversary, but this is D.K. Jr's first playable appearance in ''any'' capacity since ''VideoGame/MarioTennis'' on the Nintendo 64.
205	** ''Mario Kart Arcade GP 2'' features Mametchi from ''Franchise/{{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. ''Mario Kart Arcade GP DX'' trades in Mametchi for Don-chan from the ''VideoGame/TaikoNoTatsujin'' series, who perhaps isn't quite as strange a choice but still unexpected (and unlike most characters in the series, he isn't even bipedal, being a four-legged anthropomorphic taiko drum).
206	* ViewerGenderConfusion:
207	** It's very easy to mistake Wiggler in ''7'' for a girl with the feminine voice and the flower, but [[AllThereInTheManual according to the bios, it's a guy.]] This [[ShesAManInJapan depends on the translation]] though, like Petey Piranha.
208	** Many people initially mistook Toad for a female in ''Mario Kart 64'' because of his localized voice (it's more masculine in the Japanese version), which is the reason for the more raspy voice Toad continues to have to this day. Ironically, Toad has been voiced predominantly by female voice actors since then, while the ''64'' voice actor for Toad was ''male''.
209	* SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome: Pretty much any version of Rainbow Road. They're outer-space roads made of solid, rainbow light — enough said.
210	* WinBackTheCrowd:
211	** ''Tour'' has the [[TheBusCameBack return of]] Funky Kong and the introduction of Dixie Kong, for those who lost all hope of any new major, non-clone characters outside of the regular Marioverse being added to the roster.
212	** An update for ''Tour'' introduced a landscape mode, which veteran players who dropped out from the game already gained interest. Followed by the introduction of Nabbit, who was a heavily requested character during the Wii U-era.
213	[[/folder]]

Context YMMV / MarioKart