This not only takes out the variety in the Mario Kart weaponry, but in each race you’re only able to get a single item in each category, which – like your Kart – are determined via roulette wheel. Items are now placed into three categories: items that are launched in front of you, items that are dropped behind you, and special items. While it’s understandable for certain features to be simplified in the arcades, I can’t help but feel that the game went about the simplification in the wrong way. On the downside of things, some of the classic Mario Kart aspects – namely the items and tracks – have been watered down. Some of these modes even include special items that see players’ vehicles join together, with one player temporarily becoming the driver, and the other firing a barrage of weapons, Double Dash style.

Players can not only race against each other, but can even team up against computers, or have two-on-two races between players. Most arcades that feature the game have multiple cabinets. Naturally, like any Mario Kart, the game is at its best when played with others. It definitely feels appropriate for an arcade version, though admittedly the wheel’s controls can feel a tad oversensitive. The game is controlled via arcade wheel, with an acceleration and brake pedal being included to better mimic real-life driving. Gameplay-wise, Mario Kart Arcade GP DX is a pretty faithful transition for the franchise to arcade cabinets.

Then there are silly little details that could only work in arcades, like taking a photo of yourself with a pirate hat or Rosalina’s hair to be displayed over your character for other players to see. Not only does it bring Mario Kart to arcades, but in many instances you are able to save data so that you keep unlocked features with future visits (though not every arcade provides the means to save progress, and simply have many of the game’s aspects unlocked from the get-go).

In many ways, Mario Kart Arcade GP DX is a pretty interesting game. But just how well does this arcade installment stack up against the traditional entries on Nintendo’s platforms? The third and most recent of which, Super Mario Arcade GP DX, can be played in many arcades in Japan and in the west. Every major platform since the SNES has seen the release of a new Mario Kart title, and in more recent years, Nintendo has teamed with Namco Bandai Games to produce a series of Mario Kart titles for arcades. Mario Kart as been one of Nintendo’s most successful and beloved franchises.

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