Since the official unveiling of the Nintendo Switch, Mario Kart fans have been deciphering the few seconds of gameplay to which we were treated of some kind of enhanced Mario Kart 8. All we really know about it, are a few things. Chiefly that it retains the DLC from the previous game, that it will feature a second item, but most importantly that it will feature some kind of new content.
Similar to the previous article we did looking at a hypothetical Smash Bros Switch Port, where we looked at probable characters and stages, we decided to reciprocate for Mario Kart.
As we don’t have a concrete base for the quantity of new content, we decided to look at the DLC as a guideline and opted to look at the 6 most likely characters. One of which; King Boo, is already confirmed.
Bowser Jr. – 8 votes.
Though the Mario Kart 8 roster wasn’t lacking for Koopas, many were puzzled at the absence of Bowser Jr. Having appeared in both of the previous home console Mario Kart games, as well as numerous other sports titles and spinoffs, Bowser Jr has carved himself a rather sizeable legacy as a staple Mario character.
Diddy Kong – 8 votes.
Diddy Kong was one of few Mario Kart frequents to find themselves without a place in the roster. In a cruel twist of fate, the official Spanish Nintendo magazine printed a section on Mario Kart 8, pre-release which ‘confirmed’ him as a playable character. Though it was later deemed a mistake, and Diddy didn’t find himself included, we think there’s a good chance of that being rectified.
Birdo – 6 votes.
Though Birdo missed out in Mario Kart 8, her importance to the series is actually highlighted through her cameo on the ‘women of racing organisation’ ad seen in the N64 Royal Raceway track. Birdo had first appeared in Double Dash as Yoshi’s partner, and returned in the Wii version. Her omission is rather puzzling, just like Bowser Jr’s and Diddy’s.
Kamek – 5 votes.
Playability in the Mario Kart series has eluded Kamek at least twice (that we know of). Originally intended to be included in Mario Kart 64 (and later replaced by Donkey Kong), there was also data found in Mario Kart 8 that indicated that he was scrapped as a playable character for that also. If we’re considering this as an enhanced port, then a previously considered, and scrapped character has a pretty good chance of being used.
Captain Toad – 4 votes.
Mario Kart has never been one to veer away from implementing character similar in appearance to ones already included. In many cases, multiple versions of the same character will appear. Captain Toad may be pretty similar to the regular toad already in Mario Kart, but he has risen to prominence after his notable appearances in Galaxy and 3D World. Further supplemented by his own starring role in Treasure Trackers.
Do you agree with our choices? Which characters do you think will be in Mario Kart for Nintendo Switch? Let us know in the comments!
Interesting choices! I’m curious as to why Dry Bones wasn’t included in this — he, along with King Boo, Diddy, Bowser Jr, and Birdo are the “five veteran racers” who didn’t make it into the original roster, despite having been in multiple entries before.
In a dream roster, I’d love for all/most racers to return for this, as well as some new ones like Captain Toad, as you mentioned, and perhaps Nabbit…but I know all of that combined is far more of a dream than a possibility. (I’m probably one of few people who’d actually be okay with seeing Honey Queen and Wiggler return.)
Sonic, Pac-Man, & Mega Man?
You know… I’m not sure that would happen, honestly. Sure we have the amiibo costumes but do those really count in the long run of putting the characters in?
I think among those, Pac-Man has the strongest chance, he is already in the Mario Kart Arcade games (those are pretty dang fun.) and behind that is Sonic given Nintendo’s relationship with SEGA.
Mega Man is the only one I think wouldn’t get the chance, honestly. Sure they’re putting X in Marvel VS Capcom Infinite but that’s not the same thing IMO. Aside from that, it looks like Capcom still isn’t giving the blue bomber the attention he deserves.
Well, I want Kirby obviously. I think his chances seem to be increasing – Kirby content is being added to normal Nintendo things like the Miitomo costumes and an unlockable Miitopia costume through amiibo – which most of the content in that game is mostly through games EAD made (Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Animal Crossing, Splatoon, Star Fox, F-Zero) which makes Kirby unique in that theme.
But if we’re going to be getting any new characters outside the Mario universe for Mario Kart 8+, it’ll be Inklings. I just want Kirby more – the Kirby series fits with the Mario series so well in terms of aesthetics. (And before people ask how could he reach the pedals – how does Toad, or Shy Guy? Same kind of feet.)
Those lists are something I really like to see in the Mario Kart 8 port, and especially Kamek should deserve to shine in this game as he was considered to be playable before being scrapped. In addition, I wanna see more characters that haven’t got a major spotlight joining the race too, such as the infamous Nabbit, or even my favorite enemy Hammer Bros…I mean, HAMMER BROS! They’ve brought not just Koopa Troopas, but Lakitu and Dry Bones, but NOT Hammer Bros!? Man, they need some love ya know…
I know this may not be possible, but I would follow backup368’s comment of having third parties joining in, which having the main dream trios. Sonic, Mega Man, and Pac-man had their racing games, and bringing their racing vehicles can be interesting to see, maybe adding new items like Metal Blade or Chaos Emeralds. Although it may not happen, we can still dream…
Honestly, characters have never been the draw of the Mario Kart series to me, as they only affect what karts they can use (in the newer games anyway, I know that in the older ones, each character had their own weight and speed stats locked to their kart). It’d be cool to see Bowser Jr. or Captain Toad, but I’m not gonna lose sleep if they miss it and I’m not gonna be particularly excited if they get in either. I’m more interested in what new mechanic they might add to a new Mario Kart. 8 had the anti-gravity zones, 7 had the gliders, Wii had motorcycles and tricks, and so on. Although, if this is just “Mario Kart 8 but on Switch with a couple new things”, which it probably is, then any changes in mechanics are almost definitely not gonna happen.