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Editorials   Mario Kart for the GameCube: Part I
- By Nathaniel Walker [Associate Editor]

The Nintendo World has never been so packed with such glorious certainties. The GameCube is launched, Metroid Prime will soon be forthcoming, and Super Mario Sunshine feels more inevitable every day. Yet, there remains a question burning on the lips of college dormitory occupants everywhere. It can be phrased a number of ways, some more polite than others: “Where, pray tell, is Mario Kart?” That, my friends, is a very good question. Mario Kart 64 was the only game in the known universe that even came close to competing with Goldeneye as a bringer of multiplayer happiness--and where our mobile mascots fell short in action-thrills they certainly made up for it in longevity. Long after Goldeneye got old, Mario Kart obstinately refused to get dusty. My personal crew, at least, has burned more hours playing Mario Kart 64 than we have any other game in the History of Civilization. In fact, if you laid all the hours consumed in a row, end-to-end, they would stretch around the earth two-and-a-half times. If you started in Nepal, you would end up in Cleveland. Uh-huh. Cleveland--if you laid them in a row.

So where in the dickens is Mario Kart for the GameCube? What will it look like? And what do we hope it will look like? Today we begin the hunt for some answers. This article is the beginning of a cutesy two-part feature in which I will try to address these questions and others like them. In the first installment, we will figure out what we know about the future of the franchise exactly. Next Monday, we will contemplate on speculation and rumor, and maybe even indulge ourselves with a healthy bit of good ol’ fantasy. Now I may not be as well connected as some of ya’ll other fools, but I have paid attention. I pursue knowledge of the Kartly sort like a hunter stalks his/her prey, sans mercy and without hesitation. I don’t give a damn. I just want some Kart.

Mario Kart for the GameCube first became a “reality” (albeit in the same way that Indiana Jones 4 has become a “reality”) at last year’s historic E3. Those lucky enough to attend Nintendo’s press conference were treated to a short video clip featuring the smile-inducing title “Mario Kart for GameCube”, followed by shots of the Mario Brothers scooting around on delightfully humming go-carts. They only scooted for a few moments, but what scooting! It was otherworldly. The characters were a hair short of being fully animated, looking full and healthy and colorful. The carts were dangerously low to the ground, but they were also a joy to behold. There was, unfortunately, no background whatsoever--and while the road’s textures looked nice they did not have the finished sharpness one would expect from EAD. At best, the video clip was a hint of good things to come. At worst, I am afraid it was a mere technical demo. And while it is easy to smile and suggest that the good folks at Nintendo would not have wasted their time putting something like that together if they weren’t intent on creating the game, one must remember that those people are full of surprises. Zelda. Cell-Shaded. Surprise! I would truly love to think that the video clip was an indication of progress, a sign that Mario Kart for the GameCube is being feverishly hammered at as we speak. But all we can gather from that clip is that they have not forgotten it, and plan on making it, and have a few concepts in place for it…at least, they did one year ago.

So what has happened since? As usual, Nintendo is all secrets and shut-up. Sometimes I wonder if Shigeru Miyamoto secretly idolizes Willy Wonka. For almost a year there was little to no information concerning Mario Kart released to press or public, and eventually we all became resigned to appreciating Super Circuit for the great game it is instead of beating our heads against the microwave in frustrated anticipation of something a bit more…how shall I say…three-dimensional. But then! Just a short while ago, Miyamoto let a few things slip while hopping around Europe promoting the Old World GameCube launch. A comment here, a comment there…and before we knew it, we had the stuff that dreams are made of. Dreams, and little else! But no matter, what infinitesimal smidgeon he gave was still ample enough considering the fact that we had been forced to endure such a terrible Mario Kart drought since E3. My thirst burns now more than ever, but only because I have been reminded of the wonder of water. But back to the chase: one of Miyamoto’s comments was of central importance, and one was not.

The important one: apparently, Miyamoto (God bless ‘im!) and a few of his Game Design Compatriots had a round table of sorts in which they discussed the how and whatfor of Mario Kart’s future. They got together specifically to figure out which elements of the games they wanted to keep, and which they wanted to change. This is important. This is important for two reasons: it tells us that they are serious about the game, and serious enough to consider changing it (which takes a great deal of work) instead of simply rehashing the thing and shipping it out (which would be easy and absolutely guaranteed to make money regardless). You don’t tamper with successful formulas unless you are willing to take the time and effort to improve on them, folks. Anything else just makes you look stupid. I was happy to hear this, and the fact that they are already whipping out such hard-core deliberations is fine and good. Unfortunately, the second thing Miyamoto’s comment tells us is that the game is not very far along in development. It just seems like common sense so say that if they are still more or less in the conceptual stages right now, than they have probably not decided to go ahead and wrap up production. It would be mighty risky to hope the finished product conforms by bizarre coincidence to the decisions they made on the drawing board. See what I’m saying? Now as far as what elements they may be changing, and what new ideas we can expect to emerge, we’ll go into that next week.

The other, less important thing Miyamoto mentioned is that Sonic the Hedgehog might make an appearance in the game. What that means is pure conjecture, and we may or may not address it next week depending on what I can dredge up in the meantime. But honestly, folks, I couldn’t care less. They could roll a few Monkey Balls down the tracks and I would still be content, as long as these peripheral characters were kept in their proper place, as prizes to be earned. Sticking them right up there with Yoshi and Donkey Kong and Princess Peach from the beginning would feel a little blasphemous. But then again, I’m sure I could get used to it. Whatever.

And that’s about it, folks. Seriously. Kinda sucks, huh? You would think, what with all of the hullabaloo about the GameCube being Nintendo’s last chance in the console market, that they would at least be showing us their guns. Firing would be preferable. But I try to be slow to criticize the wonderful and mysterious powers that bring us such masterpieces as Mario Kart. Nintendo’s teams have an advantage in that they can see the big picture, while all we get to see are the postcards they deem fit to send us. But next Monday, let’s take what we know about Mario Kart past, present, and future and paint a picture of our own. Educated conjecture, while never comparable to educated announcement, is better than sitting around and waiting. I have a feeling that something great is coming our way. Let’s start putting up the welcome banners and blowing up those balloons. Thanks for reading, and I hope to see you next week!