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Editorials   Attack of the Klones
- By Mike Ryan [Senior Editor]

Yesterday, Neal wrote an interesting review on Shrek Kart Racing. Needless to say, it was less than favorable. Actually, less than favorable would be putting it nicely. While reading this review, I got to thinking – has there ever been an above average “Kart” game that was not based around Nintendo’s favorite mascot?

As most of us are aware, Super Mario Kart for the SNES was the game that started it all. A deep and challenging single player mode, and a thoroughly enjoyable multiplayer mode made Mario Kart the successful franchise that it is today. Two more Mario Kart games were released since then, one for the N64 and the other for the Game Boy Advance. Every Mario Kart game released was widely successful, and we can expect the same when the next installment is released for the ‘Cube.

Since Mario Kart’s release back in the early 90’s, there have been many Kart Klones (hence the title) released over various systems. South Park, Crash Bandicoot, and Austin Powers are only a few examples of character-based Kart games released over the past 10-or-so years. Much like any xerox copy of anything, Kart Klones are not as sharp as the original. While any humorous character would make a likely candidate for a Kart game, and many humorous characters were made into Kart games, there has never actually been any game that could measure up to the original.

Now, I am not saying that developers do not know what they are doing. Most developers make excellent games. But in my humble opinion, a Kart game would be one of the easier games to develop. Tracks, characters, weapons – aside from some odds and ends, that’s about it. But still, the universal question remains – why is it that no Klone can compare to Mario Kart? Some people may say that it is because of the Mario name. Others may say that since Mario Kart was the first game in the genre, it is by default the best. While these may be viable explanations, I think that the simplest is the best, and it can all be summed up in 3 words – The Nintendo Difference.

Nintendo makes an effort to produce the best games possible, whereas some game companies are more concerned with pushing games out as fast as possible in order to keep up their profit margins. Of course, Nintendo is a business. And like any business, the big N is out to make some money. But Nintendo also knows that the best games make the most money – and the best games take time. Sure, having the plump plumber as the main character of the game helps, but the fact of the matter is that no other company has paid as close attention to a Kart game as Nintendo has. This is what makes Mario Kart so much more enjoyable than any other Klone out there. Had some companies taken more time to polish their Kart games, Mario Kart could have had some competition in the Kart market. The point of this editorial (and yes, there is one) is that Kart games can be enjoyable if other companies would take the extra time to make the game perfect. But until that time comes, Mario Kart will race circles around all other Kart games – and I wouldn’t have it any other way.