A Top 3 Mario Kart

Mario Kart Wii was revolutionary for the franchise. It introduced bikes, unique Kart customizations, new mechanics on maps that allowed for players to perform tricks, and an exclusive wheel controller to fit with the Wii remote. Additionally, they upped the race placement cap from 8 to 12, and we had a bunch of new maps. For me and many people who played this game, Coconut Mall was the favorite, and possibly the most iconic Mario Kart map ever made. First and foremost, it featured a banger of a sound track, one so good I can still hear it to this day, but in general, it just played super smooth and featured a good balance of obstacles and alternative map routing with aesthetically pleasing graphical design around the mall concept. And from a gameplay perspective, driving, although less fluid and slower as it once was on gamecube, was still very smooth. Additionally, the featured side rails and added "trick" spots integrated within the designated kart path for most maps, made the experience incredible. It was and still is such a satisfying feeling when you hit one of the side jumps and the character does a flip or 360 on their bike, as the controller vibrates and makes a sound exclusive to that player. Nintendo knew what they were doing with this, as they were able to hack into the brain's reward pathway system each time you hit a jump. I will also add, the Wii remote wheel was such a cool concept and worked extremely well. The idea of turning the wheel like you would your own kart, although hard to grasp at first due to years of controller play, would create a level of authenticity, engagement, and connectivity with the game not seen in any Mario karts to date. Overall, I would argue that Mario Kart Wii is right up there with double dash and Mario Kart DS as being the best Mario Kart of all time. On a good day, I may even put it as number one due to the gameplay itself and it's sheer impact on the franchise. On that note, I also believe Mario Kart Wii is better than the newest mario kart's. There's something about the movement and aura of this game that Nintendo has been unable to replicate.