Mario Kart Arcade GP

Classic Mario Kart action comes to the arcade!

NA release: 10th October 2005
JP release: 19th November 2005
EU release: 2005
Developer: Namco
Publisher: Namco
NGC Magazine Score: N/A
Mods Used: Widescreen Hack

Namco’s first game on the Triforce arcade system was a Mario Kart, with Nintendo letting them use Mario and co and combine them with a few Pac-man character – Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, and Blinky. These mark the first guest characters in Mario Kart, beating ROB in Mario Kart DS. As Nintendo later got Namco to help with the fantastic Mario Kart 8, you might expect great things from this arcade outing.

But this doesn’t feel like Mario Kart. It feels like a standard rival Kart racer that just happens to have Mario in it. Due to limited buttons placed on the cabinet, jumping and powerslides are done by tapping the brake, and they just don’t feel satisfying in the slightest. It’s definitely not the worst feeling Kart game – far from it – it’s just lacking any kind of spark.

The arcade game can be played solo or with others. On your own, you can compete in races against CPU opponents, with six cups and four races each. While it’s called “Grand Prix”, you play each race individually (you pay per race), getting first in each race will get you a challenge. The rainbow cup is only unlocked once you complete the previous cups. Your progress is saved on Mario Cards, but most arcades outside America opted for cheaper units without this functionality.

The tracks are rather bland, with most being very simple. While there are four races in each up, the second two are repeats of the first two, just with different lighting (and even then, the two different tracks share elements between them). The second Pac-Man cup track is the only standout track in the game, with part of the level being inside the screen of the classic arcade game. The way the game handles variety is through items.

And there are a lot of items – 93 in total – which in turns ends up making them all interesting, having very slightly different effects from each other, and all of them very mild. With no catch-up items, the game makes blatant use of rubber banding as well. In most races, you have to use a specified set of three items, while others let you pick three out of your unlocked items, getting more as you win races.

At the end of each grand prix, you have a short challenge to complete, like racing backwards, hitting targets or jumping over obstacles. It’s a shame that there’s only five, as they’re fun and mission modes like this are perfect for Mario Kart. In the end, this feels like something you’d expect from a Pac-Man racer that just happens to have Mario characters in it. It’s enjoyable, but nothing to write home about.

Fun

Even with this game’s issues and unusual choices though, it’s an absolute blast, especially against other people, it’s a stellar arcade game that’s absolutely worth playing, highly recommended.
Rin-Coconut, GameFAQs.

Remake or remaster?

A collection of Mario Kart arcade games would be nice.

Official Ways to get the game

There’s no official way to buy Mario Kart Arcade GP