Mario Kart World discussion thread

[Ze Diglett]

I don't trust anyone that gets rid of the best new addition of the game.

This duck emoji looks weird.

 

[ivanlerma]

God almost everyone here is in doubt

 

[Baysha]

I'm gonna be honest. I don't like the enemies because they're funny, I like the enemies because I like them.

 

[Mario & Sonic Guy]

God almost everyone here is in doubt

They probably expected too much out of the Mario Kart World Direct.

 

[MBRedboy31]

I mean, if the game is $80 (+ the console itself and and the online subscription, although the bundle does exist) of course people are going to need the game to feel like it’s 1000% worth it and justify it to themselves. Nobody likes to feel like they’re being ripped off.

That’s probably the reason for a lot of the animosity between fans of MKW and Sonic Racing Crossworlds. Everyone feels like they need to justify their purchase to everyone. Nobody likes to feel like they made the “objectively“ (in the eyes of popular opinion) inferior choice, thus getting ripped off (even if they both look like fun.)

Play Dr. Robotnik’s Ring Racers, it has over 100 tracks and over 60 characters, all for free, not even including the massive quantity of mods!!

 

[MartianSnake]

In retrospect I think it's gonna be clear that having an Open World/a ton of costumes really took the vast majority of Mario Kart World's devtime. There's a reason all the new characters are hazards/npcs found somewhere else in the game. And I don't think if they weren't in the game we'd have a bunch of missing vets/most wanted characters. This is Dr. Mario in Smash 4 all over again. It's either this or maybe like 5 more characters at most.

 

[Opossum]

Can't even begin to relate. I get it, some of these mook picks are funny, but I also think including the likes of Sidestepper, Para-Biddybud, and Snowman from a franchise as expansive and diverse as Mario is a tad wasteful. I'll admit I'm particularly biased in favor of the RPGs, but like... can you blame me? Those are character-driven by nature in a way other Mario series aren't, so of course a lot of solid picks are gonna come from there. I dunno what to say other than we don't need over half the roster to be mooks when this franchise can and has done better.

I don't see how things like Sidestepper (an enemy that has existed since one of the earliest games in the series) is somehow less viable than Prince Peasley or any other of the countless RPG characters that look like they come from completely different franchises. Give me Rocky Wrench, the best addition they've had in years, over the likes of Monsieur Broque, Culex, or Dimentio any day of the week.

Hell, my most wanted character that isn't in? It's a Whittle. Give me Whittle.

 

[LiveStudioAudience]

Part of my irritation with this is that we already went through this song and dance of waiting for fairly obvious missing characters after Mario Kart 8's release, with some not arriving till the Deluxe port and even a few till the Booster Course Pass. Having to do this again with the novelty of playing as dolphins and snowmen being the alternative is not really doing much to mitigate my already mixed feelings on the game with the price. Not begrudging those who love the World roster, but it just feels eye roll worthy after the previous ten years.

 

[Gorgonzales]

Part of my irritation with this is that we already went through this song and dance of waiting for fairly obvious missing characters after Mario Kart 8's release, with some not arriving till the Deluxe port and even a few till the Booster Course Pass. Having to do this again with the novelty of playing as dolphins and snowmen being the alternative is not really doing much to mitigate my already mixed feelings on the game with the price. Not begrudging those who love the World roster, but it just feels eye roll worthy after the previous ten years.

It's part of their master scheme to sell Diddy and Funky back to you as DLC.

 

[~ Valkyrie ~]

I don't see how things like Sidestepper (an enemy that has existed since one of the earliest games in the series) is somehow less viable than Prince Peasley or any other of the countless RPG characters that look like they come from completely different franchises. Give me Rocky Wrench, the best addition they've had in years, over the likes of Monsieur Broque, Culex, or Dimentio any day of the week.

Hell, my most wanted character that isn't in? It's a Whittle. Give me Whittle.

So far I've noticed people generally agreeing that nice balance of both camps would serve best in the long run... - but in all fairness, mook + NPC racers have long been more viable than any of the RPG characters and then some. I don't think they're less viable, but I guess it's more a matter of more adventurous fans of Mario wanting Nintendo to embrace their subseries and characters in them more (because as it seems, they only seem to come back in relevancy through remakes before falling back to obscurity again). Also Cappy's on his way to be forgotten despite how much I wanted him to become a part of Mario-ensemble.


On other note:

I'm personally expecting this be filled with spotlights of new racers we've seen so far - as I think costumes in here would make the site too bloated if going by more than 120+ number for characters and then costumes ...

Still, I dooo hope we get a monkey's toe curling and these are placeholders for more returning or new racers.

 

[Pupp135]

Okay, so…per a user on the Source Gaming Discord server I’m part of, this seems to be the roster of 50 characters (spoiler tagged just in case):

Spoiler

View attachment 401568

So I decided to propose a bit of a challenge. I’m going to put 25 of the canon roster’s characters in one column and leave 25 blank spaces in the other.

Mario Luigi Peach Daisy Rosalina Pauline Baby Mario Baby Luigi Baby Peach Baby Daisy Baby Rosalina Yoshi Birdo Toad Toadette Wario Waluigi Donkey Kong Bowser Bowser Jr. King Boo Koopa Troopa Shy Guy Lakitu Nabbit

While there are a few odd omissions (Diddy and Funky Kong most notably), I still appreciate having oddballs as they add some flavor to the roster.

For fun, here is my proposed roster, where deviations are highlighted and bolded.

Original Announcement Mario Luigi Princess Peach Yoshi Toad Bowser Donkey Kong Wario Koopa Troopa Princess Daisy Waluigi Birdo Bowser Jr. Baby Mario Baby Luigi Toadette King Boo Shy Guy Baby Peach Baby Daisy Rosalina Lakitu Baby Rosalina Pauline

Switch 2 Direct Diddy Kong Petey Piranha Dry Bones R.O.B. Funky Kong Wiggler Honey Queen Hammer Bro Monty Mole Chargin Chuck Nabbit King Bob-Omb Goomba Piranha Plant Spike Pianta Noki Cataquack Coin Coffer Dolphin Penguin Cow Ninji Pom Pom Vivian Mii

 

[Ze Diglett]

I don't see how things like Sidestepper (an enemy that has existed since one of the earliest games in the series) is somehow less viable than Prince Peasley or any other of the countless RPG characters that look like they come from completely different franchises. Give me Rocky Wrench, the best addition they've had in years, over the likes of Monsieur Broque, Culex, or Dimentio any day of the week.

Hell, my most wanted character that isn't in? It's a Whittle. Give me Whittle.

My issue isn't that I hate Sidestepper and think it should never appear in another game again, it's more that the roster as it stands suffers from an objective lack of variety due to what really comes off as scraping the bottom of the barrel out of desperation. They didn't include Sidestepper or Snowman because they thought it'd be cool, they did it because their models were already in the game and they needed racers. (Frankly, maybe I'd be more sold on those two if they were animated driving the damn karts.) People love to harp on Diddy's [apparent] exclusion not because the game would suddenly be perfect if Diddy were in it, but because it perfectly illustrates the problem most have with the roster, i.e. that they ignored actual, established characters in favor of Nameless Background NPCs #1-26. Hell, it's especially baffling that they did this the game they introduced unlockable costumes to console Mario Kart - we'll be lucky if the likes of Cataquack even get a single costume. Say what you like about the RPG folks, but as I've said before, it wouldn't be hard to find more named characters to add even if you deliberately excluded those. E. Gadd, Foreman Spike, Petey Piranha, Dry Bowser, Cappy, King Bob-omb, Prince Florian, Poochy, Kamek, Toadsworth if they ever wanna dig him up, hell, even the Koopalings would be welcome in a game where they don't take up nearly a third of the launch roster. Most of these are mainline characters and/or have been playable in this series before, so even with Nintendo's apparent hateboner against spinoffs, the lineup we do have is pretty baffling at a glance.

I don't even **** with Mario spinoff rosters like that, I'm just stating facts as I see them, homeslice.

In retrospect I think it's gonna be clear that having an Open World/a ton of costumes really took the vast majority of Mario Kart World's devtime. There's a reason all the new characters are hazards/npcs found somewhere else in the game. And I don't think if they weren't in the game we'd have a bunch of missing vets/most wanted characters. This is Dr. Mario in Smash 4 all over again. It's either this or maybe like 5 more characters at most.

Frankly, I would take a smaller roster if it meant half of it wasn't generic asset flips. Maybe that's an unpopular opinion, but it's a hill I'll die on.

Also, just gonna say it: if they were gonna load up this game's roster with mooks already in the game, they're frankly sleeping on a goldmine of potential with picks like Blooper, who many would love if only to never see in the item roulette again, or Thwomp to harken back to the rumors of a Thwomp being playable in Mario Kart 64. Would a Thwomp driving look stupid? Sure, no doubt... but so does a static model of a snowman.

 

[MartianSnake]

Im convinced the issue with adding a lot of named characters to Mario Kart is that people get convinced they need to be mainstays that always appear in every spinoff, and you just can't do that forever. Funky Kong should not be seen as an obvious inclusion for every mario kart moving forward, he's a fun surprise, keep him that way, use him sparingly

 

[PLATINUM7]

Maybe they included the likes of sidestepper and snowman because their models were in the game AND they thought it would be cool. The two aren't mutually exclusive and honestly, I think it is cool.

Like it brings me so much joy seeing cataquack be playable. I'm all for it and when I see other obstacles, I just hope they also end up being playable now.

 

[Ze Diglett]

Im convinced the issue with adding a lot of named characters to Mario Kart is that people get convinced they need to be mainstays that always appear in every spinoff, and you just can't do that forever. Funky Kong should not be seen as an obvious inclusion for every mario kart moving forward, he's a fun surprise, keep him that way, use him sparingly

I can't speak for everyone, of course, but personally, I don't feel that way at all. I just need a character I identify enough with to wanna select them, and the closest I have to that in this game is the Sunshine Crew (Bowser Jr, Pianta, and Cataquack). That's better than nothing, I guess, but when all three of my faves from previous games are gone (one of whom got turned into a bike) and all we have for new selections are nameless mooks I, for the most part, feel nothing for, it leaves me feeling a little empty inside. Mario rosters tend to run into that issue for me where I find most of the mainstays frankly boring and my favorites typically are the ones who appear sparingly, if at all. Recycled enemy models and background NPCs do not fill the void, I'm afraid.

 

[~ Valkyrie ~]

Maybe they included the likes of sidestepper and snowman because their models were in the game AND they thought it would be cool. The two aren't mutually exclusive and honestly, I think it is cool.

Probably - but I dunno if I can give Nintendo that much charity or respect on the latter though due how these NMPC-racers do pale in comparison in the effort put to them when compared to the mainstays.

If they really thought they were that "cool" or "interesting", I think they would have taken much higher advantage of that via making them actually feel more organic in action - and gone more out showcasing how quirky yet believable they are on taking the wheel - specifically with some mre unorthodox ones we're getting, like your Fishboneses, Snowmen or Pokeys.

Because right now, this just ain't it. It's not silly. It's jarringly even lower on the standards regarding the effort that Nintendo likes to put on with THE signature seller IP like Mario Kart.

I can't justify additions like this as "cool" or "quirky" if the devs don't even bother putting any more affort to it than a model swap that a fan was able to churn out in 4 days right after the Direct was shown.

Like, it's having more choices with this much variety is nice, really - but some of them really come off as some choddily thrown in that it undermines how truly quirky they would have been on a car, and instead are reduced to Nintendo just blatantly showing us how unprofessional they really are having gone adding them to the point that I'm gonna ay it again: them putting so little effort on implementing some of these wackier mooks has made them come off as uncharacteristically lazy.

I can't help thinking the development time and resources regarding character additions should have really been used better for a new mainline installment between Tour and Home Circuit, possible even longer in the making if you wanna treat World as a proper follower to Mario Kart 8.
Such as - well, reducing this kind of roster bloat via not bothering with the mooks that just wouldn't be capable of driving a kart, if they don't wanna go do anymore than that - and put more time and effort on those that already were chosen, making them feel like choices that really had people behind them thinking "they'd be so cool/quirky and fun to see in action!".

That's how we ended getting likes certain uorthodox characters before like R.O.B in DS and Wiggler in 7, one of my most beloved that came from this.

(Shame he got downgraded in the quirkiness department when brought to 8DX, doesn't turn angry if you hit him with anything anymore or does airplane arms)

I can't help even feeling had I been a seasoned model animator on my free time making hacks for MK8, I probably would have gone to make a more well-animated Fishbones to drive my point home (nopunint.). I could imagine it using it's, well, individual fish-bones to steer the wheel with the tail fin put on the gas and pedal. I can buy the bones being able to float indvidually because Dry Bones-esque enemies can put themselves back and stuff.

So yeah. I vastly prefer that we got less mooks if it meant more quality from ones that were chosen - and maybe if we got really lucky, some of the previous veterans having been able to make transition from BCP well intact. Right now the implementation of some of these mooks are just anything but imaginative, borderline unprofessional to me even. I really could have done without them being added to the roster.

And like... I can't help thinking the way these mook additions have been chosen, has me expect them be very, VERY expendable in next Mario Kart incase Nintendo won't have same charity to do this again - in which case, you might easily have to say goodbye to Moo Moo Cow, Fishbones, Snowman, Cataquack, and other mooks that people have come to latch on for how quirky and fun they look as racers.

Having had to go through Lemmy now being gone on top of my other faves still missing, I'm already feeling pretty bummed about the easy prospect of Penguin being gone in a post-World Mario Kart for game asset-related reasons since I'm looking forward to playing as them in particular aside from Dolphin. Yeah...

 

[Mario & Sonic Guy]

Yeah, you can't help but wonder if the joke character additions were due to sheer laziness by the developers.

 

[PLATINUM7]

Probably - but I dunno if I can give Nintendo that much charity or respect on the latter though due how these NMPC-racers do pale in comparison in the effort put to them when compared to the mainstays.

If they really thought they were that "cool" or "interesting", I think they would have taken much higher advantage of that via making them actually feel more organic in action - and gone more out showcasing how quirky yet believable they are on taking the wheel - specifically with some mre unorthodox ones we're getting, like your Fishboneses, Snowmen or Pokeys.

Because right now, this just ain't it. It's not silly. It's jarringly even lower on the standards regarding the effort that Nintendo likes to put on with THE signature seller IP like Mario Kart.

I can't justify additions like this as "cool" or "quirky" if the devs don't even bother putting any more affort to it than a model swap that a fan was able to churn out in 4 days right after the Direct was shown.

Like, it's having more choices with this much variety is nice, really - but some of them really come off as some choddily thrown in that it undermines how truly quirky they would have been on a car, and instead are reduced to Nintendo just blatantly showing us how unprofessional they really are having gone adding them to the point that I'm gonna ay it again: them putting so little effort on implementing some of these wackier mooks has made them come off as uncharacteristically lazy.

I can't help thinking the development time and resources regarding character additions should have really been used better for a new mainline installment between Tour and Home Circuit, possible even longer in the making if you wanna treat World as a proper follower to Mario Kart 8.
Such as - well, reducing this kind of roster bloat via not bothering with the mooks that just wouldn't be capable of driving a kart, if they don't wanna go do anymore than that - and put more time and effort on those that already were chosen, making them feel like choices that really had people behind them thinking "they'd be so cool/quirky and fun to see in action!".

That's how we ended getting likes certain uorthodox characters before like R.O.B in DS and Wiggler in 7, one of my most beloved that came from this.

(Shame he got downgraded in the quirkiness department when brought to 8DX, doesn't turn angry if you hit him with anything anymore or does airplane arms)

I can't help even feeling had I been a seasoned model animator on my free time making hacks for MK8, I probably would have gone to make a more well-animated Fishbones to drive my point home (nopunint.). I could imagine it using it's, well, individual fish-bones to steer the wheel with the tail fin put on the gas and pedal. I can buy the bones being able to float indvidually because Dry Bones-esque enemies can put themselves back and stuff.

So yeah. I vastly prefer that we got less mooks if it meant more quality from ones that were chosen - and maybe if we got really lucky, some of the previous veterans having been able to make transition from BCP well intact. Right now the implementation of some of these mooks are just anything but imaginative, borderline unprofessional to me even. I really could have done without them being added to the roster.

And like... I can't help thinking the way these mook additions have been chosen, has me expect them be very, VERY expendable in next Mario Kart incase Nintendo won't have same charity to do this again - in which case, you might easily have to say goodbye to Moo Moo Cow, Fishbones, Snowman, Cataquack, and other mooks that people have come to latch on for how quirky and fun they look as racers.

Having had to go through Lemmy now being gone on top of my other faves still missing, I'm already feeling pretty bummed about the easy prospect of Penguin being gone in a post-World Mario Kart for game asset-related reasons since I'm looking forward to playing as them in particular aside from Dolphin. Yeah...

I fundamentally disagree. Fish bone is funny.

 

[Ze Diglett]

Probably - but I dunno if I can give Nintendo that much charity or respect on the latter though due how these NMPC-racers do pale in comparison in the effort put to them when compared to the mainstays.

If they really thought they were that "cool" or "interesting", I think they would have taken much higher advantage of that via making them actually feel more organic in action - and gone more out showcasing how quirky yet believable they are on taking the wheel - specifically with some mre unorthodox ones we're getting, like your Fishboneses, Snowmen or Pokeys.

Because right now, this just ain't it. It's not silly. It's jarringly even lower on the standards regarding the effort that Nintendo likes to put on with THE signature seller IP like Mario Kart.

I can't justify additions like this as "cool" or "quirky" if the devs don't even bother putting any more affort to it than a model swap that a fan was able to churn out in 4 days right after the Direct was shown.

Like, it's having more choices with this much variety is nice, really - but some of them really come off as some choddily thrown in that it undermines how truly quirky they would have been on a car, and instead are reduced to Nintendo just blatantly showing us how unprofessional they really are having gone adding them to the point that I'm gonna ay it again: them putting so little effort on implementing some of these wackier mooks has made them come off as uncharacteristically lazy.

I can't help thinking the development time and resources regarding character additions should have really been used better for a new mainline installment between Tour and Home Circuit, possible even longer in the making if you wanna treat World as a proper follower to Mario Kart 8.
Such as - well, reducing this kind of roster bloat via not bothering with the mooks that just wouldn't be capable of driving a kart, if they don't wanna go do anymore than that - and put more time and effort on those that already were chosen, making them feel like choices that really had people behind them thinking "they'd be so cool/quirky and fun to see in action!".

That's how we ended getting likes certain uorthodox characters before like R.O.B in DS and Wiggler in 7, one of my most beloved that came from this.

(Shame he got downgraded in the quirkiness department when brought to 8DX, doesn't turn angry if you hit him with anything anymore or does airplane arms)

I can't help even feeling had I been a seasoned model animator on my free time making hacks for MK8, I probably would have gone to make a more well-animated Fishbones to drive my point home (nopunint.). I could imagine it using it's, well, individual fish-bones to steer the wheel with the tail fin put on the gas and pedal. I can buy the bones being able to float indvidually because Dry Bones-esque enemies can put themselves back and stuff.

So yeah. I vastly prefer that we got less mooks if it meant more quality from ones that were chosen - and maybe if we got really lucky, some of the previous veterans having been able to make transition from BCP well intact. Right now the implementation of some of these mooks are just anything but imaginative, borderline unprofessional to me even. I really could have done without them being added to the roster.

"Man, I miss Petey Piranha. What ever happened to him? I sure hope he shows up in another Mario Kart game!"

Hence the monkey's paw curls as all the cool characters are sucked into Mario Kart 8 Deluxe with all the lazy, asset-flip courses of the Booster Course Pass, while the actual high-effort world design gets sucked into Mario Kart World with all the lazy, asset-flip characters.

 

[Thegameandwatch]

They probably expected too much out of the Mario Kart World Direct.

Although I think most expected a character reveal or two since that was the case in the Mario Kart 8 direct.

I fundamentally disagree. Fish bone is funny.

At least Cataquack returns because it hasn’t appeared in a new game since Mario Kart Wii. Galaxy was the last time it had an original appearance since its appearance in MKWii was in a retro course.

 

[~ Valkyrie ~]

I fundamentally disagree. Fish bone is funny.

If you find them funny, them all the more power to you. But that's a subjective opinion, not an argument you can use to render mine moot.
At least explain further why I should find it funny too in it's current form enough to not be bothered by it's inclusion, or get to criticize it.

Because that's what I've long been getting from this type of "your argument is moot because because mook funni" response ad nauseum.

 

[PLATINUM7]

If you find them funny, them all the more power to you. But that's a subjective opinion, not an argument you can use to render mine moot.
At least explain further why I should find it funny too in it's current form enough to not be bothered by it's inclusion, or get to criticize it.

Because that's what I've long been getting from this type of "your argument is moot because because mook funni" response ad nauseum.

I'm not trying render my opinion as an argument. I'm just presenting my opinion.

I don't think I'm going to change your opinion and I'm not going to try. That's why I responded to your wall of text with such a short post. I disagree with you. That's it.

 

[MBRedboy31]

I wonder if it would’ve been better or not if they chose fewer mooks, but each of the mooks they did pick got a full collection of costumes.

 

[PLATINUM7]

I wonder if it would’ve been better or not if they chose fewer mooks, but each of the mooks they did pick got a full collection of costumes.

I'd rather more characters than costumes.

 

[Opossum]

Yeah, you can't help but wonder if the joke character additions were due to sheer laziness by the developers.

You not liking them ≠ them being joke characters

 

[Thegameandwatch]

but each of the mooks they did pick got a full collection of costumes.

It's likely that the ones that are in the actual game have costumes but it's just not shown off. Koopa, Lakitu, and Shy Guy have confirmed costumes so not because lot of the new characters are generic.

The ones that have confirmed costumes are inconsistent like how DK and Pauline have only one confirmed costume each. Dry Bones and Wiggler don't have confirmed ones at all despite being in the series before World. Applies to Hammer Bro, Chargin' Chuck, Nabbit, and Monty Mole if Tour counts.

 

[NintenRob]

I'm sorry but given the past trends with Mario spinoffs I really think we've seen the whole roster.

I used to be a "there could be hidden characters!!" coper myself but sadly that just isn't how Nintendo functions anymore. They usually show everyone off before release. Every Mario sports game on the Switch did this, every Mario Party on the Switch did this, etc. You'd think that they'd pull out all the stops in the direct to convince people this is worth 80 dollars, so if anything wasn't shown, it probably doesn't exist.

We've seen everyone. The Kongs, Kamek, and King Bob-Omb aren't in.

They've barely even talked about the characters. Usually when we know everyone, there's some kind of website or something that shows all the characters. And there's free roam they've barely talked about at all. I don't believe that every thing in that mode only unlocks decals. Unceremoniously having us know about every character and costume doesn't seem Nintendos style.

Honestly, I could believe it's every character, I could believe they've cut Diddy Kong, Petey and Kamek. You know what I find extremely difficult to believe?

That Pauline only has one costume. She had more costumes than Donkey Kong, Wario, Waluigi and Bowser Jr

 

[Louie G.]

It’s a shame to see the word “lazy” tossed around like this. Criticism is welcome of course but it’s hard not to see these more accusatory statements as a bit entitled.

I don’t think all the roster choices are perfect, and there’s a clear difference between the effort gone into a full racer like Peach vs an enemy like Fishbone… but idk, would we have anything else if not for these characters in the first place? If they were added as part of the Kamek item and not implemented as playable racers, wouldn’t that be even more of a weird oversight than having somewhat simple animations? Surely instead we’d be complaining that these characters are literally right there, and we should be able to use them.

Pretty much every returning character appears to have been remodeled, reanimated, given various costumes and visual quirks. Had we not gotten 20+ enemies playable via existing assets I doubt we really would have seen much else in the first place. If you can look me square on and say “I’d trade half the roster for Diddy Kong and Funky Kong” then all power to you, stick to your guns. But understand that’s more or less what we’re looking at here.

The main confusing one to me is that Kamek is present and isn’t a racer. Goombas can confront Goombas on the track, Lakitus fish out Lakitus, Kamek already looks exactly like a generic Magikoopa so who’s to say who shows up when the item is spawned. I don’t think it’d be all that weird.

 

[Ze Diglett]

It’s a shame to see the word “lazy” tossed around like this. Criticism is welcome of course but it’s hard not to see these more accusatory statements as a bit entitled.

I don’t think all the roster choices are perfect, and there’s a clear difference between the effort gone into a full racer like Peach vs an enemy like Fishbone… but idk, would we have anything else if not for these characters in the first place? If they were added as part of the Kamek item and not implemented as playable racers, wouldn’t that be even more of a weird oversight than having somewhat simple animations? Surely instead we’d be complaining that these characters are literally right there, and we should be able to use them.

Pretty much every returning character appears to have been remodeled, reanimated, given various costumes and visual quirks. Had we not gotten 20+ enemies playable via existing assets I doubt we really would have seen much else in the first place. If you can look me square on and say “I’d trade half the roster for Diddy Kong and Funky Kong” then all power to you, stick to your guns. But understand that’s more or less what we’re looking at here.

The main confusing one to me is that Kamek is present and isn’t a racer. Goombas can confront Goombas on the track, Lakitus fish out Lakitus, Kamek already looks exactly like a generic Magikoopa so who’s to say who shows up when the item is spawned. I don’t think it’d be all that weird.

As someone who's pretty hesitant to throw the word "lazy" around in game criticism (I've gotten pretty sick of people using it against Game Freak when it's clear effort's not the issue with how Pokemon's turned out), when I see every new character in a Mario Kart game's a barely animated model of a background asset, coming off the coattails of the Booster Course Pass which notoriously backported mobile assets to a AAA game... no, sorry, I'm gonna call it what it is: cheap, low-effort padding. You can like the characters, even be excited for them in spite of that, but let's at least call a spade a spade here.

Frankly, I think the better choice in the long run would've been just not having Kamek be an item in the first place. He was long overdue as a racer, and the Kamek item in World seems random at best and downright unhelpful at worst. That way, we'd also avoid the logistical dilemma of "what do we do with all these enemy models now?" If preferring 2 actual characters to 20 obj_mother****ers is entitled behavior, then I guess I'm proudly entitled.

 

[PLATINUM7]

I honestly don't think Kamek is the reason we've got all these enemies as characters. You can have them playable without an item that randomly transforms you into them. Kamek looks more like a way to give you a taster of what other characters are like when you have 50 (potentially more) to choose from.

Anyway, maybe it's because the latest promotional screenshots focus on the character's trick animations but they do more than just sit on the vehicle. Some of them seem as expressive as the regular characters we get.

Gallery: Fresh Mario Kart World Screenshots Give Us Our Closest Look Yet At The New Racers

We feel a new main coming along...

www.nintendolife.com

Really the only enemy I think they could have done more for is sidestepper. Seems like a no brainer to use his claws like hands and do the steering.

 

[Mario & Sonic Guy]

The one question that does have to be answered, is if ALL the enemies that Kamek creates have playable variants. In one video, you see a group of Tokotoko, but you don't see any racers being transformed into one. The same ordeal applies to the Chomps as well.

 

[chocolatejr9]

The one question that does have to be answered, is if ALL the enemies that Kamek creates have playable variants. In one video, you see a group of Tokotoko, but you don't see any racers being transformed into one. The same ordeal applies to the Chomps as well.

Assuming there will be more than 50 playable characters, is it possible for it to be a demo thing? Like, they could still be summoned, but you can't play as them.

 

[Ruler of Subspace]

Hell, my most wanted character that isn't in? It's a Whittle. Give me Whittle.

Whittle is also one of my most wanted. I'd love to race as the little wood guy. But my most wanted? Star Bunny. I love that thing. I'd rather have that than Geno or Vivian.

On other note:

I genuinely hope that most of these are unique named characters. It would suck for most of the roster to be NPCs. I do hope there's more than this too. I'd love to see an "everyone is here" for Mario Kart World, even if it excludes R.O.B. and the Namco guys.

 

[Ze Diglett]

I don't get wanting unnamed, generic characters in a game like this. Wanting more mooks in general, I can understand even if I don't agree, but pulling for specific ones? Nah, that just makes no sense to me. Other than Shroob, which is a pipe dream at best, I can't think of a single enemy I actively want in this game. Blooper, maybe? Even then, I wouldn't pick a Blooper over Dry Bowser if given the choice.

Actually, **** it, going Joker mode. Gimme Spiky Topman. They were already in Mario Kart Wii as a hazard, after all!

 

[chocolatejr9]

I don't get wanting unnamed, generic characters in a game like this. Wanting more mooks in general, I can understand, but pulling for specific ones? Nah, that just makes no sense to me. Other than Shroob, which is a pipe dream at best, I can't think of a single enemy I actively want in this game. Blooper, maybe? Even then, I wouldn't pick a Blooper over Dry Bowser if given the choice.

Actually, **** it, going Joker mode. Gimme Spiky Topman. They were already in Mario Kart Wii as a hazard, after all!

I mean, some of these generic characters have a charm of their own, y'know? Whittle is a fun little wood person, Tosteranan is a fun take on Mexican culture, Noki would go great with Pianta, and that's just the ones off the top of my head. It's kinda like Smash wants, in a way: most people want them because... they just think they're neat. Sometimes it really is that simple.

 

[Thegameandwatch]

One of the few enemies that are notably missing is Ninji despite it having more appearances lately. Mario Kart is the exception like how it appeared in the new Mario Party game, Mario Wonder and Mario Golf. Also Run and Mario Maker 2.

 

[Opossum]

As a big fan of the Mario Baseball games I genuinely don't get not wanting more of the enemy/ally species characters. Those are like half the charm of the Mario world.

In a game like Smash that acts as a massive crossover of countless franchises? Yeah, I can get things like the ambivalence toward Piranha Plant. But in a Mario game?

 

[Laniv]

I think the ratio of friendly NPCs to enemies is too small. Give me Whittle! Give me Tostarenans! Give me Lochladies!

And if you want actually named characters, give me Madame Broode, dangit. >:T

 

[Borskaboska]

I was honestly expecting Foreman Spike to show up after the movie. Spike and Pauline would be a cool character duo, being forgotten early arcade mario characters.

 

[LiveStudioAudience]

As a big fan of the Mario Baseball games I genuinely don't get not wanting more of the enemy/ally species characters. Those are like half the charm of the Mario world.

In a game like Smash that acts as a massive crossover of countless franchises? Yeah, I can get things like the ambivalence toward Piranha Plant. But in a Mario game?

I actually think Mario Kart World fails to live up to what Sluggers pulled off, because the latter went as far as including the DK cast, Petey Pirahna, and Kamek on top of having various enemy/ally types. If the character list in MKW lined up to something closer to that I suspect there'd be far less disappointment.