- published: 29 Jul 2013
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Mario Kart (マリオカート, Mario Kāto?) is a series of go-kart-style racing video games developed and published by Nintendo as a series of spin-offs from its trademark Super Mario series of video games. The first in the series, Super Mario Kart, was launched in 1992 on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System to critical and commercial success.
To date, there have been four Mario Kart games for home consoles, three portable games, and two Namco co-developed arcade games. The seventh and most recent game of the Mario Kart series on Nintendo systems is Mario Kart 7.
In the Mario Kart series, players compete in go-kart races, controlling one of a selection of characters from the Mario video game series. One of the features of the series is the use of various power-up items obtained by driving into item boxes laid out on the course. These power-ups include mushrooms to give players a speed boost, Koopa Shells to be thrown at opponents, and banana peels that can be laid on the track as hazards. The type of weapon received from an item box is random and often influenced by the player's position in the race. For example, players lagging far behind may receive more powerful items while the leader will only receive small defensive items. This gameplay mechanic–called "rubber banding"– allows other players or computers a realistic chance to catch up to the lead player no matter how far ahead they are. Also in this series, there are special boosts at the start of the race known as a rocket start, which will give racers an early lead when the signal light turns green. This technique upgrades to a Double Dash!! in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, in which both members of the team use the kart to get a bigger advantage at the start of the race.
Mario (マリオ, Mario?) is a fictional character in the Mario video game franchise by Nintendo, created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. Serving as Nintendo's mascot and the eponymous protagonist of the series, Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his creation. Though originally only appearing in platform games, starting with Donkey Kong, Mario currently appears in varied video game genres such as racing, puzzle, party, role-playing, fighting, and sports.
Mario is depicted as a short, pudgy, Italian plumber who lives in the Mushroom Kingdom. He repeatedly rescues Princess Peach from the turtle-like villain Bowser and stops his numerous plans to destroy him and take over the kingdom. Mario also has other enemies and rivals, including Donkey Kong and Wario. Since 1995, he has been voiced by Charles Martinet.
As Nintendo's mascot, Mario is said to be the most famous character in video game history.Mario games, as a whole, have sold more than 210 million units, making the Mario franchise the best-selling video game franchise of all time. Outside of the Super Mario platform series, he has appeared in video games of other genres, including the Mario Kart racing series, sports games, such as the Mario Tennis and Mario Golf series, role-playing video games such as Paper Mario and Super Mario RPG, and educational games, such as Mario is Missing! and Mario's Time Machine. He has inspired television shows, film, comics, and a line of licensed merchandise.