The Greatest Video Game of All Time
Mario Kart turns Arcade
Mario Kart Arcade GP is an arcade-only version of Nintendo’s Mario Kart series. It’s the sixth installment of the very successful franchise. The 2005 arcade spin-off enables players to choose one of eleven characters and race on up to twenty-four tracks. Mario Kart fans will immediately notice the inclusion of new and familiar crossover characters: Namco’s Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man and Blinky (Ghost character in Pac-Man).
The game’s sequel also features Mametchi, a character from the Tamagotchi games, and the third installment includes Don from the Taiko no Tatsujin franchise.
Players can save their game progress on magnetic cards which can be inserted into the machine again later to retain unlocked items and records. On the Dingo System, you just press F3 on the Keyboard.
The franchise was originally released on the Super Nintendo in 1992 and was an immediate commercial and critical success. Other console variations have been released on the Nintendo 64 (1996), GameBoy Advance (2001), GameCube (2003), Nintendo DS (2005), Nintendo Wii (2008), Nintendo 3DS (2011), and the Nintendo Wii-U (2014). Arcade spin-offs were the Mario Kart Arcade GP ONE (2005), Mario Kart Arcade GP TWO (2007), and Mario Kart Arcade GP DX (2013).
The arcade version also features a built-in camera that will take a photograph of the player’s face. The photo can be customized and then will be displayed above the player’s character during multiplayer races. A great way to personalise an already exciting and addictive game.
Overall, Mario Kart Arcade GP ONE is challenging and a lot of fun to play. It takes a bit of effort and tinkering to get the arcade emulation version to run, but once it’s in action, it plays beautifully. In this video, I came home to find my missus testing it out for me on the Dingo System arcade coffee table. Needless to say, she was hooked! If you’ve played any Mario Kart in the past, you’ll understand her frustration shown in the video. Haha. Well done Amor.
Mario Kart Arcade GP