Ranking The Mario Kart Series Worst to Best

With Mario Kart 8 Deluxe out now on the Nintendo Switch, players are zipping through the Mushroom Kingdom yet again for a chance at asserting themselves as the best behind a kart or motorcycle. Now that the series is decades old with over 10 titles in its lineup, let’s rank them worst to best!

Note: Mario Kart GP and GP 2 are not here. I have played both, but not nearly enough to rank them fairly.

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Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Review

Mario Kart 8 on the Wii U almost became the definitive title in the franchise. While it stunned players with gorgeous visuals and racing that has been fine-tuned over the course of decades of innovation, its half-hearted battle mode that didn’t feature battle-mode-specific tracks was the worst in the series.

Years later, Nintendo addresses this flaw in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on the Nintendo Switch with an all-new battle mode. For good measure, the game also features all of the DLC from the Wii U, a handful of new characters and a few minor gameplay updates as well. Better late than never, as this is the new pinnacle for the franchise and the genre.

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Jackbox Party Pack 3 Review

The You Don’t Know Jack series found a second wind with the Jackbox Party Pack. Each pack comes with a handful of party games that players control with their phones. These have worked so well in the past because they have a board game like quality to them, in that there’s no twitch action involved and they’re games that anyone can pick up and play.

Jackbox Party Pack 3 contains four brand new games, along with the sequel to Quiplash. It’s also the first to make it on the Nintendo Switch. Is this going to be the highlight of your next party?

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Nintendo Switch Pro Controller Review

The default Joy-Con controllers on the Nintendo Switch provide an unprecedented level of versatility, from acting as the controllers on a portable unit, to working as a standalone controller when attached to a Joy-Con Grip, or even as two separate controllers when split in half. This versatility, however, comes at a cost. In particular, when used with a Joy-Con Grip, it works okay, but it’s certainly no substitute for a more traditional controller.

To address this issue, you could buy a Nintendo Switch Pro Controller. It definitely looks the part, though its steep price point may give you pause. Is this control alternative worth it?

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Finding it Hard to Get Excited for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is about as sure of a thing as any. Take a hot new Nintendo console and pair it with an updated port of quite possibly the best Mario Kart of all-time and everyone wins. Despite that, I’m having a hard time getting jazzed for this one.

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Coming Soon: The Super Nintendo Classic Mini?

Eurogamer reports that a mini SNES in the style of the NES Classic is coming later this year. They also note that this is part of the reason why the NES Classic Mini is being discontinued, as to make way in the production line for this new micro console.

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Coming Soon: Puyo Puyo Tetris on the Nintendo Switch

In just a few days – April 25th to be exact, Puyo Puyo Tetris will hit store shelves for the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4. Having played the Japanese PlayStation 4 version for a few months now, I can tell you that it’s a good game. Personally, I thought that the Switch version would be a home run, as the portable nature of the platform made it seem like a perfect fit. Right now, I’m not so sure I’m ready to jump in.

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Shovel Knight Review

Not that long ago, I took a work trip to Chicago for a few days. Having beaten The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, I was looking for something new to play on the Nintendo Switch during my travels. I know that Shovel Knight isn’t new to many of you, but it’s one that has managed to slip by me since it was released in June 2014. Having played through the main campaign of the Treasure Trove Edition, it’s clear that I’ve been missing out on a brilliant game.

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1-2 Switch Review

1-2 Switch is a direct callback to a time not that long ago when Nintendo took the world by storm with motion controls. A time that many gamers would rather forget. Many felt burned by controllers that did a poor job of tracking our movements and motion-based games that were shallow or just plain bad. That being said, Nintendo hopes that the casual crowd that fell in love with Wii Sports will fall in love again with 1-2 Switch. Has Nintendo caught lighting in a bottle twice? Or is this a relic of the past that should have stayed buried?

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Nintendo Discontinues the NES Classic Edition

In a stunning turn of events, Nintendo’s hard-to-find mini console is going to be even tougher to track down in light of Nintendo discontinuing the NES Classic Edition. In light of the high consumer demand that persists for the console to this day, this is a really bad look for Nintendo and a huge loss for those still trying to get one.

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