Which franchise should get its own kart racing game? | Team Talk

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There's a delicate art to the perfect kart racing game. When Mario Kart blazed onto the track back in 1992, little did it know the legacy it would create.

Over the years we've had efforts from all over the place, from respectable spins on the concept that add fresh ideas like Diddy Kong Racing and Crash Team Racing: Nitro Fuelled, mid-level efforts like Sonic & SEGA All Stars Racing, and utterly baffling outings like Mole Kart and even Garfield Kart.

Now we have a new contender, Smurfs Kart, but what would you bring to the table? Is there a franchise that you think could make the perfect kart racer? Let us know on our Discord.

by Team PTC

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​@pass_controller

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​Tekken | Chris Brand

Tekken has featured a handful of entertaining minigames over the years, spanning a range of genres. A fully fledged spin-off may be unlikely but I think there's a definite chance they could pull a Mortal Kombat.

In terms of mechanics, it's a solid fighting game with a high skill ceiling, yet it's never taken itself too seriously and has a lot of wacky fighters that would fit more naturally into a kart racer than a beat 'em up. The series has always had that element of silliness – robots, pandas, boxing kangaroos and devils have all been playable characters – which is present in every karting game. Many of Tekken's minigames have a similar, light-hearted, feel and I found it easy to get lost in some of them for hours.

I may have spent as much time playing Tekken Bowl as I did fighting in Tekken Tag Tournament and, despite its simplicity, it became rather popular amongst fans, returning in a couple of later games. It was much more than a quick distraction (or a way of deciding whose turn it is to put the kettle on) though it could never quite exist on its own, purely because there's not enough of it.

Of course, standalone bowling games exist, as do kart racers, and Bandai Namco could probably pull it off, but I like the overall design of Tekken's minigames and sometimes prefer the more arcade-y and almost retro experience. Fights can be quite intense and going up against someone who is much more familiar with the game means you're probably going to lose a lot, however, these minigames are easy to pick up and play, evening the playing field. And everyone loves a good kart racer.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | James Parry

The first thing you need for a kart racer is recognisable, beloved characters, and with the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film currently going down well at the box office, it's surprise this isn't already a thing.

The turtles have gone for a spin before, in 2018's Nickelodeon Kart Racers, but if you take a hand-drawn animation approach to the visuals to tie into a new film I think there's already the ingredients for a really interesting game.

Pizza would have to feature, of course, and the prospect of what other characters besides our fab four to bring in initially is a cause for concern, but the more you think about it the more characters there are to bring to life.

Imagine Kang shouting manically as he speeds round the track in a custom roadster, or Splinter taking a very low-fi approach with a real bare-bones, speedy kart, using his patience and masters of the art of deception to snipe first from you on the finish line every time.

Then there's the environments. Far from just having 'a sewer level', you could really go to town with it and really bring the city to life in fun ways. Plus there's plenty to explore overground as well, particularly with a cartoony approach you could come up with something unique to the turtles.

So, if you're on board, who wants to go for a spin? Bagsy Michaelangelo!​

Metroid Prime | Liam Andrews

I’ve recently started playing Metroid Prime Remastered on Switch, which is mostly why I’ve picked it for this week’s topic, but even so I think the game would work quite well as a kart racer.

First off, there’s plenty of locations for tracks to be based on. You’ve got the temple-like Chozo Ruins, the lava filled Magmoor Caverns, the snow covered Phendrana Drifts and a more industrial setting in Phazon Mines. The unique visual styles and environmental dangers found in each of these locations would make for some decent themed tracks.

I would just have Samus as the only playable character, that way all players would have access to the same roster of weapons (Charge Beam, Wave Beam, rockets, etc.) but could also utilise Samus’s Morph Ball ability, which could be used for reaching secret short cuts or combined with the Joy-Cons’ gyroscope function for some bonus Super Monkey Ball inspired levels/mini games.

The various power suits could also work well as temporary power ups for reaching restricted shortcuts in tracks, for example using the Phazon Suit to cut through a radioactive area or the Varia Suit for surviving high temperature areas.