Super Mario Kart first appeared on Super Nintendo in 1992 and since then a variety of sequels have followed, as well as a fair number of copycats. This week’s Pulse 10 takes a look at the top kart racing games of all time — did anyone top Mario and his buddies?
10) Atari Karts (Atari Jaguar)
A late entry into the Jaguar game library, Atari Karts used the scaling and rotation seen in Super Mario Kart and executed it well.
9) Pac Man Rally (Gamecube, PS2, PSP)
Using the same engine as the Mario Kart GP Arcade series, the only thing holding back Pac Man Rally is its ridiculous easiness.
8) Konami Krazy Racers (Gameboy Advance)
A launch game on the GBA in 2001, Konami surprised everyone by beating Mario Kart to market with a surprisingly solid kart racer with a fun selection of Konami characters.
7) Looney Tunes: Space Race (Dreamcast)
A cell shaded Looney Tunes kart racer that had somewhat unfair rubber-band AI but a fun presentation and a unique item assortment.
6) Mario Kart 64 (Nintendo 64)
A dorm room favorite, N64 Mario Kart was a huge success in 1997 but doesn’t hold up quite as well as some of the others.
5) Mario Kart DS (Nintendo DS)
A gigantic collection of tracks, Mario Kart DS is the best portable kart racer available, if you don’t mind the snaking.
4) Diddy Kong Racing (Nintendo 64)
Rare’s entry into the kart racing genre, adding 2 new vehicle types (byplanes and hovercrafts), layers of adventure kart racing and item collection to a solid gameplay core.
3) Crash Team Racing (Playstation)
One of three Crash kart racing games, the original developed by naughty Dog is the best, featuring an impressive lineup of turbo options that make a successful race one long turbo boost if positioned optimally.
2) Super Mario Kart (Super Nintendo)
The grand-daddy of the all, Mario’s Kart debut on Super Nintendo is nothing short of classic.
1) Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (Gamecube)
The gold standard in kart racing, adding a second character to each kart and an interesting new switching gameplay dynamic. Features huge, memorable tracks and
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