The Mario Kart games need little to no introduction. I’m pretty sure my mom has never played a single video game in her life, and even she knows what Mario Kart is. A storied franchise spread across 30 years and almost a dozen gaming systems and handhelds, the franchise is as bankable as setting up a beer cart at a NASCAR track. With each new iteration, we see improvements in gameplay, track design, kart control, and the overall experience. I can’t think of a single Mario Kart game that isn’t a top-seller for its respective hardware, so it’s difficult to pinpoint the pinnacle of the series (personally I thought Double Dash!! was awesome stuff). There must be an in-house law at Kyoto HQ: NEW HARDWARE MUST BE ADORNED WITH SMASH BROS. AND MARIO KART. It’s engraved in stone as employees enter the building. Shiny new Nintendo hardware goes hand-in-hand with a new Mario Kart game (and Smash Bros., to that matter). But if I’m being honest… The series is feeling fairly long in the tooth, and I need a break.

Mario Kart is Mario Kart

Nintendo: forever and always associated with games that are accessible across all walks of life. Young, teenage, college, mid-life, and old. Some games are made just for young’ns. Some are just for old’ns. And then we have Wii Sports which literally covers the entire spectrum. Not even kidding you, I worked at a senior living facility, and they had a Wii Sports bowling league in the common room, with tournament brackets and prizes and everything. And it was a big to-do. But few franchises in all of video games have endured the way Mario Kart has, and this is becoming a problem.

While I appreciate the ever-growing track list, the vastly improved gameplay mechanics, the sharpening of the graphical detail — and the gimmicks are pretty cool — let’s not forget one very important and ever-consistent concept: Mario Kart is, and always will be, well… Mario Kart. It’ll always be fun, it’ll always be cool, it’ll always look good, it’ll always have all your favorite characters, and it’ll always have Rainbow Road. But for the love of God, it always feels the same, just with a new coat of paint. That’s troubling to me. Mario Kart has overstayed its welcome in my heart.

I’m Bored and I Need More

I’m bored with the Mario Kart franchise. Nintendo is wasting my time and yours with their constant dedication to this franchise, and it’s tiresome and frustrating. For years and years, Nintendo fans have been clamoring for a new F-Zero game, which is objectively better (albeit less approachable to a wider-audience). But sure, let’s just make another Mario Kart game with ridiculous parity that punishes the best racer and rewards the worst. Nintendo hardware is long-overdue for many old IPs, but let’s circle back to F-Zero really quick. Captain Falcon is the unofficial mascot of the F-Zero series, yet he’s appeared in more Smash Bros. games than F-Zero games. That’s absurd.

A Nintendo Switch successor would benefit greatly from a high-powered game like F-Zero. It’s the type of launch-day game that could showcase the true power of the machine. And can you just imagine what it could do for online racing?? 64 or more racers in random places across the globe playing on one track at one time. YES! That’s what we need! Not another banana peel…

LAST LAP

Personally, I feel like many recent Nintendo games lack depth and innovation. They’re all solid takes on the formula, but that’s the issue… It’s all just part of the formula. Nintendo doesn’t break the mold often. Metroid Dread was a refreshing idea that saw Nintendo give fans what they wanted while also delivering a fairly new concept. Please, Nintendo… MORE! Give us MORE stuff like that.

Overall, I’m divided in my heart, but my mind is made up. I absolutely love the Mario Kart games, and they’re all fun games that you can pick up and play anytime. But no matter what new gimmick they add, it always feels kind of the same. And after 30 years of continuously Mario Karting, it’s time to come to terms with my feelings: Nintendo needs to park the karts in the garage for a little while. Maybe that’ll build a little excitement via anticipation. Imagine Nintendo taking a 7-to-10-year break on Mario Kart… Fans would be clamoring with the same fervor of a kid waiting in line for that new 64-bit Nintendo system at Toys R Us in late June of 1996.