Mario Kartcould be missing out on a major opportunity by not following up on the best idea fromF-Zero X. AlthoughF-Zerohas not received much attention from Nintendo for a long time, the series still has plenty of merit, as well as some good ideas. WithMario Kartstill going strong, and its latest entry being one of the Switch’s biggest games, it would be the best choice to revive one of the best ideas thatF-Zeroever introduced. Not only could it help the nextMario Kart, it could be a great innovation for the whole genre.
Thanks to theMario Kart 8 DeluxeBooster Course Pass, the latest game in the series has continued to steadily grow. Thanks to a wide array of extra tracks combined and a small selection of new drivers, the game is seeing a renaissance years after its release. That combined with the game’s other newer features, such as vehicle customization and auto-steering, has helped to establishMario Kartas a series that just keeps growing. After the Booster Course pass, it only seems fair to ask where the series is going next. After all, it may be theSuper Marioseries' most famous spinoff.
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F-Zero X’s X-Cup Would Thrive In a Mario Kart Game
Even though nothing has come from therumors of anF-Zerocomeback,F-Zero Xfor the Nintendo 64 had one feature worth revisiting. The last cup that players could unlock was the X Cup, which unlike the other cups, featured a series of randomly generated tracks. Depending on how they ended up, they could range from astonishingly easy to among the hardest in the game. Because the X Cup tracks were different every time, players would always have a new challenge to face. It’s disappointing that the X Cup didn’t return forF-Zero GX, and the mechanic doesn’t seem to have been picked up elsewhere.
While one good idea for the series' future would be acourse creator inMario Kart 9, a revival of the X Cup would also be a solid plan for similar reasons. In fact, a variation of the X Cup in aMario Kartgame has the potential to be an even wilder experience. While racers inF-Zerocan bump each other off the track,Mario Karthas its long list of items ranging from the simple Bananas to the feared Blue Shell. Adding that level of danger to the already treacherous randomized courses could make aMario Kartversion of the X Cup even more exciting.
Another point worth mentioning is the rising art of random levels. BetweenStarfield’s procedurally generated planetsand the increasing relevance of roguelike games, elements of randomness in gaming are getting more commonplace. In a sense,F-Zero GXmay have been ahead of its time in that regard.Mario Kartcould pick up on the idea of randomly generated racetracks and be the game that brings that idea to the genre in the current generation. Randomly generated racetracks is a good idea in general. It’s unfortunate thatF-Zero Xis one of the few games to try it thus far.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxehas taken the series to a new level with its incredible amount of content. Even so,Mario Kart 9can learn from other racers, andF-Zero X’s X Cup is one of the best sources that it could take information from. It would provide a twist on gameplay that the series hasn’t seen before, and its randomized nature could provide plenty of replay value.F-Zero X’s X Cup is an underused idea with a lot of potential, and hopefully the nextMario Kartgame can put the ideas behind it to good use.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxeis available now for the Nintendo Switch.
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