Best Mario Kart alternatives?

fronkhead wrote:

I've always (perhaps foolishly) dismissed CTR, is it worth a go then? As someone who loved DKR and Konami Krazy Racers that is?

Yes, definitely. CTR is still the best kart racer ever made, and should be the game against which every other kart racer is judged. Great singleplayer, great tracks, great mechanics, highly polished, perfect multiplayer.

fronkhead wrote:

I'm just glad Sonic Transformed didn't take the number one, really. It's good, but it really lacks the timeless appeal of better games due to its balancing: handling's a bit too close to your bog standard arcade racer, but the way the game's balanced means it plays like one too, where good players in lower positions will struggle to catch up.

But that's a good thing, better players should win. Sonic Transformed is a close second behind CTR for me. It's the closest blend of kart racing and F-zero you are likely to find (which makes sense being Sega). Even MK8's 200cc has nothing on Transformed's speed and adrenaline. It's a super polished game absolutely dripping in Sega love (seriously, it has a Skies of Arcadia track. And a playable Dreamcast VMU. SERIOUSLY). The singleplayer/co-op is the most challenging (and longest) you will find in any kart racer, and is absolutely brilliant. In terms of challenge no other kart racer I have played comes close, and it does so without ever being unfair (looking at you mario kart). MK8 might make for a better party game, but Transformed should be where the real racers go.

fronkhead wrote:

Star Wars Episode 1: Racer was a good alternative too which I only just remembered. I was a bit rubbish at it back then, though, but I wonder how I'd be revisiting it.

Pod Racer is an amazing game. Also please note that there is a cheat code to let you use 2 controllers, with the stick on each controller used to control the two engines (much like how the arcade version works). And it is brilliant.

Diddy Kong Racing needs a mention for the best adventure mode ever seen in a kart racer, and for that reason (plus the difficulty and the variety) I rate it much higher than MK64. In fact the only MK I would put high up a list of kart racers is probably MK8, which is by far the best MK yet made (just wish it had a proper battle mode).

Overall then, probably CTR > Transformed > MK8 > DKR as my top 4 kart racers.

...I actually really like LBPKarting too...

I just remembered the best MK alternative, don't think it's been mentioned already:





Snowboard Kids, Goddamn that was a brilliant game. If I knew where my copy was I'd be setting my N64 back up right about now.

Dead Lemon wrote:

I just remembered the best MK alternative, don't think it's been mentioned already:





Snowboard Kids, Goddamn that was a brilliant game. If I knew where my copy was I'd be setting my N64 back up right about now.

Oh - oh - oh - Dead Lemon wins. Why can''t they bring this back?

Our N64 Memory card was always dodgy, which meant we could never save Snowboard Kids properly. Which meant every time we played we played through the entire thing to unlock Ninja. So much fun.

Dead Lemon wrote:

I just remembered the best MK alternative, don't think it's been mentioned already:





Snowboard Kids, Goddamn that was a brilliant game. If I knew where my copy was I'd be setting my N64 back up right about now.

Definitely this, I'd have mentioned it if I thought of it as a MK alternative, I think controlling a snowboard feels different enough.

Used to love Snowboard Kids in multiplayer.

I recall really enjoying Wacky Races on the Dreamcast, particularly if you was a fan of the show:

Looney Tunes Space Race, on the Dreamcast, is (was?) a blaaaast. I don't know how well it holds up today, but back in the day I had a lot of fun with it. It had a striking visual look to it, and looked like a cartoon in 3D and racing in rockets was a cool novelty.

gjones wrote:

Used to love Snowboard Kids in multiplayer.

I recall really enjoying Wacky Races on the Dreamcast, particularly if you was a fan of the show:

Snowboard Kids on the N64 was the last game my step father bought me before he passed away, so it will always mean a lot to me. Loved that racer.

Also welcome back to the forum Marzy!

Quote :

Also welcome back to the forum Marzy!

Thanks!

Welcome to the good ship GNamer Marzy, hope you checkout all are posts and introduce yourself.

masofdas wrote:

Welcome to the good ship GNamer Marzy, hope you checkout all are posts and introduce yourself.

He's a friend of mine, noticed he had an account here so I invited him back

Excellent work though Darren.

Sonic Transformed has to be one of the best from a current gen system?

Double Post from nearly 3 years ago

With Scullions Kart thing and recent posts in Team Sonic Racing, what are the best Kart games without Mario in the title?

To me it's:
Crash Team Racing as the clear number 1 and might even be better than some Mario Kart games but is more like
Diddy Kong Racing, I don't think this holds up as well as MK64 but does have a good idea of the story mode
Both Modern (GameGear had some) Sonic Kart racers are really good

Then I do struggle to think of things that weren't pish like South Park Rally or what likely just okay games such as ModNation Racers (just got on VITA).

I do know that Dreamcast had a few but again not sure how good Wacky Racers is in 2018

Wacky Races was really good, although I'm a big fan of the show so may be biased. Seemed to recall Looney Tunes Space Race being another good one at the time on the Dreamcast.

My nomination goes to Street Racer which was on the PlayStation (but could also be found on the SNES). Some of the character stereotypes would make UKIP blush but the battle mode, OH BOY. Better than any Mario Kart battle mode.

South Park Rally wasn't pish. I never understood why it got such honking review scores back in the day - I enjoyed it when I was a teenager, and I enjoyed it again when I re-bought it earlier this decade. It's not half bad at all!

Apart from the usual stuff - CTR, DKR, Sonic All Stars - I'd say that Speed Freaks on the PSone and F1 Race Stars on PS3/360/Wii U should be in that conversation.

I thought it was bad when I played on N64, why it was the first game I thought of as something we may have played unlike Hello Kitty.

Didn't South Park Rally score 90s across the mags at the time?

43% on Game Rankings and I'd say that's about right.

It scored really highly in N64 Magazine as I recall, and so did Chef's Luv Shack. I liked them both!

On the topic of Mario Kart alternatives, there's a Nickelodeon cart racer out this year:

http://www.pushsquare.com/news/2018/07/nickelodeon_kart_racers_is_the_weirdest_thing

The Turtles seem so out of place to me.

I never did get round to trying Crash Team Racing yet! If the 50hz conversion was good I should grab it on the PS Store and play it on PSP or Vita. Not interested in a remake that Activision will eventually cash in on...