Since its debut in 1992, the party racing phenomenon known as 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Mario Kart has pretty much dominated the kart racing scene. This makes sense on a certain level, given that the original SNES game essentially birthed this entire subgenre. Though that's not to say other developers haven't stepped up to the plate - or to the checkered starting line in this case - and given the Big N a run for their꧙ money.
In fact, there are a number of endlessly enjoyable kart racers from other recognizable franchises, as well as new IPs. These titles haven't always gotten their due respect, though many of them provide equally thrilling multiplayer racing experiences. There have even been some cool new and interesting new twists on the formula that further push the boundaries of what an arcade-style racer can be. So, let's start our engines as we take a look at the 10 best kart racers that don't feature the musta𝔍chioed plumber and his Mus🀅hroom Kingdom pals.
10 Toy Story Rཧacer
Despite the game being handcuffed somewhat by the dated PlayStation hardware, this racer manages to hold up visually, with a charming aesthetic that captures the essence of the hit Toy Story films. Yes, it helps 𒁏that the ba🌠sic toy models featured don't exactly require high-end tech to look nice, but never mind that.
The game features some fun level design based on recognizable locations from the movie, along with a plethora of racing types to keep things interesting. The game sort of combines the VS and battle aspects of the Mario Kart series by putting emphasis on nailing your toy friends with items. The highlights on this front are probably Knockout Race and Survival Race. In these, you must take advantage of the array of amusing items l𒐪ike Bo Peep's sheep and rocket𓂃s to take out your opponents and be the last toy standing.
9 Kirby's Air Ride ⛎ 🦹
Sure, it's no Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, but the 2003 GameCube title Kirby's Air Ride does scratch that wacky arcade-style kart racing itch, and proves pretty fun on its own merit. Considering Hal Laboratory - the guys behind the epic 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Super Smash Bros. series - are behin♒d this one, you know you m💦ust be getting a decent game.
This racer takes the already simplistic formula of the Mario Kart series and makes things even more accessible while providing a fast-moving, thrilling experience as well. Kirby's Air Ride takes a sort of 3D Sonic approach of having you glide along without the use of ღpressing a button to move or accelerate. Rather, the emphasis is placed on navigation and using items.
8 💞 Jak X: Co💦mbat Racing
The arcade kart racing scene on the PS2 is quite barren, which is why Jak X: Combat Racing rounds out the console's robust library quite nicely. Even on its own merit, Jak, one of 2000s-era Sony's most iconic characters, ♕stars in a pretty solid kart racer that's worth pꦦlaying.
The game combines super speed that's more reminiscent of futuristic racers with combat and explosions you might find in Twisted Metal. This combination of styles, along with some solid mechanics and fun destructive items, makes for a truly exciting racing romp. It even comes with a surprisingly well-crafted adventure mode brimming with uni𝔍que missions.
7 🌼 Looney Tunes: Space Race
The wacky, cartoony Looney Tunes franchise seems like it would be a perfect fit as a kart racer, and Looney Tunes: Space Race proves this. This game utilizes a visually-appealing cell shaded look with bits of that trademark🌞 fluid, over-the-top Warner Bros. style that adds some flair. This unique look has also helped it age better aesthetically despite being released almost two decades ago.
Looney Tunes: Space Race is far from 🐼broken - it's a mechanically solid game that feels great and provides tons of multiplayer fun. This is thanks to some nice level design, entertaining items (that anvil drop), and a cast of colorful characte𒉰rs. Give it a try, doc!
6 Sonic & All-Stars ꦅRacing Transformed
Similar to Diddy Kong Racing, Sonic & All-Stars Racing uses a variety of fun vehicle forms that keeps the high-speed races even more interesting and fresh. Unlike that game though, Sonic allows you to transforಌm thes﷽e vehicles in real-time, adding a unique dynamic to the genre.
The game doesn't just feature our favorite Sonic characters, but is rather a celebration of Sega's more cartoony side as a whole, existing as a sort of Sega racing equivalent to Smash Bros. Even the rather obscure Alex Kidd makes an appearance! Sonic & All-Stars contains a variety of colorful stages, a wealth oಌf diverse content, and an addictive online mode to boot.
5 M🍨odNation Racing
If 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Crash Team Racing is a Mario Kart 64 replacement for the Sony crowd of the PlayStation generation, then ModNation Racing is the equivalent of the more g🍬raphically slick later entries, with ♌a twist.
The game encourages an abundance of drifts and F-zero-style boosts, which makes for a thrilling racing experience from start to finish. Being a game that's meant to hype Sony's Play, Create, Share PS3 feature that stresses user-made content, ModNation Racing goes full steam with this, and does it well.
4 𒁏 Team So🐎nic Racing
Gotta go fast! There's certainly plenty of speed to be had in this thrilling Sonic-based kart racer. It's easy for these games to succumb to generic traits that make them feel like bland Mario Kart ripoffs. Yet, Team Sonic does a fine job of drawing from the appealing aspects of that series while adding its own flavoꦛr - namely with its team me𝓰chanic.
This creates an exciting new dynamic and element of strategy into an otherwise more typical racing formula. The game just feels great and is exhilarating to play with its robust multiplayer options and cool level design, complete with rings and fun Sonic-style loop de loops.
3 ♒ 𒆙 Crash Team Racing
Sorry Jak and ModNation, but Crash Team Racing is really the definitive Sony counterpart to Nintendo's Mario Kart. Indeed, this can really hang with that series in terms of quality. It certainly served as a fine substitute for those PlayStation owners who didn't have Nintendo's 64-bit machine and thus missed out on Mario Kart 64.
The game holds up mechanically and provides a nice palette of familiar environments and characters Crash fans will recognize. You've got the Mario Kart equivalents of items and obstacles, with TNT boxes and heat-seeking missiles. While the multiplayer is a blast, the game excels further with its more detailed character stats and fleshed-out campaign mode, where you gather relics and even square off against bosses. The recent remake, 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled, proves the core formula is asꦦ fantastic as ever today.
2 Blur
This action-packed PS3 racer uses a fairly typical racer aesthetic, complete with realistic environments and cars, but revs things up with a system of arcade-style chaos. The game is chock full of a variety of enjoyable weapons to take out opponents, and emphasizes boosts, 𓆉power-ups, and drifting.
Blur plays something like Burnout and F-Zero with its emphasis on combat, while still centering around tight, fast-paced races a la Mario Kart. The end result is a uni꧒que, chaotic kart racer that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
1 ꧋ 🎀 Diddy Kong Racing
This colorful racer gets criminally overlooked. The funny thing is, Diddy Kong Racing by Rare is probably just as good as Mario Kart 64, and perhaps even better in some areas.
While the rich platformer-esque style of the story mode objectives and often tricky gameplay might not be for everyone, Diddy Kong Racing is a 🔜total blast once you get the hang of it. It probably goesꦫ without saying that the multiplayer provides endless fun, along with plenty of laughs. Yet, the game also features one of the best single player offerings for a racer, along with tons of imaginative stages, appealing tunes, cool items, and fun vehicles.