Mario Kart Arcade GP
Encyclopedia
Mario Kart Arcade GP is an arcade
-only iteration of Nintendo
's Mario Kart
series, developed by both Namco
and Nintendo
. Designed for the Triforce arcade board (also used for F-Zero AX), players can race as one of eleven characters in twenty-four tracks. On certain machines, for an additional fee, a player's data can be saved on a magnetic card which can be inserted into the machine again later to retain unlocked items and records.
This game's arcade cabinet houses a camera
that will take a photograph
of the player's face. The photo can be customized and then will be displayed above the player's character during multiplayer races.
The game is noted for being the first Mario Kart to feature playable crossover
characters: Namco's Pac-Man
, Ms. Pac-Man
and Blinky. The game received a sequel
in 2007 in the form of Mario Kart Arcade GP 2.
When a player hits one of the item boxes scattered throughout the tracks, the player is given one of the three selected items chosen at the start of a race. Mario Kart Arcade GP features items new and old. Unique to this game is a lock-on feature for the items.
Also unique to this game is a temporary shield that is produced while powersliding which protects players from items thrown at them by the other racers.
Most of the game's sound effects came from Mario Kart: Double Dash‼
series. The game features the "Nam Cam" camera features of its predecessor, and 50cc, 100cc, and 150cc difficulty modes, as well as new items. The Japanese version of the game features color commentary by the prominent Japanese voice actor and on-screen personality
, Kōichi Yamadera
. The playable characters are Mario, Luigi, Peach, Yoshi, Toad, Wario, Donkey Kong, Bowser, and Waluigi from the Mario
series, Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, and Blinky from the Pac-Man
series, and Mametchi from the Tamagotchi
series.
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
-only iteration of Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
's Mario Kart
Mario Kart
is a series of go-kart-style racing video games developed by Nintendo as a series of spin-offs from its trademark Mario series of platformer adventure-style video games...
series, developed by both Namco
Namco
is a Japanese corporation best known as a former video game developer and publisher. Following a merger with Bandai in September 2005, the two companies' game production assets were spun off into Namco Bandai Games on March 31, 2006. Namco Ltd. was re-established to continue domestic operation of...
and Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
. Designed for the Triforce arcade board (also used for F-Zero AX), players can race as one of eleven characters in twenty-four tracks. On certain machines, for an additional fee, a player's data can be saved on a magnetic card which can be inserted into the machine again later to retain unlocked items and records.
This game's arcade cabinet houses a camera
Camera
A camera is a device that records and stores images. These images may be still photographs or moving images such as videos or movies. The term camera comes from the camera obscura , an early mechanism for projecting images...
that will take a photograph
Photograph
A photograph is an image created by light falling on a light-sensitive surface, usually photographic film or an electronic imager such as a CCD or a CMOS chip. Most photographs are created using a camera, which uses a lens to focus the scene's visible wavelengths of light into a reproduction of...
of the player's face. The photo can be customized and then will be displayed above the player's character during multiplayer races.
The game is noted for being the first Mario Kart to feature playable crossover
Fictional crossover
A fictional crossover is the placement of two or more otherwise discrete fictional characters, settings, or universes into the context of a single story. They can arise from legal agreements between the relevant copyright holders, or because of unauthorized efforts by fans, or even amid common...
characters: Namco's Pac-Man
Pac-Man
is an arcade game developed by Namco and licensed for distribution in the United States by Midway, first released in Japan on May 22, 1980. Immensely popular from its original release to the present day, Pac-Man is considered one of the classics of the medium, virtually synonymous with video games,...
, Ms. Pac-Man
Ms. Pac-Man
Ms. Pac-Man is an arcade video game produced by Midway as an unauthorized sequel to Pac-Man. It was released in North America in 1981 and became one of the most popular video games of all time, leading to its adoption by Pac-Man licensor Namco as an official title...
and Blinky. The game received a sequel
Sequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
in 2007 in the form of Mario Kart Arcade GP 2.
Playable characters
Arcade GP is the first and only game in the Mario Kart series to have Pac-Man, Namco's official mascot, as a playable character. Available characters are Mario, Luigi, Peach, Yoshi, Toad, Wario, Donkey Kong, and Bowser from the Mario series and Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, and Blinky from the Pac-Man series.Gameplay
There are a total of six stages, with four tracks in each. After a track is completed, the player must insert additional credits to continue the game, even if first place is achieved. After finishing all 4 races from each stage, a "challenge game" comes up, in which the player is required to complete a certain task; each of them requires the player to drive to a goal under a certain amount of time while under a certain condition, such as driving backwards through a field of banana peels.When a player hits one of the item boxes scattered throughout the tracks, the player is given one of the three selected items chosen at the start of a race. Mario Kart Arcade GP features items new and old. Unique to this game is a lock-on feature for the items.
Also unique to this game is a temporary shield that is produced while powersliding which protects players from items thrown at them by the other racers.
Most of the game's sound effects came from Mario Kart: Double Dash‼
Mario Kart Arcade GP 2
Mario Kart Arcade GP 2 is the second game in the Mario Kart Arcade GP arcade gameArcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
series. The game features the "Nam Cam" camera features of its predecessor, and 50cc, 100cc, and 150cc difficulty modes, as well as new items. The Japanese version of the game features color commentary by the prominent Japanese voice actor and on-screen personality
Tarento
is a Japanese rendering of the English word "talent" and is used as a catch-all term for mass media personalities who regularly appear on television. Detractors of the phenomenon have referred to it in an English sense as "famous just for being famous" because many that fall into this career line...
, Kōichi Yamadera
Koichi Yamadera
is a Japanese voice actor, actor, tarento, narrator, master of ceremonies and impressionist from Shiogama, Miyagi Prefecture. He graduated from Tohoku Gakuin University's economics school, and is currently affiliated with Across Entertainment. Before that, he was affiliated with the Tokyo Actor's...
. The playable characters are Mario, Luigi, Peach, Yoshi, Toad, Wario, Donkey Kong, Bowser, and Waluigi from the Mario
Mario
is a fictional character in his video game series, created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. Serving as Nintendo's mascot and the main protagonist of the series, Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his creation...
series, Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, and Blinky from the Pac-Man
Pac-Man
is an arcade game developed by Namco and licensed for distribution in the United States by Midway, first released in Japan on May 22, 1980. Immensely popular from its original release to the present day, Pac-Man is considered one of the classics of the medium, virtually synonymous with video games,...
series, and Mametchi from the Tamagotchi
Tamagotchi
The is a handheld digital pet, created in Japan by Akihiro Yokoi of WiZ and Aki Maita of Bandai. It was first sold by Bandai in 1996 in Japan. As of 2010, over 76 million Tamagotchis have been sold world-wide...
series.