Nintendo announced 48 new courses are coming to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe as part of paid DLC called the Booster Course Pass during...

It has been a long time since the last brand-new mainline Mario Kart entry, with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on Switch seemingly acting as a stopgap measure until a true sequel is released. Based on a recent report, it appears Mario Kart 9 could be on the way, and in traditional series fashion, it will apparently come with a new "twist."

But just what will that twist be? The GameSpot staff thought long and hard about how Nintendo could change up the formula, ranging from radically altering the races themselves to bringing other Nintendo franchises into the fray. These are--plausible or not--the new twists we want to see in Mario Kart 9.

Aerial vehicles with branching paths

This. Just do this.

Mario Kart has been one of Nintendo's most successful franchises ever, but there was another Nintendo kart racing game that doesn't get enough love: Diddy Kong Racing. Its blend of "traditional" kart action with flying segments and branching paths created a hectic and less-predictable racer than its more popular cousin, and it opened up races to strategic considerations that aren't possible in a standard Mario Kart match. Nintendo has dabbled in this for Mario Kart with gliders and occasional forks in the road, but designing an entire game with this in mind would make for the freshest Mario Kart since Double Dash. Just imagine avoiding a blue shell by transforming your kart into a plane just as it homed in on you! -- Gabe Gurwin, SEO Editor

Just make it Nintendo Kart already

This is admittedly a bit of a cheat, because Nintendo has been slowly inching toward this eventuality for a while now. Most notably in Mario Kart 8, the series introduced DLC that brought in non-Mario characters like Link from the Legend of Zelda and Villager and Isabelle from Animal Crossing. At this point, Nintendo should just throw open the doors to the broader Nintendo universe. I want Ganondorf riding a kart that looks like his fiery black steed, Samus in a kart modeled after her iconic Hunter-class gunship, and Pikachu with sick-ass lightning bolts on the sides of his motorcycle. Opening it up to the broader Nintendo-verse would also give the company more leeway to fashion tracks based on different types of environments, and to mix up some of the usual Mario-themed items with ones borrowed from other games. And before you ask, no, they don't actually need to change the name. The name "Super Smash Bros." has been a Mario reference from the beginning and no one thinks twice when we see Captain Falcon throwing down. -- Steve Watts, Associate Editor

Mario Kart Maker

I'd love to see Mario Kart 9 essentially be Mario Kart Maker. Just as Nintendo embraced level creation with the Mario Maker games, I want to see it do the same with Mario Kart, allowing players to create and share their levels online. We've seen a hint of this with Mario Kart Live in the real world, but I want full-fledged building tools for a proper MK game. Given that new entries are spaced so far apart, it would be a major boon for the game's longevity to have access to an effectively limitless supply of new courses--which would surely include some wacky and unconventional spins on what we expect from a Mario Kart track. I want to race as Waluigi around a track shaped like Tim Robinson in a hot dog suit, and I know the internet won't let me down. -- Chris Pereira, Senior Editor

Mario Kart goes live service

Totally real logo

I can't even begin to imagine how many hours I have played Mario Kart 8, but as much as I love Nintendo's mascot racing game, I am eager to see what's coming next. And that's why the report of Mario Kart 9 being in development with a "new twist" had me so excited. I am personally hoping to see the next Mario Kart game adopt more live-service elements. I would love to see new courses added regularly, or perhaps a Mario Kart Tour approach whereby new courses are rotated in and out, with limited-time events to take part in. I enjoy learning the ins and outs of any given Mario Kart course--and there are always so many details to learn and secret paths to uncover--and having even more courses to play with is an exciting proposition in my eyes. I would also love to see additional live-service elements get baked into the next Mario Kart game, like new challenges to work toward or a battle pass-style system that helps me feel a stronger sense of progression and accomplishment. Nintendo rolled out numerous new characters and arenas for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and I'm excited to see how a similar live-service approach for the next Mario Kart game might shake things up in a new and interesting way. -- Eddie Makuch, Editor

Mario Kart Ultimate

If the madmen at Nintendo did it for Smash Bros., surely there's no reason it can't be done in Mario Kart as well, right? Keeping in line with Nintendo's current trend of making just about everything you could ever want available on Switch (and the game industry's trend of remastering and/or remaking things), I think there's a possibility that Mario Kart 9 could act as a sort of an extensive collection of Mario Kart's past, featuring updated levels from every game, all your favorite characters, and many of the series' beloved past gimmicks, such as Double Dash's team racing. It also wouldn't surprise me if we get a Racers Pass with this next game in an effort to regularly breathe life into it and keep players on the edge of their seats as they wildly speculate as to what character could be coming next. While Sora's feet might be about two sizes too large to stuff into a kart, the thought of racing around as Pikachu on 64's D.K. Jungle Parkway brings me almost as much joy as the thought of a Diddy Kong Racingreboot does, so I'll take it as a consolation prize. -- Jessica Howard, Editor

The best Nintendo Switch games work either on the go or on a TV. Also they’re great. There are so many games on Nintendo Switch now that simply finding new ones can be incredibly daunting, and while the eShop might not have your back if you’re trying to make sure you’ve played the best the console has to offer, we definitely do. Our selection here is of ten of the most essential games on the console as we see it. Some of these are already the best-selling games on the console, while others are a few short steps off the beaten path. We’ll be adding and changing this list over time, and there’s loads of games that could easily feature here, but we’re pretty confident that we’ve covered the best Switch games here, so read on to find out what you should have in your library. The Best Nintendo Switch Games We could have an honourable mentions list long enough to keep you reading until the Switch Pro comes out, but we’re going to try and focus our attention a little bit. We do have some extras for you to consider at the bottom of the page, but here are the best Switch games around and why you should play them. Animal Crossing: New Horizons Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Monster Hunter Rise Metroid Dread Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition Fire Emblem: Three Houses New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe Animal Crossing: New Horizons Have you ever felt like you want to escape the tedium of your normal life, the chores, the 9-5 grind, and the people in it, all to pack up and move somewhere else to do chores, work, and meet new people? Well, that’s basically what Animal Crossing: New Horizons is all about, and while that not might sound ideal, it’s an absolute blast to play, and a good chance to do something in a game that isn’t all about violence and chaos. Sometimes you just want to plant some trees, you know? Mario Kart 8 Deluxe There might be rumours of a Mario Kart 9 being in development, but Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the definitive Mario Kart game that you can buy now. Slick karting action, still great looking graphics, tons of new and classic tracks to race on and straightforward and fun multiplayer both online and offline, it’s a must have. Considering there’s been almost 40 million copies of this game sold already, this recommendation might be a bit redundant, but that’s just 4 copies sold for every 10 Switches and tens of millions of people out there that haven’t snapped it up! Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle If there was one game you’d expect to be an instant flop, it would be this strange crossover game with Ubisoft’s minion-like mascots. Well, much to our surprise and probably everyone else’s too, Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle is somehow one of the XCOM clones in existence. The mix of light-hearted cartoonish violence, surprisingly deep gameplay systems, and the sheer satisfaction of beating up Rabbids, makes for a truly fantastic game and there’s good reason why a sequel is on the way in 2022! The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Breath of the Wild was the first Switch game that a lot of people played, and it remains one of the most incredible gaming experiences around. The decision to turn Link’s adventure from a linear experience into a free-form open-world one changes the game completely, and the physics in the game allow for some of the most absurd interactions going. You absolutely have to play this. Already played through Breath of the Wild and want more while waiting for Breath of the Wild 2? Give Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity a shot for a prequel story and over the top combat! Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Smash Bros has been one of those series that has always been good, but nobody was expecting this entry to actually live up to its name. Ultimate has every character from the history of the game, nearly every level, new characters, new levels, and more gameplay than is reasonable. It’s also got a thriving online scene, excellent ideas for local play, and a cracking story mode as well. If you’re worried about fighters being constantly tweaked, Nintendo recently launched its last balancing update. Monster Hunter Rise The latest Monster Hunter game might just be the best one yet, which is an incredible accomplishment given that Monster Hunter World was so good. While Rise has you doing a lot of the standard monster hunting as you’d expect, it adds in new and exciting movement options, attacks, and a really cool setting to make it a contender for the best Switch game in existence. That’s one hell of a flex from a series that was massively overlooked by western gamers only a few years ago. Metroid Dread Our Best Nintendo Switch Game winner for 2021, Metroid Dread is an epic return for the classic series. Following on from their Metroid II remake on Nintendo 3DS, MercurySteam have created a modern 2D adventure for Samus Aran that pushes the original series’ narrative forward for the first time in 15 years. This game really lives up to its name, as you’ll truly dread stepping into the EMMI zones and running away from the implacable robots that hunt you. Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition Xenoblade Chronicles is easily one of the very best JRPGs of all time, but many will have overlooked the game’s original release as a Nintendo Wii exclusive. Almost a decade later, the Definitive Edition spruced the game up for the Nintendo Switch, improving the graphics across the board and expanding the story with the new Future Connected epilogue which brings a new area and allows for more closure to the original’s epic story. Already loved Xenoblade Chronicles in the past? Well, you might want to check out Xenoblade Chronicles 2 instead. Fire Emblem: Three Houses Fire Emblem was given a fresh lease of life on the Nintendo 3DS, but the tactical RPG series has reached a broader audience on Nintendo Switch with Fire Emblem: Three Houses. As a teacher at Garreg Mach Monastery, you pick one of three houses to guide through their studies and personal growth, as well as lead into battle. There’s a fun turn-based battle system to enjoy that leans on the established Fire Emblem formula, and it’s all wrapped up in a heroic fantasy narrative, but it’s really your investment in the characters and their journey that makes this one special. New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe There’s loads of Super Mario games available to play on Nintendo Switch, whether it’s golden oldies from the NES and SNES in the Nintendo Switch Online library or the sublime Super Mario Odyssey, but we’re going to pick New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe for its family friendly credentials. There’s a huge amount of great 2D Mario (and Luigi) platforming on offer, and it’s enjoyable with children thanks to co-op play and the easier gameplay that Toadette offers. You might also like… Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity Luigi’s Mansion 2 Mario Party Superstars Splatoon 2 Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury Super Mario Odyssey

We're always game for something new!

2022 has arrived and, despite bringing some bitterly cold weather with it, I’m sure we’re all hoping for a more positive year compared to the last two! Considering it’s only the first week of January, there was a surprising amount of news, so let’s dive right into our first gaming round-up of the year… In the News This Week E3 2022 will be online-only once again – Summer Games Fest confirms its return Mario Kart 9 rumours fly after analyst states it’s in “active development” PSVR 2 specs and name revealed along with Horizon Call of the Mountain! Just Add Water CEO and founder Stewart Gilray has passed away Insomniac Games are tweeting about the Chimera again, are they hinting at something? Rumour: The Last of Us PS5 remake will launch this year Rainbow Six Extraction will launch on Game Pass, Ubisoft+ coming to Xbox Ghost of Tsushima has swept past 8 million sales Days Gone might have sold 8 million copies in 1.5 years, according to game director A Skull & Bones associate game director has left Ubisoft GoldenEye 007 achievements appear online sparking rumours of remaster Castlevania NFTs to be auctioned by Konami as part of Memorial Series Amazon’s Fallout TV series will begin production this year Final Fantasy 7 Remake mod concept brings back PS1 camera And if you’re subscribed to various gaming services, January’s updates are live: Xbox Game Pass January 2022 includes Mass Effect Legendary Edition, Outer Wilds and more The January 2022 PS Plus games are now live, download links here PlayStation Now January 2022 line up includes Mortal Kombat 11 & Final Fantasy XII Our Most Wanted Games of 2022 Heralding in the new year, our look at the top games coming in 2022 kicked into overdrive as it entered the final five: #5 – Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League #4 – Dead Space Remake #3 – Horizon Forbidden West #2 – Elden Ring Check out the rest of our 50 Most Wanted Games of 2022 here, and keep your eyes peeled for our #1 game coming later today! Games in Review and Featured Articles As you might expect, it was a quiet start to the new year for the reviews: Exo One – XSX|S, XBO, PC – 8/10 Yu-Gi-Oh! Rush Duel: Dawn of the Battle Royale!! – NSW– 3/10 Never-the-less, Aran was on hand with the first preview of 2022 as he looked at My Lovely Wife that makes you question how far you would go to bring back someone you love. Last up, we finished off the week as we always do with What We Played, which featured Deep Rock Galactic, Far Cry 6 & It Takes Two. Trailer Park See the plane fight from the Uncharted movie in a new 2 minutes clip New Horizon Forbidden West trailer reveals the Utaru and Tenakth tribes AVICII Invector Encore Edition announced for Meta Quest 2 Your Achievements Here’s what you in our community has been up to this week: MrYd has made his way to the third area in Ghost of Tsushima and is loving it. He also enjoyed Deep Rock Galactic, Life is Strange 2 and Sniper Elite VR, but was disappointed with the ‘broken’ Alan Wake. willbuchanan got the platinums for Tomb Raider and Donut County. He’s also completed Maneater and the Lego Star Wars The Force Awakens DLC, and has now moved onto Guardians of the Galaxy. TSBonyman wasn’t impressed by Deep Rock Galactic and had mixed feelings for Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart – while it looks gorgeous he thought it was a bit bare bones. Luckily, the weekly music jams in Dreams are a familiar home. And Andrewww has been continuing through the main story of Days Gone, trying to avoid the open world fatigue from too many side quests. Have a great weekend and I’ll see you again soon!

Reports that Mario Kart 9 is in active development have been flying around the internet, the game rumoured to be in active development for the Nintendo Switch and with a new gameplay twist expected as well. So… is it true Is Mario Kart 9 coming soon? The source comes from a predictions article on GamesIndustry.biz, who reached out to a variety of industry analysts for their predictions of what will happen in video games over the next 12 months. It was Kantan Games’ Dr. Serkan Toto who outed the development of Mario Kart 9, stating that it’s in active development despite the fact that Mario Kart 8 Deluxe continues to sell very well on the console, and that it “comes with a new twist”. His prediction is that Nintendo will tease it this year. Mario Kart 8 first released for the Nintendo Wii U in 2014, quickly becoming one of the ill-fated console’s best-selling games. However, it really struck the big time when Mario Kart 8 Deluxe was released for the Nintendo Switch in the months after the console’s launch. Bundling in all of the DLC tracks and a few other enhancements alongside, it’s perhaps the definitive Mario Kart game and is often one of the first games that people will buy for the console. No wonder that it recently surpassed Mario Kart Wii to become the best-selling title in the franchise. However, Nintendo cannot bank on the game continuing to sell forever, and so it makes perfect sense that they have been planning for a sequel. Toto noting that it comes with a new twist alludes to the way that the series has constantly shifted and evolved since the turn of the millennium. Mario Kart: Double Dash added a second racer to each kart, Mario Kart DS added online play, Mario Kart Wii introduced motorbikes, Mario Kart 7 on 3DS brought hang gliders, and then Mario Kart 8 added anti-gravity racing so that you could ride up walls, round loops and more. Having a new twist or big new feature has been a must-have for the franchise, and considering how comprehensive Mario Kart 8 ended up being, with a bunch of the series’ best tracks brought back, it could be essential to have a new quirk to convince people to buy again. Then again, it’s been so many years that I’m sure Mario Kart 9 would fly off the shelves anyway. What could that twist be? At its simplest, we could see Mario Kart 9 fully embrace the spirit of Super Smash Bros. and bring more and more of Nintendo’s other characters and licenses into the game. Mario Kart 8’s DLC saw Link from The Legend of Zelda and the Inklings from Splatoon join the racer lineup, while tracks inspired by The Legend of Zelda, Excitebike and more also features. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. Source: GamesIndustry.biz

According to an industry analyst, Mario Kart 9 is currently in "active development", will have a new racing twist, and could be teased this year.