Mario Kart Arcade GP Hands-On

One of the highlights of Namco's booth at this year's Amusement Machine Show in Japan was a much more complete version of Mario Kart Arcade GP. The game is an arcade version of Nintendo's beloved racer featuring Mario and company. Though the game has many visual similarities to the GameCube Mario Kart, the mechanics have been changed up some to better suit an arcade experience. In addition, the game's roster of characters has had some Namco-centric additions. We had a chance to buckle in and take the charming racer for a spin and were pleased by Namco's approach to bringing the classic game to arcades.

The game's roster of drivers features representatives from the Nintendo and Namco camps. On the Nintendo side of things you'll see Mario, Luigi, Peach, Yoshi, Toad, Wario, Bowser, and Donkey Kong. Namco comes to the party with Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, and Blinky the red ghost. Each of the characters will have his or her own vehicle that features unique handling. The version of the game on display let us take our racer into one of two modes: time attack or grand prix. The time attack mode is exactly what you'd expect, an all-out race against the clock for the best score on a particular course. The grand prix mode pit you against other racers in a no-holds-barred throwdown for first place. You'll find an impressive console-style array of courses that break down into various themed cups that are based on Mario, Donkey Kong, Wario, and Namco, to name a few. Each cup features four courses that you'll have to unlock. In addition, much like in the console games, you'll also find a special cup to unlock

The gameplay is almost retro in feel, as the two-character mechanic that was introduced in Mario Kart: Double Dash!! on the GameCube has been nixed in favor of the old-school Mario Kart gameplay of a single driver. Despite the fact that the arcade unit features a traditional steering-wheel-and-pedals setup, Mario Kart Arcade GP still manages to offer the key gameplay mechanics you'd expect out of a Mario Kart game. You'll be able to collect power-ups that you can fire at opponents by tapping a large button in the center of your steering wheel. An auto-targeting system locks on to your nearest opponent, although you can partially guide which opponent you single out by angling your car to keep the crosshair on your intended target. In addition, you can forgo the auto-targeting, which takes a few seconds to lock on, to manually fling your power-up at any time. The power-ups in the game we saw were a mix of old and new items that helped you hinder your opponents in a variety of ways. You'll also be able to get a quick start by timing your acceleration with the countdown to start the race, and you'll be able to perform short hops to help avoid obstacles in the road.

The visuals in the game were outstanding and, much like the arcade version of F-Zero, offered better textures and color than the GameCube game, as well as better overall performance. The characters were all nicely done, and the environments were suitably colorful and fit their respective themes nicely. The effects for the various power-ups were satisfying and, in the case of the tornado power-up, were impressively over-the-top.

The audio in the game shined thanks to a bouncy soundtrack and a great collection of voice for the gang. Mario and the Nintendo cast all appeared to be voiced by their normal voice actors. The Pac-Man crew, typically a silent bunch, was given appropriate voices for the game to keep things even. Though the game is a racer, you'll actually hear quite a bit of chatter from your opponents as they get taken out by power-ups. In the case of your racer, you'll actually hear him or her offer audio confirmation when one of your power-ups has found its target, which is actually pretty helpful during the hectic races.

Finally, Namco has added a few extra perks to the game to keep things interesting for players. A magnetic card system, much like the one seen in F-Zero, is used to keep track of your stats and progress in the game. In addition, a built-in camera will actually snap your picture and incorporate it in the game by displaying it above your car during a race. As an added perk, each racer has a unique piece of headgear you can mug with during the picture-taking process. For example, if you choose Yoshi when you go to take your picture, a beanie with oversized eyes will appear in the frame for you to center your head under. Mario will offer his trademark hat, as well as his 'stache.

All told, Mario Kart Arcade GP is looking like a sharp arcade racer with an abundance of charm. The selection of characters should please fans, as will the solid gameplay. Though the game is developed on the Triforce arcade hardware, which uses GameCube technology at its core, a home version of the game hasn't been announced. So anyone looking to play will have to find Mario Kart Arcade GP when it hits arcades later this year.