It’s been eleven years since Mario Kart 8 put the finishing touches on the perfect arcade racing game. It was a game so good, Nintendo chose to forgo a sequel for its next console and instead built on Mario Kart 8’s sound foundation for an unprecedented five years. Two console generations, 96 tracks, and eight additional characters later, it’s hard to imagine how Nintendo could improve on the definitive game in this long-running series. Nintendo’s answer to that unenviable conundrum has finally arrived alongside its new console. There are a lot of parallels between Mario Kart World and the Switch 2. Both aren’t straying far from what came before, but they are much more ambitious. In some ways, those ambitions fall flat considering Nintendo’s track record of big, innovative swings. But keeping what works with a few bells and whistles that keep things fresh ultimately makes for a product most players will be happy with. Mario Kart World is yet another fun entry in the Mario Kart franchise. It has a hard time improving what came before it in any sort of meaningful way. But it has enough new ideas that work to make this an easy recommendation for a Switch 2 owner. | 
