The Final Tour

Today marks the beginning of the end for Mario Kart Tour because it's the day Mario Kart Tour's 183rd and final tour begins.

If there is anything that will be missed when Mario Kart Tour shuts down, it will be the game resurrecting the unused Dokan Course from Mario Kart DS as Piranha Plant Pipeline, Kamek becoming a playable character in a Mario Kart game after being omitted from Mario Kart 64, some wacky new costumes that could just end up in the Super Smash Bros series if given the chance, and the opportunity for the Mario characters and the Miis to visit real-world locations. For the Mario characters, it's like revisiting various locations from Mario is Missing!, Mario's Time Machine and the Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games series. For the Miis, it's more like revisiting certain Hot Spots in Wii Party's Globe Trot. Of the 14 real-world cities visited by anyone from the Mario Kart Tour roster, Bangkok was the only city that was not visited by both Mario characters and Miis before Mario Kart Tour (Singapore, where I hail from, is a Hot Spot in Wii Party's Globe Trot).

Even after Mario Kart Tour drives off into the sunset on 30 September 2026, Nintendo did not rule out the possibility of content from Mario Kart Tour making a reappearance in later games. We've already got several costumes from Mario Kart Tour in Mario Kart World. Nabbit, Charging Chuck, Monty Mole and Hammer Bro are playable in Mario Kart World. And let's not forget the content found in the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass, meaning elements of Mario Kart Tour will live on after the game hits the end of the road.

So long, Mario Kart Tour, and thanks for all the postcards from fourteen real-world cities!

End of a Grand Tour

As an old saying goes, all good things come to an end, and Mario Kart Tour will cease adding new content after the 2023 edition of Battle Tour. But this does not mean Mario Kart Tour is going end of service like Dr Mario World or Dragalia Lost. It just means after 2023's Battle Tour, all future tours will be reruns of past tours just like how after the Riding into Battle! Online Tourney, all future Super Smash Bros Ultimate Events are reruns of past events, with the Street Fighter 35th Anniversary Spirit Board Event being the only exception.

Having covered fourteen cities in the real world, in addition to introducing a few new tracks, it's time Mario Kart Tour wind down on new content because Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's Booster Course Pass is also approaching the end of the road, with Wave 6 being the final wave. Besides, we already got the Mii Racing Suits that we have often wished for, such as the Daisy and Waluigi Mii Racing Suits that did not appear in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Even Mii Racing Suits based on the Koopalings have been introduced in Mario Kart Tour. Perhaps it is time to wind down on getting on board the hype trains once new content is discontinued.

P.S. It turns out that the 2023 Battle Tour is actually where the reruns of past tours will begin.

Update: Wave 6 of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's Booster Course Pass finally came out on the 9th of November, 2023, and it is a spectacular way to end a massive DLC Pack. Several of the Mii Racing Suits from Mario Kart Tour are now in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, including the Daisy Mii Racing Suit.

Swimwear Conservatism

Just because Nintendo is a video game company of Japanese origin doesn't mean they are advocates for ecchi levels of fanservice. Besides, Nintendo has to think of the younger audiences.

When Mario Kart Tour released a swimwear version of Rosalina along with the Marine Tour, we were left somewhat disappointed. The recently released Summer Tour has a swimwear version of Daisy, and the reception was similarly disappointing. In contrast, Azumanga Daioh had beach episodes where the two female teachers Yukari and Nyamo wear more appealing swimwear, with Nyamo wearing a bikini in all three beach episodes, and Yukari even tried to wear a bikini in a school swimming pool. Even female school swimsuits have more appeal than the swimwear versions of Daisy and Rosalina that are available in Mario Kart Tour.

Mario Kart Tour © Nintendo. Azumanga Daioh © Kadokawa.

Piracy Ban

Recently, Nintendo had been cracking down on several intellectual property infringements, both alleged and actual. Nintendo verified with their customers that copyright piracy is forbidden, and any unlicensed usage of their intellectual properties, which includes Nintendo music uploaded on YouTube, fan games, Mario Kart hacks and Super Smash Bros Ultimate character skin mods, do not meet the requirements of fair use. The resulting internet backlash was so severe that some people called for a boycott of Nintendo on social media.

However, all of this may have something to do with Japan's copyright regulations getting stricter, possibly leading to a gradual phasing out fair use and fair dealing. This had been happening since 2009 and is nothing new.

If you are living in Japan, this is a fair warning about the shambolic state of Japan Inc amid the recent scandals. Do something more honorable by buying from ethical companies and turning away from unethical ones.

Nintendo characters and games © Nintendo.

Future Smash Bros Alternate Costumes

When it comes to wacky costumes that could be added into the Super Smash Bros series as alternate costumes, Nintendo is sitting on a gold mine filled with them. The biggest problem is that the costumes needed to be analyzed for suitability before they get approved.

Mario Kart Tour has already gotten some great alternate costumes that could be added into Smash. Nintendo can always look into them, as well as obscure sources such as the Captain N comics, or they can give another look at the rejected alternate costumes to give them another chance to be added into Smash in the future.

Nintendo characters and games © Nintendo.