Sixteen Years of Mario Kart

This is where it all began, back in 1992. The first time you saw this screen, did you know what to expect?

As an aside... when does that Mario fellow find time for plumbing, anyway? He always seems so busy!

Cup choice at the beginning of Super Mario Kart.

And to think, those graphics were ahead of the time! Tracks have come a long way since Super Mario Kart.

Super Mario Kart played in splitscreen even in single player (with a map or rear view in single player), but multiplayer splitscreen was totally where it was at.

Super Mario Kart taught us to drive carefully and pay attention to our surroundings, because no one wants to fly off into the lava.

Items have been a staple of the Mario Kart series since the beginning, but the blocks have sure come a long way.

The red shell: the bane of leaders everywhere, the decider of tight contests, and one of the best items you can pick up. Anything that homes in on a target is deadly in even the noobiest hands in Mario Kart.

Green shells may take a little more skill to employ than their red counterparts, but they're no less effective in the right situation.

The first ice-based track, Vanilla Lake.

The icy tracks may have looked better by Mario Kart 64, but throughout the series, they've remained a challenge.

Though released nine years after the original Super Mario Kart, Mario Kart: Super Circuit bears a strong resemblance to the original, though with the benefit of newer interface designs.

Mario Circuit was a part of the DS Kart title...

...and it returns in Mario Kart Wii.

Ah, selecting your dude for the very first time. Has your choice changed over the years?

Some things should be constant: Mario, Peach, Luigi and Yoshi, all available from the beginning.

And here we are -- at the end, with Mario Kart Wii, but at the beginning, with that game's opening character line-up. The first time you boot up Mario Kart Wii, who will you choose?

The non-arcade versions of Mario Kart over the years.

Head back to Wii Fanboy.