The talent and enthusiasm behind the Mario modding community is unlike any other. Countless Mario titles have been deeply modified and experimented with, but unfortunately, many of these do not turn into full-fledged projects. If they do, many of them do not pass the planning phases or simply stop production midway through. Fortunately, there are a handful of Mario modders and hackers that are committed enough to have these projects see a final release, and this week Mario Party Legacy will be highlighting five upcoming projects that are very dedicated and each do things so interesting that they deserve a special mention.
Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5
The Mario Kart modding community is one of the most active when it comes to releasing new content. New tracks and courses are constantly being released, and as the modders continue to learn and grow in their level making skills, the tracks and courses continue to impress and improve. Unfortunately, outside of creating custom track packs, a full overhaul of a Mario Kart game has not been planned or released, but the impressive work that has already been done brings hope that something like this could happen.
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOaBMPnZcRc
Back when the Mario Kart Wii and Mario Kart DS hacking and modding just started, level designs were as basic as they could be. Flat surfaces and recolored textures were the most common, but things continued to improve as time went on. Today, tracks feature completely new objects, customized textures, all new backgrounds, and so much more. To keep things simple, I’ll let the videos do the explaining.
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTu0m3ygFJw
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UB4qE8bxcOU
Mario Kart DS also has a modding community worth checking out.
Tracks and courses are not the only elements getting customized. Characters are being remodeled as well, giving all sorts of Mario characters the chance to race among the Mario Kart crew. Examples include Toadsworth, Kamek, Pianta, Professor E. Gadd, and many more!
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPUN4Gtjfwk
There are some truly creative and amazing creations that these Mario Kart modders have created. Why not pursue something akin to Newer Super Mario Bros. Wii or Super Mario Star Road? Take on the entire game, customizing the tracks, the characters, the game modes, the menus, and whatever else you can do to improve the game. Just imagine a battle mode reminiscent of Mario Kart 64, or an options menu that lets you remove certain items in matches. Of course, this is all easy said than done, but I believe that there is a dedicated group of gamers out there who are willing to take on such a project.