Third time lucky with (close to) ideal handheld title.
As a handheld title, it is one of the top 5 games for on the go. No crappy phone games, no epic like Zelda. It does this best. Can beat its sequels Mario Kart DS and Mario Kart 7 at this.
It, like many third things, feels just right. Super Circuit got that spot on. Rainbow road on SNES is too short and far too hard. Rainbow road is long and easy. Rainbow road it meant to be a challenge; not one here. Formula to take away fun: Long+easy= boring.
Some handheld titles would be better on a bigger screen. This is not one of them. It embraces the small screen. It has a special feeling because of this.
Coins. Not as many as New Super Mario Bros.2. This is what makes it better than Mario Kart Wii. It is more than slightly increased speed. If you have played Mario Kart 7 of even Super Mario Kart, you will find the coins are better here.
Sounds good. The music is well-composed tunes you will hum to. It sounds cool and retro from the limited handheld. That disappoints on the voices. The right thing is the frequency of them.
Now let's talk about the negatives. It is flat because it uses SNES mode-7. I noticed this after playing Mario Kart DS, then going back to this. Multiplayer is linking GBA cables, even Nintendo's idealized manuals make it look a mess. Many say multiplayer is important in Mario Kart. Not here. When going on holiday, don't only take Mario Kart games. It is a trap I fell into.