The player

Mario celebrates his 25th birthday, but his later Super Mario Kart may be an ev en greater legacy, writes Joe Griffin

IT WAS heartening to see Mario appear in the news last week, with lots of tributes paid to the Nintendo icon across both niche and mainstream media. Yes, we know that he debuted 25 years ago and, indeed, the game industry would look different without him. The platform game owes a giant debt to Mario, as does Nintendo itself.

But an even greater legacy could be one of Mario's spin-off games, Super Mario Kart, a cheeky little racer that pitted Mario, Luigi and others in a multiplayer race. Launched in 1992 in Japan and the US (and 1993 in Europe) on the Nintendo Entertainment System, it was an instant sensation and has appeared on new Nintendo formats every few years, from the Gameboy to the Gamecube and right up to the Nintendo Wii.

Before Super Mario Kart,racing games were formulaic: sports cars monotonously jostling for pole position. But here was a true original, inventing a sub-genre (kart racing) and introducing cartoon characters, power- ups and personality to the racing game. The template was copied for dozens of games by other developers.

Sonicand Pac Manappeared in suspiciously Mario Kart-esque properties ( Sonic Driftand Pac-Man World Rally), and Konami even had a bespoke greatest hits racing game featuring characters from their Metal Gear Solidseries racing against avatars from Legend of the Mystical Ninja.

Beyond that, it seemed that any time a corporation wanted to make a videogame cash-in product, they just ripped off Super Mario Kart:Woody Woodpecker, the Smurfs and even Burger King characters got the treatment. It's a testament to the Nintendo classic that these rip-offs were often fun, with special mention going to the genuinely great Muppet Race Mania.

Two of the best games of 2010 so far bear the mark of Kart: Modnation Racersand Split/Second Velocity, with their power-ups and bonus attacks on other racers. Super Mario Kartwas recently declared the Most Influential Game in History by the Guinness Book of Records, beating such titans as Tetrisand Grand Theft Auto.

Ending on a slightly deluded note: If any international politicians are reading this, please note that the 20th anniversary for Super Mario Kartarrives on August 27th 2012. That leaves plenty of time for world governments to organise an international holiday!