I mean, when it comes to Mario Kart obviously the main draw is the courses over the characters, which are mostly palette swaps, but bringing back EVERY course seems like quite a task while bringing back everyone, on the other hand, is more manageable---if the true Mario Kart Switch uses the same basic models of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe much like Smash Ultimate is sort of doing with Smash 4, you already got most of the cast set to go with a few minor touches.
By the way, here's a graphic showcasing every single playable Mario Karter from all the main series games, excluding the Arcade games which aren't considered canon based on the numbering naming scheme. Also I figure Tanuki Mario/Cat Peach could just be an alternate costume, as could the different color Yoshi and Shy Guy. Oh, and I left out the Mario Kart 8 Guest Characters just to focus on the Mario characters you'd bring all back first, bar R.O.B. since he was the first Guest Character in DS and hasn't returned...
That's 44.
Among these, DK Jr., Birdo, Paratroopa, Diddy Kong, Petey, R.O.B., Funky Kong, Queen Bee, and Wiggler are the only ones you'd need to make entirely new models for.
You'd probably have to ditch the bikes and stick with Karts because a few characters like Petey, R.O.B., and Queen Bee seem like they'd be difficult to work with them in bikes...oh, but bring back the dual-kart mechanic revised.
Just for fun, I thought of eight additional characters I'd add just to give some fresh faces...
* Kamek and E. Gadd are "technicalities"---both were evidentially planned for 64 and DS respectively but didn't make the cut, so bring 'em in finally!
* Another Kong seems alright, so why not Dixie?
* Spike represents the "minor enemy" every game surprises us with, and he's popular right now
* Pauline is the newest humanoid character
* Like Petey taking off as the "popular boss" of Sunshine, I think you could push Mollusque-Lanceur---he has a neat design that isn't too off from everyone else, and could probably drive a car if shrunk down a bit.
* They love babies, so add another canon baby---Wario. I don't think we'll see WarioWare characters since they're not developed by Nintendo EAD.
* All the guest characters in Mario Kart 8 were developed by Nintendo EAD, so that leaves Olimar as the best choice---I don't wanna see Mario Kart become Smash Kart at this point, but seeing him working with the Pikmin to drive a car would be fun.
Actually to be honest I'd rather Mario Kart 9 trim down the cast to the core "individual" characters and introduce a gimmick where like the minor enemies ride in a side-kart and provide support, but I could see Nintendo going the "Ultimate" Route.
By the way, here's a graphic showcasing every single playable Mario Karter from all the main series games, excluding the Arcade games which aren't considered canon based on the numbering naming scheme. Also I figure Tanuki Mario/Cat Peach could just be an alternate costume, as could the different color Yoshi and Shy Guy. Oh, and I left out the Mario Kart 8 Guest Characters just to focus on the Mario characters you'd bring all back first, bar R.O.B. since he was the first Guest Character in DS and hasn't returned...
That's 44.
Among these, DK Jr., Birdo, Paratroopa, Diddy Kong, Petey, R.O.B., Funky Kong, Queen Bee, and Wiggler are the only ones you'd need to make entirely new models for.
You'd probably have to ditch the bikes and stick with Karts because a few characters like Petey, R.O.B., and Queen Bee seem like they'd be difficult to work with them in bikes...oh, but bring back the dual-kart mechanic revised.
Just for fun, I thought of eight additional characters I'd add just to give some fresh faces...
* Kamek and E. Gadd are "technicalities"---both were evidentially planned for 64 and DS respectively but didn't make the cut, so bring 'em in finally!
* Another Kong seems alright, so why not Dixie?
* Spike represents the "minor enemy" every game surprises us with, and he's popular right now
* Pauline is the newest humanoid character
* Like Petey taking off as the "popular boss" of Sunshine, I think you could push Mollusque-Lanceur---he has a neat design that isn't too off from everyone else, and could probably drive a car if shrunk down a bit.
* They love babies, so add another canon baby---Wario. I don't think we'll see WarioWare characters since they're not developed by Nintendo EAD.
* All the guest characters in Mario Kart 8 were developed by Nintendo EAD, so that leaves Olimar as the best choice---I don't wanna see Mario Kart become Smash Kart at this point, but seeing him working with the Pikmin to drive a car would be fun.
Actually to be honest I'd rather Mario Kart 9 trim down the cast to the core "individual" characters and introduce a gimmick where like the minor enemies ride in a side-kart and provide support, but I could see Nintendo going the "Ultimate" Route.
