Your Forzas, Gran Turismos, and other racing sims might be more realistic and graphically intense, but there’s only room in my heart for one racing game: Mario Kart, and soon there’s only going to be room in my garage for one car: Jakks Pacific’s new electric ride-on Mario Kart go-kart.
Now, before you get your hopes up too high, this go-kart doesn’t come with all of the features and functions the karts featured in the various Mario Kart games do. Drive it into the water and it won’t transform into a submarine: it will probably just short out. Drive it off a cliff and a glider won’t deploy: you’ll just plummet to a death that friends and family will talk about for years. And no, there are no shells or oil slicks that you can use to take out other vehicles on the road, although you’re welcome to bring and toss out your own banana peels.
It’s first and foremost a kid’s toy designed to look like Mario’s standard kart option, with three forward-driving speeds and a top speed of around 13 km/h, although mushrooms could very well make it feel like you’re driving faster that that. The all plastic wheels won’t provide much grip for quick accelerations off the line, but they should be great for drifting around corners.
The Mario Kart 24V Ride-on Racer also includes a bunch of sound effects taken from the games, and while it’s officially listed for drivers “ages 3 years and up,” the seat is adjustable so that it “grows with the driver.” We’re hoping that means it can keep growing for a driver in their early ‘30s who needs a reliable daily commuter but doesn’t have the budget for a full-size electric car.
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