Mario Kart 7

When it comes to kart racing games, there's Mario Kart and then there's everything else. Whether it's the simplicity of Super Mario Kart or something experimental like Double Dash, they've always been ahead of the pack, and 2011’s Mario Kart 7 was the culmination of everything the series had gotten right to date in one nifty package.

Everything we love about the series, like approachable racing controls and players dashing across the track, flinging shells with reckless abandon are still intact. The mix of tracks and battle arenas is equal parts fresh and nostalgic, as even old tracks return and are made new with the addition of underwater and hang gliding sections. Add to all that the best graphics in franchise history and you have the greatest kart racer to date, Mario or otherwise.