Mario Kart Arcade GP 2 is an arcade racing video game released in 2007. As the title implies, it is the 2nd arcade installment in the popular Mario Kart spin-off series of Nintendo's flagship series, Super Mario. Like its predecessor, it was developed by Bandai Namco Entertainment and co-published by them and Nintendo.
Gameplay[]
The game plays almost identically to its predecessor, and by extension similar to other Mario Kart titles. Players drive around specially-themed courses, utilizing 3 out of 90+ items from Item Boxes to help them and hinder rivals. The objective, like all racing games, is to finish in 1st. Otherwise, players cannot proceed to the next course. After players finish a cup, they are presented with an optional challenge game that differs depending on the cup.
Players can choose between 13 drivers, one of them being Mametchi, with the remaining 12 consisting of Mario, Luigi, Waluigi, Princess Peach, Yoshi, Toad, Wario, Donkey Kong, and Bowser from the Super Mario series, as well as Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, and Blinky from Bandai Namco's Pac-Man series. Drivers are divided into 4 categories; Balanced, Strong Acceleration, Easy Control, and High Speed.
Involvement With Tamagotchi[]
As previously mentioned, Mametchi is one of the 13 playable drivers, added primarily to coincide with Bandai's then-recent merger with Namco. He is categorized as an Easy Control driver, sharing stats with Toad and Ms. Pac-Man. His special items are Bagubagutchi, Chibi Syrup, Mame Block, and the Giant Pencil and his voice clips imitate the beeping sound effect heard in Tamagotchi virtual pets.
As with his fellow drivers, in addition to a standard kart (pictured), Mametchi has a specially-designed vehicle that slightly reduces acceleration in exchange for increased speed. Mametchi's specially-designed kart loosely resembles a Tamagotchi virtual pet that is pulled by a wheeled mechanical Tamagotchi wearing a Kasa.
Although there is no dedicated Tamagotchi Cup, the courses of the Waluigi Cup, Stadium Arena and Waluigi Stadium, feature various Tamagotchi advertisements and cameos, such as:
- A group photo with Mametchi, Chamametchi, Mamametchi, Papamametchi, and Bagubagutchi.
- Another group photo with Memetchi, Kuchipatchi, Violetchi, Makiko, and Grippatchi with the words "We Love Mametchi" above them.
- The Tamagotchi Planet
- Another group photo with the Gotchi King, Gotchi Queen, and Princess Tamako
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- This game marks a number of milestones for Tamagotchi crossovers:
- It is the second crossover between Tamagotchi and Super Mario, preceding the appearances of Mariotchi and Waruotokotchi in 64 de Hakken! Tamagotchi Minna de Tamagotchi World.
- It is also the second crossover between Tamagotchi and Nintendo in general, being succeeded 12 years later with the Eevee x Tamagotchi, which is a crossover with Pokémon.
- It is also the first time Tamagotchi has crossed over with Pac-Man. This would happen again 13 years later with the Pac-Man Tamagotchi.