YMMV / Mario Kart Arcade GP

• Accidental Innuendo: The commentary in GP 2 can be... interesting depending on the situation.
  "Bowser is banging away Ms. Pac-Man! Bang, bang, bang!"
• Best Level Ever:
  • In Arcade GP/Arcade GP 2, Diamond City tends to be a favorite amongst Wario fans, since it's one of the few very rare crossovers between the Mario and Wario games (and currently the only time Diamond City has appeared in the Mario series). The subtle nods to the WarioWare series helps too.
  • The Rainbow Road equivalents in this game, Rainbow Coaster and Rainbow Downhill, manage to be both different and familiar at the same time, and feature various sections located in different areas alongside great music.
  • Arcade GP DX features two Pac-Man-themed tracks (PAC-MAN Stadium and NAMCO Circuit) which serve as homages to not only Pac-Man himself but also several of Namco's classic arcade titles such as Galaxian, Dig Dug, Mappy, and The Tower of Druaga.
• Ensemble Dark Horse: Robo Mario is popular amongst fans despite only appearing as a non-playable boss racer, due to his appealing and unique design. Some have even clamored for him to appear in the mainline titles at some point.
• Older Than They Think:
  • Arcade GP is the game that introduced Reverse track variants to the series, not Mario Kart Tour.
  • Although the implementation is different, GP 2 is the first game to feature a first person mode in the series as a reward for 100% Completion, predating Mario Kart 7.
  • GP DX introduced auto-accelerate four years before the much more well-known Mario Kart 8 Deluxe did. Here, it automatically activates if it doesn't detect any pedal input in the first few seconds of the race, making it helpful for young children, those whose disabilities prevent them from using the pedals, and if the pedals aren't working.
• Salvaged Gameplay Mechanic: Having a shield that is activated by drifting is an immense frustration-saver, something that has not been really implemented in the main games outside of the Super Horn in Mario Kart 8, for when those pesky homing items come after you.
• Scrappy Mechanic:
  • As extremely frequent and inessential to gameplay as it is, the commentary can come off as this:
    • For the English version of Arcade GP 2, Justin Berti’s color-commentary is lambasted for being annoying and repetitive, with subpar voice acting and grammar. Thankfully, players are able to turn it off.
    • For the Japanese version of GP DX, Rica Matsumoto's commentary can get pretty grating, as she shouts every single word and reacts hammily to everything, and you can't turn it off.
  • The first Arcade GP locks your character choice to your card, meaning that if you want to play with another character, you'll either have to play without a card or use a different one. Arcade GP 2 and following games no longer tie character to card, letting you pick any character every time you start a new session.
  • The US version of ’'DX'' doesn't let you choose your kart. You're stuck driving whatever kart is selected for you.
• Unexpected Character: Some of the crossover characters tend to be this.
  • While Pac-Man and the like weren't too far-fetched (especially since Namco is involved), who the heck expected Mametchi from Tamagotchi to be included in the roster in Arcade GP 2? Especially since Tamagotchi didn't originate as a video game, but a line of digital pet toys.
  • The inclusion of Don-Chan from Taiko no Tatsujin in Arcade GP DX is another left field choice, given that he is an anthropomorphic drum who originates from a rhythm game.
• Visual Effects of Awesome:
  • The first two arcade games’ visuals were very gorgeous for their time, even during the Gamecube era or sixth generation of games. With detailed patterns/backgrounds and busy special effects, the courses looked dramatically more spectacular than those of Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
  • DX has stunning visuals as well, being the first Mario Kart game with HD graphics (before MK8).