Players, oh man, they’ve been itching to hit the racetrack ever since Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds dropped at the 2024 Game Awards. It’s like, even with all the whispers and hints swirling around, we finally got the juicy confirmation. And Nintendo? They weren’t just twiddling their thumbs. Nope, they popped up with news about a fresh Mario Kart for the Switch 2, landing this January. Just those two announcements got the gaming crowd buzzing. And why wouldn’t they? Sonic Racing’s bringing back that EX Gear fun, while Mario Kart World is throwing in an open-world twist. It’s like the plumber and the blue blur aren’t gonna race alone ’cause, boom, Kirby Air Riders was announced around the same time. What a Nintendo Direct that was, seriously!
So here we are, in this wild moment for racing game junkies. We’ve gone from zero to three epic 2025 releases on our radar, just like that. But some folks, you know, they’re a bit more spoiled than others. These games, they kinda share a special bond, making them total must-haves for GameCube fans who probably didn’t even dream of this coming together. Sonic, Kirby, Mario—they’re like a squad of legends at this point.
And somehow, in this crazy twist of fate, each of these games is like a shout-out to GameCube’s glory days. Especially Kirby Air Riders, basically a sequel to the 2003 classic, Kirby Air Ride. Director Masahiro Sakurai’s back, and that kinda promises a certain level of awesomeness, right? But Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds has its cards on the table too—blending best bits from every Sonic race before it. And dude, EX Gear from Sonic Riders is back. Those Babylon Rogues had fans dreaming for ages. Combining EX Gear with gaming cars? Thought it was a long shot, but here we are.
Now, Mario Kart World—it doesn’t exactly mimic Mario Kart: Double Dash, yet here it rolls, alongside these titans. Maybe, just maybe, with the GameCube functionality for Switch Online, we might get Double Dash, though I might be getting ahead of myself. But seriously, it’s been ages since the last fresh Mario Kart. Doesn’t its timing with Sonic Racing and Kirby kinda tickle your curiosity?
And with this jumbled yet epic lineup, fans of Sonic, Kirby, and Mario shouldn’t sweat the small stuff—or y’know, which one outperforms the other. They’re all gonna have their niche followers. Mario Kart World, given its reputation, will fly off the shelves, especially since it’s bundled with Switch 2. And Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds—launching across platforms, drawing in players left and right. Kirby Air Riders, though, stands kind of unique, like a relic from the past reimagined for today’s gamers. Its franchise has morphed so much, does Sakurai include the new Kirby bits? Still, it’s about finding your joy, right?
Fans, whether they lean towards one or choose to embrace all three, are in for a wild, pedal-to-the-metal kind of year. Thanks to these iconic characters, folks can anticipate a racing season where speedsters won’t be touching the brakes anytime soon.
