Mario Kart is a pretty well known series, the first game was released in 1992 and it’s still alive today, with the most recent entry being a mobile game, known as Mario Kart Tour. However, the mobile game isn’t the only platform jump the series has had, as in 2005 Namco took a copy of Double Dash, threw it in an arcade, and started the Arcade GP series.
I recommend watching Nathaniel Bandy’s video on Arcade GP, he covers the topic of the original game much better than I could, except for items. Arcade GP’s most well known feature is saying “Hey! Let’s quadruple the item count!” and then doing more than that: it has 93 items, compared to Double Dash’s 21. However, only 3 are ever available at once, and you don’t get to choose. Of course, you have your mainstays such as the red shell, green shell, blue shell, banana, mushrooms, fake item box, and so on, but things get heavily carried away relatively quickly. You have tacks, washtubs, mystery eggs, Bowser shells, hammers, black shells, the list goes on.
I don’t know much about Arcade GP 2 besides the fact that it existed.
GP DX, on the other hand, I know a lot about. Specifically, version 1.10.22. I play on a ripped copy that isn’t the most recent version of the game, which disappoints me because the game has been significantly upgraded past this point, including two extra cups, more characters, and a time trial mode. I was able to play “rev 1.06” on the US version, which has an extra cup, but no save capabilities.
In DX, the item count is brought up to 100, you can choose the items now, the character count is 18 and the engine is incredible. Arcade GP DX is genuinely my favorite Mario Kart with just how good it feels. There’s your usual Grand Prix and Vs modes, as well as a National Battle mode which pits you against other user’s replays and allows you to up your rank on a kyu/dan system, as well as take over Japan for some reason. There’s also a co-op mode for when you’re in a lobby of an even amount of players, which is a very interesting take on co-op. You’re teamed with another player and you get your usual three items and a fourth, the Fusion Kart. When used it combines both players into one, where one player drives and the other shoots a powerful shell cannon in any direction.
You can get MKACGPDX for home use at TFGD.