Switch Exclusive Chocobo GP Sure Wants To Be Mario Kart, Doesn't It?

It's not like we're getting Mario Kart 9 any time soon. If it has a proper campaign, I say bring it on!

Unless it has Kingdom Hearts characters, I won't be interested. Tracks looked decent though and I liked the concept of the power-ups.

I have no idea what Squeenix is smoking when they decided to bring this back but I'll take all the bootleg Mario Karts I can get since MK itself is apparently dead now.

And hey this one has Adelbert Steiner in it, that's something that sets it apart from all those other posers!

64 player online though... They're quite optimistic if they're expecting this to sell that many copies.

Unique with 64 PLAYERS!

It looks fine to me. The fact that nothing really creative or original leapt out of the screen might mean it gets overlooked if it's actually a good racer. Defo keeping my eye on it though.

Reskinned Mario Kart.
Looks as bad as it sounds.
So bad it's good.

I'll stick to Wreckfest, now that game is fun.
I have it on my PS4 and I'm glad others will get to enjoy it, another great racing game.

It's odd to have this as an exclusive, this is the one title I think would benefit a lot from being multiplat since Mario Kart 8 is clearly a higher-tier title and it's going to be direct competition to anyone who wants to buy a kart racer for the Switch...

If this was on a system with only Garfield and Crash Racing it would at least have a slight chance.

Pound shop Mario Kart with FF characters.

Anybody else remember Mod Nation Racers? I think that game had the same 1, 2, 3 leveling up system for weapons.

Been a loooooong time since my last new console Mario Kart, so we'll see. 2022 is very crowded and I'm assuming BotW2 HAS to be next year as well. So we'll see.

It looks meh to be honest ill pass on this game.

This is in the same game series as Final Fantasy XVI.

If this is a PlayStation 4 exclusive title then the Nintendo fanboys would wish they got it too. C'mon y'all got first dips on a Chocobo Racing remake, give it a chance before burying it.

It's Final Fantasy and it's Kart racing.

I'm pumped for it.

I'm sad to see so many people just treating this as a joke or saying it looks bad just because it's not Mario Kart. This is a LONG overdue sequel; I've been waiting ever since they announced the 3DS entry before the system even released, and I was super bitter when it was canceled for not being mature enough. I'm incredibly excited we're finally getting a new entry! The spell mechanics look really fun, the character roster seems solid, and the 64-player tournaments are a really cool idea too. Please don't just write this off because it's not Mario, kart racer fans. I unfortunately never got to play the original, but I'm absolutely getting GP.

Looks ok I guess... Gonna make do with that while I wait for Mario Kart 9.

YAAAAAY...!!!
Chocobo Racing on Nintendo Switch ! 😃
That was my reaction when I saw a Chocobo image.

@rjejr
I have Mod Nation PS3.
Oh, about Chocobo Racing.
Blizzaga and Ultimaga spells were the most annoying spells in Chocobo Racing once you get hit by them.

Why not just make a real chocobo racing game and not a MK clone? If I could race on chocobo’s through FF inspired tracks, I’d have probably bit.

It's way too similar to Mario Kart, but hey, since Nintendo apparently don't want to give us a Mario Kart for Switch, I might get this if it's good!

It really looked like a bland Mario Kart clone. There was nothing innovative going on. It just feels like a quick cashgrab tbh.

@VIIIAxel
I mean yeah, I'm joking around a bit but it's in good fun. I am low key excited for this. The track designs in particular do look quite nice and colorful. I'm hoping they have some nice remixes from those game too, like a fast paced Zozo theme would be quite metal for that stage.

And Steiner being in the game really does make the roster better than any given Mario Kart.

That frame rate looks rough.

Considering they cancelled Chocobo Racing 3DS because of quality issues, they must've allocated resources to finally get a vision that helms true to a better standard than previously set. If this happens to be the case when more of it is shown off (mechanic wise and so on) I'll be content.

I've not bothered much with kart racers lately (other than CTRN & MK8) so this may not still be convincing for me, unless I get it by chance someday.

Summon Neo-Bahamut, and it obliterates the entire racetrack destroying all racers

The game looks fine, but certainly not all that great TBH.

I'm just glad that kart racers exist outside of Mario Kart, Crash Team Racing, and Sonic & All-Stars Racing. Good to see this spin-off make a return.

I loved Chocobo Racing on ps1. I’m excited for this!

I like the Chocobo character and I like kart racers, but MK8D set the bar and I think this drastically underperforms. The gameplay looked slow, the tracks looked uninspired, the trackside graphics looked underdeveloped and the highlights were a lot of the same features as MK8D: drifting and adjustable kart performance. Very odd that a standardised mechanic like drifting was highlighted at all. Racers with their own special move and tiered items are fine, but is that enough reason to choose this over MK8D? Will that be enough to change up the gameplay?

I don't understand with some negativity here. 😕
Chocobo Racing was not even a clone of Mario Kart.
I think it was from mindset of some Nintendo gamers who prefer Mario Kart than the clones of something similar as Mario Kart. I saw some peoples said the track design was lame, not interesting, underperformed, etc. What underperformed ?
It looked nice for me, as good as Mario Kart 8.
Me as PlayStation gamer when I was teenager, Chocobo Racing was my teenhood game. The tracks can be hard for newbie players but still have solid gameplay. The level up magic spell was something exclusive in Chocobo Racing, Mario Kart didn't even have feature like that. The music from Chocobo Racing was really great too.
If I have to choose between Mario Kart N64 and Chocobo Racing, I choose Chocobo Racing. But between Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Chocobo GP, I choose both of them.

I thought this was a remake of chocobo racing at first but if it's a sequal I'll still take!😁

Meh, just makes me want MK9 more.

I'll pick this up, but I'm hoping for a PC release. The Switch has enough kart racers. Since CTR never came to PC, I think we could use a decent one.

I mean, it’s no Garfield Kart but it might be fun.

Initial thought is it looks too floaty, maybe down to the shadows not being distinct enough. Cute characters though!

This is actually the closest I’ve ever seen to a Mario Kart clone coming close to Mario Kart.

Everything else has just looked liked a cheaper, less fun imitation.

This looks fine and all but the excessive emphasis on power-ups is really off-putting.

Hard pass... I'm still enjoying Team Sonic Racing.

Looks a little too much like Mario Kart for me but if you are big into FF you are probably loving this.

@VIIIAxel 100 percent with you.

Other kart racers can be good too, guys.

@Anti-Matter Judging by a few of your comments I've seen you seem to be having a good Direct day. Though I think a lot of people are today, which is nice for a change.

Is Ultimaga a real FF spell? I've played almost every game but don't recall Ultimate working in 3s like the rest of them.

Ah, never mind, I Google it, I didn't play those CC games or chocobo racing, my mistake.

@rjejr
In Chocobo Racing PS1, there is an Ultima spell at Bahamut track.
Level 1 Ultima = make All opponents spinning around.
Level 2 Ultima (Ultimara) = make All opponents fling to the sky, bumped to the ground then start to drive again.
Level 3 Ultima (Ultimaga) = make All opponents fling to the sky, bumped to the ground 3 times before start to drive again.
Ultima spell in Chocobo Racing is stackable and can be leveled up until level 3 by Magic Up from Black Mage skill.
Ultima spell cannot be avoided unless if you have Reflect spell or Barrier skill or fell into bottomless pit. Mega Flare from Bahamut is totally unavoidable even using Reflect or Barrier and have same impact as Ultimaga.

@Specter_of-the_OLED I wonder why they're bringing this series back 20+ years later?

Sweet deal. Now we just need Capcom to update Megaman Battle and Chase and Konami to update Krazy Racers on Switch and we’ll have nearly every important VG franchise kart racer on one home.

@Lanmanna
Because more variety of racing games = better choice.
Mario Kart is not the only one as the role model of kart racing games.
Give the other racing games by 3rd party developers a chance to shine.

Never played the first game. Excited that Squenix is digging into their back catalog.

I'm down for this. I don't know that it's an essential purchase, but I'll be looking out for reviews. It's okay for another game to be like Mario Kart. There are about three million games like Castlevania.

Already have mario kart & I don't like final fantasy so I'll pass

It will sell 10 millions if it has rubber banding AI like Mario Kart.

@Expa0 It will sell to 50 Soccer moms in Cleveland.
Not even enough moms to trick to fill one online game.

Good was getting tired of all the mario karts

Very happy to see this one! Played the original on PSOne.

I guess it's showing my age that no one has mentioned the power up mechanic is similar to Diddy Kong Racing which is something Mario Kart doesn't do. So I look at it as more something for that DKR itch and maybe jumpstarting some MK9 momentum than attempting to supplant MK8D.

@Anti-Matter Thanks. I'm a big Bahamut fan, you just got me a little closer to buying it. 🙂

@ImagineerNik LMAO, did you say It needs KH characters? What like sora?

I've been wanting this for years. Chocobo Racing is underrated.

Beating Fantasia with SS Invisible is a thrill

I'm happy with this and will definitely take it. It's a fun, alternative kart racer to the giant that is Mario Kart

Since coconut mall lies abandoned in Kirby's game, I'm pretty sure this is the closest I'll get to a new Mario kart! 😂😂

It looks fun! Definitely keeping my eye on this, love the Diddy long racing item system!!

Having been a fan of the original Chocobo racing, I will be checking this out. The ignorant comments about this game are utterly amusing….

We all want things. And like those of us who were hoping for Mario Kart 9 to be announced during this Direct, we are left disappointed by reality.

I’m surprised that no one seems to have made the same connection I did yet.

This has a lot of FF9 references, Isn’t that interesting when there is both a rumored FF9 remake and a rumored FF9 animated Netflix series.

@Anti-Matter Me neither... what is wrong with these people? Chocobo Racing is a classic now, tho it was much worse than Crash Team Racing

@Lanmanna Because we had been wanting Chocobo Racing 2 for 22 years?

@BlackenedHalo
But i could play Chocobo Racing PS1 with my siblings when we were teenagers.
We had a blast from Chocobo Racing as one my brother like to use Fat Chocobo and called it Nyit Nyit due to squeaky sound from Fat Chocobo tricycle.
I have no idea about Crash Team Racing during that era.

@Anti-Matter CTR had much better story mode, much more gameplay modes, more races and characters and much better graphics. Chocobo Racing was nice, but it pales compared to CTR or Speed Freaks or Toy Story Racer.

@BlackenedHalo
Well, every peoples have their own experiences in the past.
I have never played Crash Racing games but i had gaming experiences from Chocobo Racing that shaped my teenhood with my siblings whether you said CRT have better things than Chocobo Racing from your perspective.

@Anti-Matter objectively, try to play CRT and you will understand

It's nice to see Square Enix giving a super old game a new entry and trying to make people happy after their TERRIBLE E3 2021 show and Balan Wonderflop by Yuji "One Action" Naka.

Wow... just... wow...

This is a carbon copy man... And while the locations look pretty enough, I guess - though I would've preferred a more fantasy-esque style - the karts don't look like they are part of the track at ALL. They look 2D the way the OG Mario Kart models were.

The only thing that moves when you steer is the track. The racer models are soooo static.

I don't mind properties going for a kart game, but at least have something properly unique to it. This does not seem to have anything worth going for in it.

But that's my two cents.

Upgrading weapons seems very Diddy Kong Racing…

If that's Vivi and not just a generic Black Mage I'm sold.

I think we need either Noctis or Ignis with the Regalia to race in this, as well as Cloud on his Motorcycle.

@Trajan you can't possibly make that judgement based on one trailer! It was streamed on YouTube, a platform known for poor compression of video files. For all we know, it might run at 60fps.

Chocobo Racing was my favorite kart racer. The special abilities, the spells, the graphics--keep in mind this was PS1, so compared to MK64 it looked amazing--and most of all the music. The remixes of classic Final Fantasy tunes were amazing. The only downsides were balance (which they've clearly addressed at least in part by taking away White and Black Mages' permanent floating) and that there were only 8 tracks. If there's a number of tracks comparable to MK8 (not even Deluxe), I'm sold in a heartbeat.

Tbh, this made me want a new Diddy Kong Racing game more than anything... especially with the familiar increasing power-ups level mechanic. A new DKR would be great for some variation (different vehicles & terrain, single-player campaign, MK series reprieve) and palette cleanse while we wait for the eventual MK9 down the line. Please bring this series back Ninty!

Chocobo Racing was a fun game. Unlocking Bahamut was difficult but worth it. Hopefully he will be in the new game.

Gonna pick this one up when it comes out. Don't care if its a Mario Kart clone, still looks fun and I love FF so its good for me

You can ask that same question to Sonic, Crash and somebody else
Anyway this is looking quirky and interesting for me, so I may get it one day.

Also...
"If we would develop it (Chocobo Racing) for console, we think it should be a game for adults." Square-Enix 2014

You can do just that on Final Fantasy XV, come on bring it to a Nintendo console soon!

@Anti-Matter Mario kart 8 was my favorite Mario kart on the Wii U, so I passed up on getting Deluxe for the switch( waiting for 9). Chocobo racing has been a game that peaked my interest on the Ps1 though, looked fun. So, I’m glad it’s getting a sequel; and I’m definitely picking this over Mario kart 8 deluxe( unless Mario kart 9 gets announced )

@jtmnm I’d live it on the PS4, and I think the fans of the original would like that too.

@UpToFourPlayers the first Chocobo racing had a story mode too, like Didsy king racing. The biggest difference being that Chocobo racing was a full blown story.

@BlackenedHalo Crash Team racing is definitely a good game, but it has the biggest learning curve I’ve ever seen in a kart racer.

Look, I've played my share of Mario Kart knockoffs, like Sonic Racing, ModNation Racers and LittleBigPlanet Karting...

But this just looks bad

@wuntyme8 @Themagusx1 @Ryu_Niiyama @garfreek @mattesdude @VIIIAxel @Anti-Matter @PLATINUM7 @Specter_of-the_OLED
This game has me very hyped too. I forgot all about Chocobo Racing on PSOne, now thinking about tracking it down. The fact that has Diddy Kong Racing item leveling AND GILAMESH has me percolating. Like Cruis'n Blast, as soon as I laid eyes on ChocoboGP I wanted the game in my hands right now. Cruis'n Blast is tons of fun btw.

Wow, awkwardly derivative

@Mmr It's like the Squaresoft jump to Playstation ... only in reverse. I agree, it would be a little silly had this new Chocobo Racing game remained a Switch exclusive. Honestly, I don't suspect it will.

Did Crash Team Racing do boost slides before Mario Kart?

Looks like the original Chocobo Racing on PS1 to me...

I loved the first Chocobo Racing so I am pumped for this one. The unique abilities for the characters, the upgradeable spells, the unlockables, racer customization...a lot of stuff to love. It would be really cool to see a Kingdom Hearts character on the roster for this one, haha.