Air Riders is the fusion of these strengths. City Trial is 8 Player Smash refined into a science, using Mario Party's constant mini game structure (via events and stadiums) to prevent a true meta as people play as funny little guys in whatever appeals to them the most.

I'm so excited for this lol

I think about these two things:

-Smash Bros is a complex system that results in little downtime, but casual play can be overshadowed by its FGC core.
-Mario Party is more streamlined, but its inherent mechanics means players can feel like RNG takes the wheel. (Sometimes deserved, sometimes not)

When it's viewed as Nintendo's idea for Smash Bros But For Goofs, the giant marketing push and production value make so much sense. Even as a huge Air Ride fan, it didn't fully click with me just how much raw energy is in this game's core. It truly wants to be on the tier of Smash and Mario Party.

It's a little unfortunate I just dropped its full retail price last year to be put into a position of paying more so I can upgrade to v3, but SURELY this one will last me a decade now. Right??