Here's a not-so controversial opinion: Nintendo makes really good games. Really popular games that make lots of money.

But like anything that's popular, there's a price to pay: It's going to be ripped off one way or another. That's just a fact of life.

There have been countless of Mario knockoffs over the years, from platforming clones to racing clones.

But I have never seen one so blatant and lazy as Mole Kart, which is somehow still available on the App Store for $2.99. Developed by Shanghai Taomee Network Technology, it's like they took all that was Mario Kart and hit Ctrl A, Ctrl C, Ctrl V, made very few minor tweaks and voila! Game set for launch.

Watching the video above, the similarities seem endless. The racetrack X Mushroom is a near exact copy of Mushroom Gorge from Mario Kart Wii. Gee, what do all those tall, bouncy mushrooms look like? The item boxes are dead on as well. You got your bananas, fake item box booby traps, lightning bolts and other items resembling Mario Kart powerups. The Mole Pasture track is a spitting image of Moo Moo Meadows from Mario Kart Wii. Take a look at what the banner says at the starting/finish line.

You even got one of the moles disturbingly dressed up like Princess Peach in the loading screen.

Apple approved the game, which is pretty low on their part but doesn't surprise me. After all, Apple and Nintendo are somewhat competitors. And what's the worse that could happen to Apple anyway? They would just take the game down if Nintendo cries foul. No harm to them. It's the Chinese company that would be taking the hit.

Here's a couple of comparison videos I've found on YouTube showing off the original and much better versions of these tracks.

Mushroom Gorge


Moo Moo Meadows


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