is an arcade sub-series of Nintendo's Mario Kart series, developed and published by Namco and later Bandai Namco Games under license from Nintendo. In all installments, for an additional fee, a player's data can be saved on a magnetic card which can be inserted into the machine again later to retain unlocked items and records. Nintendo had a limited role in development, mainly for quality control purposes. It has a camera to photograph the player's face. The photo can be customized and displayed above the player's character during multiplayer races. The initial game, Mario Kart Arcade GP, is the first Mario Kart to feature playable crossover characters: Namco's Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, and Blinky, which all are from the Pac-Man games. Its sequel features Mametchi, a character from the Tamagotchi games, and the third installment includes Don from the Taiko no Tatsujin franchise. Installments The Mario Kart Arcade GP sub-series started in 2005 with the release of Mario Kart Arcade GP. The game has been followed by three sequels: Mario Kart Arcade GP 2 (2007), Mario Kart Arcade GP DX (2013), and Mario Kart Arcade GP VR (2017). Mario Kart Arcade GP Mario Kart Arcade GP is the initial installment in the series. Originally designed for the Triforce arcade board (also used for F-Zero AX) by Namco, players can race as one of eleven characters on twenty-four tracks. There are a total of six cups, with four tracks in each, totalling twenty-four. The cups are Mario Cup, Wario Cup, Pac-Man Cup, DK Cup, Bowser Cup, and the unlockable Rainbow Cup. After a track is completed, the player must insert additional credits to continue the game, even if first place is achieved. After finishing all four races from each stage, a "challenge game" comes up, in which the player is required to complete a certain task; each of them requires the player to drive to a goal under a certain amount of time while under a certain condition, such as driving backwards through a field of banana peels. When a player hits one of the item boxes scattered throughout the tracks, the player is given one of the three selected items chosen at the start of a race. Mario Kart Arcade GP features items new and old. Unique to this game is a lock-on feature for the items. Also unique to this game is a temporary shield that is produced while powersliding