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Does Mario Kart's Blue Shell even work? An investigation

We explore a research paper that uncovers whether Mario Kart's Blue Shell actually does anything.

Every Mario Kart player knows the feeling of dread - and childlike injustice - that accompanies the Blue Shell's sudden, high-pitched siren whine, announcing an unceremonious end to your pleasant race lead. The Blue Shell's fame can disguise its unusual status in gaming: it's surprisingly rare for items in competitive multiplayer to specifically target the leader, let alone to incapacitate them for multiple seconds. They might make the race leader swear loudly enough to scare the cat, but unlike, say, Golden Mushrooms or Bullet Bills, the player who gets a Blue Shell isn't going to be meaningfully helped by getting one.

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