In an interview some years back, Scarlett Johansson revealed what her favorite video game was. While she made a great choice, I was a little surprised by her follow-up answer about who her favorite character was and why. I'm not exactly looking to pick a fight with Black Widow, but I do have to stand up for the character I feel was snubbed by her response.
I'm not sure how much Scarlett Johansson plays video games, but she at least has some experience. I've seen a picture of her playing multiplayer Tetris on an old Game Boy with her Avengers co-star Chris Evans via a Link Cable. She has also acted in a few video games, including The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie game from 2004, and LEGO Marvel's Avengers from 2016. From that sampling at least, I can definitely say that Johansson's favorite game is the right choice. It is also a personal favorite of mine, and likely many others who grew up playing on Nintendo consoles.
Scarlett Johansson's Favorite Video Game Is Mario Kart
Johansson Mentioned Her Favorite Game In An IGN Interview
In an interview with IGN back in 2016, Scarlett Johansson said that her favorite video game was Mario Kart. She didn't elaborate on which one, so it's hard to say exactly what version of the game she was referring to. Johansson is young enough that she would have been a kid when Super Mario Kart first came out, though there's no saying if she played it when she was young or tried it out later in life. Regardless of which Mario Kart, however, I can confidently say she made a good choice when it came to her favorite game.
Mario Kart embodies a lot of what made me fall in love with video games in the first place. It's a good mixture of social and competitive, and the game's item system does a good job balancing each race so that even players who fall behind feel like they still have a chance. It's also a game that is simply concerned with being fun. As much as I love epic RPGs that take hundreds of hours to fully complete, sometimes it's nice to just play a game that's just focused on delivering one satisfying gameplay loop.
Toad Is Her Favorite Mario Kart Character
Johansson Said She Picks Toad Because He's Cute
I take no issue with anyone saying Mario Kart is their favorite game, but I was a little taken aback when Scarlett Johansson went on to say that her favorite character to play was Toad. It's not that I have any strong negative feelings about Toad, it's just that I don't really have any strong feelings about him at all. He's always just kind of there, not doing much. Of course, Johansson did give a decent reason for picking Toad.
Johansson said she usually picks Toad in Mario Kart because he's cute, which is true. He has an endearing smile and his all-black eyes remind me of a plush toy. I also love his raspy little voice that sounds like Rainbow Dash from My Little Pony took up smoking. However, if we're picking Mario Kart characters by cuteness, I think there is an obvious better choice than Toad.
There's Nothing Wrong With Toad, But Yoshi Is Clearly The Best
Toad Isn't Nearly As Cute As Yoshi
Toad may be cute, but for my money, he's got nothing on Yoshi. I think being less humanoid gives Yoshi a big edge in terms of cuteness, and while Toad's voice may be cute, Yoshi's is even cuter and he makes adorable noises. I may also be a bit biased towards Yoshi, as green has always been my favorite color.
Honestly, when it comes to core Mario Kart characters, Toad ranks pretty far down the list for me. Again, that's nothing against him specifically, but there are just much better options. As a younger brother, I've always gravitated towards Luigi, and I'd also argue Dry Bones is another cuter option than Toad (though he isn't always an option). I at least know that, in the very rare chance I ever play Mario Kart with Scarlett Johansson, I won't have to worry about her picking a character I want to play.
Source: IGN
