History:
Races underwent many changes during the Second Grand Prix. For the first time, Item Boxes were created rather than panels. During the first wave of their production though, many proved faulty. Instead of giving an item, they would explode and crash the racer. Soon after the technique for Item Box creation was perfected though, competing companies made knockoffs that were still faulty and sold them to individual courses, much to the danger of competing racers. Eventually the Grand Prix Governing Body reconciled the safety of racers with the concerns of the many new and growing factories that had sprung up to support the Races. The faulty Item Boxes were slapped with an inverse Question Mark and progressively labelled "Fake." They would, however, be accessible by true Item Boxes and used by drivers during the course of a race.
The Fake Item Box appears in:
64
Double Dash
DS
Wii
7
There have been some variations of the Fake Item Box throughout the years, but the purpose has always generally been the same. It is another, more deceptive means than Bananas for Lead Drivers to knock around those racing behind them. Indeed in 64 while running over a Banana was salvageable, Fake Item Boxes meant certain doom. 64 was also the game where the boxes where most similar to genuine Item Boxes, the only difference being the position of the Question Mark. In later games the boxes were red, or as in DS, lack a Question Mark at all. These make the boxes a tad easier to avoid.
Another major progression of the Fake Item Boxes throughout the history of Mario Kart is their physical properties. In 64 they acted very similar to Bananas - they could be dragged behind a Kart in order to prevent a Shell from crashing into the back. They could also be destroyed by shells moments before running into them. Their only real difference from Bananas is again, its greater deception, larger size, and an inability to throw them forward.
Most of this changed in Double Dash. Shells and other character-specific projectiles such as Fireballs and Chain Chomps would now pass through Fake Item Boxes, both when dragged behind a Kart or laid on a track. When Karts are hit while dragging, the Item is not lost, though. The Fake Item Box can be launched forward, however, making it an offensive weapon as well, as tricky as it is to peg a moving Kart from far away.
There are many strategies to both using Fake Item Boxes and avoiding them. Careful racers who can memorize True Item Box locations on courses will not be deceived, even in 64. Still, they can be used effectively to block ramps or shortcuts, or at least narrow track sections where running into one is inevitable. Another good drop spot is in a cluster of True Item Boxes, possibly sitting directly on top of a True One, even though timing this can be difficult. Still, limiting the amount of Item Boxes accessible to the competition is a good thing. Their offensive use can still work in rare circumstances, although it's rare that they will appear in positions deep in the pack. If there is a situation where you receive a Fake Item Box and are then passed, it's best to try to chuck it into a crowd, or a particularly deadly maneuver is to launch it into a True Item Box cluster that another racer is about to pass through. It's tough to react to things falling out of the sky, and the CPU will rarely be able to anyway.
Races underwent many changes during the Second Grand Prix. For the first time, Item Boxes were created rather than panels. During the first wave of their production though, many proved faulty. Instead of giving an item, they would explode and crash the racer. Soon after the technique for Item Box creation was perfected though, competing companies made knockoffs that were still faulty and sold them to individual courses, much to the danger of competing racers. Eventually the Grand Prix Governing Body reconciled the safety of racers with the concerns of the many new and growing factories that had sprung up to support the Races. The faulty Item Boxes were slapped with an inverse Question Mark and progressively labelled "Fake." They would, however, be accessible by true Item Boxes and used by drivers during the course of a race.
The Fake Item Box appears in:
64
Double Dash
DS
Wii
7
Another major progression of the Fake Item Boxes throughout the history of Mario Kart is their physical properties. In 64 they acted very similar to Bananas - they could be dragged behind a Kart in order to prevent a Shell from crashing into the back. They could also be destroyed by shells moments before running into them. Their only real difference from Bananas is again, its greater deception, larger size, and an inability to throw them forward.
There are many strategies to both using Fake Item Boxes and avoiding them. Careful racers who can memorize True Item Box locations on courses will not be deceived, even in 64. Still, they can be used effectively to block ramps or shortcuts, or at least narrow track sections where running into one is inevitable. Another good drop spot is in a cluster of True Item Boxes, possibly sitting directly on top of a True One, even though timing this can be difficult. Still, limiting the amount of Item Boxes accessible to the competition is a good thing. Their offensive use can still work in rare circumstances, although it's rare that they will appear in positions deep in the pack. If there is a situation where you receive a Fake Item Box and are then passed, it's best to try to chuck it into a crowd, or a particularly deadly maneuver is to launch it into a True Item Box cluster that another racer is about to pass through. It's tough to react to things falling out of the sky, and the CPU will rarely be able to anyway.
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