Blue shell
The spiny shell, colloquially known as the blue shell, is a power-up item in the "Mario Kart" video game series. Originating in 1996's "Mario Kart 64" and featured in every main entry of the series since then, the blue shell, when used, aims directly at the racer in first place, stopping them on impact. The blue shell acts as a "catch-up" mechanic, with racers ranked towards the bottom having a better chance of it spawning when driving into item boxes, giving them a better chance at diminishing the lead of the racer in top position . In addition to the "Mario Kart" series, the blue shell appeared in the "Super Smash Bros." series from 2001's "Melee" onwards (it has been directly featured as a power-up item from "Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS" and "Wii U" onwards), and in "Mario Hoops 3-on-3". The blue shell was originally impossible to stop or dodge once fired, until 2003's "Mario Kart Double Dash" and subsequent games allowed ways for the targeted racer to do so, albeit only with combinations of precise timing and specific items. As it is likely to spawn at least once during  a race, the power-up item has earned a reputation of frequently destroying a player's lead, or suddenly ruining their chances of winning. Because of this, the blue shell has largely come to be seen as one of the best and most famous, yet also one of the most enraging items in video game history. History. The "Mario" series features some visually similar figures which predate the blue shell, such as the red Spinies from the original "Super Mario Bros." (1985) and blue Koopa Troopas of "Super Mario World" (1990). In "Mario Kart 64", only the last place racer  can obtain the blue shell. Since the release of "", the series sees the blue shell being more common to characters closer to the lead (if the leader pulls away from the rest of the pack), and in all releases prior to "Mario Kart 7", it is unable to hit characters on its way to the lead, as it flies above the track using wings rather than gliding upon its surface. There are few techniques possible in some "Mario Kart" games to evade a blue shell, such as using a timed boost from a Mushroom item in "Mario Kart DS" onwards . In "Mario Kart 8", it is possible to use a Super Horn to destroy blue shells. A toy model of the blue shell is included in the limited edition package of "Mario Kart 8". In the mobile phone game "Mario Kart Tour", the Super Horn returns; however, with the introduction of item "frenzies", it is indeed possible to get a blue shell frenzy. The shell also glides along the ground in this title. Reception. The blue shell is known as a random element with harsh consequences, which is difficult to evade. As a "hazard that strips certainty and authority", Ian  Bogost of "Gamasutra" called "Mario Kart" blue shell the "most profoundly existentialist element of the "Mario" canon", disruptive to "the entire logic of this familiar fantasy universe." Alex Langley's "The Geek Handbook" names as one of "Mario Kart 8" greatest frustrations, to be hit by a blue shell shortly before reaching the finish line. Maxwell McGee of "GameSpot" considered the ability to destroy the "dreaded" blue shells with a new item, the Super Horn, to be a particularly exciting feature of "Mario Kart 8". "Nintendo Power" called the use of a Mushroom to dodge a blue shell a "defining  moment" of gameplay in "Mario Kart Wii". Calling it "The Great Equalizer" for its enhancement of the elements of struggle and luck, "Kotaku"s Nathan Grayson considered the blue shell to be the most despised, and best, item of the "Mario Kart" series. "Kotaku"s Yannick Le Jacq considered the blue shell to be the most notable and game-changing among "Mario Kart" "most notorious" items, adding that this made it "a lot more fun" to use in "Super Smash Bros. for 3DS" and "Wii U". In July 2017, Keith Stuart of "The Guardian" included the blue shell as one of the  11 greatest video game objects in history, stating: "The most controversial item in the "Mario" universe, the blue shell [...] has brought frustration, recrimination and anger to living rooms everywhere. In a 2011 interview with "Kotaku", Hideki Konno, who directed "Super Mario Kart" and "Mario Kart 64", was asked about the blue shells inclusion in the series. He stated that it was introduced in "Mario Kart 64" to keep players together due to the limited processing power of the Nintendo 64 and that “we wanted to create a race where everyone was in it until the end.” In a 2017 interview  with "Eurogamer", Kosuke Yabuki, the director of "Mario Kart 7" and "Mario Kart 8", said that Nintendo has experimented with removing the blue shell from the games, but "it feels like something's missing. Like there's something not quite enough in the game. So for now we've kept it in."