Mario Kart Gets a Makeover (N64 Writeoff)

Mario Kart 64 was my first Nintendo 64 game and it will more then likely be my last review on the N64. This game was one of the best games when the N64 first came out back in 1996 and is still one of the best on the system. Mario Kart 64 is recognized as a top game on the N64 along with Goldeneye, Legend of Zelda: Orcania of Time, and Super Smash Brothers.

The first Kart game ever released also involved Mario back in his SNES days. Back then the game was a little more difficult and is more like the new GBA edition. The SNES game involved you collecting coins just like the GBA, but on Mario Kart 64 all that was trashed and Nintendo created a masterpiece. This game wasn’t one of the top games on the N64 for no reason. Without the coin collecting the game was more one minded and simplistic, but more fun in my opinion. Not having to collect coins allowed you to go straight after the finish line. The difficulty levels are basically 50cc, 100cc, 150cc, and extra going from easiest to hardest. The harder it gets the more speed you have, the harder it is to turn, and the harder your opponents get.

Characters
Middleweights- decent speed and turning
Mario and Luigi
Lightweights- fast acceleration and speed, don’t get as affected by going into grass and sand, not as good turning radius, may spin out if they run into a heavyweight.
Toad, Peach, Yoshi
Heavyweights- can cause lightweights to spin out, good turning, bad acceleration, go really slow if they go of the track.
Bowser, Wario, and Donkey Kong

Gameplay: A+
This a Kart Racing game involving many of the Nintendo’s franchise characters. In case you didn’t know a Kart racing game is a game that involves cute characters racing around a track and using items to reach their goal. Your goal is to be the first to race your kart around the track 3 times, but it is a little more difficult then it sounds. Throughout the race you and your rivals can get weapons/items by going through the question boxes. Watch out for the upside down question box because this won’t give you and item but it will blow you several feet into the sky.

Weapons/Items
Upside-down question box
Red shell- heat seeking shell that will smash into the opponent in front of you
Triple Red Shell- 3 red shells that spin around you like a force field
Green Shell- can shoot forwards or backwards and will ricochet of walls
Triple green shells-three green shells that rotate around you like a force field. In this mode the green shells can only be shot forward.
Mushroom-temporary boost of speed
3 mushrooms- 3 regular mushrooms
Super Mushroom- unlimited mushrooms for a short period of time
Star-makes you invincible for a short period of time
Lightning- shrinks all your opponents making them slower and you can run over them (someone who is currently using a star will not be affected)
Boo- will steal an item from one of your opponents, makes you invisible to your opponents, and you can’t be hit by bananas, question boxes, or shells.
Banana’s- will cause you to spin out.
Spiky Shell- heat seeking shell that goes right after the kart in first place and will take out any karts in it’s way to get there.

Game modes
Mario GP- You or you and a friend race against 6 (7 if playing alone) other competitors race for the satisfaction of winning the race. You must choose a cup to play in (easiest to hardest) Mushroom, Flower, Star, and Special. Each cup has 4 tracks for you to race on. When you place 1st through 4th in a race you will get points, 9 for 1st, 6 for 2nd, 3 for 3rd, and 1 for 4th. Who ever has the most point’s after all four tracks is the winner.

Time Trial: Single player chooses one track and races to try and get the tracks overall and lap record. You will get 3 mushrooms to help you.

Vs.- You and up to 3 friends choose a track and race around the track to be the winner, or maybe if you are the worst player there to deny someone of winning by using and item to ruin their race.

Battle- The most fun mode of all, at least in my opinion. In this mode you and up to 3 other friends choose between 4 battle arena where the sole purpose is to use items to get rid of your opponent’s three balloons. Every time someone is hit they lose a balloon until they have none left. If there are at least 2 other people still battling when you run out of balloons then you turn into a bomb. As a bomb your goal is to smash into one of the other players, a little kamikaze action. You will only die if you reach your goal and run into a opposing player or if a player with a star hits you. One of the best experiences is to knock someone out when you are a bomb, while you may have lost, you have the satisfaction of knocking a player out.

Controls: A
This game has a very easy control system:
A- accelerate
B- brake, if you hold long enough you will go in reverse
Analog/Directional Pad- direction you want to turn
R- Use this to slide while pressing left or right to turn corners better.
Z- use item
Down C- same as Z
Left C- not used
Right C- toggle between available screen displays
Up C- changes camera

Replay Value: A
4 tracks for 4 different courses and 4 difficulty levels. Fun single player, one of the best multiplayer games with the superb battle mode you will find yourself playing this game for a long time. This was my first 64 game and my only one for a month and a half and it was able to keep me entertained. Only problem is if you can’t find anyone to play battle or Vs. with you. This is one of the few N64 games that I have not sold, not because I couldn’t sell it, but because it still calls me to play. I got to hurry and finish this review I can hear Mario Kart 64 calling me now “ Come, play, take a break from that keyboard and constant typing, play me”.

Also many of the tracks of secret shortcuts in the levels that you can try and find to be able to dominate your friends in a game of Vs. or Mario GP.

Quick Tips
-If you press b immediately after running over a banana, this will allow you to keep driving without spinning out. If done correctly a musical note will appear above your head.

-When in first always have a shell or something to protect you. By holding down Z or down c the shell, banana, question box will appear behind you and protect you from red and green shells.

-On the first lap down start off real fast get in 8th so when the first set of item boxes comes up it is likely you will get a star and lightning and will be able to get farther ahead then if you had been racing seriously the whole time.


Graphics: B+
Levels look well designed even if they are a little kiddy. The game has always run smoothly for me I have never had a problem with its frame rate. Characters are well done along with everything else from big rigs coming towards you to the little groundhog things that jump out of the ground on Moo Moo Farm.

Sounds: A
The roar of the engine, me as Mario calling out to Luigi as I blow pass him. The scream of peach when Bowser smashes into her. The sound are normally very intriguing but if you hear Wario laughing for the 7 time of the race it does get annoying.

Overall: A++++
One of the top games on the N64 if not ever this game combines the great gameplay with some of the best replay value. If you own a 64 and have never owned this game then you must have been living in a cave for the last several years this is a must buy for any N64 owner.

A Look Back on the N64 W/O
This was a write-off on the N64 hosted by me because of all the “Next Generation” consoles coming out and Nintendo having it’s own the 64 will be left back in the dust. Thanks for all those who joined my write-off make sure you check out their contributions.
List of Participants:
Rock_On
Jeremy1456
ChromeKiller
Pika312
Krabople
Xeno3998
Horhay
StarSoldier1
rader6795
And of course me your host