Skip to main content

Mario Kart 64: 25th anniversary

Mario Kart 64 brought the fun of go-kart simulator Super Mario Kart into the 3D age. A few chunky polygons notwithstanding, Mario Kart 64 still holds up, even alongside sequels like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.

MK 64 doesn't alter the fundamental formula laid down by Super Mario Kart. You still choose one of four circuits (Mushroom, Flower, Star, or Special) and an engine speed (50, 100, or 150 CC), then race against seven other racers, trying to place at least in the top four. Whereas the SNES allowed only two players, the N64 was built with four controller inputs, and MK 64 happily can use them all (though the music shuts off with more than two). Battle Mode returns as well, in which players attack one another with items, trying to pop all three of their opponents' balloons. This is always a blast when playing with friends. Lastly, there is the Time Trial mode, in which you race alone trying to set the fastest time.
Is this the origin of the "Trollface" meme?
MK 64's biggest and best improvement is the 3D environment itself. Anyone who has played the original Mario Kart knows how flat everything is. Even the walls are 2D, with the only elements on the z-axis being the karts themselves and obstacles like pipes and Thwomps. Racing in three dimensions feels much more real, since you can't see around walls and other barriers. It also allows for slopes, ramps, and ledges to fall off. Despite the antiquated polygons, the environments still look great. In addition, the unique theme music for each track is excellent.

MK 64 adds three new items as well: the spiny shell, fake item box, and Golden Mushroom. The blue spiny shell has become a controversial staple of the franchise: it homes in on the lead player while knocking out anyone who gets in its way. This makes the game more fun for weaker players, as they always have a chance to take out the leader. The fake item box is upside-down and works best when hid among the real item boxes. The Golden Mushroom lets you use unlimited nitro boosts for a few seconds. Besides these, the game includes triple shells and triple banana peels, which rotate around you like a shield, until you have shot them all.

The character roster was adjusted slightly: Koopa Troopa was replaced with a third heavyweight character, the always amusing Wario! DK Jr. was changed to Donkey Kong, who had returned to popularity thanks to the Donkey Kong Country games. The sole area in which the game took a small step back was that each circuit has only four tracks instead of five. But this was a small price to pay when all sixteen tracks were so good. They all contain unique elements, such as the branching pathways of Yoshi Valley and the highway race with cars and trucks that is Toad's Turnpike! And of course who can forget the epic, twisting Rainbow Road in space! Being in 3D, these tracks are more iconic than any from Super Mario Kart.

It's hard to overpraise Mario Kart 64. It is among the best games for the system and one of the all-time great Nintendo games. It's as much fun to play now as ever. Almost everything that has made Mario Kart 8 Deluxe the best-selling Switch game goes back to Mario Kart 64 (and Super Mario Kart). The racing is fast, the controls smooth and intuitive, the multiplayer action a joy, and every course unique and a blast to play.

Grade: A+
Linked Review
"Mario Kart 64 has its faults and later entries would refine the systems introduced here, but there's still plenty of fun here to keep you (and your friends) returning for more."
— Dave Frear, Nintendo Life, 8/10

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Street Fighter II: 30th anniversary

Thirty years ago Street Fighter II made the transition from arcade to living room on the Super NES. Although quickly eclipsed by its two successors, for one year it was the hotness. It would be hard to overstate how popular Street Fighter II was in the early 90's. Its predecessor was downright bad, but Street Fighter II invented the PVP fighting genre as we know it. Its roster of eight characters was a huge step-up from Street Fighter's two (Ken and Ryu, who returned for the sequel). The next iteration of the arcade game, Street Fighter II: Champion Edition, which hit arcades just as the SNES port arrived, let you play as the bosses as well, increasing the roster to twelve. A false rumor said a secret code would let you play them at home. While that wasn't true, there was a code (↓, R, ↑, L, Y, B) to let both players choose the same character for a mirror match. A prime strength of the game is how interesting each character is: the American airman Guile (think Top Gun); the
Post a Comment
Read more

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past: 30th anniversary

Hard to believe it's been thirty years since The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past came out on the Super Nintendo, yet here we are! A Link to the Past is in contention for the title of Best Nintendo Game Ever . It perfectly reinvented, reimagined, and revolutionized everything great about the original Legend of Zelda . First off, the story is expanded, with five pages devoted to it in the manual, including background mythology not included in-game about the three gods that made the Triforce. The opening cinematic tells of a war centuries earlier, which resulted in seven wise men sealing the Triforce away in the "Golden World." When the game begins, the boy Link awakens on a dark and stormy night, hearing the voice of Princess Zelda in his head, asking him to rescue her from the dungeon of Hyrule Castle, where she's been imprisoned by the evil wizard Agahnim. Link finds his uncle, wounded, who gives him his sword. Link's first task is to rescue Zelda, then lead h
2 comments
Read more

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker: 20th anniversary

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker is special to me because it was one of the first games I played on the Wii U. I hadn't owned a video-game console since the Super Nintendo until my wife bought me a Wii U for my 30th birthday. Since I missed the Game Cube and Wii eras, playing The Wind Waker was a revelation to me. It was as good as I remembered A Link to the Past being. I've read that, when it debuted, some people hated the cel-shaded art style of The Wind Waker. In retrospect that's hard to fathom, because the game is such a visual delight. The cartoony style and feel of the game is probably its strongest feature, at least for me. Sailing the seas and exploring the game's many islands is a joyous process of discovery. There are all sorts of quirky citizens to meet and interact with, including an auction house, bird people (the Rito), pirates, a traveling merchant (Beedle), temples, and the long-lost, sunken kingdom of Hyrule. The mid-game twist delighted me: Link l
Post a Comment
Read more