Mario Kart Super Circuit takes elements from Mario Kart 64 and combines them with the 2D racing of the original Super Mario Kart . The result is a great handheld version of Nintendo's best-selling racing-combat franchise! Mario Kart games are intuitive and require little explanation. If you've played any Mario Kart game, you know how to play all of them. But for the uninitiated, let me explain: you race a go-kart against seven other racers. You select one of three speeds at which to compete: 50 CC, 100 CC, or 150 CC. The A button accelerates and the B button brakes. The latter is rarely done, though a well timed tap of the brakes can prevent you from spinning out after hitting an obstacle such as a banana peel. The R button lets your kart do a tiny hop, though this also isn't often needed. Tracks are littered with yellow coins. The more you collect, the faster your top speed becomes (and unlike in other Mario Kart games, it's not capped at ten). If you have no coins, b...

Boy does time fly: Super Mario Kart is 30 years old! This was one of my favorite SNES games when I was a child. Featuring eight Mario characters riding go karts, twenty fun tracks, an assortment of items and weapons, and two different multiplayer modes, Super Mario Kart is a top-tier video game. Super Mario Kart laid down the basics of the popular franchise. You choose one of eight classic Mario characters (Mario, Luigi, Peach, Toad, Bowser, DK Junior, Koopa Troopa, or Yoshi), an engine speed (50 or 100 CC), then a circuit of five tracks (Mushroom, Fire Flower, or Star). Then you race! The characters belong to different weight classes: Junior and Bowser, being heavy, have the highest maximum speed but poor acceleration. New players should try a lightweight like Koopa Troopa or Toad. Driving over question tiles on the track gives your racer an item, such as a turbo Super Mushroom, Super Star, banana peel, red Koopa shell, green Koopa shell, lightning bolt (which briefly shrinks ever...

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...