I have now owned Mario Kart 64 for about a month, in this time I have become quite addicted to this platform inspired racer. Its mixture of smooth gameplay and challenges keeps me (and my mates) coming back for more.
***Packaging***
Well mine was fairly bashed about, as I bought it ... Read review
Advantages: Great gameplay, Nice sounds, Good control system Disadvantages: Annoying catch-up clause
I have now owned Mario Kart 64 for about a month, in this time I have become quite addicted to this platform inspired racer. Its mixture of smooth gameplay and challenges keeps me (and my mates) coming back for more.
***Packaging***
Well mine was fairly bashed about, as I bought it pre-owned (more on that later). However even with a crispy new one the same problems still exist. The way in which the flaps get caught ... ...to understand the basics of Mario Kart. For a game made in 1996 the manual buts most of today’s efforts to shame.
***Graphics***
From the moment you turn on the console, you are bombarded by bright sprites and rendered curves. Even today, with the likes of the playstation 2, the N64 can still pack a punch. The landscapes are far from detailed, however, I doubt you’ll notice as your whizzing along in your ... more
I have now owned Mario Kart 64 for about a month, in this time I have become quite addicted to this platform inspired racer. Its mixture of smooth gameplay and challenges keeps me (and my mates) coming back for more.
***Packaging***
Well mine was fairly bashed about, as I bought it pre-owned (more on that later). However even with a crispy new one the same problems still exist. The way in which the flaps get caught in the manual, and fold over the pages. You would have thought Nintendo would have changed their packaging by now, or maybe they are concentrating all resources on the upcoming “Gamecube”. The design on the front of the box is bright, and captures the mood of the game. Flipped over, the underside reveals a few in-game snaps, and the traditional short description:
“Three… Two… One… Go! The signal light changes and you put the pedal to the metal”
A bit corny for anyone over the age of 12, however I suppose it hits the spot for the target audience.
***The Manual***
Excellent presentation throughout, the blend of nice illustrations and to-the-point explanations provides adults, and kids alike the chance to understand the basics of Mario Kart. For a game made in 1996 the manual buts most of today’s efforts to shame.
***Graphics***
From the moment you turn on the console, you are bombarded by bright sprites and rendered curves. Even today, with the likes of the playstation 2, the N64 can still pack a punch. The landscapes are far from detailed, however, I doubt you’ll notice as your whizzing along in your lawn-mower tyke. The karts themselves are satisfactory, and complement their surroundings. Even in 2-player mode, firing a red shell up Mario’s ass has never looked so good. The only complaint I have to report is the fact that there is a little slow-down when using boosts (mushrooms).
***Gameplay***
This is where most of the Mario series come in to their element. Mario Kart 64 is no exception. You seem to forget about the games gripes when you and 3 mates do battle. Nothing else matters when that blue light appears: nailing your buddy on the last bend with a sniper like aimed shell is good, watching your kart whiz pass on his screen is simply sublime!
However all is not rosy, there is one serious gameplay annoyance. CATCH-UP. For anyone who has played the game, that phrase will send shivers down your spine, for those who haven’t, let me explain. The computer players don’t seem content to lose fairly: whenever your out in the lead they seem to be going stupendously fast! The reason is they are cheating! To make the game seem action packed throughout, the guys at Nintendo decided to allow the computer opponents to always, yes ALWAYS stay within a few yards of your tail. No matter how hard you try, you can’t shake them off. Apart from this I am very happy. (Blood pressure returns to normal)
***Sounds***
You come to expect pokemon-like blips from all childish games. However the Mario series does try a little to appeal to the elder gamers. With funky drum rolls (all be it covered by annoying computer beeps) mixed in with soothing chimes, it all adds up to a pleasanter gaming experience. The base and treble are just right, and the characters voices are clear most of the time.
***The Game***
You have a simple first choice: “Time Trial” or “Mario GP”. Time trial is basically where you can choose any track and set the best lap time. These are then saved for future reference. A nifty “ghost” feature is included too, where you can actually race against your previous time in the form of a semi-transparent ghost of your attempt.
The next choice you have is which power kart you wish to race. Starting at the easy-peasy 50CC, then the mediocre 100CC, and the tough (er) 150CC.
Your third choice comes in the form of character select. Here you can choose your driver. Each person has different attributes, and therefore, different advantages and weaknesses. Here’s my guide to their characteristics:
MARIO – All rounder LUIGI – Same as Mario except slightly faster, yet harder to control PEACH (PRINCESS to you and me) – Similar to Luigi, possibly easy to corner with. TOAD- My personal favourite, the best acceleration, and easiest to handle. Lowest top speed, however most track s on twisty and turny so this factor is not so detrimental. YOSHI – Like a tamer version of toad. Better top speed. DK, WARIO, BOWSER- The heavyweights, all slow to get going, but like a heavy supermarket trolley, they don’t half motor once rolling. Also very strong and can push other riders about.
The next choice is which course you are going to tackle. Well there’s four cups – MUSHROOM, FLOWER, STAR and SPECIAL. Steadily increasing in difficulty as you progress up the ranks. Here’s my guide to the tracks on Mario Kart 64:
MUSHROOM CUP
Luigi Raceway Very basic track; don’t except much action on this track. Just get in the lead and stay there. Difficulty - *____
Moo Moo Farm Figure of eight barnyard bamboozle – again a simple track in this primary cup. Use tight cornering and red shells to come out on top in this one. Difficulty - **___
Koopa Troopa Beach The first track to hold a secret, when coming up to the third set of jumps, providing you have a boost in reserve, simply shoot over the ramp and through the mountain shortcut. You will arrive at the other end and shoot out of the waterfall, quarter of a lap ahead of your competitors. Difficulty - **___
Kalimari Desert I can’t stand this course, its so boring. The lure of the railway track is false and simply losses you time. Get it done, quick! Difficulty - *____
FLOWER CUP
Toad's Turnpike Intricate little track, avoid the traffic, and your on the way to victory. Even harder in reverse mode. Difficulty - ***__
Frappe Snowland Slippery track with exploding snowmen, great for doing power slides! Difficulty - ***__
Choco Mountain Another one of those dull tracks, I just shut my eyes and drive this one with my feet. If only. Difficulty - **___
Mario Raceway Ohh, a big jump. (Secret) I like this track, plenty of action and some hard sharp turns. Good track! Difficulty - ***__
STAR CUP
Wario Stadium Great track – jump over the wall at the beginning and it will be plain sailing from then onwards! Another great track for the show-off. Difficulty - **___
Sherbet Land Grrrr. The pain in the rear end track. Evil penguins! Difficulty - ****_
Royal Raceway Good track with a nice mixture of obstacles and straights. Top marks. Difficulty - ***__
Bowser's Castle Very nice track – avoid those hovering boulders and you ill have 1st place in the bag! Difficulty - ***__
SPECIAL CUP
DK's Jungle Parkway Nice track with superb scenery, big jump and a ferry. Difficulty - ****_
Yoshi Valley An odd one this, my advice – keep going left and you can’t go wrong. Also there a corner you can cut near the end by using the jump button. Difficulty - *****
Banshee Boardwalk Quite difficult track – fallen off is commonplace here. However use it to your advantage, knock your mates of the barrier less track! Difficulty - *****
Rainbow Road The final furlong. Great track. Ill leave this one for you to discover! Enjoy. Difficulty - ****_
***Useful Info***
The game has an RRP of £39.99
You can get it from “amazon.co.uk” for £24.99.
Ideal for the kids, depth to fulfil most gamers of all ages.
I got mine for £19.99 (used) from my local “gamestation”.
As I say for most of my N64 opinions - try and get the expansion pack – it boosts the graphics no end.
***Tips***
Hold down “L” while in the game to turn off the music. Handy!
Hold down “R” to power slide. Nifty!
Complete 50, 100, and 150CC modes to unlock mirrored tracks.
Get a memory card – you will now be able to save your ghost data!
Thanks for reading
I actually enjoyed writing this review!
Oh yeh I nearly forgot! Here is my low-down on the Items available, and tips on when to use them.
Mushroom – Boost – Use when going over jumps and off road areas.
Star – Invincibility and boost, only for a short period of time though. Use to make other drivers crash and eliminate obstacles.
Lighting – Makes everyone do diddy! Great for catching up! Usually only get this when in 8th place.
Ghost – Makes you go invincible, and nabs and gets a replacement item Green Shell - This shell travels in a straight line. When a rival is hit, they will crash.
Red Shell – Heat seeker
Spiny Shell – Gets the leader
Mystery Box - Looks like an item box, but acts like a bomb!
Advantages: Fun, easy to play, great multiplayer Disadvantages: Not as good as Super Mario Kart, Kooper Trooper has been removed :(
...for it, the original Super Mario Kart on the SNES had been an extremely addictive game and one of the best games I had ever played. I didn't buy an N64 though and instead waited a while and played the game on someone elses console.
--What is it?--
Mario Kart 64 is a remake of Super Mario Kart for the SNES, it tries to improve just about everything about the game from the graphics to the weapons to the playability but ends up making a number of ... ...that you select a Mario character who is then put into a racing kart, you have to race these around tracks using a variety of weapons and powerups to try and prevent your opponents from winning rather than having to rely on racing skill alone. The game goes a lot more for fun than for realism and the game really is a lot of fun.
--Single Player Play--
There are 2 real ways of playing the game in single player, you can either take part in a GP which ...
Defiler 18.09.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Mario Kart 64 (N64)
Advantages: Great fun when played with friends. Disadvantages: Computer players tend to catch up at unrealistic speeds.
Super Mario Kart was a game first released way back on the SNES. It's popularity back then was one reason that the SNES did so well. However, since then Nintendo have lost some of the stranglehold that they had on the console game market due to the playstation, better PC's, and so forth. Therefore it was no big surprise when they decided to re-release Super Mario Kart on the ailing N64 console.
At the time this game cost around the £40 mark, however, ... ...The single player mode of Mario Kart is actually quite fun. Their are four different cups, Mushroom, Flower, Star and Special. Each cup contains 4 tracks. Therefore there are 16 tracks to try out. In addition to this their are initially 3 different Kart speeds to master 50cc 100cc and 150cc. However if you do manage to win gold in all of these, a special is available, which allows you to play the a mirror image of the tracks. Alot harder than it ...
pumfster 10.10.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Mario Kart 64 (N64)
...success that it predecessor Super Mario Kart, on the Snes, provided.
Hyped up with super smooth graphics, sound effects and Grand Prix tracks, this game somewhat succeeded at its grab for glory. Those out there that remember the golden oldie that was Super Mario Kart (SMK) would not disappointed with the modern version. The original SMK offered something nothing seen before. All racing games before it that had enjoyed minor success were ‘serious’ ... ...the world of Nintendo and Mario combined with lawn mower racing!!
Like in the original in normal gameplay mode, there are cups for you to race in, in each cup there are 4 races. To win the cup you have to have the most point at the end of the fourth race. Not only that but in order to progress to the next track in the cup you must finish within the top 4 racers. (Not that hard but becomes harder on the harder difficultly settings)
Cups:
Mushroom ...
Genki_dama 04.08.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Mario Kart 64 (N64)
Advantages: Great all the time, especially with three of your mates! Cool tracks, graphics, characters and modes. The graphics, sound, lifespan and gamepley are all fantastic. What a laugh! Disadvantages: Very very very slight pop-up
...if you haven't heard of Mario Kart on the SNES or Mario Kart 64 on the N64, then go back to that stone you somehow crawled out from under! If you have, then the differences between the two is that Mario Kart 64 is bigger, better and an overall cooler game. The N64 version now costs about £30, depending on where you buy it.
Mario Kart 64 is one of those games that you want to slag off because it's so good. Well, I can't even moan about any one particular ... ...really use the word 'majestic'!)
Mario Raceway: Seriously tight bends, plenty of grass cutting on this course. There's also red shrubs that sometimes suck you in, chew you about, and then spit you out.
Star Cup:
Wario Stadium: My favourite! Top course in both single and multi-play. A huge, bumpy, windy mud-fest, with an enormous jump just to put icing on the cake.
Sherbet Land: Icy water to fall in. Huge twisting cavern to negotiate. Hyperactive ...
natthehat 08.04.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Mario Kart 64 (N64)
Advantages: See Article Disadvantages: See Article
...entertaining and crazy games is Mario Kart 64, the wacky driver for the N64.
Along to play with and against Mario are seven of his best pals, Luigi, Toad, Peach, Yoshi, Donkey Kong, Wario and Bowser. Each of the racers sport various strengths and suffer from different weaknesses. Small, light characters such as Toad and Yoshi are quick and agile, whilst larger characters such as Bowser are slow and often difficult to control, but when reaching high ... ...an expert.
In the Mario GP mode, there are four cups to win as prizes for beating the other players who mainly consist of computer racers. When attempting to win a cup, you are required to race through four courses gaining a respectable number of points in each. Great determination and dedication is needed to complete the mode.
Computer driven racers fight dirty and cheat. Suspiciously, they always manage to pick up top weapons, targeting opponents ...
boynextdoor 08.10.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Mario Kart 64 (N64)
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Advantages: New Edition of the Wheel, New Tracks, Weapons and Characters Disadvantages: Fairly Easy to complete for expert gamers
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