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| Mario Kart 64 Reviewed by Pirate Yoshi Over-view: After the wave of success spawning from the release of the SNES classic, Super Mario Kart, Nintendo decided to extend the popularity onto the next generation. Viva 64! Graphics: 9.8/10 I consider Mario Kart 64 to have incredible graphics, worthy of a rating close to perfect. The animation is flawless, and so are the charcters and karts! The backgrounds are also very neat, but sometimes a bit blurry or hasitly designed, I feel, which is why 64 misses its mark by a hundredth of a point. Exceptional graphics only add to the fun. Sound: 8/10 I was rather unimpressed with some of the sound here, and I wonder if this is kind of a Mario Kart thing now. While the engines and such sounded as they should, the voice acting (AGAIN) was under-used, and the music was sometimes more annoying than helpful to keep up your spirits during a race. However, much of the sound was good and played its part well--making sure that this game was A) Mario-esque and B) entertaining. Controls: 9.5/10 Mario Kart is generally known for its fine-tuned controls, but Mario Kart 64 was just a little shakey in one area--namely, the Turbo boosting and sliding techniques. The problem here was that the controls seemed a bit "twitchy", not quite adhering to what you always desiered. The sliding seemed slightly sketchy, as well. However, my complaints are minimal, and my praises far outweigh them. Challenge: 7.5/10 The challenge to this game was relatively mild. The computer was generally easy and rather unagressive, but yet could be an annoyance enough to cause your defeat in the harder stages of the game. This isn't a game that will keep you working for months most likely, but it can hold its own in the area of difficulty. Practice, as they say, makes perfect. Replay: 9.6/10 One of Mario Kart 64's strongest points is its multiplayer modes, which keep players young and old coming back for more. But I'll save the talk of multiplayer for the bonus catagory, and try and focus on the single-player's replayability: time trial races allow you to race for a record against yourself or a saved ghost, or you can practice each course and find better routes through it or shortcuts. Even playing in the Grand Prixs after completing the game is still fun (although more particularly on 50 cc, where you try new stratagies and racers out). All in all, a very satisfying experience long after you've finished the game. Gameplay: 9.5/10 As is the case with all the Mario Karts, this one, too, is addicting and monstrously fun. The course design is innovative and each track is made unique from all the others. The racers have different attributes to weigh into the picture, and the items make for a wild racing experience unlike any other. It's Mario, for crying out loud! There'd BETTER be good gameplay! **Story: 0/1 This game has no story. **Multiplayer: 1/1 This is what I consider another multiplayer gem, worthy of almost as much attention as games like Time Splitters 2 and F-Zero GX--although don't get me wrong, MK64 isn't anywhere NEAR the type of intense multiplayer fun that Super Smash Brothers Melee or Mario Kart: Double Dash!! is. Still, what's fun is fun, and Mario Kart 64 has multiple modes for multiple players: battle mode, the ever-popular mode for multiplayers back on SNES, has returned, and so has the ability to race in the Grand Prix against each other (or cooperate, if you're sneaky), as well as one-on-one races. Graphics: 4.9/5 Sound: 4/5 Controls: 9.5/10 Challenge: 7.5/10 Replay: 9.6/10 Gameplay: 9.5/10 **Story: 0/1 **Multiplayer: 1/1 Total Raw Score: 46 Total Score: 9.2 Score Explanation: I believe this score explanation is correct. If 7 is bronze medal, 8 is silver, and 9 is gold, then Mario Kart 64 has gotten a gold medal with a little extra even! Great work by Nintendo on a clever, addicting game to add to the Mario Kart series! |