Mario Kart 64

Summary

Genre: Racing
Number of players: 1-4
Rumble Pak: No
Controller Pak: Yes
Expansion Pak: Not used

Review

Super Mario Kart, on the Super Nintendo, was one of the most addictive games I have ever played. Even now, I still occasionally plug the old SNES in and have a Grand Prix or two. Fun, simplistic and hugely entertaining. Given the success of the game, it was fairly obvious that Nintendo would try and recreate that success on their new machine, the Nintendo 64 (well, not NEW now, but at the time of release it was, anyway).

When I first got Mario Kart 64, the very first day it came out over in Australia, I was actually quite excited. After all, having been an enormous fan of the SNES version, as you'll no doubt have gathered by the first paragraph, I envisaged the big N's version would have all the fun, plus lots more. Plugging it into my 64, I switched on and prepared myself to be amazed.


Gameplay: One of the first things anyone will notice about either of the Mario Kart games is the fact that no matter how well you race, or how many times you smack your opponents with shells, they will ALWAYS come back with a vengeance within seconds. You literally cannot get away from them. To say this gets a little frustrating would be a huge understatement. This level of cheating completely ruins the single player game. I think Nintendo must believe that a good racing game relies upon the constant threat of being overtaken. How wrong they are. What is the point of racing your butt off and whacking someone with a red shell only to see them accelerate to speeds of almost four times yours, and promptly overtake you at the very next bend?

The single player game will not keep you entertained for long, and if you have a problem with anger management, I would suggest "steering" clear of it altogether (steering! Geddit? Oh, never mind!). The game does run very smoothly, and as with most Nintendo games, even when the action really heats up, things will not slow down. The gameplay is quite good fun, but it just seems like something is missing from the original. Some of the addictiveness just isn't there any more. Perhaps it's the fact that there is no point in taking the lead until the very end, because those behind will be given powerful items such as the lightning bolt, which shrinks all players except the one using it, and the leader will be given a banana skin. Great.


Challenge: This is where the game really falls down. Single player tends to be easy on 50 and 100cc, and very annoying on 150cc. But you should be able to beat this level fairly quickly as well. I think the game would have almost certainly been better if it weren't so obvious that the CPU was cheating. That's a real shame, because had the AI been thought out a little better, the racing could have more enjoyable and more challenging. What makes matters worse is the fact that it is in your interests to remain behind the lead until the final lap. How ridiculous is that? I mean, come on, Nintendo. The whole point of a racing game is to get in front and stay in front. Not hang around behind until you get a huge powerup and use it at the very last to ensure victory. Boring.


Graphics: Now, let's be fair here. The game was one of the very first to appear on the N64, and it does show a bit. The scenery tends to be a bit simplistic at times, but this doesn't really detract overly from the gameplay. I think most people play racing games to race, as opposed to staring at the pretty flowers by the road. However, such touches would have been nice, let's be honest. But the graphics can't really be moaned at. The characters themselves are all well drawn, which is always a bonus, and everything else is acceptable. But come on, you don't buy games for graphics, do you?


Sounds: At the time, it would be fair to say that these were quite good. Every character has their own unique expressions, and sounds, when they hit someone, or get hit, and when they get off to a boost start. Unfortunately, for some unknown reason, when there are more than two players playing, there is no music. Weird, ain't it? This is a shame, but fortunately often the action is so intense you don't really notice it. But in one- and two-player mode there is music, with each course having its own unique theme. Not bad at all.


Multiplayer: Perhaps the only part of Mario Kart 64 that you will be impressed with. The Battle Mode is worthy of special mention: four players battling on multi-story levels. It takes Super Mario Kart on the SNES, and goes a couple better, by involving up to four players. The Versus mode (racing) is pretty good, but once again Nintendo's very poor decision to prevent the leaders getting decent items, to even things up, ruins it just a touch. But it is still fun: just not quite as fun as it could have been.


Summing up: Basically, I was prepared to be amazed. I wasn't. I was actually a bit disappointed, to be honest. The strength of the multiplayer is the sole thing that saves this game from score much, much lower. Don't buy this game if you've only got one control pad, or you will sorely regret it.


Gamesmark: 74%


Reviewer: Tangycheese