Mario Kart 64

Still, Nintendo's expertise at sucking players into the game world is strongly evident, and Mario Kart 64 offers enough challenges to keep players (especially casual gamers) entertained. Placing a familiar Nintendo personality behind the wheel of a sputtering kart powered by a 50, 100, or 150-cc engine, the game lets players race computerized opponents or up to four other players on a variety of well-designed tracks. Because karts lack the power and speed of race cars, drivers must focus on collecting power-ups and nonlethal weapons rather than negotiating hairpin turns on two wheels. Grabbing and using on-track items is the heart of the game's fun: a strategically-placed banana peel sends the unlucky victim into a spin, nailing an opponent with a turtle shell launches their vehicle skyward, and a rocket provides a quick boost to near-breakneck speeds, if only for a moment.

The multiplayer mode provides enormously chaotic fun for up to four players--flip it on at a party and watch the guests congregate around the screen. --Eric Twelker

Pros:

• Well-designed tracks
• Simple controls
• Strong multiplayer appeal

• Computerized opponents sometimes pull off questionable feats

Like the SNES version, this game includes 3 modes of play: GP (Grand Prix), Battle, and Time Trial. In GP you choose one of 8 characters: Mario, Luigi, Peach, Toad, Wario, Yoshi, Donkey Kong, and Bowser in a large variety of courses in the Mushroom Cup, Flower Cup Star Cup, or Special Cup (which you unlike by getting gold trophies in each of the 3 basic courses) in 50cc, 100cc, or 150cc mode. 50cc is the easiest, but in 100cc and 150cc the computer gets much faster and more challenging. There are several items you can collect by driving through the question mark boxes which help you during each race. Lightning bolts (the rarest item to get) makes all of the other opponents small, mushrooms give you a speed burst, banana peels make one of your opponents crash if they slip on it, red shells are used to shoot directly at an opponent to get them off course, and green shells keep bouncing off the walls until it hits one of the racers. Unlike the SNES Mairo Kart game, there are several objects you need to avoid to stay on course. In different races there are trucks and cars that will make you crash if you hit them, snowmen that will blow up if you hit them, and many other obstacles in different courses.

In Battle mode you and up to 3 others choose one of the 8 characters. You drive around a course trying to pop each other's 3 balloons. You can pop their balloons by shooting red or green shells at them or throwing banana peels at them to make them slip. You can also use the other items to avoid being hit by them. Once all of your balloons are popped you become a bomb which you can drive around the course trying to run in to the other players. This mode is a lot of fun, especially if you get tired of continually playing Grand Prix mode.

In Time Trial mode you race in any of 15+ courses and try to set records for each lap and/or race.

The controls for Mario Kart 64 are very simple and easy to master, and the music and sound effects are great as well.

If you want a great racing game for your N64, I highly recommend that you check out Mario Kart 64.


This is the best N64 game I own   November 22, 1999
10 out of 10 found this review helpful

I bought this game once I got an N64. It has a very unique way of making the 3D characters perfect to the tiniest details. Everything's so smooth! Also, compared to MarioParty, the supporting characters have cooler voices. If you happen to be one of those people who are a big fan of one of these characters, get this game. Also, if you fit the description above, MarioParty and this game are as good as each other, and they're perfect for parties.


The must-have game for the N64   December 8, 1999
8 out of 8 found this review helpful

If you like racing games, you cannot ignore MarioKart 64. If you have several people to play against each other, this game will rarely leave your console. If you play solo, even after you have repeatedly beaten it, it is still fun to tool on the computer driven players. Graphics are excellent, and it takes very little time to master.


great game, but missing one thing   April 10, 2000
10 out of 11 found this review helpful

MarioKart 64 is a good follow-up to the Super NES classic in many ways. The biggest improvement of course, is the graphics. But the game also has good sound effects, and it is fun. The multiplayer mode rules supreme over all other Nintendo 64 games, except for maybe Goldeneye. The one player mode is awesome the first time you play it, however that brings up the only weakpoint i saw in MarioKart 64. Once you beat the game and get all the gold trophies, the replay value goes down to the basement. After you get all the gold trophies and know you're a great MarioKart driver, the only fun you will have out of this game is the multiplayer. The multiplayer mode where you can show your friends and your brothers that you're the best MarioKarter out there, never loses any of its fun.

Overall, I would recommend getting this game just for the multiplayer mode because it's well worth it. Just too bad the one player part of the game doesn't have the replay value that the original did.