Mario Kart 64

"Congratulations Mario Kart64! You are Awarded the Gold Cup!"

Mario Kart 64 is by far, my favorite racing game. Up to four people can play this incredible racing game at a time. You can choose between eight of the most beloved Nintendo characters. Each racer has pros and cons. You can pick Mario, Luigi, Peach, Toad, Yoshi, Wario, Donkey Kong, or Bowser. Peach, Toad, and Yoshi are fast, but they are easy to push around. Wario, DK, and Bowser are slow, but they can just knock everyone else out of the way. Mario and Luigi are well balanced racers. There are many fun tracks and battle grounds to choose from and this game will undoubtedly bring hours of fun to players of all ages.

Storyline N/A
There is no storyline for Mario Kart 64. Basically, all you do is race and fight the other characters to see who is the best. If you can call that a storyline than just go ahead and do that. I think there probably should have been at least a very short story behind this game explaining why all of these characters are racing each other in the first place.

Gameplay 10/10
There are several different modes you can try out in Mario Kart 64 depending on how many players you have. If you are playing alone, then try Time Trials and see how fast you can make it around the track of your choice. If you have one or two players, you can try Grand Prix mode. This is where you compete against the computer controlled characters. You can choose between four cups. Each cup has four tracks. The three racers who earn the highest score total, receive the gold, silver, and bronze cups respectively. There is even a secret to be discovered in Grand Prix Mode if you care to take the time to see if you can find out what it is! If you have two to four players try VS and Battle modes. In VS you race against just the other human controlled players on the track of your choice. There are sixteen tracks in Mario Kart 64 and each one had something that made it unique from all of the other tracks in the game. Some tracks are easy and some tracks are very hard. Many of the tracks have some kind of obstacle. In Battle mode your goal is to simply hurt the other players. Each person has three balloons attached to their kart. Each time they take a bad hit, they lose a balloon. When you lose all of your balloons, your out of the game. If you have three or four players, then you will become a bomb when you lose all of your balloons. You can then drive around and hit one more person before your out of the game. Battle mode has four tracks designed specifically for that purpose. In Mario Kart 64, there are shiny boxes around the tracks called special boxes. These boxed contain items that you can use to increase your speed or attack fellow racers. There are even two items that make you briefly invincible! Each item can be very useful if employed correctly. Take time to practice using each item effectively and you will become nearly impossible to beat! The controls are very easy to understand in this game. I mastered them within the first ten minutes of playing this game. They are easy enough for even the youngest of children to understand and be able to fully enjoy Mario Kart 64.

Replayability 10/10
I could play this game over and over again and never get bored with it. The items are a big part of this. Instead of just driving around a track, you get to use cool speed boosts and attack your fellow drivers while driving around a track. Battle mode can be very fun to set up tournaments with a lot of people. Time Trials are very good to use to improve your driving technique. VS is a good thing to play if you have a friend or two you just want to crush and humiliate.

Graphics/Sound 9/10
I was very surprised at how good the graphics and sound on this game were. The images were not very patchy or anything like that. They were surprisingly detailed for a game of this time. Each character has certain little things that they shout out during the race like, "Here we go!" and "I'm Luigi, number one!" I found these small remarks to be very entertaining. These remarks are especially funny if they are said right after you get hit by a Thunder Bolt. I am very sure that you will not be disappointed by the graphics or sound in this game any more then I was.

Buy or Rent?
I am sure that almost everybody would like this game but I would rent it first to make sure that you like. I can't think of anybody who would not enjoy Mario Kart 64 except for somebody with absolutely no imagination whatsoever. I am sure that after you rent it you will run out and buy it!
Mario Kart 64 is one of the best games available for the Nintendo game console. I am positive it will be a favorite for years to come. In my opinion, it outshine both the original Mario Kart and Mario Kart: Double Dash. Mario Kart 64 is fun for all ages and is undoubtedly the best racing game of all time. It is a very refreshing change from the violent video games of the present day. If you are looking for a fun, exciting, thrilling, and imaginative racing game, than I would look no farther than Mario Kart 64! Come join your favorite Nintendo stars in their attempts to earn the gold!

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 05/25/05