Mario Kart 64

"I'm seeing shells! Quick -- someone hit me with a lightning bolt!"

I'm sure we can all remember those moments of being nailed by a Blue Shell after being in the lead and almost winning the race, right? Or that really annoying Red Shell that would always home in on you at the most inopportune time. Well, anyone who remembers this should also remember they were playing Mario Kart 64, the sequel to Super Mario Kart on the SNES. The main thing about Mario Kart 64 is its incredibly fun multiplayer, some of the best ever, in fact. Gathering four friends together to let loose in the Battle Mode or even going at it in a straightforward race, it's all here. The chaotic, shell throwing, banana-slipping series just got a whole lot better.

The main idea behind Mario Kart is that Mario and his friends are gathering together to take a break from the capturing of Peach or the large scale adventuring across all sorts of lands; instead, they're focusing on determining just who is the best kart driver. A total of eight competitors will be thrown into all sorts of wild tracks that range from deserts to snowy mountains. These environments are very nice looking to boot. They carry the “style” from Super Mario 64, much in the same way that Super Mario Kart carried the style of Super Mario World. The textures aren't all that impressive and given the time that has elapsed since this was released, the game doesn't quite hold up in the graphical department as one might remember it. But that doesn't stop it from still looking pretty good and containing some very nice environment designs – all of which have a special “theme” to them.

Speaking of the environments, the diversity in each of these is simply stunning. Every type of Mario area is covered in some aspect throughout this game. You have the typical Mario Circuit level – that is a raceway with a bunch of Mario themed objects thrown all over the place – to a completely new take on the raceway with Toad's Turnpike – a stage that takes place in the middle of a highway with cars heading with and against your direction depending. This makes for some crazy racing, with having to figure in more than just how to avoid a certain type of shell.

But what really makes Mario Kart 64 a huge leap over its predecessor and most games in general, is that it has superb multiplayer, some of the best ever. You can do either a “Battle Mode” or a “Match Race.” The Battle Mode consists of having three balloons circling around your kart. Each time you get hit by something, whether it is an item or a random course obstacle, you'll lose a balloon. The first time to lose all of his/her balloons is the loser. This is fun. It's plain and simple. It is a relatively simple design, but a majority of Mario Kart 64's longevity comes from this. Having yourself and three other friends all going around courses trying to find each other and then beaming them with a perfectly timed Green Shell is nothing short of adrenaline pumping. There are so many moments that will come from playing this and having a “Holy crap, did you see that?!” moment. What's more, as long as there are more than two people playing, when the third or fourth person dies they'll turn into a bob-omb to seek out their revenge on the person that took them out – this takes away one balloon. Honestly, the bulk of Mario Kart 64 comes from this right here. If you're not looking to play with friends, you should definitely skip over this.

The other option, Match Race, is a simple race with you and at least one other person. If you only have two people, the other six will be controlled by CPUs. If you have three or more, only the human controlled players will actually participate. It's discouraging that there couldn't be half the field filled with human players and the other half with CPUs, but this isn't something that really detracts from the game at all. The upside to this option is that it's more even in that the characters chosen really have more balance than the Battle Mode, where heavy characters are heavily favored.

Speaking of which, the game is setup to have a system of two characters fitting into a particular “class.” Mario and Luigi are the Medium Karts, or average. They have average acceleration, average speed, average turn, etc. They're ideal for every situation, but don't excel in one area. Yoshi, Peach, and Toad are the Light Karts. They have poor top speed, superb acceleration, and rather shaky handling. These karts can be rocked all over by the other karts due to their lightweight. Bowser, Wario, and Donkey Kong fall into the Heavy Karts. They have horrible acceleration, superb top speed, and very tight handling. More or less, these three characters are quite dominant in a lot of things. If you're able to stay on the course and not venture into the grass or dirt, you'll be knocking over the other karts while flying right by them. The only drawback to them is that the acceleration is terrible. After getting hit with an item, it'll take a while before they're back up to full speed. But it's really quite balanced, as each set as “pros” and “cons” when choosing them.

The biggest gameplay addition that wasn't simply an upgrade in Mario Kart 64 is the Power Slide. This nifty little trick will have you going through controllers like made. The idea behind it is to hit the right trigger – entering a slide – and then move the control stick back and forth to create different colored “steam” exiting from the kart. Once you get to a red-ish color, you let go and you'll get a mini-boost. Later on, particularly in races, this becomes crucial to winning because of the advantage you can have heading into turns, especially those heavier karts. Many a race will depend on how well versed you are in your ability to bust out a proper Power Slide in the tightest situations. But with its easy control, it shouldn't be a problem for anyone to pick up and get the hang of right away.

Now, what would a racing game be without some crazy music to go along with it? Well, nothing, really. Thankfully, Koji Kondo has lent his expertise to Mario Kart 64 with some memorable and suitable tracks. The music in the game, while definitely taking a seat in the background, is among truly a work of art, especially for this type of game. There are bunches of Mario suited tunes that are littered all over the game and all of them are very suitable for the level they are in. But what I find to be the best thing about this soundtrack is how memorable it is. A good game soundtrack is nothing without having some memorable, catchy tunes. This game delivers in large. The Rainbow Road theme or even the basic Luigi Circuit theme seems to be engraved in your head from the time you pick it up. Despite almost all of them are new, you'll feel as though they've been present in a Mario game before. That's the truly brilliant thing about the music for Mario Kart 64.

So, in conclusion, it's easy to see just why Mario Kart 64 is a good choice for anyone. It has the most addictive, fun multiplayer that has been witnessed in a game. It's impossible not to have fun beaming your friends repeatedly with Blue Shells, or a skilled Green Shell shot. It'll create moments that you'll remember for years and is, again – I cannot stress this enough, plain fun. Even if you are not planning on playing with friends a lot, giving Mario Kart 64 a shot is something everyone owes it to themselves to do.

Final Score: 9.0

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 07/25/05, Updated 06/01/06