Super Mario Kart

"The only game where wreckless driving is approved!"

What do you get when you combine all of the Mario characters into one game and have them race around in go-karts? I'll tell you what you have: fun. This is probably one of Nintendo's best ideas, putting the Mario crew into a kart racing title. It not only became the greatest kart racing franchise to exist but also had our fun loving friend Mario in it! How in the world can you go wrong with that?

Super Mario Kart was downright amazing in the entertainment value it brings to gamers. You have the choice between Mario, Luigi, Peach, Yoshi, Bowser, Donkey Kong Jr., Toad, and Koopa Troopa. All of them each have a different weight class and speed that makes them very different from the rest. For example, Yoshi and Peach have great acceleration but lack overall top speed while someone like Bowser and Donkey Kong Jr. have great top speed but horrible acceleration. This makes for an interesting decision when it comes to picking who you want to choose, each of them also has a "home track" that they will do best on. Mario and Luigi are awesome on ice, while Koopa Troopa owns the beach terrain. The comparisons between the characters give the game plenty of depth.

The track selection is also pretty varied in choosing. You have dirt tracks, concrete tracks, asphalt tracks, ice tracks, etc. All of them have their own unique obstacles that you'll need to avoid while playing and serve up some great overall design. There is one problem that can be noted about the tracks though, the backgrounds are bland and don't give you a good sense of atmosphere while playing the game. This same thing could be said for the off-track obstacles, but to a lesser degree. It surely isn't something that is going to bring down the game play experience but it's still something to note.

One of the most stand out things about this game, however, is the difficulty. SMK ranks head and shoulders above many games on the SNES in sheer difficulty, the AI (Artificial Intelligence) in the game is very well done. Each of them has the ability to use a special item that you cannot use. Peach can use a mushroom that will shrink players down to a small size while Bowser can shoot fireballs that hover around the track. These may be the only items the computer characters can use but they make for quite the annoyance in later levels of difficulty. Speaking of which, the levels of difficulty are split up into classes such as "50cc", "100cc", and the dreaded "150cc". Not only do your karts get faster with every step up but so does the computer AI.

Another single player option that is open to players is the Time Trial mode. Here is what would become the most talked about thing with Mario Karters in later years, Time Trials. You could pick any track you wished and try to set the fastest five lap times on it. This adds a lot of replay ability to the game alone; if you're tried of facing off against computers repeatedly the Time Trial mode will offer up some immense challenge among you and a fellow gamer to see who can get the fastest times per course. There is also the matter of Ghosts; these would mimic your previous run on that particular course. Because of this you could really see if you were doing better than before.

Now, while the single player is all fine and good this game wouldn't be what it is today without the multiplayer. This title jump started Nintendo's awesome ability to create multiplayer titles. A maximum of two players could go at it on the Grand Prix mode, go head-to-head in a race, or go at it in an all out battle mode. The Grand Prix mode was the same as the single player except now you had another player who would join you. A head-to-head race (vs. mode) was simply you and your friend racing each other on one track for five laps. The battle mode though was an insanely fun and challenging game that had you and your friend trying to hit each other with any items possible in an attempt to knock off their three balloons. Yes, you heard right, balloons. Both players started off with three of them on the back of their kart, they would lose a balloon every time they got hit by some item. If there is one thing this game does magnificently it is the multiplayer. It is nothing but sheer bliss to sit down with another person and duke it out.

From a musical standpoint the game featured a good selection of tunes that stays true to the Super Mario series as a whole. You have the chilling sounds of the Vanilla tracks or the mellow sound of the beach. It's all wacky and cheerful type of music, although some tracks will give you a good rock type sound in places such as Bowser's Castle. Very fun to listen to and certainly adds to the experience while you are playing.

Quite possibly the biggest thing about this game, and what keeps gets it most of the acclaim, is the sheer amount of replay value and fun you'll have while playing Super Mario Kart. Whether it be through racing the computer, doing time trials, or going at it in the multiplayer there is always a reason to play this game. It satisfies enough for the single player gamer as well as those that like a multiplayer experience. If you haven't managed to play Super Mario Kart yet I would highly recommend you do. This game won't disappoint!

Final Score: 9.0

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 07/10/04, Updated 06/01/06