Mario Kart 64

"I'ma gonna Weeeeen!"

Mario Kart 64

First off, with this being a retro review, it's gonna be shorter than normal dudes! And I don't care if it got a higher score than what I gave Twilight Princess. :P

So the Wii's got quite a good back catalogue for it's virtual console, I guess that means there's alot of rosey-eyed gamers of yesteryear revelling in their classics. Hard to believe that this certain Mario spinoff is over a decade old now. Can't believe it's been that long!

Gameplay - Still decent!

Whilst not as tight as later Mario Karts, or even the SNES one, MK64 does control quite well. The speed is debatable when compared to other racers, but then again it's a cartoon kart racer, speed isn't a very big aspect.

The standard cups are available with some pretty interesting (for the time) course maps. Other than that it's standard Mario Kart - launch yourself into a Grand Prix and zoom across four courses whilst you shout hilarious catchphrases at other characters as you launch bizarre weapons (turtle shells, bananas, bolts of lightning) at them. All superb, quick fire fun. Nothing overcomplicated, nothing getting in the way.

64 isn't as tight as it's SNES ancestor, but it's much more easygoing. Which is a good and bad thing.

The game works well with the GC controller, and I'm sure the Classic works fine too. The analogue stuff isn't too precise but that's nothing too harsh.

Graphics

Nowadays, there are two types of N64 games. Those that look crap due to limited technology, and those that look good despite being on limited technology. Ocarina Of Time and Donkey Kong 64 still hold up well now. Turok looked awesome 9 years ago but looks awful nowadays.

Mario Kart 64 is somewhere inbetween. Bowser's Castle, Rainbow Road's nostalgic illuminations (one of my most favourite graphical touches) Mario's Course, Dk Jungle and several other courses are still nicely designed and colourful. However, Wario has a big brown stadium with little variety, the highway, whilst bustling with traffic, offers little else; and the 2D ghosts in Banshee Boardwalk are somewhat laughable.

The characters are infact 2D sprites based on 3D models. So they looked pretty good back in the day, but not so much now. Quite blurry, but they do the job. There's no animation whatsoever, bar 'turn left' and 'turn right'. Nowhere near as good as Diddy Kong Racing's fully 3D models.

Sound

The characters spout off endless catchphrases which is incredibly funny. Mario's "Select Track!" and "Select your-a player!" in the menus, "I'm-a Luigi, I'm number one!" and "I'ma Wario, I'ma gonna WEEEEEEEN!" will have you repeating them in a comedic fashion quite often. Everyone's much more alive than in the SNES version - screaming in peril when they spin out, laughing when they hit a rival, and congratulating you when you pick them. Nice.

The soundtrack is still the best of the Mario Karts. It suits the racing theme very well and is somewhat funky and jazzy, not as happy-go-lucky as future titles. Highlights include the title theme, Rainbow Road and Bowser's Castle.

Multiplayer

In the future everything will be online and we'll be reminiscing about the days we used to get together in the room and play split-screen. Which is how MK64 works. Kinda eye-hurting with three or more, but it's fine for a two-player bash. The battle mode is still sadistically fun, and racing against a friend greatly adds to replay value. Makes me miss the days when multiplayer was the 'big thing' rather than HD and online. Damn you, Mario Kart, making me miss the good times.

Overall

Pros and Cons, then.

+It's a classic Mario Kart title!
+ Sound holds up very well
+Nothing takes away the spirit of split screen multiplayer!

-Graphics have taken a hit in a few areas.
- Somewhat slippery controls
-Too easy?

A solid cartoon racer. Newcomers may dislike the graphics, but get past those and you've got a cracking game. Nostalgia-driven Nintendo fans who haven't played the game in 8 years will be a bit surprised with how indifferent it feels to most racers these days, and Mario Kart fans in general will definetely enjoy it.

I recommend this as a download, so I'll give it a solid 8. (In bigger terms, an 8.2)

-Kiedis

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 02/05/07