Mario Kart 64

"Multiplayer makes the game"

Go-karting is a fun little activity, especially for minors like myself that are unable to drive. But before the SNES release of Super Mario Kart many years ago, who would have guessed that karting would become the subject for multiple video games? While Super Mario Kart may have started the kart-racing genre as we know it today, many Nintendo gamers would agree that it was Mario Kart 64 that really set the standard for the rest of the games to come.

First thing that you'll likely notice upon powering up this game from your Wii menu is the graphics. While that may have been a good thing when it was released many years ago (the graphics were great then), that's not really the case now. What were once stunning visuals have become blocky, choppy, and fuzzy. Still, though, they're not horrible; in fact, as N64 games go, they're quite good. Still, though, if you're looking for a game solely for its graphics (and I don't know why you'd do so on the Virtual Console), then this is a game to pass up.

Gameplay remains much the same from past Mario Kart games, so if you've played any of the other iterations, you've got a good feel for how this title plays out. The controls are simple; A controls acceleration, there's a button for items, and the D-pad steers. The controls are great because they're simple enough for anybody to pick up and easily be able to drive and fire off items without having to master any complex control schemes.

The game is divided up into Cups, which are in turn divided up into four different race tracks each. What I consider to be the main mode, Grand Prix, has the player racing through each Cup in a competition for points with other computer characters. Points are awarded depending upon which place you come, and to win a cup, you must (obviously enough) have the most points at the end of the four races.

The tracks themselves are pretty impressive. There's a great variety of locations that you can race; ranging from beaches to farms to iced-over winter wonderlands. Each and every course is very distinct and has a personality of its own. They're all very well-designed and overall quite fun to race. Some are naturally more simple than others, but none of them feel gimmicky or forced. In fact, the environments in which you race are really one of the best aspects of the entire game.

There's also a decent amount of customization in this game, which really comes in the form of which character you decide to race with. There are a number of different Mario-universe characters that make an appearance, such as Mario himself, Peach, Toad, Bowser, and many others. Each racer has specific capabilities; for example, a lightweight racer such as Toad accelerates quickly, but has a low top speed. On the other hand, a heavyweight driver such as Bowser takes a while to build up steam, but is much faster once he peaks. Well-balanced drivers, such as Mario and Luigi, fall somewhere in the middle.

But what's nice is that there's not one character that's clearly better than all the rest. Instead, the best character for you really depends on you racing skill and the style you play. If you are a beginner to the game, it's probably best to choose a mid-range racer, or a lightweight one with very good steering. Once you grow better at the game, you may decide to sacrifice top-notch handling for speed or weight. Overall, the characters add quite a bit of variety to the game, and you'll probably have fun just deciding which one to use.

Items have always been a big part of every Mario Kart game, and they're certainly important in this one. Scattered throughout every racetrack are item boxes; when they are run into, they will yield an item. The variety of items is impressive; they include mushrooms, shells, lightning bolts, and banana peels, just to name a few. They're uses also range drastically. Some, such as the banana peels, are best used defensively; foes will slide out of control if they run into them, so it's best to throw them behind you to try and put out of commission upcoming opponents. On the other hand, the red shell is a turtle shell that will track down and crash into the closest opponent; thus, it is quite useful as an offensive weapon.

There's also a bit of strategy to using items, which is always good. The AI of items themselves -- the red shell in particular -- is surprisingly bad. That is, if you're close to a wall, the shell will likely crash into the wall rather than making the turn and continuing to dart after your opponent. So, it's usually best to send out such an item in a straight stretch, so that the shell doesn't have any chance to screw up. Another example is the banana peels; it's best to place them in narrow areas on the course, so that it's more difficult for foes to bypass them.

For more advanced players, there are also a number of helpful little racing techniques that can be used when necessary. The most common and useful one is called drifting, which is done by holding a shoulder button and a direction on the D-pad. It can be used to quickly cut around turns, and can allow you to shoot ahead of your opponents when going around hairpin turnarounds. There are also a number of fallout hazards throughout the game, and drifting at the last minute could be the difference between staying on the track and in contention for first place or falling off the course and losing precious time.

In terms of music, this game is actually fairly impressive. Tunes are plentiful throughout the game; in fact, each and every race course in the entire game has its own music. Naturally, some songs are better than others, but all of them are at least pretty good. While music doesn't do tons for a racing game -- after all, how immersive can a game like Mario Kart really be (I'll answer that for you with “Not very”) -- it still makes the game more fun and enjoyable.

One of the most redeeming aspects of Mario Kart 64 is the multiplayer mode. Sure, the Grand Prix races and free races are fun enough, but they're nothing compared to experiencing the game with a friend or three. There's support for four players, and it really works quite well. While the multiplayer mode doesn't add any new content or really do anything different form the rest of the game, the ability to play with human beings somehow just really improves the overall quality of the game.

All told, it's a bit tough to decide whether or not this title is worth a buy on the Wii's virtual console. If you're looking for the same awe-inspiring title that you got when this game was originally released on theN64, then you're going to be disappointed. If, however, you're looking for a decent racing game to waste a way some hours, then consider purchasing this title. And if you've got enough compatible controllers and plenty of neighborhoods, then Mario Kart 64 becomes a must-buy. The multiplayer alone, in fact, would warrant a purchase, especially considering the game only costs 10 bucks.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 11/26/07

Game Release: Mario Kart 64 (US, 01/29/07)