Mario Kart 64

Nintendo IS the Disney of video-gaming; their catalogue of classic games have defined millions of childhoods across the globe and influenced things inside and outside the gaming industry itself. Mario Kart 64 is one of those many treasure-troves of Nintendo's gold-mines of entertainment. Mario is here with Donkey Kong, Peach, Luigi, Wario, Yoshi, Toad and even Bowser. The roster's grown since then, but still what a great selection of characters for a crossover racing game.

Released in 1996, Mario Kart 64 was one of the launch titles of the Nintendo 64, alongside Super Mario 64 (though that game was delayed in Europe and Australia by almost a year from the console's release), and Kart 64 still has fast, fun and vibrant gameplay. You're first place one minute, and then your position is under constant threat thanks to the use of blue-shells, banana peels, lightning bolts and trick-question-mark-boxes which are actually bombs.

This game brings back quite a lot of memories from my childhood: the discovery of many glitches, playing it with my cousins whenever they had a sleepover at my place, and just playing it with my brother gave me such cherishing moments that's helped me become the gamer I am today.

It is customary for a Mario game to be very light and fun because they don't bet on a sad, heavy or something very dramatic story, but Mario Kart 64 has a difference. The difference of this game is that it is much lighter than the others because it is just a racing game, without very big challenges. The characters in the game are very cool, the visuals of the levels are also cool, and all the game mechanics are very interesting. There is a considerable drop in quality from Super Mario 64 to this game, mainly in terms of graphics, but this is something that does not matter much, since the proposal is completely different and this is probably due to the fact that it is a simpler game. If you want to have fun playing a game alone, try playing any game in the Mario Kart franchise.

2 words: Rubber banding. I never heard that term before but once you play you'll know exactly what I mean. It's impossible NOT to notice cause it's very prevalent in this game while racing.

Otherwise this game is a great N64 game that holds up well! I just think the more recent Mario Kart editions are even BETTER! Wario stadium is easily my favorite track cause it's so big and full of opportunity. It deserves to be played by everyone at least once. :)

"Super Mario Kart 64" is a very fun game and much better than I expected it would be. When it came out in '96 I didn't buy it straight away, but a few friends of mine owned it and I got really good at the game -- and found it really fun to play.

Later I ended up buying it used at a game store and played it all the time. It's a really addictive racing game and elitists will be surprised that just because Mario is attached, it's not a cash in (like Mario Tennis and Party) -- it works well with or without Mario and, like "Paper Mario," doesn't sacrifice gameplay to target towards the little kiddies.

This is a great racing game AND a great Mario game. It's got fun features, well-designed tracks, fairly decent graphics for the time period (remember N64 was top of the line in '96) and a great two-player battle option.

All in all, a must-own if you've got an N64.

I rarely play racing games, but this one was my favorite for the N64. Having been launched alongside Super Mario 64 in 1996, Mario Kart 64 no doubt boosted both Mario's and the system's popularity. While it's dated by modern standards, it still has its appeal.

The roster has 8 characters, each with newly introduced weight classes. Toad, Toadstool, and Yoshi were fast lightweights, Mario and Luigi were balanced middleweights, and Bowser, Donkey Kong and Wario were slow but durable heavyweights. You'll race across 16 exotic and well-designed courses; some of them are the series most fun and memorable, like Kalimari Desert, while others are just a pain, like the infamous Banshee Boardwalk with lots of sharp turns, limited lighting, narrow tracks, and swarms of bats that would fly into you and slow you down.

Since the game had so much content, the N64 couldn't handle a fully 3D rendered Mario Kart game, so the racer models and items were substituted with 2D sprites, but it still looked good and helped the game run smoothly. New features included 4-player mode, split-screen, and the ability to wield three shells at once as a shield or to hit other players. New items included the super mushroom, the fake power-up, and the always dreaded Blue Shell.

The characters all had quirky and hilarious voice clips, especially Toad and Wario. The sound effects from the karts and powerups were cool and there was great, memorable music on every course, courtesy of Kenta Nagata, like the triumphant sounding trophy theme, the bright and charming, steel drums of Koopa Troopa beach, and Toads Turnpike with its soothing and unique techno theme.

Unfortunately, there were some serious flaws that made the game infamous to many players. First off, the games difficulty on single player was a real pain. Like Mario Party released in 1998, the CPU drivers are given unfair advantages. The rubber banding is the worst as the CPU's suddenly accelerate to impossible speeds and stay right behind you, making it hard to make 1st place. Even outside that, the controls are difficult, and handling feels stiff. There's lots of hazards to watch out for too, like an unavoidable banana peel for you to slip on and a large amount of falling hazards on some of the stages that will likely ruin your chances of winning first place if you're not careful.

While still a fun and classic game to play once in a while, it's more enjoyable on multiplayer. And even then, this one hasn't aged that well. Some people even say it's inferior to the original Mario Kart on the SNES. So, you might be better off playing more modern releases, like Double Dash and Mario Kart 8.