The challenge, music, graphics, and game play remain as fun and as innovative as ever! :idea:
User Rating: 10 | Mario Kart 64 N64
"Mario Kart 64," unlike its predecessor "Super Mario Kart," has aged much more gracefully. :) For starters, the fun factor from "Mario Kart 64" has not diminished at all in 13 years. If anything, the fun has been enhanced due to three crucial factors. One, racing against the computer-controlled kart racing rivals has become MUCH more fairly balanced than in the N64 original; whereas in the N64 original, you'd be getting hit by red koopa shells, lightning bolts, invincibility star racers, and the dreaded blue spiny shells by kart racers right and left, cheating you out of a victory at the last possible moment; the item encyclopedia now weighs in the player's favor! :D More often than not, player's get items that actually benefit them even when they are in the lead, and the computer-controlled rivals don't get useful items as much as they did in the N64 original, even in the harder difficulties, which should be a welcome relief for the N64 veterans! :!: Two, the introduction of the triple mushroom into the time-trial mode of the course races and the introduction of the mini-boost (holding R while you drift left or right until the exhaust turns red and releasing) allows you to get a short, but quick, burst of speed that can really make a difference in determining 1st through 4th place. Plus, unlike "Super Mario Kart" where you only got 4 retries if you placed below 4th place, you can retry the same course as many times as you see fit. Three, the graphics and frame-rate have been greatly refined since the N64 days. Now the 3-D polygon characters look like they REALLY have actual structure and mass in their 3-D bodies, and the simulated textures of the environments looks more convincing and pleasing to the eye. This experience is fun with one, but when two to four get together, the good times people can experience is simply undeniable! 8) And the price is definitely right for only 1,000 Wii points on the Virtual Console. This is one game that's definitely fun for the whole family (special advice to a kid, pick Princess Peach, she PWNS all the others) and I highly recommend it to anyone and everyone looking for a fun and entertaining time. :idea: Enough said, true believers! ;)
