Mario Kart 64
| Mario Kart 64 | |
|---|---|
| Mario Kart 64 U.S. N64 box cover | |
| Developer(s) | Nintendo |
| Publisher(s) | Nintendo |
| Platform(s) | Nintendo 64 |
| Release | February 10, 1997 |
| Genre(s) | Racing |
| Mode(s) | Single player, multiplayer |
Mario Kart 64 is a racing video game for the Nintendo 64 game system for up to four players. It is the sequel to Super Mario Kart for the SNES. Players take control of characters from the Super Mario Bros. video game series and race around a variety of tracks while using several weapons including items that make the racers speed increase, turtle-shell projectiles and slippery banana peels. The game was developed and published by Nintendo and released on February 10, 1997. Music for the game was composed by Koji Kondo, who has also composed scores for many Nintendo games.
Notable differences between Mario Kart 64 and Super Mario Kart
- Each track now requires 3 laps instead of 5 (but the tracks are much longer).
- The graphics have been significantly upgraded, and tracks are now in complete 3D, with hills, slopes, bumps and jumps.
- Two characters, Koopa Troopa and Donkey Kong Junior, have been replaced with Wario and Donkey Kong.
- Coins have been removed.
- Several weapons were added.
- In the opinion of some players, the difficulty is somewhat lower, perhaps responding to the different demographic of players most directly related to the N64 console.
Modes of gameplay
Mario Grand Prix (GP)
One to two human players compete with computer players in a group of eight around a series of four courses per cup. A player selects one of the four cups at the beginning of the game as well as a difficulty level, measured by engine size (50, 100 or 150 cc). The higher the engine size, the faster the karts go and also the more difficult the cup is. Mirror Mode (where the courses are mirror images of normal) can also be unlocked by winning of all four cups on 150 CC difficulty. A player needs to place in 4th place or better in order to move on to the next track.
To unlock 3 to 4 player mode in the Mario Grand Prix (GP) the player must beat all cups in 150 CC.
Time Trials
A single-player mode. A player may play any course in any cup. In time trial, the player is given a triple mushroom item, and the kart has a 100cc engine. The top five best course times and the best lap time are recorded on the cartridge, and the aim is for the player to beat their own records. Completing a race may result in a ghost appearing on the player's next attempt - the ghost is the route taken for the best time that the player has completed in their current session, and can be saved on a controller pak for later use. The ghost cannot appear on the next attempt if a message is displayed saying that "ghost data cannot be saved" near the upper right hand corner. This message will display in the event that the player A: pauses the game during the time trial, B: Falls off the course and requires Lakitu to be put back on, or C: Gets knocked over by an obstacle (i.e. the Chain Chomps in Rainbow Road). The message occasionally appears by random.
There are several online communities dedicated to keeping track of time trial records, and some are still as active as ever, many years after the game's release.
Versus Mode
In this game for two, three or four players, players can race head-to-head against their friends without computer players. Players need not play an entire cup, but select individual courses to play. Players also select the engine size/difficulty level.
Battle Mode
In this game for two, three or four players, players compete in one of four arenas filled with items. Players have three balloons attached to their go-carts and lose them when they are spun-out by either being hit by a player in a higher weight class or spun out with an item. In three and four player modes, players that have lost all of their balloons come back once as a bomb that can move around to crash with another player and thus remove one balloon. The winner is the last one with balloons left.
The arenas are:
- Big Donut
- Block Fort
- Double Deck
- Skyscraper
Difficulty
In Mario GP, players can choose between four difficulty levels of game play. These levels include:
- 50cc - Easy (fairly slow-paced)
- 100cc - Intermediate (medium speed)
- 150cc - Difficult (fast-paced, and occasionally the AI cheats by letting computer characters drive far faster than you can)
- Extra - Same as 100cc, but all courses are mirror images of themselves. All left turns become right turns and vice versa. Additionally, in the Toad's Turnpike course, the traffic approaches the racers head-on. Players can unlock the Extra mode by winning 1st place (a gold cup) on all four cups in 150cc mode.
Characters
There are eight playable characters to race with in this game, divided into three weight classes.
Lightweights
Small and fast, these characters have high acceleration and high top speeds, but can suffer from being spun-out in collisions with heavier characters, and have very poor handling. In spite of this, these three characters are the undisputed favourites for Time Trials because of their speed. Toad is slghtly lighter than Yoshi and Yoshi is slightly lighter than Peach, but the difference is barely noticable.
Middleweights
These are supposedly good all-around characters, but are rarely used. They are said to have no advantages nor disadvantages, but their acceleration and speed is just as bad as heavyweights. The only difference is that they are lighter and lose less speed when they go off-road. They can make lightweights spin-out in collisions, but can be spun out in a collision with a heavyweight. Luigi is slightly lighter than Mario, but the difference is barely noticeable.
Heavyweights
Bulky and looming, these characters can be easier to handle for newer players, and possess the ability to spin-out middleweights and lightweights in collisions. They have terrible acceleration and a lower top speed, so they are rarely used in Time Trials, despite their good handling. However, they are a favourite for many Battle Mode players. Wario is slightly lighter than Bowser and Bowser is slightly lighter than Donkey Kong, but the difference is barely noticeable.
Lakitu
In addition to the drivers, Lakitu runs the racetrack. His responsibilities thus include signaling the beginning of each race, notifying drivers when they complete a lap, warning those who are going in the wrong direction, and rescuing racers who leave the course.
Items
Items can be acquired by hitting an items block, a multicolored cube with a question mark on it.
Projectiles
- Green Shell - A simple projectile. Travels in a straight line and bounces off of walls. Makes a person who touches it explode. You can hold a green shell behind you for protection against red shells and other projectiles. You can also fire it off backwards which is much safer than firing it off forwards since, depending on the track, the shell will often ricochet back toward you.
- Triple Green Shell - Three green shells orbit the driver until each of them is fired away. When fired, they act as single green shells do. While orbiting, they act as a shield that deflects any other attacks; however, each attack deflected takes away one shell.
- Red Shell - An intelligent projectile. It locks onto the person one position in front of the player and attempts to crash into them. Watch out though as the red shells fly out in front and then, if the player who was in front of you slips back, the red shell will turn back and may hit you on route to the target player. Red shells are also a good way of clearing out fake item boxes, bananas etc. You can trail a red shell behind you, in the manner of a banana or green shell, but they will always fire off forwards. Red shells often hit the edges of the tracks and kill themselves, so be careful where you fire them.
- Triple Red Shell - Three red shells orbit the driver until each of them is fired away. When fired, they act as single red shells do. They act as a shield in the same manner as three green shells.
- Spiney (Blue) Shell - Targets the player in first place and hits as many people along the way as it can, but only if the intervening players get in the way. You can trail a blue shell behind you and then any players you hit while holding it are in trouble. Blue shells, like red shells, fly off and follow their own guided logic, tending to follow the exact middle of the track, except for corners where they can meander a bit. Like red shells, blue shells that hit the edges of the track self-terminate.
Hazards
- Banana - These can be laid on the track. They cause players to spin out. You can trail a single banana behind you or you can throw them forwards with limited accuracy.
- Banana Bunch - A group of five bananas trail a player until they are released. When released they act as normal bananas do, but while in a chain behind a player then can be used to spin out a player that is following too closely.
- Fake-item Bomb - These resemble item boxes, but when touched cause a driver to lose all speed and explode into the air.
Mushrooms
- Mushroom - Increases the drivers speed to 80 km/h (top speed is usually 60 km/h) for a few seconds.
- Triple Mushroom - Allows a driver to use a mushroom three times.
- Golden Mushroom - Allows a driver to use an infinite amount of mushrooms for a short, fixed amount of time.
Misc
- Star - Makes a player invincible to attacks and increases speed. If a player collides with someone with a star active it will cause them to explode into the air.
- Ghost - Steals a random weapon from some other player and makes the driver invisible to other drivers for several seconds.
- Lightning - Causes all other players to spin out of control and become small. As a consequence of their diminished size, players move slowly. This state lasts for several seconds during which the user can flatten other drivers by colliding with their miniature form. Players that are invincible via star and invisible via ghost are invunerable to lightning, as are those in the middle of a long jumps or in the midst of being fished back onto the track.
The Cups & Courses
Mushroom Cup
A fairly simple cup. It is not terribly difficult to win. The courses in this cup are:
- Mario Raceway
- Moo Moo Farm
- Koopa Troopa Beach
- Katamari Desert
Flower Cup
This is a cup of higher difficulty. The courses in this cup are:
- Frappe Snowland
- Choco Mountain
- Luigi Raceway
- Fuji Speedway 80's
- Fuji Speedway 90's
Star Cup
The star cup is even more challenging than the first two and has longer courses in most cases. The courses in this cup are:
- Fuji Speedway 2005 GT
- Motorland
- Wario Stadium
- Sherbet Land
- Royal Raceway
Special Cup
The special cup is the most challenging cup. The courses in this cup are:
- Bowser's Castle
- DK Mountain
- Yoshi Valley
- Banshee Boardwalk
- Rainbow Road
Pre-Release
- The working title for this game was Mario Kart R, the Sonic the Hedgehog racing game is named Sonic R
- In pre-release screenshots, a Magikoopa (possibly Kamek,) was seen as playable. Before the games final release, he was replaced by Donkey Kong.