Part 1: The Flashback
I hated Mario Kart 64. I must've rented it once or twice and I absolutely hated it. I wasn't much of a fan of racing games back then. Yet, because I often played it at my friends' the music and sounds from this game are just so nostalgic to me.
Years later I would find myself replaying this game since, for whatever random reason, my ex loved it. Go figure!
Part 2: The Review
You know, I came way too late to the party for Super Mario Kart, by the time I tried it out it was already outdated. To this day I still can't understand how people can play that game. But Mario Kart 64? This is when the series got good, timeless kind of good. Featuring 8 different racers(Mario, Luigi, Wario, Yoshi, Peach, Toad, Donkey Kong and Bowser) as well as 16 different tracks, Mario Kart 64 feels a bit skimpy when compared to what came afterwards, but what's in the cart gets the job done.
No other Mario Kart game feels quite like this one, karts are very slippery to the point that turning and drifting feels very weird. You can get used to it though, and once you do you'll actually learn to enjoy how different this one feels. As far as modes go, you've got Grand Prix(Playable with up to two players), VS(2-4 players) as well as Time Trials. This game also started the 'CC' trend of 50, 100, 150 and Mirror(Called 'Extra' in this one), which are pretty much difficulty settings, not only do the cars get faster, the AI gets tougher. That said, this game is already fast at 50cc, which in turn makes the subsequent categories not feel as different, speed-wise. It also makes the game quite less accessible than future games.
This game isn't as chaotic as future games, however, since not as much stuff is thrown your way. Blue shells are not as common and not as destructive, while Red shells have very poor homing, which is rather disappointing to be honest. While you'd think that'd make Single Player fairer, you'd be wrong, since the Rubberbanding is SO bad in this game, you'll ALWAYS have an NPC right behind you waiting for you to slip and take the lead. It's quite annoying, and it makes this one rather tough. The game is just as unfair as future games, albeit in an entirely different way! The game also has a few framerate issues when too many racers are on-screen at the same time, and not being able to skip the ending ceremony after finishing a Grand Prix is so lame!
You know, just as with Super Mario Kart, I feel like Mario Kart 64 is completely outclassed by future games, although unlike the former, this one is still fun to play. However, I think the slippery physics from this game give it a feel of its own that no other Mario Kart has, which in turn makes it rather worthwhile to check out every now and then. I also find the art-direction pretty appealing(2-D characters over 3-D planes) and some of the courses in this game are undeniable classics.
6.0 out of 10
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