Difference between revisions of "Mario Kart 64"

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[[Image:Mario Kart 64 - N64 - UK.jpg|thumb|256x256px|UK box art.]]
+
{{Video Game
 +
| Title            = Mario Kart 64
 +
| Image           = Mario Kart 64 - N64 - UK.jpg
 +
| ImageDescription = Nintendo 64 - UK - 1st edition.
 +
| Developer        = {{VideoGameDeveloper|Nintendo}}
 +
| Publisher        = {{VideoGamePublisher|Nintendo}}
 +
| PublishedYear    = 1996
 +
| PublishedMonth  = 12
 +
| PublishedDay    = 14
 +
| Platforms        = {{Platform|Nintendo 64}}
 +
| Genres          = {{VideoGameGenre|Racing video game|Racing}}
 +
| Themes          = {{MediaTheme|Cartoon}}, {{MediaTheme|Driving}}, {{MediaTheme|Powersports}}
 +
| Series          = ''[[Mario Kart (universe)|Mario Kart]]''
 +
| Multiplayer      = {{GameMultiplayer|Simultaneous versus}}
 +
| Distributions    = {{VideoGameDistribution|Commercial}}
 +
}}
  
'''''Mario Kart 64''''' is a [[Mario (universe)|Mario]]-themed racing game produced by [[Nintendo]] and released for the [[Nintendo 64]] on 1996-12-14.
+
'''''Mario Kart 64''''' is a [[Mario (universe)|Mario]]-themed [[racing video game]] developed and published by [[Nintendo]] for the [[Nintendo 64]] on 1996-12-14. It's the second game in the [[Mario Kart (universe)|''Mario Kart'' series]], and part of the [[Mario (universe)|''Mario'' universe]]. The game is a major advancement over the original.
  
I first saw this game being played by the boyfriend of the sister of a girl I was dating at the time (around 1996-97). I first played it at the house of some friends who I played ''[[Magic: The Gathering]]'' with. Though I was quite terrible, I was rather impressed with the game. I've now gotten pretty good at it, and can E-slide fairly well. However, I haven't made much of an attempt to beat the game because I despise the [[rubberband AI]]. In fact, for this very reason, I prefer ''[[Diddy Kong Racing]]''.
+
In the game, you choose a character from the Mario universe to drive a go kart. There are 16 tracks for traditional racing, where you try to finish first after three laps, and an additional four for battle mode where you try to defeat your opponent by smashing them. Unlike real life go karts, the game contains all sorts of weapons and hazards like the ability to hit your opponents with koopa shells, drop banana peels to cause them to skid out of control, and use boo buddies to become invisible.
  
==Status==
+
==Personal==
I do not own this game, and I have not beaten it.
+
{{VideoGameStatus
 +
| Own      = Yes. US N64.
 +
| CantOwn  =
 +
| Won      = Yes.
 +
| CantWin  =
 +
| Finished = 150cc 2021-11-18 \ Extra mode on 2021-11-21.
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
I first saw this game being played by the boyfriend of the older sister of a girl I was dating at the time (around 1997) and thought it looked really fun, even if the polygon count was abysmal. I first played it at the house of some friends who I played ''[[Magic: The Gathering]]'' with. Though I was quite terrible, I was rather impressed with the game. I've now gotten pretty good at it, and can E-slide fairly well. I despise the [[dynamic difficulty|rubber band AI]] so much I never really tried to beat it for few decades. I finally changed my mind set of the game, to play it less as a competition, and more objectively, and I was able to muscled my way through the AI and beat all four circuits on 150cc then again on extra mode.
  
 
==Review==
 
==Review==
{{Video Game Review|7|7|6|7|10|74%|Nintendo 64}}
+
{{Video Game Review|7|7|6|7|10|Nintendo 64}}
  
 
{{Spoilers}}
 
{{Spoilers}}
  
 
===Good===
 
===Good===
* The game is pretty great looking. Each track has it's own character and they incorporated a lot of Mario elements.
+
* For the time, the game was pretty great looking. And, even now, each track has its own feel and the designers incorporated a lot of Mario elements.
* [[Kenta Nagata]]'s music, while not that listenable by itself, makes a wonderful backdrop for the tracks. Rainbow Road and the ending theme ("Victory Lap") are especially good.
+
* [[Kenta Nagata]]'s music, which appears to have been purposely made simple as to not interfere with the game, makes a wonderful backdrop for the tracks. Rainbow Road and the ending theme ("Victory Lap") are especially good.
* The variations of driver attributes accommodates different play styles nicely.
+
* The variations of driver attributes (acceleration, top speed, mass, steering, etc.) accommodates different play styles nicely.
* The several modes (race against the AI, race against a friend, battle more, and time trials) give the game more life.
+
* The multiple race modes (AI race, human race, battle more, and time trials) give the game more life.
* Being able to [[unlockable difficulty levels|unlock the mirror mode]] was a good reward for beating the tracks on their most difficult levels, and a nice way to give the game [[unlockable content|more life]].
+
* The ending sequence is quite nice and it's enjoyable to see the tracks for angles you don't normally see.
 +
* Being able to [[unlockable difficulty levels|unlock extra mode]] was a good reward for beating the hardest circuit at its most difficult level, and a nice way to give the game [[unlockable content|more life]]. Playing the tracks in mirror mode with more interesting obstacles is a lot of fun.
  
 
===Bad===
 
===Bad===
* The game appears to not properly maintain FPS in certain tracks with 3 or more players, like Moo Moo Farm. This is most likely due to the GPU not being able to handle all four rendered screens and the programmers removing the frame-delimiter.
+
* The game does not properly maintain FPS in certain tracks with 3 or more players, like Moo Moo Farm. This might be a bug or the result of the GPU not being able to handle all four rendered screens and the programmers removing the frame-delimiter.
* Over the years, players have managed to find quite a few bugs with the track that can be exploited in multiplayer.
+
* Unlike with AI opponents, a race won't end until all human players finish. So, if a player is performing really poorly, or is purposely refusing to finish, you're stuck waiting for them. Had they designed the game to automatically end a race when the seventh racer finishes, they could alleviate this problem.
 +
* The game doesn't let you end various sections prematurely. For example, you can't skip the long slow award ceremony. Also, if you want to retry a race because you're doing poorly, you have to first finish it.
 +
* Only beating the special cup at 150cc unlocks new content. The developers missed an opportunity to give rewards for beating the other cups.
 +
* Yoshi Valley is a neat idea, but the design is a bit off. The hardest routes should be the shortest, but that's not the case.
 +
* Over the years, players have managed to find quite a few bugs with the tracks that can be exploited in multiplayer.
  
 
===Ugly===
 
===Ugly===
* I hate games where the AI gets an unfair advantage, and this game is pretty awful at it. It uses a "rubberband AI" where, no matter how good you are, or how bad you damage the other racers, two opponent carts will always be on your tail because they will receive a speed advantage beyond what you can possibly achieve. This is a lazy approach to throttling difficulty.
+
* The game's AI is completely broken. I hate games where the AI gets an unfair advantage, and this game gives the AI an insanely unfair advantage. It uses a "[[Dynamic difficulty|rubberband AI]]" where, no matter how good you are, or how bad you damage the other racers, at least two opponent carts will always be passing you. They will constantly receive a speed advantage beyond what you can possibly achieve. It's not uncommon to hit an opponent with a shell knocking them into the water, only to see them pass you a few seconds later. And, when the AI gets ahead of you in the final round, even stars and blue shells won't be enough for you to catch up. They are also awarded items at regular intervals even when they don't get question mark blocks. This lazy approach to throttling difficulty, is very frustrating to play against, and it makes the game less about becoming good at driving, and more about being just good enough to stay near the front and holding a good item like 3 red shells in reserve until the very last section of the final lap.
  
 
==Media==
 
==Media==
Line 36: Line 64:
 
===Documentation===
 
===Documentation===
 
<gallery>
 
<gallery>
Mario Kart 64 - N64 - Manual.pdf|Game manual.
+
Mario Kart 64 - N64 - Japan - Manual - Digital.pdf|Manual - Japan - Digital.
Mario Kart 64 - N64 - Operation Card.pdf|Operation card.
+
Mario Kart 64 - N64 - USA - Manual.pdf|Manual - NES.
Mario Kart 64 - N64 - Manual (Australia).pdf|Game manual (Australia).
+
Mario Kart 64 - N64 - Australia - Manual.pdf|Manual - Australia.
Mario Kart 64 - N64 - Manual (Europe).pdf|Game manual (Europe).
+
Mario Kart 64 - N64 - Europe - Manual.pdf|Manual - Europe.
Mario Kart 64 - N64 - Japan - Ad.jpg|Japanese ad.
+
Mario Kart 64 - N64 - USA - Operation Card.pdf|Operation card - USA.
 +
Mario Kart 64 - N64 - Japan - Ad.jpg|Advertisement - Japan.
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
  
Line 49: Line 78:
 
Mario Kart 64 - N64 - Map - Mushroom Cup - Koopa Troopa Beach.jpg|Koopa Troopa Beach.
 
Mario Kart 64 - N64 - Map - Mushroom Cup - Koopa Troopa Beach.jpg|Koopa Troopa Beach.
 
Mario Kart 64 - N64 - Map - Mushroom Cup - Kalimari Desert.jpg|Kalimari Desert.
 
Mario Kart 64 - N64 - Map - Mushroom Cup - Kalimari Desert.jpg|Kalimari Desert.
Mario Kart 64 - N64 - Map - Flower Cup - Toad's Turnpike.jpg|Luigi Raceway.
+
Mario Kart 64 - N64 - Map - Flower Cup - Toad's Turnpike.jpg|Toad's Turnpike.
 
Mario Kart 64 - N64 - Map - Flower Cup - Frappe Snowland.jpg|Frappe Snowland.
 
Mario Kart 64 - N64 - Map - Flower Cup - Frappe Snowland.jpg|Frappe Snowland.
 
Mario Kart 64 - N64 - Map - Flower Cup - Choco Mountain.jpg|Choco Mountain.
 
Mario Kart 64 - N64 - Map - Flower Cup - Choco Mountain.jpg|Choco Mountain.
Line 65: Line 94:
 
Mario Kart 64 - N64 - Map - Battle - Double Deck.png|Double Deck.
 
Mario Kart 64 - N64 - Map - Battle - Double Deck.png|Double Deck.
 
Mario Kart 64 - N64 - Map - Battle - Skyscraper.png|Skyscraper.
 
Mario Kart 64 - N64 - Map - Battle - Skyscraper.png|Skyscraper.
 +
</gallery>
 +
 +
===Screenshots===
 +
<gallery>
 +
Mario Kart 64 - N64 - Screenshot - Mario Raceway - Damage Boost.png|[[Damage boost]]ing over a wall.
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
  
 
===Graphics===
 
===Graphics===
 
* [https://www.textures-resource.com/nintendo_64/mariokart64 textures-resource.com/nintendo_64/mariokart64] - Textures.
 
* [https://www.textures-resource.com/nintendo_64/mariokart64 textures-resource.com/nintendo_64/mariokart64] - Textures.
 +
 +
===Fan Art===
 +
<gallery>
 +
Mario Kart 64 - Fan Art - Mr. Lovenstein.png|Comic by Mr. Lovenstein.
 +
Mario Kart Rubberbanding - Jamesman the Regenold.jpg|Fan art by Jamesman the Regenold.
 +
</gallery>
  
 
===Videos===
 
===Videos===
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGI8YXKW3G0 youtube.com/watch?v=gGI8YXKW3G0] - Son of a Glitch.
+
{{YouTube|YVnDDL4-Id0|Did You Know Gaming?}}
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASWgJvuQhTA youtube.com/watch?v=ASWgJvuQhTA] - Longplay, 150cc,
+
{{YouTube|gGI8YXKW3G0|Son of a Glitch.}}
 +
{{YouTube|ASWgJvuQhTA|Longplay, 150cc.}}
 +
{{YouTube|CWkYqyOgetg|Speedrun progression.}}
 +
{{YouTube|KvET7oMUY9o|Frappe Snowland speedrun progression.}}
 +
{{YouTube|Y99Wj-NStok|Choco Mountain speedrun progression.}}
 +
{{YouTube|UuzUKT2Shn8|Rainbow Road speedrun progression.}}
 +
 
 +
==Representation==
 +
{{Representation
 +
| Media                      = Video games
 +
| StrongFemaleCharacterStatus = Pass
 +
| StrongFemaleCharacterNotes  = Peach has some of the best stats.
 +
| BechdelTestStatus          = Fail
 +
| BechdelTestNotes            = Peach is the only woman.
 +
| StrongPOCCharacterStatus    = Fail
 +
| StrongPOCCharacterNotes    = The human characters all appear to be white.
 +
| QueerCharacterStatus        = Fail
 +
| QueerCharacterNotes        = There are no queer characters.
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
==Strategy==
 +
To unlock extra mode, you have to play the Special circuit with 150cc and end with the most points to win the gold cup. This is especially difficult due to the cheating AI, and, if you fail to come in first at the end of the circuit, you must play all four races again from the beginning. However, there is a strategy you can follow to prevent you from having to replay the entire circuit which involves taking advantage of the fact that failing to place in the top four at the end of any track means you can't proceed to the next race. The game doesn't care how many times you fail to qualify, it will let you keep retrying the same track until you place in the top four. Because of this, if it's clear you aren't going to come in first, simply brake before the finish line, wait for the other racers to pass you, then finish last and retry the race. This way, you can keep retrying the same track until you can get maximum points to help ensure a victory later on.
  
 
==Titles==
 
==Titles==
Line 88: Line 149:
 
{{Link|MobyGames|http://www.mobygames.com/game/mario-kart-64}}
 
{{Link|MobyGames|http://www.mobygames.com/game/mario-kart-64}}
 
{{Link|Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario_Kart_64}}
 
{{Link|Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario_Kart_64}}
 +
{{Link|StrategyWiki|https://strategywiki.org/wiki/Mario_Kart_64}}
 +
{{Link|GameFAQs|https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/n64/197860-mario-kart-64}}
 
{{Link|TCRF|https://tcrf.net/Mario_Kart_64}}
 
{{Link|TCRF|https://tcrf.net/Mario_Kart_64}}
 +
{{Link|TVTropes|https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/VideoGame/MarioKart64}}
  
  
[[Category: Games]]
+
[[Category: Video Game Prime Order - Action, Strategy, Adventure]]
[[Category: Video Games]]
+
[[Category: Game Mechanic - Cheating AI]]
[[Category: Nintendo 64 Games]]
+
[[Category: Game Mechanic - Dynamic Difficulty]]
[[Category: Action]]
+
[[Category: Game Mechanic - Playable Female Character]]
[[Category: Driving]]
+
[[Category: Game Mechanic - Unlockable Content]]
[[Category: Racing]]
 
[[Category: Playable Female Character]]
 
 
[[Category: Favorite]]
 
[[Category: Favorite]]
 
[[Category: Favorite Games]]
 
[[Category: Favorite Games]]
[[Category: Multi-Player]]
 
[[Category: Multi-Player Versus]]
 
[[Category: Game Mechanic - Unlockable Content]]
 

Latest revision as of 16:32, 13 March 2024

Mario Kart 64

Mario Kart 64 - N64 - UK.jpg

Nintendo 64 - UK - 1st edition.

Developer Nintendo
Publisher Nintendo
Published 1996-12-14
Platforms Nintendo 64
Genres Racing
Themes Cartoon, Driving, Powersports
Series Mario Kart
Multiplayer Simultaneous versus
Distribution Commercial

Mario Kart 64 is a Mario-themed racing video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64 on 1996-12-14. It's the second game in the Mario Kart series, and part of the Mario universe. The game is a major advancement over the original.

In the game, you choose a character from the Mario universe to drive a go kart. There are 16 tracks for traditional racing, where you try to finish first after three laps, and an additional four for battle mode where you try to defeat your opponent by smashing them. Unlike real life go karts, the game contains all sorts of weapons and hazards like the ability to hit your opponents with koopa shells, drop banana peels to cause them to skid out of control, and use boo buddies to become invisible.

Personal

Own?Yes. US N64.
Won?Yes.
Finished150cc 2021-11-18 \ Extra mode on 2021-11-21.

I first saw this game being played by the boyfriend of the older sister of a girl I was dating at the time (around 1997) and thought it looked really fun, even if the polygon count was abysmal. I first played it at the house of some friends who I played Magic: The Gathering with. Though I was quite terrible, I was rather impressed with the game. I've now gotten pretty good at it, and can E-slide fairly well. I despise the rubber band AI so much I never really tried to beat it for few decades. I finally changed my mind set of the game, to play it less as a competition, and more objectively, and I was able to muscled my way through the AI and beat all four circuits on 150cc then again on extra mode.

Review

Video Game Review Icon - Enjoyment.png Video Game Review Icon - Control.png Video Game Review Icon - Appearance.png Video Game Review Icon - Sound.png Video Game Review Icon - Replayability.png
7 7 6 7 10

Best Version: Nintendo 64

— This section contains spoilers! —

Good

  • For the time, the game was pretty great looking. And, even now, each track has its own feel and the designers incorporated a lot of Mario elements.
  • Kenta Nagata's music, which appears to have been purposely made simple as to not interfere with the game, makes a wonderful backdrop for the tracks. Rainbow Road and the ending theme ("Victory Lap") are especially good.
  • The variations of driver attributes (acceleration, top speed, mass, steering, etc.) accommodates different play styles nicely.
  • The multiple race modes (AI race, human race, battle more, and time trials) give the game more life.
  • The ending sequence is quite nice and it's enjoyable to see the tracks for angles you don't normally see.
  • Being able to unlock extra mode was a good reward for beating the hardest circuit at its most difficult level, and a nice way to give the game more life. Playing the tracks in mirror mode with more interesting obstacles is a lot of fun.

Bad

  • The game does not properly maintain FPS in certain tracks with 3 or more players, like Moo Moo Farm. This might be a bug or the result of the GPU not being able to handle all four rendered screens and the programmers removing the frame-delimiter.
  • Unlike with AI opponents, a race won't end until all human players finish. So, if a player is performing really poorly, or is purposely refusing to finish, you're stuck waiting for them. Had they designed the game to automatically end a race when the seventh racer finishes, they could alleviate this problem.
  • The game doesn't let you end various sections prematurely. For example, you can't skip the long slow award ceremony. Also, if you want to retry a race because you're doing poorly, you have to first finish it.
  • Only beating the special cup at 150cc unlocks new content. The developers missed an opportunity to give rewards for beating the other cups.
  • Yoshi Valley is a neat idea, but the design is a bit off. The hardest routes should be the shortest, but that's not the case.
  • Over the years, players have managed to find quite a few bugs with the tracks that can be exploited in multiplayer.

Ugly

  • The game's AI is completely broken. I hate games where the AI gets an unfair advantage, and this game gives the AI an insanely unfair advantage. It uses a "rubberband AI" where, no matter how good you are, or how bad you damage the other racers, at least two opponent carts will always be passing you. They will constantly receive a speed advantage beyond what you can possibly achieve. It's not uncommon to hit an opponent with a shell knocking them into the water, only to see them pass you a few seconds later. And, when the AI gets ahead of you in the final round, even stars and blue shells won't be enough for you to catch up. They are also awarded items at regular intervals even when they don't get question mark blocks. This lazy approach to throttling difficulty, is very frustrating to play against, and it makes the game less about becoming good at driving, and more about being just good enough to stay near the front and holding a good item like 3 red shells in reserve until the very last section of the final lap.

Media

Box Art

Documentation

Maps

Screenshots

Graphics

Fan Art

Videos

Did You Know Gaming?
Son of a Glitch.
Longplay, 150cc.
Speedrun progression.
Frappe Snowland speedrun progression.
Choco Mountain speedrun progression.
Rainbow Road speedrun progression.

Representation

Strong female character?PassPeach has some of the best stats.
Bechdel test?FailPeach is the only woman.
Strong person of color character?FailThe human characters all appear to be white.
Queer character?FailThere are no queer characters.

Strategy

To unlock extra mode, you have to play the Special circuit with 150cc and end with the most points to win the gold cup. This is especially difficult due to the cheating AI, and, if you fail to come in first at the end of the circuit, you must play all four races again from the beginning. However, there is a strategy you can follow to prevent you from having to replay the entire circuit which involves taking advantage of the fact that failing to place in the top four at the end of any track means you can't proceed to the next race. The game doesn't care how many times you fail to qualify, it will let you keep retrying the same track until you place in the top four. Because of this, if it's clear you aren't going to come in first, simply brake before the finish line, wait for the other racers to pass you, then finish last and retry the race. This way, you can keep retrying the same track until you can get maximum points to help ensure a victory later on.

Titles

Language Native Transliteration Translation
Chinese 马里奥卡丁车64 Mario Kart 64
English Mario Kart 64
Japanese マリオカート64 Mario Kato 64 Mario Kart 64

Links

Link-MobyGames.png  Link-Wikipedia.png  Link-StrategyWiki.png  Link-GameFAQs.png  Link-TCRF.png  Link-TVTropes.png