Mario Kart 64 - N64

[Ryo Saeba]

I'll never be able to see what the fuss was about with Super Mario Kart. Never has a game so undeservingly had classic status. I say that as a non-zealot Nintendo fan.

IMO Total!, back in the Steve Jarrett era when it was a genuinely OK magazine, rated SMK accurately. Gave the game 80% in their review or something, said it's good fun but not incredible, and that the battle mode is the most enjoyable part of the game. That's always what I have thought. As a one-player racing game I got a lot more pleasure playing F-Zero and Stunt Race FX.

You've obviously never played the Time Trial Mode to great extend, which was just outstanding and easily up on par or even better than the one in Stunt Race FX or Wave Race 64.
Super Mario Kart is one of the best single player racing games ever (the 2 player mode was also excellent though). The driving physics are so solid and genuine, that even now, over 15 years after it's release, there's still active competition about Time Trial times with new World Records being submitted and new tricks being found regularly. Mario Kart 64 single player just paled in comparison, but it had the worthwile 4 player multiplayer. So at the end it's just a matter of tastes, or a matter of how much people are sitting in front of the console.

Both games deserve their status of classics, but because of mainly different reasons.

[Charlie]

I've not played this much since downloading it as I have only have the one compatible controller and, as previously mentioned, it's not a great single player game. I expect it to see repeated use once I get a second classic controller or wavebird however as it's still an incredibly fun multiplayer experience.

In response to the Super Mario Kart/Mario Kart 64 dispute, I'm in the Super Mario Kart camp as driver skill is the deciding factor in whether one wins or loses, as opposed to Mario Kart 64 where luck of the items plays a much more prominant, sometimes unfair, role. I also preferred the battle mode and time trials of the original.

[hudson]

there's an update available for this. Hmm, what does it do/fix?

[Edit] nvm. found info in another thread

[cutmymilk]

Just downloaded this...

Everything is opened up from the start. Now, to open mirror mode you have to win gold on every cup in every CC, right?

So, how do I know which ones I've won and which I've not? Have I simply got to remember which ones I have? Theres no trophy or anything that appears next to a cup once you've done it.

Cheers

[SuperCoolAl]

Win every cup on 150cc to unlock mirror mode.

[cutmymilk]

Yeah, but in the original N64 game I'm sure it wasn't all open at the start,was it? I mean, did you not have to beat 50cc to unlock 100 etc?

[SuperCoolAl]

Nope. All CCs were open.

[Ryo Saeba]

Yes, everything was open from the start, that's one of the flaws of Mario Kart 64s single player in that there's nearly everything given to you right from the start and not as much to uncover.

[cutmymilk]

Cheers guys.

Not worth doing the 50 and 100 cc races at all then, really?

Have done a few 50 cc cups already. Will be glad to get up to top speed!