Super Mario Kart: Good or Bad?

[vanpeebles]

I think the main thing to draw from this thread, is why is leon getting so hot under the collar about what some daft site said? An ubergamer marches to his own tune and answers to noone! They play the playings.

You have come far Leon, but you still have a long way to go!

[Leon Retro]

LOL! It takes about two days to master SMK. There's absolutely nothing hard about it. At all.

Nobody likes a show off.

I used to thrash people at SMK back in the day -- so it's not a game everyone can be good at. I wouldn't even consider myself to be great at it, but I did learn to be reasonably decent. There's definitely quite a bit of room to develop your skills and get better and better.

I would agree that it's not a hard game, like some kind of old school simulator, but people used to how MK64 and later MK games play would probably need to spend a while getting used to how different SMK is.

it was pretty personality free. I can still go back to SMK, especially with friends, and have an absolute riot of a laugh playing it.

That's part of the reason why I was so surprised by HG101 really trashing the game, acting like it's completely broken and just a pain to play. I still think it's a really fun karting game with a lot to offer.

[Leon Retro]

I think the main thing to draw from this thread, is why is leon getting so hot under the collar about what some daft site said? An ubergamer marches to his own tune and answers to noone! They play the playings.

You have come far Leon, but you still have a long way to go!

I'm still a young grasshopper.

I'm definitely not angry about how HG101 trashed SMK. It's more a case of feeling perplexed by their attitude towards it. If they were just a bunch of teens talking crap about a retro game, I wouldn't give a damn. But HG101 write interesting articles about all sorts of retro games, so I've had respect for what they've done over the years.

I thought everything they said about SMK was unfair and short-sighted. It really shocked me how scathing they were towards every aspect of the game.

[samanosuke]

LOL! It takes about two days to master SMK. There's absolutely nothing hard about it. At all.

It depends how you define ‘master’. Beating an accomplished Bowser/DKJ player with any character other than Bowser/DKJ is nigh-on impossible, and mastering Bowser/DKJ does not take two days. The skill it takes to drive perfect laps with those characters takes months of solid practise, if not years to hone.

I think we are taking about playing the game on completely different levels.

[Leon Retro]

IThe skill it takes to drive perfect laps with those characters takes months of solid practise, if not years to hone.

I think we are taking about playing the game on completely different levels.

Yeah, it really is a game that offers lots of room to improve your skills. I think some people mistake it for being a clunky, basic racing game, when it's actually a brilliant example of karting that would take anyone quite a while to master.

Some people might prefer the style of MK64, but to dismiss SMK as a broken "prototype" sort of experience would be very unfair. That's why HG101's attitude surprised me.

[MiG]

Wow, I listened to that, those guys don’t have a clue... listening to them they obviously never put any real time into MK, the guy talking about hoping and power slides got it completely wrong.. invaluable especially in battle mode

I remember when I first got MK64 being really dissapointed by the battle mode, the GP and time trials where excellent, but the battle mode just lost something, the battle courses in the original MK were so tight, tense and competitive.. MK64s battle levels just felt empty, too much time just meandering around getting lost and taking long range pot shots.. MK was more like a point blank knife fight, short, sharp and brutal

[kryss]

4-player battle mode was so much fun.

I'm going to assume that was a typo. It was only 2P.

Super Circuit I still maintain as being one better than SMK as it took all the good and then added new tracks - and you could walk around playing it.
But SMK is still good after all these years for sure. I might play it now...

[Leon Retro]

Wow, I listened to that, those guys don’t have a clue... listening to them they obviously never put any real time into MK, the guy talking about hoping and power slides got it completely wrong.. invaluable especially in battle mode

That's why I created this thread -- to being some sanity and reality back. Those HG101 guys are clueless about SMK and just talked complete and utter tripe about it.

MK was more like a point blank knife fight, short, sharp and brutal

Yeah, I also think the battle mode in SMK is more intense and exciting. I must have played it thousands of times over the years.

What I really like about SMK is how short and tight the tracks are -- so it gives a distinct karting experience. It's a really fun, intense racing game. Totally different to how HG101 painted it to be.

Super Circuit I still maintain as being one better than SMK as it took all the good and then added new tracks

Super Circuit is definitely a nice alternative to SMK. I don't like the way the karts look - and it feels a bit clunkier than SMK - but it's up there with my favourite games in the series. Definitely a 'must-have' for GBA owners.

[Team Andromeda]

don't think anyone should lump it in with all the 16-bit racer dross. I would agree that a lot of 16-bit racers are weak for various reasons, but that has always been the case. It's not like we had loads of great 16-bit racers back in the day. Games like Lotus 2 on the Amiga were unusually good next to tons of rubbish.

I just felt the 16 bit tech really held back the genre like racers, more so why I was so used to playing the amazing SEGA Arcade racers. I never felt Street Racer was any good, even at the time. I was far more impressed with the 3D racers on the Amiga with games like Lotus II, F1 GP and Stunt Racer

F-Zero is my favourite of the two, but SMK definitely comes close.

F-Zero still looks and sounds amazing to this very day, It's one of those games that I love to play every month of so . I played Mario Kart on the Snes the other day and its aged in its Gfx (which weren't that great at the time) and in the gameplay. I felt the 3D of the N64 made the battle mode so much better, the 4 player window simply made it so much more fun and I loved the ability to hold the Z button down to use the shell as a shield

[hudson]

I played this again last. The original is amazing. You have to stay focused and the room for error is big leading you to feather all the brilliantly realised controls fully.

[zipper]

SMK is a stone cold classic. The jump, drift, boost mechanic is superb. I still get a buzz going for perfect laps round Mario Circuit 1 as DK Jr. I listened to that HCG101 podcast a few days back and turned it off after they exclaimed no drift mechanics & breaking is the best way round a course. Chumps.

[samanosuke]

SMK is a stone cold classic. The jump, drift, boost mechanic is superb. I still get a buzz going for perfect laps round Mario Circuit 1 as DK Jr. I listened to that HCG101 podcast a few days back and turned it off after they exclaimed no drift mechanics & breaking is the best way round a course. Chumps.

I try for 12 secs on the first lap and then 10-11 secs for the remaining four. I think my fastest time was around the 56 second mark. I’d like to see the responsible HCG-101 podcaster get near that using no drift & brakes!

[Yakumo]

I'm sure everyone knows how I feel about Mario Kart in general 😋
Saturday just gone we were at a gamer bar playing 4 player MARIO Kart 8 on the Switch. I just could not get excited and all of the time wished I was playing Sonic allstar racing instead. To me Mario Kart just plods along. I know it's moving fast but the excitement isn't there as it seems no matter how well you play some **** will attack you out of no where relegating you to last place. I know many love it but for me I just can't get in to the game. Obviously I'd never review it either knowing I don't like it. Something the HCG101 staff should have concidered maybe?

[dataDave]

You're not playing well enough if that's happening.

[Leon Retro]

I never felt Street Racer was any good, even at the time. I was far more impressed with the 3D racers on the Amiga with games like Lotus II, F1 GP and Stunt Racer

As much as Sega and other coin-op companies were delivering truly stunning arcade racers, there were still a reasonable amount of decent racers in the home. The Lotus and Top Gear series were all pretty good. Stunt Car Racer was a very clever, unique racing game for the Amiga. F-Zero is total excellence. Super Mario Kart offered fun gameplay whether you're alone or with friends.

I played Mario Kart on the Snes the other day and its aged in its Gfx (which weren't that great at the time) and in the gameplay. I felt the 3D of the N64 made the battle mode so much better, the 4 player window simply made it so much more fun and I loved the ability to hold the Z button down to use the shell as a shield

Well, I don't think anyone ever looked at SMK at saw it as a technical showcase -- it's more about being having a solid game engine and a nice cutesy charm about it. But beyond that -- the gameplay is nuanced enough to be really satisfying once you get used to what it demands from the player.

You have to stay focused and the room for error is big leading you to feather all the brilliantly realised controls fully.

Yeah, you totally 'get' it. With old school racers - whether it's F-Zero, SMK, Ridge Racer - you can be totally crap if you don't respect what the game demands from the player. Loads of old school racers have game mechanics you have to learn and exploit.

It's obvious that the guys at HG101 who reviewed SMK, haven't ever sat down and learned how to play the game properly. They've never put the time in until the game 'clicks' and becomes really satisfying to play. Instead, they just assume it's a very basic game that feels broken. That simply isn't true.

I listened to that HCG101 podcast a few days back and turned it off after they exclaimed no drift mechanics & breaking is the best way round a course. Chumps.

it seems no matter how well you play some **** will attack you out of no where relegating you to last place.

With MK8, you have to be totally on it 100% to be able to win. If I make mistakes, I know I wont come 1st. When you have people behind trying to get you with all sorts of attacks, you can't afford to make mistakes. It's a really demanding game that you have to really learn before you can dominate. Concentration is key to winning.