The file was not found on your file system. This means that it has either not been created or the path you have specified in $trrandom_file is incorrect.
The file was not found on your file system. This means that it has either not been created or the path you have specified in $trrandom_file is incorrect.
The file was not found on your file system. This means that
it has either not been created or the path you have specified
in $trrandom_file is incorrect.
Graphics
When Mario Kart 64 first came out over ten years ago, the graphics were impressive, especially in comparison to what Super Mario Kart accomplished. In present-day 2009, the environments are the only aspect that still looks well. The character models, being 2D, look flat and blurry by today's standards. On a similar graphics-related note, I enjoy the sliding effects and the Batman-like words that come from the screen whenever you hop. At the end of the day, while the graphics are a bit dated in the present, they're still better than the pastel-like graphics of the Gamecube and Wii Mario Kart iterations. Yeah, that's right. I just went there.
8
Sound
While I personally don't believe that the Mario Kart series as a whole has a memorable soundtrack compared to other DKU games, they're still catchy tunes to listen to while racing. The songs are pretty appropriate to the tracks they feature in and even border on the atmospheric (DK's Jungle Parkway and Bowser's Castle come straight to mind), which is always nice. Not to mention that this game has my favorite rendition of Rainbow Road ever, to the point that I make it an imperative to listen to it while driving late at night. Of all the DKU Mario Kart games, this one has the most memorable soundtrack to me.
8
Play Control
This is probably the only part of the game that I have beef with, if you will (and not the good kind, like the kind that the old lady on TV asked for nearly two decades ago). Despite the button structure working well on the N64 and VC (by way of Gamecube and Classic Controllers), the controls just feel...slippery compared to any Mario Kart game post Mario Kart DS. It's not necessarily that I feel like I'm struggling or fighting against the controls to enjoy myself, but I feel that Nintendo was still trying to perfect the controls. It wasn't until Mario Kart DS that I felt that they were at its best. As it stands, the controls for the N64, Gamecube, and Classic Controller are fine, but if you've played the majority of Mario Kart games, it's not easy (or fun) to go back to these controls.
6
Originality
Considering that the Mario Kart series really made racing games popular, I'd say that there's your Originality right there and end this part right now. Yet for the sake of it, I'll continue. Not only was it one of the first four-player racing games (if not the first), but it included four-player multiplayer as well. The items were varied, fun to use, and actually fucking fair, like the Blue Shell before it decided to get drunk on Red Bull after Super Circuit. So, yeah, it's pretty up there in terms of Originality.
9
Final Word
To me, Mario Kart 64 is the final good Mario Kart game on consoles. It had its fair share of environmental realism (or as much realism as the Mario series can reasonably do, like Toad's Turnpike in this game), yet it didn't mind bending the rules and being batshit insane when it wants to be (read: Rainbow Road being a track made out of, what else, rainbows. In space! With neons for the hell of it!). Single player's fun, and while its multiplayer is a bit simple in design, it can still provide hours of entertainment. While I know that Nintendo will most likely continue down the road of pastel-looking, tune-whistling, and Winged Blue Shell fucking (us over repeatedly), I at least have this game to remind me of the good old days. I consider this to be one of the better DKU games, and with a price point of ten dollars on the Virtual Console, you really owe it to yourself to experience it. Especially if your only experience(s) with the Mario Kart games started in the Gamecube era.
9
Overall Score: 8/10
The file was not found on your file system. This means that it has either not been created or the path you have specified in $trrandom_file is incorrect.