Mario Kart 64 Virtual Console Review

 

                                                             

     Mario Kart 64 was the first video game I ever played, so you bet I’m not going to give it a bad rating. Also I gave my N64 away(big mistake) and havent played it in a while. I was giddy with the excitment of playing it and suprisingly the download time wasn’t as long as I expected about 30-45 seconds. The game is just how I remember it and the graphics take you back ten years to when this game first came out, well almost February 1st is its ten year anneversary.

     Graphics- The racers are just as the were before, nothing really… actually at all has changed from what the game used to be. The graphics are decent somewhat like an outdated arcade game. The map is 3D and crisp. There are moving objects in the background such as a waterfall or crabs scurrying across a beach. The characters are pixalated and somewhat grainy over the 3D evironment, but at the time this game came out they pretty great graphics.

                                   

     Controls/Gameplay- Once again there is no story and it is just strictly a racer. You once again have the 16 tracks including fan favorites like Rainbow Road and Choco Mountain. You have all the main Mario Series characters to as. You have Mario, Luigi, Peach, Toad, Bowser, D.K., Wario, and Yoshi to play as. There is battle mode and just regular racing for the multiplayer modes. Now on to the controls. I used my gamecube controller to play and the control scheme is pretty good. Although if you want to change the map in the corner or camera angle you have to use the C-stick which is kind of awkward. Driving is pretty smooth. Gas and brake are the same, a and b buttons. Launching an item uses the L button instead of Z. Jumping uses the R button. The game handles better than I expected.

     Sounds- There is nothing like hearing Toad’s voice over and over again after every time he hits a player with an item. When you play you have a song playing in the background and the sounds of the items and other players chiming in as well. There sound is pretty clear, but can get repetitive and annoying after little while.

     Replay Value- This is where I think Mario Kart 64 is a heavy hitter. The game doesn’t get boring however many tracks you play over again. If you have one to three more Gameube controllers or classic controllers the fun has just begun. There are multiplayer races on the tracks that you have, but with your friends. Nothing says fun like owning your friends in Mario Kart. Battle mode is always fun. Each player has three balloons on their kart. After you get hit hard by another player or item, you lose a balloon. The last player with a balloon wins the game. The game doesn’t get old even after playing it 10 years ago.

     Overall Mario Kart 64 is a great game and a must have on the Virtual Console. That is if you don’t have it already on the Nintendo 64. This is my first review here, so let me fill you in on how I grade the games. I give each section a score out of ten, then I will give the game a final score out of ten as well.

                             Graphics=6 but come on it’s an N64 game, it would get a 9 back then.

                                      Gameplay/Controls= 9 easy controls and fun courses.

                                      Sounds= 7 not the best clarity and can get repetitive.

                        Replay Value= 10 Always fun to play even ten years after it origanally came out.

                          Overall= 9 great game and an instant classic on the N64 and Virtual Console.

                                                               

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