Here's a Review for the game that started the Mario Kart series, Super Mario Kart. It's on a scale of 0-4 stars.
Graphics: ***1/2
The graphics in this game are real nice and colorful. They are much better than Mario Kart: Super Circuit's. I don't even know why I gave a good score for my Mario Kart: Super Circuit Review. This game's graphics is even better than Mario Kart 64's.
Sound/Music: ***
Although there are barely any sound effects, the game's music is quite good. I like the Battle Mode theme, and also the title screen and Rainbow Road theme. The Bowser Castle theme is a copy-off of Bowser's Super Mario World theme, although I still like it pretty much. The Mario Circuit and Donut Plains theme are okay, but not the best. I'm not too much of a fan of the other music.
Difficulty: **1/2
The difficulty here is above average because of it being both easy and hard in some parts. 50cc is really easy. You can easily get first place on every track on each cup. On the other hand, 100cc seems frustratingly hard. One spin-out in 1st, and you'll be in sixth before you know it. Also, the CPUs use cheating items that are annoying, especially Mario's and Luigi's Starman. They sometimes stay invincible longer than a normal Starman lasts! That's why the score is **1/2, not **. One other thing, you can't use the same ? Block on a track twice (they don't regenerate like they do in the other Mario Karts) This is why the difficulty is above average.
Controls: no stars
The controls in the game just aren't all that easy to control. Accelerating must be done by hitting down the B Button HARD, or else you seem to slow down if you let go of it slightly, which I seem to do a lot. The A Button doesn't seem to respond when using an item, which is annoying. There's no reverse or spin-turn, so getting trapped in a corner can be deadly. Plus, there's no button to avoid a spin-out! You can't even hold shells behind you, another bad thing. The controls just seem to only respond when you hit the button hard, and there are no controls for certain things, which can be a problem.
Characters: ****
The character selection here is great. DK Jr. and Koopa Troopa are great ideas for Mario Kart characters, plus the obstacles are good too, like the bouncing Chomps in the Match Race and the awesome electric Thwomps on Rainbow Road. Really, it's a good character selection when you think about it.
Items: *
There aren't really a lot of items in the game. Sure, there's most of the normal Mario Kart items, but there are no Triple Green/Red Shells, or a Spiny Shell. However, there are two other items: a double-coin item and a Feather, which gives you a nice jump and can be used for shortcuts and jumping over obstacles. Okay, so maybe the score shouldn't be this low, but really, there aren't all that many items in the game.
Tracks: **1/2
The tracks aren't all that interesting, especially compared to Mario Kart 64's tracks, but they are okay. There's an interesting dead end in Bowser Castle 2 that leads to lava, although I've heard you can use a Feather to get to the other side. The Special Cup tracks are interesting though. These tracks are probably even more interesting than Mario Kart: Super Circuit's, which, again, I don't know why I gave a good score on it.
Mario Grand Prix: ***1/2
A great mode, even if 100cc is so hard. Anyway, this mode is where you'll be racing five tracks, getting points on how you finished. One nice bonus is that you can get an extra continue when you finish in the same place for three different tracks (not in a row). The one problem: the racer who comes in first if you don't should be a bit more random, not usually the same one.
Time Trial: **
This is the mode where you can try to get a high score racing the track you choose. However, the game makers should've at least put one Mushroom in (or maybe even a Feather) to help you, but they didn't. However, this is still an okay mode.
Match Race: ***
This mode is where you can race against a friend. It's fun to play, but not all that many items make the score fall short. Overall it's still good.
Battle Mode: ***1/2
More fun than the Match Race, this mode is where you have to pop the other players balloons using items. It's fun to play, but it could've been available against CPUs.
Replayability: ***
It's replayable. The Mario GP might be boring to play again when it's completed but the other modes aren't, they have more replayability.
Fun Factor!: **1/2
The multiplayer modes are quite fun to play. Although 100cc and (to a lesser extent) Time Trial may not be as good, it can still be fun.
Overall: **1/2
Overall, this a good game and you should buy it. If you're just going to play it for the tracks, however, you might want to buy Mario Kart: Super Circuit instead, because it has these tracks (unlockable) plus some others. This is a good game, although in my mind, Mario Kart: Super Circuit is a little better.
| If you would like to send some feedback
to the author of this submission, please complete this form.
What's your name?
What's your Email address?
How do you rate this submission?
Does this submission belong in Little
Lemmy's Land?
Would you like to see more from this author? Comments and suggestions:
|
