Super Mario Kart (Video Game Review)

Video Game Review
Super Mario Kart
Super Nintendo
1992
Developer: Nintendo EAD
Publisher: Nintendo

When Nintendo made Super Mario Kart back in 1992, Mario had yet to be pimped out to every single concept imaginable. The concept of Super Mario Kart was simple and to a certain degree, insane. Insane is sometimes a good thing in gaming and this game is fantastic.

Super Mario Kart takes the racing concept and turns it on its head. Not only are you racing around the course but you also need to pick up coins scattered throughout the course. On top of the racing, weapons are waiting for you to be picked up for you to deliver punishment to your competition (or receive it if you’re unlucky enough).

There are several gameplay options; grand prix, time trials, match race (head to head) and the famous battle mode. The grand prix mode has you racing a set of races in where you need to place as high as possible. The better the standing, the more points you get for the race. Finishing a particular cup on top nets you a gold trophy. There are three speed classes available (only two are available at the start) and twenty courses (the last five only becoming available later in the game). Scoring all the gold trophies in the 100cc mode opens up more tracks. It is not a pushover mode and the hardest difficulty (150 cc) can provide some challenge. The time trial mode is pretty much what it sounds like; race around a track solo for the best time. The match race mode allows you to race head to head against another person. This mode does not have any computer opponents but the grand prix mode has a two player option if that’s what you’re looking for.

One of the greatest parts of the game is the battle mode. Two players are thrown into an arena and only one will survive. This isn’t a race as your goal is to take out your opponent with weapons. You and your opponent have three balloons floating above you. Three hits from the various weapons will pop all the balloons.

Gameplay is pretty simple. D-pad controls the steering. You have a button for gas and another for the brakes. The shoulder buttons are configured to do a mini-hop which allows you to drift into a turn. There is also a button dedicated to launching weapons.

There are obstacles littered all over the track like pipes and mud puddles. Coins are scattered throughout the course too. Collecting them improves your speed. Driving over a question block will give you a weapon or a power-up. There are tons of items up for grabs like mushrooms which give a speed burst, koopa shells which act as missiles, and a lightning bolt which shrinks all your competitors down to miniature size for a short period of time, among other items.

You have the choice of eight different characters from the Mario universe including the main man himself, his brother Luigi, Yoshi, and even the villainous Bowser. Each cart handles differently. For example, Yoshi handles adequately and accelerates well but lacks a good top speed. Bowser on the other hand doesn’t get pushed around on the course by other racers and has a great top speed but his acceleration is equivalent to that of a tortoise. There really isn’t a character better than all the others as all of them have pros and cons. It’s up to the player to determine which style they prefer.

Graphically it was one of the best looking games on the SNES taking full advantage of the system’s capability of producing Mode 7 graphics. Sadly, Mode 7 looks almost as bad as some of the blocky stuff that came out of the Saturn-Nintendo 64-PS1 early years. However, the game still looks good enough that the graphics don’t hurt the experience; they just don’t enhance it either.

The game handles well although it does take a while to get used to the handling. Most will drive around the course like a drunk their first time playing. This is especially true if you’re used to using an analog stick in driving games. It does feel like you’re going backwards if you’ve played nothing but analog racing games. After a few races though, the controls feel like second nature.

The game design is incredible. The courses are extremely fun to navigate as there are shortcuts scattered throughout some courses. The courses are hectic enough to never be boring but also forgiving enough to never leave you frustrated (except maybe for the sadistic Rainbow Road which is amazingly fun because it is so sadistic). The battle mode is a lot of fun although it would have been nicer to have more tracks. Taking out a friend with a red shell is one of the most satisfying things that can be done in a video game.

Nintendo’s Super Mario Kart is a fantastic racing game on the SNES. Despite the graphics, it still is a blast to play today. Definitely worth playing even if you’re used to other more sophisticated iterations of the series.

☆☆☆☆