This is a cult classic Mario Kart game that is remembered by fans worldwide, and Mario fans were taken by storm at the time this game was released. This game brought Mario sports to a whole new level, becoming the third best selling SNES video game of all time. This game will have you sitting for hours of fun, excitement, and awesomeness. It can be played for two if you want to play with a friend or family member. You can either race against them, or duke it out in battle mode.
Gameplay. Players can choose to play as one of their favorite characters from the Mario series, and also they can choose to play as Mario's old rival, Donkey Kong. Each character has unique speed, maneuverability, and strength as well. Characters like Bowser and Donkey Kong however, have very low speed, and it will take some practice to master them both. Players can race for the Championship Trophy in Grand Prix, go on Time Trials or race against a friend, or if they like, they can duke it out in Battle Mode.
Characters in Battle Mode have three balloons, and the first one to pop all ballons from their opponents wins. Players can prevent their opponents by throwing bananas at them, shooting turtle shells, and even shrinking them with a lightning bolt, that is whenever they hit a question block. When players obtain the Power Star, they can be invincible for a limited amount of time in which their speed goes up, and they can hit their opponents with ease. Initially there are three cups in GP Mode: Mushroom Cup, Flower Cup, and Star Cup. Special Cup can be unlocked by winning all three cups in 100cc level.
Design and Development. Mario Kart was produced by Shigeru Miyamoto and directed by Tadashi Sugiyama and Hideki Konno. Developers wanted to create a two player racing game capable of displaying two players on the same game screen simultaneously. The intention to create the racing modes of the game had been present from the start of the project and Battle Mode was developed from the desire to create a one-on-one mode where victory was not determined simply by competing for rank.
The game did not start out as a Mario series game and the first prototype featured a generic man in overalls in the kart; the team decided that characters three heads tall would best suit the design of the karts. They did not decide on incorporating Mario series characters into the game until two or three months after the start of development. The choice was made after the development team, when observing how one kart looked to another driving past it, decided to see what it would look like with Mario in the kart. Thinking that having Mario in the kart looked better than previous designs, the idea of a Mario themed racing game was born.
Legacy. Mario Kart has left a legacy of memories, fun, and excitement. Since it's release, it has brought the attention of other developers to create more games of the Kart-racing sub-genre. Future games that followed in the mould of Super Mario Kart include South Park Rally, Konami Krazy Racers, Diddy Kong Racing, Sonic and SEGA All-Stars Racing and several racing games in the Crash Bandicoot series.
Super Mario Kart has spawned so many successful sequels on the Nintendo 64, Gamecube, Game Boy Advance, and Nintendo Wii. Many years of fun and excitement with Mario sports games, and many of it's followers that met with success, but not with the same as Mario Kart, even Sonic got into it, but it was not very popular.
Memories. I played this game during my childhood years. Visiting family friends was the best, we would play Mario Kart on the SNES for hours before the time of the Nintendo 64. Sometimes we'd take a break from Mario Kart and play games like TMNT Tournament Fighters, MMPR, and Batman Forever, oh memories.
Rantings. Bowser and Donkey Kong have good strength, but their speed is very poor. Also, what I don't like about this game is split screens of the player and the map where racers are shown because, I was uncomfortable playing like that. The racetrack I hated was that of the Ghost Track, which more pits were easily opened.
Good Aspects. The game has very high replay value, and you'll enjoy playing as many of your favorite characters. My favorite racer in the game is the Koopa Troopa, he is the first fastest racer before Toad, Peach, and Yoshi, and the best. Though it's sad that he was replaced by Wario in Mario Kart 64. You can download this game for 800 Wii Points.
Overall. This is one of my favorite childhood games of all time. I give this game a 9 out of 10.