![]() ![]() ![]() The Item “roulette” in Mario Kart 64 doesn’t feel quite as well balanced as it does in future games of the series. If you ever find yourself trailing in second or third in a must-win race with no chance to catch up with first position, disappointingly hanging back to finish below fourth will have no repercussions and allow the player a “do-over”, making it a lot easier to manipulate and ace every Grand Prix with a perfect point score. These quirks build on the already fantastic experience.Īlthough some races can be punishing, finishing anywhere below fourth place will force the player to either replay the map or quit. It’s also occasionally possible to have the opportunity to hit your brake whilst your kart begins to veer out of control to avoid spinning after driving over a banana skin. I was pleasantly reminded with some of the features included in this early entry of the series, such as hanging behind another racer to obtain a boost (albeit minor) due to the lack of wind resistance or the fact that if you steer side-to-side too quickly your character will begin to lose control and eventually slip. I only wish there were more levels to unlock to further this amazing selection but the only version of this is the unlockable “Extra” mode (now known as Mirror Mode) which can be achieved by obtaining gold in all four Grand Prix. In some courses it is even possible to fall back into previous parts of the map which can see you drop a huge advantageous lead to trailing well behind in 8th place. ![]() From Kalimari Desert where you will need to sometimes stop and wait as a train passes by, to Yoshi Valley having no indication as to where you currently place in the map, due to each player being covered by a question mark symbol, each racecourse feels unique and incredibly well thought-out. Possibly a pinch of nostalgia, but the sixteen race maps are some of the best in the whole history of Mario Kart. Each character does have their own weight class which defines their acceleration and top speed which, for the most part, I would argue getting caught up in statistics which aren’t even clear in-game is a waste of time, unless you are looking to seriously compete for records and speed runs. There’s no need to concern yourself with speed, acceleration and weight stats being displayed whilst having to rush to pick what wheels or glider to utilise whilst a timer swiftly counts down to the map screen. The simplicity is part of what makes this game such a brilliant entry in the series. Mario Kart 64 boasts a humble roster of just 8 characters, with no options to customise any further than that, allowing the player to just jump straight in with hardly a care in the world. Mario Kart 64 (Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack) ![]() Check out what we thought in this review! Mario Kart 64, originally released back in 1996, was the first 3D outing for the series and has now finally made its debut on the Nintendo Switch via the “Nintendo Switch Online (NSO) + Expansion Pack”. As the years go by, this only rings more true as the series has been incredibly creative in finding innovative ways to make the game fun for players of all levels. If the question was “Name a chaotic racing game that is almost guaranteed to make you lose friends”, the answer would almost certainly be “Mario Kart”. ![]()
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