Editing Mario Kart 64

{{italic title}}

{{FA}}

{{game infobox

|image=[[File:MK64 Cover.png|300px]]

|developer=[[Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development|Nintendo EAD]]

|publisher=[[Nintendo]]

|languages={{languages|en_us=y|jp=y|zh_simp=y}}

|genre=[[Genre#Racing games|Racing]]

|modes=1–4 players simultaneously

|platforms=[[Nintendo 64]], [[iQue|iQue Player]], [[Virtual Console]] ([[Wii]], [[Wii U]]), [[Nintendo 64 - Nintendo Switch Online]]

}}

'''''Mario Kart 64''''' is a [[Genre#Racing games|racing]] game that was originally released for the [[Nintendo 64]] in 1996 in Japan and 1997 worldwide. It is the second main entry in the ''[[Mario Kart (series)|Mario Kart]]'' series. Being an upgrade from its predecessor, ''[[Super Mario Kart]]'', it features a similar base to that game in which players select cast members of the [[Super Mario (franchise)|''Super Mario'' franchise]] to drive in [[kart]]s, employing a weapon-based system to benefit the player and hinder opponents, though it has expanded gameplay, such as the introduction of [[Mini-Turbo]] boosts from [[drift]]ing and four-player support. It is the first game of the ''Super Mario'' franchise to let more than two people play simultaneously. It is also the first ''Mario Kart'' game to use three-dimensional graphics for its environment design, such as the addition of elevation, advanced collision physics, expanded camera controls, real walls that can obscure views, and increased aesthetic fidelity; however, the characters, the items, and some track obstacles in-game remain as two-dimensional, pre-rendered sprites, which are rendered for game optimization. Additionally, the game contains unique track designs rather than multiple variants of the same track, and it introduces various track tropes that would later be reused in later ''Mario Kart'' installments, such as [[Luigi Circuit]] being the first track. Other elements would become series mainstays, such as its racer weight classification, the introduction of [[Wario]] and [[Donkey Kong]] as playable characters, and several new items such as the [[Spiny Shell (blue)|Spiny Shell]] and triple variants of [[Green Shell]]s and [[Red Shell]]s.

==Gameplay==

At the beginning of every race, [[Lakitu (Mario Kart referee)|Lakitu]] appears and gives a countdown signal. The positioning of the racers is dependent on their prior positions, though when starting a Grand Prix, players first start out in eighth place. In two-player Grand Prix, Player 1 by default starts out in eighth while Player 2 starts in seventh; in Versus Mode, all players start in the same positions. If players time their acceleration when the signal changes from red to blue, they can start out quicker or even perform a [[Rocket Start]], though if players press too early, they spin out and start slower than average. As opposed to a race in the previous game, a standard race now has three laps rather than five due to the much longer raceways compared to those found in ''Super Mario Kart''. Every time a player crosses the line to begin their second lap, Lakitu signals the player by appearing and holding a green 2nd Lap sign. When a player crosses the line to begin their third lap, a jingle is played, Lakitu appears and holds a blue Final Lap sign, and the background music speeds up as a result; this jingle does not play when succeeding players also cross the line.

[[File:MK64 Controller Pak Manager.png|thumb|Controller Pak Manager]]

!width=16%|Single Joy-Con

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|{{button|switch|Stick}}

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|Reverse

|{{button|n64|B}} + {{button|n64|Stickdown}}

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|Spin-Turn

|Use items, stop item roulette

|{{button|n64|Z}} / {{button|n64|Cdown}}

|-

|Hop / Slide

|Change camera

|{{button|n64|Cup}}

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|Toggle game screen

|{{button|n64|Cright}}

|-

|Set music volume to on, half, or off

|{{button|wiiu|ZL}} / {{button|wiiu|ZR}}

|{{button|switch|L}}

|-

|Select option during the menus / Pause / Resume gameplay

|{{button|wiiu|plus}}

|{{button|switch|plus}}

|}

</center>

==Game modes==

[[File:2player-MK64.png|thumb|[[Luigi]] and [[Wario]] racing each other on [[N64 Luigi Raceway|Luigi Raceway]] in Grand Prix]]

The game uses rubberbanding AI, meaning that no matter what weight class, the AI drivers can recover and return to speed faster than the human player. The [[rival]] system in this game is the more common 2 Rival system seen in most similar games, whereupon two randomly selected rivals fight with the player and use the "Handicap" feature to situate themselves on level with the player. They always stay the same, no matter what the championship standings are. On a side note, when the player plays the 150cc mode or Extra, two random CPU racers may receive a huge handicap, and even when hit with an item such as a [[Red Shell]], they recover rapidly. Sometimes there is also one player that receives an even larger handicap, and when the player is ahead, it becomes very challenging for them to stop.

===Time Trial===

===Versus===

===Battle===

==Characters==

===Drivers===

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===Enemies, obstacles, and species===

|align="center"|[[Bat (Mario Kart 64)|Bat]]

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|align="center"|[[N64 Banshee Boardwalk|Banshee Boardwalk]]

|A swarm of bats flies towards the racers, slowing them down if they drive directly into a member of the swarm.

|align="center"|[[Monty Mole|Chubby]]

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|align="center"|[[N64 Moo Moo Farm|Moo Moo Farm]]

|Chubbies peek out of holes and then jump, launching racers into the air.

|align="center"|[[N64 Rainbow Road|Rainbow Road]]

|Chainless Chomps are embedded into the track, chomping around at random. If a racer collides with one, they are launched into the air.

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|align="center"|[[Crab]]

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|align="center"|[[N64 Koopa Troopa Beach|Koopa Troopa Beach]]

|Crabs are stationed on the sand, spinning players who drive into them out of control.

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|align="center"|[[Giant Egg]]

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|A giant [[Yoshi's Egg|Yoshi's egg]] that spins around, flattening any racer in its path.

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|align="center"|[[Mini Bomb Kart]]

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[[File:MK64 Sherbet Land 2.png|140px]]

|align="center"|[[N64 Sherbet Land|Sherbet Land]]

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|align="center"|[[Piranha Plant]]

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|align="center"|[[N64 Mario Raceway|Mario Raceway]] and [[N64 Royal Raceway|Royal Raceway]]

|Piranha Plants pose as obstacles on the racetracks, spinning drivers out of control for a brief moment.

|align="center"|[[Porcupo|Porcupine]]

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|align="center"|[[N64 Yoshi Valley|Yoshi Valley]]

|Porcupines walk from side to side, spinning out a racer who collides with them.

|align="center"|[[N64 Frappe Snowland|Frappe Snowland]]

|Snowmen are situated on the track, launching the player into the air if they drive into them.

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|align="center"|[[Thwomp]]

|align="center"|[[N64 Kalimari Desert|Kalimari Desert]]

|Two trains circle around the course, sometimes passing through an intersection with the track. When this happens, all racers before the train must wait for it to pass, including CPU racers. Failure to wait results in the racer being launched by it.

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|align="center"|Vehicles

[[File:MK64Vehicles.png|140px]]

|align="center"|[[N64 Toad's Turnpike|Toad's Turnpike]]

|}

|align="center"|[[Boo]]

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|align="center"|[[N64 Banshee Boardwalk|Banshee Boardwalk]]

|In addition to being items in the game, Boos appear at certain parts of the race and make their trademark noises.

|align="center"|Winner's circle

|A Cheep Cheep acts as a balloon that the [[trophy]] is inside.

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|align="center"|[[Lakitu (Mario Kart referee)|Lakitu]]

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|align="center"|All courses

|Lakitu acts as the referee for the game, as well as fishing out racers that fall off the course or go out of bounds.

|-

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|}

==Courses==

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==Items==

|[[File:MK64Item-BananaBunch.png|100px]]

|[[Banana Bunch]]<br>'''New Item'''

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|[[File:MK64Item-GreenShell.png|100px]]

|[[Green Shell]]

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|[[File:MK64Item-TripleGreenShell.png|100px]]

|[[File:MK64Item-SpinyShell.png|100px]]

|[[Spiny Shell (blue)|Spiny Shell]]<br>'''New Item'''

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|[[File:MK64Item-SuperStar.png|100px]]

|[[Super Star]]

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|[[File:MK64Item-ThunderBolt.png|100px]]

===Item chart===

{|class="wikitable center"

!Mode

===Two players===

*The line between the two screens has each player's icon on it and acts as an overview on the players' positions. The lap count can be swapped with a map of the course.

*In [[N64 Frappe Snowland|Frappe Snowland]], it snows only in the background and not on the track itself.

*The course name and cup name are not shown when players play in Grand Prix.

The soundtrack for ''Mario Kart 64'' was composed by [[Kenta Nagata]] and was his first soundtrack for Nintendo. Two official albums were made for the game: ''[[Mario Kart 64 Original Soundtrack]]'' (published and released in Japan on September 19, 1997, by {{wp|Pony Canyon}}) and ''[[Mario Kart 64 Race Tracks]]'' (released in North America in 1997). The Japanese soundtrack contains 28 pieces from the game, voice tracks for all characters, and special effects as their own track, while ''Race Tracks'' features 21 tracks in its listing while jingles, voices, and sound effects are listed under bonus tracks. North America saw an additional album dedicated to ''Mario Kart 64'', ''[[Mario Kart 64: Greatest Hits Soundtrack|Greatest Hits Soundtrack]]''.

Another soundtrack, ''[[Mario Kart 64 on Club Circuit]]'', was released exclusively in Japan in December 1997. It is composed of game sound effects and voices sampled with original, electronic music and rearranged original pieces. Eight interludes contain the game's original soundtrack.

==Staff==

{{main|List of Mario Kart 64 staff}}

[[File:MK64 Staff.jpg|thumb|Commemorative photo of the development team for ''Mario Kart 64'']]

==Development==

When deciding how to develop the game, Miyamoto stated that he wanted the game to adhere to a wide audience, and therefore not much was changed upon developing a sequel to ''Super Mario Kart''.<ref name="shmuplations"/> Four-player mode was one of the team's development themes, and the game was designed with how to handle it in mind. Miyamoto noted how challenging it was to balance the four-player Battle Mode, as he wanted it to be as accessible as the racing mode and four screens mean quadruple the processing power required to run, as well as addressing smaller resolution that causes the display quality to suffer. ''Mario Kart 64''{{'}}s ROM compilation format allowed eight different karts, four different players, and 16 tracks at once, as well as character animations and voice samples that can be accessed real-time. Hideki Konno had stated that the team liked cars, and if "were left to our own devices, I'm sure we would create a game that would be way too hardcore and niche for general audiences," and had to suppress that desire throughout development. Mini-Turbos were added to increase the gameplay depth and were, at first, hidden mechanics; the team wanted to give players a visual reward for racing well, which is how color was then added to the smokes. The team also made enemy AI take advantage of the drift system as well. ''Mario Kart 64'' had a no-items mode to appeal to ''F-Zero'' fans at some point, though it was dropped because everyone who demoed ''Mario Kart 64'' did not play the mode. Tadashi Sugiyama, the visual director of the game, stated that the 3D graphics were the biggest change from ''Super Mario Kart''; one of the reasons the game does not offer a view beyond the third-person camera was that the game would otherwise be too shaky or rotate too much. Sugiyama admitted the game did not change much from ''Super Mario Kart'', though in order to differentiate further, the team added many little details to the tracks, such as the train in Kalimari Desert. One of the courses the team had to drop was "a big, multi-story parking garage-like structure which you'd race around and around as you ascended it," since it made players feel sick. Another track that got cut was a big city track "with a castle, and a nice pond, where you got to race around all these different houses and buildings," due to it being too large and too time-consuming to race through. Masato Kimura, the main programmer of ''Mario Kart 64'', admitted that collision detection was the most difficult part of development, as ''Mario Kart 64'' operated on 3D graphics with very complicated maps as opposed to ''Super Mario Kart''{{'}}s 2D graphics. He was proud of how the shells performed in the game, as they required a lot of CPU power and collision detection had to be performed for every shell. Kenji Yamamoto, a programmer who handled the kart handling, said that the team at first simulated physics of real cars, but it was dropped to the standard kart-racing model as it was not as fun. Yamamoto had stated that he wanted the drifting to be done by just manipulating the Control Stick, but it made the controls too difficult.

Tomoaki Kuroume, the character designer of the game, had stated that Mario was the most difficult character to render. While he already had Mario's model from ''Super Mario 64'', translating his pose to make him sit on a kart and grasp the steering wheel required a lot of tweaks, on an individual body part-to-body part basis to be made to the model. Kuroume has mentioned that other characters have their own quirks that are uniquely difficult, such as having a tail or wearing a dress. One of the ideas for Yoshi was to have his tail stick through the back of the kart, though Kuroume settled on a slightly bent posture with his tail sticking up. Kuroume has also noted the difficulty of creating animations, as it meant that with the use of multiple angles, thousands of different animations had to be made and those had to be checked and rechecked constantly. He noted that an accident happened in development during a decision for the Player Select screen, where characters were initially static and had no animations, though the team wanted to implement animations. A hard disk got corrupted, and while the team had back-ups, some data could not be recovered; around 80% of the character models ended up getting remade twice.

==Pre-release and unused content==

==Glitches==

{{main|List of Mario Kart 64 glitches}}

This glitch occurs only in [[N64 Frappe Snowland|Frappe Snowland]] in the bridge part before the finish with a second player. The second player must drive off the bridge into the water at a certain point, so that [[Lakitu (Mario Kart referee)|Lakitu]] picks the player up and drops them onto the bridge. If the area Lakitu is dropping off seems to be the last line on the bridge closest to the finish line, Lakitu drops the player directly through the bridge into the water. If the second player happens to spin out while trying to accelerate, the player still falls into the water. This glitch will happen continuously until the player is helped out of this situation. This glitch works only with Player 2.

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==Version differences==

{{multiple image

|image1=Marioro.png

The lightning effect was changed in the Wii [[Virtual Console]] release to a less intense flash, most likely to prevent seizures.

==Reception==

===Critical reception===

{| class="wikitable reviews"

!colspan="4"style="font-size:120%; text-align:center; background-color:silver;"|Reviews

===Awards===

===Sales===

==Adaptations in other media==

Mariokartcandy.jpg|Kart figurine candy containers that have two different figures: Mario and D.K. They contain sour-fruit crunchy candies.

Mario Kart 64 Playing Cards.jpg|Playing cards

n64controllermaze.jpg|A ''Mario Kart 64'' toy Nintendo 64 Controller with a track and a small metal ball

MarioMK.jpg|Mario with a Green Shell

==References to other games==

*''[[Super Mario Kart]]'': The introductory music in ''Mario Kart 64'' is an elongated arrangement of the theme from this game. In the music for the track [[N64 Banshee Boardwalk|Banshee Boardwalk]], a part of [[Ghost Valley]]'s music can be heard. Also, part of the music that plays during the Award Ceremony (if drivers win a [[trophy]]) is the same as in the same scenario in ''Super Mario Kart''.

*''[[Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island]]'': Yoshi's sound effects were taken from this game.

*''[[Donkey Kong Country]]'': This is the first appearance of the ''Donkey Kong Country'' version of Donkey Kong in the main ''Super Mario'' franchise. In fact, the sprite resembles the one Donkey Kong had in that game. [[Nintendo]] also mentions in the credits the 3D model of D.K. originally came from [[Rare]], the developers of the [[Donkey Kong Country (series)|''Donkey Kong Country'' trilogy]].

*''[[New Super Mario Bros. Wii]]'': A section of Rainbow Road's music is covered in [[World 9 (New Super Mario Bros. Wii)|World 9]]'s music.

*''[[Mario Kart 7]]'': The courses [[N64 Luigi Raceway|Luigi Raceway]], [[N64 Koopa Troopa Beach|Koopa Troopa Beach]], and [[N64 Kalimari Desert|Kalimari Desert]] and the battle stage [[N64 Big Donut|Big Donut]] reappear in this game. The kart now called [[Pipe Frame]] returns in this game as a kart body, with the dual exhaust design instead of the single exhaust from ''Super Mario Kart''. Some of the music tracks are covers or rearranged versions of themes from ''Mario Kart 64'', such as [[3DS Rainbow Road|Rainbow Road]]. A part of [[3DS Neo Bowser City|Neo Bowser City]]'s music contains segments from the course background music for [[N64 Toad's Turnpike|Toad's Turnpike]]. Finally, ''Mario Kart 64'''s winning and losing results themes receive a cover version in ''Mario Kart 7''.

*''[[Paper Mario: Color Splash]]'': The theme that plays when Luigi is driving on the [[Rainbow Road]] that leads to [[Black Bowser's Castle]] is an arrangement of the ''Mario Kart 64'' Rainbow Road's music.  

*''[[Mario Kart Tour]]'': [[N64 Luigi Raceway|Luigi Raceway]], [[N64 Koopa Troopa Beach|Koopa Troopa Beach]], [[N64 Kalimari Desert|Kalimari Desert]], [[N64 Frappe Snowland|Frappe Snowland]], [[N64 Choco Mountain|Choco Mountain]], [[N64 Mario Raceway|Mario Raceway]], [[N64 Royal Raceway|Royal Raceway]], and [[N64 Yoshi Valley|Yoshi Valley]] reappear in this game. The results theme is an arrangement of the winning results theme of ''Mario Kart 64''. The new [[N64 Kalimari Desert|Kalimari Desert 2]] course allows racers to race inside the train tunnel, similar to how players could be able to go inside Kalimari Desert's train tunnel in ''Mario Kart 64''.

==Names in other languages==

{{foreign names

|JapR=Mario Kāto Rokujūyon

|JapM=Mario Kart 64

|ChiSR=Mǎlì'ōu Kǎdīngchē

|ChiSM=Mario Kart

|ChiTR=Mǎlì'ōu Sàichē 64

|ChiTM=Mario Kart 64

==Trivia==

==References==

<references/>

==External links==

*[https://m1.nintendo.net/docvc/NUS/JPN/NKTJ/NKTJ_J.pdf Instruction booklet] (Japan)

*[https://m1.nintendo.net/docvc/NUS/USA/NKTE/NKTE_E.pdf Instruction booklet] (North America)

{{N64}}

{{Virtual Console}}

[[de:Mario Kart 64]]

[[it:Mario Kart 64]]

[[Category:1996 games]]

[[Category:1997 games]]

[[Category:Player's Choice]]