Mario Kart 64
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Mario Kart 64 (originally titled Super Mario Kart R) is the second game in the Mario Kart series. It is for the Nintendo 64, and is also available on the Wii's Virtual Console. It is the series's first step into 3D graphics. However, the drivers themselves were not in 3D.
It has set many trends in the Mario Kart series, and courses such as Sherbet Land and Wario Stadium were used again. The courses Moo Moo Farm, Frappe Snowland, Choco Mountain and Banshee Boardwalk were later featured in Mario Kart DS, and the first three are playable online.
Gameplay
As opposed to Super Mario Kart, a race now has three laps, not five, due to the fact the raceways are a lot longer then in Super Mario Kart. To get the items, the character had to get an Item Box.
Player's steer with the Nintendo 64 Controller's control stick, and hold down A to accelerate. The B button is used for the brake. With the Z trigger items are used. When you press the R trigger you would jump and then turn so that you could turn if there is a tight corner like in open courses where there are hardly any boundaries to stop you go into other land like snow and sand. Don't turn to much or turn side to side otherwise you will slid and spin around making you stop for a few seconds.
The cups can be raced on the difficulty settings of 50, 100 or 150 cc or the unlockable Mirror Mode. There is also a Time Trial Mode and a Battle Mode available. In Battle Mode, each player starts with three balloons, and loses a balloon when hit by any item. When a player has lost all of his/her balloons, he or she loses.
The rival system in this game is the more commonly used 2 Rival system, where 2 randomly selected rivals will fight with the player, and will use the "Handicap" feature to get themselves on level with the player. They will always stay the same no matter what the championship standings are.
Drivers
Lightweights
The Lightweight drivers have the highest Top Speed and the best acceleration in the game, but tend to slide out the most of the drivers. If a Heavyweight Player rams into a Lightweight Player, the Lightweight player will slip out, giving Heavyweights a large advantage over them in Battle Mode. Lightweights, with their faster speed and acceleration, have the advantage in Grand Prix mode, however.
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Middleweights
The Middleweight Drivers both are about even with everything, making them good for beginners. They feature moderate Acceleration and Top Speed.
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Heavyweights
The Heavyweights are rather clunky, and have the best traction of all the characters in the game. The Heavyweights have low Top Speed and Acceleration. With the ability to make Lightweights spin out by ramming into them, they are considered to be the best drivers in Battle Mode.
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In a beta screenshot of the game, a Magikoopa took the place of Donkey Kong. Since Magikoopa had Donkey Kong's place, it is debatable what driver type he would have been(Lightweight, Middleweight, or Heavyweight).
Courses
| Mushroom Cup | Flower Cup | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Luigi Raceway | 717 m | Toad's Turnpike | 1036 m |
| Moo Moo Farm | 527 m | Frappe Snowland | 734 m |
| Koopa Troopa Beach | 691 m | Choco Mountain | 678 m |
| Kalimari Desert | 753 m | Mario Raceway | 567 m |
| Star Cup | Special Cup | ||
| Wario Stadium | 1591 m | DK's Jungle Parkway | 893 m |
| Sherbet Land | 756 m | Yoshi Valley | 772 m |
| Royal Raceway | 1025 m | Banshee Boardwalk | 747 m |
| Bowser's Castle | 777 m | Rainbow Road | 2000 m |
Battle Courses
Items
- Banana
- Banana Bunch
- Green Shell
- Triple Green Shells
- Red Shell
- Triple Red Shells
- Blue Shell
- Fake Item Box
- Mushroom
- Triple Mushroom
- Super Mushroom
- Star
- Boo
- Thunderbolt
Beta Images
- Mario Kart 64 Beta 01.gif
The original Beta title screen.
The original cast of Mario Kart 64 featuring Magikoopa. (Non-canon)
| Nintendo 64 games | ||
|---|---|---|
| Super Mario franchise | Super Mario 64 (1996) • Mario Kart 64 (1996) • Mario no Photopi (1998) • Mario Party (1998) • Mario Golf (1999) • Mario Artist: Paint Studio* (1999) • Mario Party 2 (1999) • Mario Artist: Talent Studio* (2000) • Mario Artist: Communication Kit* (2000) • Mario Tennis (2000) • Paper Mario (2000) • Mario Artist: Polygon Studio* (2000) • Mario Party 3 (2000) • Dr. Mario 64 (2001) | |
| Donkey Kong franchise | Diddy Kong Racing (1997) • Donkey Kong 64 (1999) | |
| Yoshi franchise | Yoshi's Story (1997) | |
| Crossovers | Super Smash Bros. (1999) | |
