When you see Mario, you think of Super Mario, Mario and Luigi, Yoshi, Toad, Princess Peach, Bowser, and Donkey Kong due to the arcade game. Nintendo must have thought what about all of those characters plus a couple more in a racing game? They did that and what came about was Super Mario Kart. This game spurred the phenomenon that is now the Mario Kart dynasty that continues to this very day with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on the Switch. In a trip to nostalgia road, what did Nintendo do well with this very first game of the dynasty that is Mario Kart?
Positives:
1. The graphics: Honestly, Nintendo literally just makes everything great in graphics don't they? I know it is kind of a beating the drum type of thing but still has to be said because they are so so good at this. This pertains to Super Mario Kart as well as the whole game is graphically great for the SNES.
2. The Music: Again, yes beating the drum over and over but the music in this game is also terrific. This is every level, even the battle mode as well. Nintendo did a spectacular job with this game and it deserves a lot of credit.
3. The tracks: The SNES is pushed to the limits here and it tells. If this were later versions, it gets a lower grade easily. However with the limits of the SNES in the 90's, the tracks here are really well done and they take the SNES to the limits on its graphics and innovation which was good to see.
4. The powerups: This is underrated to be fair but the birth of a lot of these games for Mario Kart started with this game. You have the shells, banana peels, the coins, and the lightning bolts as well as the starts all started with this game and it makes it a lot better over time.
5. Improving difficulty: This is a staple in every Mario Kart it seems but the difficulty rises as you go and it is a good thing. It gets tougher from 50cc to 100cc to the other difficulties. Battle (Or vs. Mode in this game) is always fun to play with.
Negatives:
1. Sliding/Drifting: Yeah if there was a negative and is a negative with Super Mario Kart, it's undoubtedly the drifting in this game. You really just turn and start sliding, you do not even need the controller to do much and you are sliding. If you drift you go way too wide in a corner regardless. They have obviously fixed this and made it better in games in the future, but this is a downside to this game.
Neutral:
1. Rainbow Road: Oh yes, the most polarizing track in Mario Kart history is a neutral here. It's not a half bad race track but one wrong mistake and it is unforgiving. That's sort of how I like race tracks but I can see how players like this and then how they don't.
Grade/Rank:
All in all, Super Mario Kart is probably the best game of the racing category on the SNES. Overall it brings great racing, great battle mode. The sounds are terrific and for its time, the graphics/tracks are put to the very limit to offer a great racing game. In all as well, it is a great Mario game, that has gone on to several generations of games later on in time. I would overall rank this game.. probably 9th on my list of games but that is subject to change I feel. I can't not put it in the top 10 but I feel 9th is appropriate.
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