Funny thing: You don't have to proceed through the cups to race on later courses all 16 can be played right away (which leads us to wonder if there might be more, hidden courses that open when you earn gold trophies in the four cups). These courses are divided into four classes-or Mcups'-of increasing difficulty, the Mushroom, Flower, Star and Special cups. Sixteen courses are designed for the Grand Prix and multiplayer race modes, in which players race against the entire Mario pack or just each other. MK64 gives its drivers 20 courses to race and battle on. Their turning skills and acceleration leave a lot to be desired. The heavyweights-Warrior, Bowser and Donkey Kong-are the speed demons of the group, at least once you get them moving. Mario and Luigi are the middle-of-the-road guys and give a solid-if not stunning-all-around performance.

The lightest three- Yoshi, Peach and Toad-boast the best turning and acceleration capabilities, but their top speeds aren't too speedy. The only MIA is Koopa, who has been replaced by Nintendo's more noteworthy villain, Wario.Īs before, all the racers possess different driving characteristics. Nearly all of the original's racers have returned, including Mario, Luigi, Princess Toadstool (now better known by her Japanese moniker, Peach), Toad, Yoshi, Donkey Kong and Bowser. We're happy to say it packs all the glorious playability-and all of the little Miyamato touches-of the 16-Bit classic, jays well as the fancy new, ant aliased visuals gamers have come to expect from the Nintendo 64.īut before we get to what's new with the Mario Kart gang, let's look at what has stayed the same. But will the much-anticipated 64-Bit update, Mario Kart 64, shine as brightly as its predecessor? Will it offer the same power-sliding, banana-launching thrills the same well-balanced characters the same excellence in multiplayer gaming? Don't worry-it does us recently nabbed a Japanese copy of MK64, and our staff descended on the game, often four at a time, to put it through its paces.

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