Super Mario Kart review

[R.O.B.]

Super Mario Kart - SNES

A collection of Super Mario characters, including Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, Peach, Bowser and Donkey Kong Jr., are out to win the Super Mario Kart championship. Using Mode 7 scaling, the first true kart game on the SNES has you collecting coins to boost your speed while using shells and bananas to stop..

Read more...

Source: Nintendo Life

[Rhymetyme91]

9/10 Very nice. This game deserves every bit of it. Whatever did happen to Donkey Kong Jr.?

[hansolo350]

Originally Posted by Rhymetyme91

9/10 Very nice. This game deserves every bit of it. Whatever did happen to Donkey Kong Jr.?

Donkey Kong Jr. is the modern Donkey Kong now, it has been like this since Donkey Kong Country. Cranky Kong is the original DK.

[Yossarian]

Originally Posted by hansolo350

Donkey Kong Jr. is the modern Donkey Kong now, it has been like this since Donkey Kong. Cranky Kong is the original DK.

Ahhh...that makes sense. I'd never thought of it in that way before.

[Betagam7]

While it probably deserved that score back in the day I'd say an 8 is more appropriate these days as the game has its flaws (repetetive tracks, dull graphics and the usual cheating AI) and has lost a bit of its shine in my eyes.

Or maybe that's because I only have one Snes pad currently

[Kurachi]

next stop for SMK is europe, then we finally got it

and they giving it 9/10 is just cuz its a mario game, but i'd agree with that rating, for me its not cuz of mario, since i always used toad

its nice to see VC getting this game
when i was looking around in my room few months ago, i saw my SMK cartridge, and thought: hey, i hope that gets on VC, and it happens this year, yay

[slangman]

I might consider getting this soon. Not a big fan of this sadly, since I didn't like this much when I owned the SNES cart. Your kart handles like a shopping trolley and than there’s the cheating AI when you are in or near first place (they keep getting the same weapon every 5-10 seconds). Not my idea of a classic.

[Jogurt the Yogurt]

Originally Posted by hansolo350

Donkey Kong Jr. is the modern Donkey Kong now, it has been like this since Donkey Kong Country. Cranky Kong is the original DK.

I've heard that before. Is it mentioned in a canonical source somewhere? It's kind of an "interesting" thing to do to the character...

Anyway, this is the best kart racing game Nintendo has ever made. They still haven't matched it with any subsequent game in the series, and they've tried. Instant purchase for me for sure.

[SKTTR]

Originally Posted by Jogurt the Yogurt

I've heard that before. Is it mentioned in a canonical source somewhere? It's kind of an "interesting" thing to do to the character...

The DKC manual (the SNES one, not the VC one) tells something about this. And the DKC NoA Treehouse video explains a bit.

If you followed the story of DKC1 and visit Cranky's Cabin often to talk the otherwise useless ape it gets obvious that he's the old retro DK.

[hansolo350]

Originally Posted by Jogurt the Yogurt

I've heard that before. Is it mentioned in a canonical source somewhere? It's kind of an "interesting" thing to do to the character...

I don't actually know if it was ever mentioned in any source, but the DKC games hint at it a lot. In the opening of DKC1 Cranky is playing the original Donkey Kong music while standing on top of a red steel girder and I believe that Cranky also said that he use to throw a lot of barrels in his youth. Obviously the second point could mean anything really, but it seems to fit in. It has been quite some time since I actually read anything in the DKC games so this might all just be in my head.

[Kurachi]

people say cheating AI... why?
first people say some games are too easy, now a game has something which makes it more of a challenge, which is also bad

they use own powers, thats fun, at least they cant get lightning, or turbo mushroom
and when you are 1st, you have to get very fast, then they wont be able to catch up, unless you blow it yourself

AI not needing a "?" block to get powers makes it easier for players, cuz there's just a few of em, and if they would get em, the players wouldn't have much chance of winning, i said "not much" not "no chance"

also, they use their powers every few seconds, but they dont have much powers, cuz they only use their standard powers, as i said: no lightning or turbo mushrooms

the other mario karts got too much of powers, dunno about the one(s) on handhelds, and except for mario kart 64 (if not counting blue shell, which isnt that much if you're good)

and plz dont start about the "?" which should come back in race modes, since its the 1st mario kart, so they didnt think about that yet, and in battle its required, or else you have to quit if they are all used up, its not required in race modes, cuz you could do that without powers

anyway, i see this game as best of the mario kart series, cuz its the one i had most fun with, and its not too much like MKWii (which has way too much)

funny thing is, even a kid could play SMK, cuz it dont have too much

i read it has "flaws" i dont know any game which is perfect, or doesnt have flaws... maybe some games have flaws you cant see

but a few flaws wont always make a game less good than it would be without em

in SMK they have something for AI which other mario karts have for players and AI : small turbo when not 1st place, while racing

what i like most of SMK compared to the others, is that it's the most balanced mario kart of the series, you can feel that when playing
and that SMK has best view, not counting flat walls, lol, but it has nice view on anything you and others do

i do think its lil less nice handling than MK64, but not bad, SMK is harder to handle when racing, not battling, cuz the less nice handling is good in battles, like slipping too far makes you survive better

another thing which is kinda hard is shooting red shells when riding against a wall, even when not facing the wall you still lose your shell if too close to the walls

funniest of this mario kart is the feather, that makes the game easier, however, sometimes you jump over a wall, and it wont count as a lap *ouch*, so you have to start over

i'd say, try practice and vs mode (race mode) to see what you should and what you shouldnt do with feather, and such

i'll train alot to become very good, better than i was back then, cuz i was kinda bad at 100cc and 150cc, 50cc was easy, and so was battle

congratz to NA's VC

[RetroNL]

Unlike the first Smash Bros. I like this game even on the day of today. I dont know why, but its like if Super Mario Kart gets from better to worse and Smash the other way.

[Rhymetyme91]

Originally Posted by hansolo350

I don't actually know if it was ever mentioned in any source, but the DKC games hint at it a lot. In the opening of DKC1 Cranky is playing the original Donkey Kong music while standing on top of a red steel girder and I believe that Cranky also said that he use to throw a lot of barrels in his youth. Obviously the second point could mean anything really, but it seems to fit in. It has been quite some time since I actually read anything in the DKC games so this might all just be in my head.

I knew Cranky was the original DK, but I always thought DK Jr. was something of Donkey Kong's (from DKC) father...who went missing? So Donkey Kong from DKC would in essence be DK III...which sounds hokey as all get out...but I never liked the idea of DK Jr. just being re designed as DKC Donkey Kong so I guess I mentally created my own cannon haha. Though I suppose your theory makes a world more sense than mine. Either way, I always dug DK Jr., and wish he would make an appearance in, say, the next Super Smash Brothers or some other modern Nintendo game. Nintendo seems to have a fetish for reviving retro themes anyway. (if they didn't, this forum wouldn't even exist!)

[SKTTR]

Originally Posted by Rhymetyme91

I knew Cranky was the original DK, but I always thought DK Jr. was something of Donkey Kong's (from DKC) father...who went missing? So Donkey Kong from DKC would in essence be DK III...which sounds hokey as all get out...but I never liked the idea of DK Jr. just being re designed as DKC Donkey Kong so I guess I mentally created my own cannon haha. Though I suppose your theory makes a world more sense than mine. Either way, I always dug DK Jr., and wish he would make an appearance in, say, the next Super Smash Brothers or some other modern Nintendo game. Nintendo seems to have a fetish for reviving retro themes anyway. (if they didn't, this forum wouldn't even exist!)

On that topic
Even after Donkey Kong Country was released DK Jr. appeared in new games. I think there were a few on the Gamecube and GBA maybe where he showed up/was playable. And it's not official if DK Jr. is our todays Donkey Kong. Imo, they're two different characters.

[hansolo350]

Originally Posted by SKTTR

On that topic
Even after Donkey Kong Country was released DK Jr. appeared in new games. I think there were a few on the Gamecube and GBA maybe where he showed up/was playable. And it's not official if DK Jr. is our todays Donkey Kong. Imo, they're two different characters.

I think DK Jr. appearances after DKC are due to Nintendo of Japan ignoring Rare's work.

I was able to find the following quote from Rare themselves,

"As far as I know, 'our' DK is the son of Cranky, which does indeed make him the original DK Jr. all grown up: so if you see Cranky referred to as DK's granddad anywhere, just cover your eyes and hum loudly until it goes away." (Roderick Arbuthnot - Specialist in Simian Drama, Ape Research Society of England (A.R.S.E.))

http://web.archive.org/web/200208051.../aug25_99.html

[SamiCetinSMK]

Originally Posted by Kurachi

people say cheating AI... why?
first people say some games are too easy, now a game has something which makes it more of a challenge, which is also bad

they use own powers, thats fun, at least they cant get lightning, or turbo mushroom
and when you are 1st, you have to get very fast, then they wont be able to catch up, unless you blow it yourself

AI not needing a "?" block to get powers makes it easier for players, cuz there's just a few of em, and if they would get em, the players wouldn't have much chance of winning, i said "not much" not "no chance"

also, they use their powers every few seconds, but they dont have much powers, cuz they only use their standard powers, as i said: no lightning or turbo mushrooms

the other mario karts got too much of powers, dunno about the one(s) on handhelds, and except for mario kart 64 (if not counting blue shell, which isnt that much if you're good)

and plz dont start about the "?" which should come back in race modes, since its the 1st mario kart, so they didnt think about that yet, and in battle its required, or else you have to quit if they are all used up, its not required in race modes, cuz you could do that without powers

anyway, i see this game as best of the mario kart series, cuz its the one i had most fun with, and its not too much like MKWii (which has way too much)

funny thing is, even a kid could play SMK, cuz it dont have too much

i read it has "flaws" i dont know any game which is perfect, or doesnt have flaws... maybe some games have flaws you cant see

but a few flaws wont always make a game less good than it would be without em

in SMK they have something for AI which other mario karts have for players and AI : small turbo when not 1st place, while racing

what i like most of SMK compared to the others, is that it's the most balanced mario kart of the series, you can feel that when playing
and that SMK has best view, not counting flat walls, lol, but it has nice view on anything you and others do

i do think its lil less nice handling than MK64, but not bad, SMK is harder to handle when racing, not battling, cuz the less nice handling is good in battles, like slipping too far makes you survive better

another thing which is kinda hard is shooting red shells when riding against a wall, even when not facing the wall you still lose your shell if too close to the walls

funniest of this mario kart is the feather, that makes the game easier, however, sometimes you jump over a wall, and it wont count as a lap *ouch*, so you have to start over

i'd say, try practice and vs mode (race mode) to see what you should and what you shouldnt do with feather, and such

i'll train alot to become very good, better than i was back then, cuz i was kinda bad at 100cc and 150cc, 50cc was easy, and so was battle

congratz to NA's VC

Well said, it is the best one for handling by far when you know how. The CPU do a few annoying things but at least you dont get pummelled by blue shells all the time.

Id like to see what everyone can get on Time Trials, we can grow the activity more for SMK now

[Mickeymac]

You know what? I might pick this up for its complete lack of Blue shells(which automatically makes it the best in the series). However, I have to ask: do the sequels just keep rereleasing the ****ty tracks, or are they all that bad? Because the SNES ones are always among my least favorite tracks.

[SamiCetinSMK]

Originally Posted by Mickeymac

You know what? I might pick this up for its complete lack of Blue shells(which automatically makes it the best in the series). However, I have to ask: do the sequels just keep rereleasing the ****ty tracks, or are they all that bad? Because the SNES ones are always among my least favorite tracks.

Well from the tournaments that we have done in the last few years there was never any problems with Match Racing and GP mode on SMK; the players that trained the game the hardest reached the top. When we stuck on the other mario kart games (64 was a mess in mulitplayer), random players who got lucky one the races.

As for the tracks, if Super Mario Kart wasnt in your time/era then they will look more dated, however the simplicity of some of them and challenge on others makes for a lot of fun when you can speed round and cut corners sharp, makes for more of a skill and timing factor. Maybe just the re-released versions on the new Mario Kart games didnt go down too well. To be honest i like Mario Kart DS and Wii for the new tracks, at least cos we havent seen them before.

But some of my favorite tracks ever were from SMK, including Mario Circuit 1, Vanilla Lake 2, Ghost Valley 2 etc.

[hansolo350]

Originally Posted by Mickeymac

You know what? I might pick this up for its complete lack of Blue shells(which automatically makes it the best in the series). However, I have to ask: do the sequels just keep rereleasing the ****ty tracks, or are they all that bad? Because the SNES ones are always among my least favorite tracks.

The SNES tracks in the DS and Wii games are uninteresting and plain because they increase the size of the tracks so much. In the original the roads were only two to three karts wide.

[SamiCetinSMK]

So are you guys ready to get some Time Trial Records?

We are starting to take entries from those who play on the Wii VC, towards the Time Trial World Rankings. We have a wide range of players from Champion level down to first time beginners, will be good to get more involved.

[Etnies89]

Yes, Super Mario Kart definetly deserves a 10/10 due to it's epic game play and technology that was totally advanced for the early 90s! Today the game would seem out of it's time as we know have titles such as Mario Kart Wii, Smash Bros. and Mario Galaxy that are far more advanced in gaming technology! Despite the above, Super Mario Kart is truly a game to focus on, as it's past remedies of technoligical advancements still guide us in awe every time we play this amazing classic title for the (SNES)!

[KeeperBvK]

I'm still having way more fun with Super Mario Kart than with Mario Kart Wiis blue shells, Mario Galaxy's lack of exploration and Smash Bros. Brawl's clunky feel compared to its predecessors.
SMK is not just a throwback, but still one of the best multiplayer games hands down.

[slavko123496]

This game is very good, I just got it today, never played it but saw videos of it on YouTube, and this game was OK, but I expected better because I heard some really good things about it! Graphics are horrible, F-Zero seemed better, I hate the split screen, lack of characters and music was letdown, and it doesn't have that LATER MArio Kart charm to it like Mario Kart 64, DS, and Wii! Overral if you one of those people who buys games all the time, BUY IT!, if you one of those people who buy games RARELY, and need some good games to put smile on your face for a long time, don't buy it!

[Rhymetyme91]

Originally Posted by SKTTR

On that topic
Even after Donkey Kong Country was released DK Jr. appeared in new games. I think there were a few on the Gamecube and GBA maybe where he showed up/was playable. And it's not official if DK Jr. is our todays Donkey Kong. Imo, they're two different characters.

Aside from the Game Boy remakes of the old Game and Watch games, I can't seem to find anything on DK Jr. post SNES era, although he did have his own animated show as part of "Saturday Supercade". I would like to think they're different characters, but Nintendo's lack of revisiting him looks a tad suspicious.

Originally Posted by hansolo350

I think DK Jr. appearances after DKC are due to Nintendo of Japan ignoring Rare's work.

I was able to find the following quote from Rare themselves,

"As far as I know, 'our' DK is the son of Cranky, which does indeed make him the original DK Jr. all grown up: so if you see Cranky referred to as DK's granddad anywhere, just cover your eyes and hum loudly until it goes away." (Roderick Arbuthnot - Specialist in Simian Drama, Ape Research Society of England (A.R.S.E.))

http://web.archive.org/web/200208051.../aug25_99.html

Haha!

[SKTTR]

Originally Posted by Rhymetyme91

Aside from the Game Boy remakes of the old Game and Watch games, I can't seem to find anything on DK Jr. post SNES era, although he did have his own animated show as part of "Saturday Supercade".

I think I remember DK Jr. being a playable/unlockable character in Mario Tennis (N64).

[hansolo350]

DK Jr. also appeared in the GBA version of Super Mario Bros. 3.

[Rhymetyme91]

Originally Posted by hansolo350

DK Jr. also appeared in the GBA version of Super Mario Bros. 3.

Originally Posted by SKTTR

I think I remember DK Jr. being a playable/unlockable character in Mario Tennis (N64).

Well how about that! This just makes me want Mario Tennis to make an appearance on VC even more now. As for the GBA appearance, I already own Super Mario All Stars on my SNES, and will probably download NES SMB 3 here soon, so I doubt I'll be shelling out money for the GBA remake, however, it does make me smile to know that Donkey Kong Jr. is still somewhat relevant in Nintendo's current endeavors. ("Current" as compared to when Donkey Kong Junior first came out 28 years ago.) I remember being five at recess and pretending to be Nintendo characters with my friends; I wanted to be Donkey Kong Junior and nobody knew who that was. Long live DK Jr.!

[SamiCetinSMK]

Well D.K.Jr will live on... it seems the PAL SMK release is due out this Friday apparantely...

Who's gona be downloading it?

[Kurachi]

i'll download at 1 time, thats as soon as it reaches EU VC

i hope it'll be here soon enough

[RetroNL]

Originally Posted by Kurachi

i'll download at 1 time, thats as soon as it reaches EU VC

i hope it'll be here soon enough

Lots of spare time will be filled for you now . It feels good to see other 'good' people happy sometimes.

[aarenlainey]

I already have this game on the SNES, but for all those who are sceptical of buying it due to MKDS, or MKWii being much more advanced, this game is a classic racer with some great track design and difficult one player mode. Seriously, I still haven't beaten it yet! If you're fan of racing games, this is definitely a must buy.

[SamiCetinSMK]

Yes it definitely has the best handling the way you can finely jump around corners tight and win races on driving skill. The items have a good balance also and dont ruin the multiplayer feel.

Definitely up at the top for Time Trials, I look forward to see more of you involved in setting some records following the release on Friday.

[Betagam7]

Can whoever does download it in the PAL region let me know if the borders have been removed as per most SNES titles so I can update the PAL conversion thread.

If they have then this could be the closest we'll get to a proper PAL conversion of the game as the original was already partially worked on to minimise the usual drop in gameplay speed.

I won't be getting it as I already own both versions on cart for my 60hz modded SNES.

[Kurachi]

got it, played it, and i got 1st 5 times in a row already, i guess the clasic controller does the trick

it was 50cc and mushroom cup, and i practiced with time trial once, before trying it

awesome one

gotta practice more though

funny trick is:

time trial:
when selecting cups, press: L,R,L,R,L,L,R,R,A and you can practice special cup

in race:
when selecting character, press: Y+A to be small forever, the only way to become big is getting a mushroom from princess toadstool(peach) or toad

i knew this in the SNES times, so maybe a few dont know this
the small trick may give a challenge

there's also boost trick as most people know, but its a timed trick, i did it twice while doing the 50cc mushroom cup

i'm very happy with this game

[SamiCetinSMK]

Originally Posted by Betagam7

Can whoever does download it in the PAL region let me know if the borders have been removed as per most SNES titles so I can update the PAL conversion thread.

If they have then this could be the closest we'll get to a proper PAL conversion of the game as the original was already partially worked on to minimise the usual drop in gameplay speed.

I won't be getting it as I already own both versions on cart for my 60hz modded SNES.

I dont see any borders... i think it is fine. The game handles very well like snes. Just the PAD itself feels a bit different but thats normal, I need to get used to it.

We are taking entries on Time Trials now for the Rankings, il probably set up a thread here soon aswell.

[Betagam7]

Originally Posted by SamiCetinSMK

I dont see any borders... i think it is fine.

This is what I expected to be honest. Nintendo rarely leaves the borders in SNES VC games...pity about the rest of the VC content. Sounds like a reason to choose this over the SNES original for those who don't already own it.