Game Statistics

• 24 tracks.
• 4-megabit cartridge.
• 3 modes of play.
• 4 difficulty levels.
• 8 selectable characters.
• Battery backed memory to save time trials.

Game Design
There is one primary reason the Mario Kart Series is so popular. Balance. Everything in the game is perfectly balanced. There is no best selectable character. Each character has its own advantages and disadvantages. There are characters the have excellent handling (Toad and Koopa), others have high top speeds (Bowser and DK Jr.), some characters have great acceleration (Toadstool and Yoshi) and finally there are well-rounded characters (Mario and Luigi). There is no standout best character the game is always fair. There are items and they have various functions. There are items to counter-prevent the affects other items, again keeping balance. Red shells home in on the racer one position ahead of you. The invincible star prevents damage from shells. Balance. There is another important aspect that all racing games must have and that is good course design. Super Mario Kart has excellent course design. Each course gets progressively difficult as the game progresses. This forces the player to adjust to sharper turns, decreased traction and improved artificial intelligence. No racing game does this better that Super Mario Kart. This game also contains a multiplayer battle mode where two players use items to knock other opponents out of the game. It is very fun, quite possible one of the best multiplayer experiences on the SNES.

Graphics
Super Mario Kart uses the mode 7 graphical scaling system for simple 3D graphics. The character sprites on there karts are quite detailed and look very nice. Animation is relatively smooth unless there are a lot of characters on screen at one time. Overall the graphical quality is very suitable for this style of game. However, it is not where this game shines.

Sound
The sound effects in Super Mario Kart are well done. It is possible to tell how fast you are moving by the sound of your engine. All of the items have different sound effects that are representative of what they will do. The in-game music varies by the course. Each music track is pleasant to listen to and keeps the racer in the racing mood.

Control
This game handles very well, and that is important for a racing game. While most of the controls are very generic and simple, Super Mario Kart added one new element to racing games, the power slide. While pressing L or R, the kart will slide through turns. This allows for easy navigation through tight turn. The control system in Super Mario Kart is easy to learn but tough to master.

Satisfaction
It is pretty difficult not to like this game. While making this review I struggled to find a negative points about this game. It is extremely fun. There is nothing like hitting your opponent with a red shell and overtaking them just before the end of a race, NOTHING! Super Mario Kart is the essence of fun.

Replay Value/Game Length
There are plenty of things to do in this game. There are four difficulty levels 50cc, 100cc, 150cc and extra. Getting a gold cup on every class on every difficulty will take some time. Once you do that, you can keep playing the awesome multiplayer mode.

Overall
Super Mario Kart has been a very successful game because is incredibly fun and one of the best multiplayer games on the SNES. A must own for anyone that owns the Super Nintendo Entertainment System.

Game Design	10
Mechanics	10
Innovation	10
Originality	10
Extras	10
Depth	10
Graphics	8.8
Character/Animation	8.5
Environment	9.0
Framerate	9.0
Sound	9.0
Music	9.0
Sound FX/Voice	9.0
Control	9.8
During Play	9.5
Menus	10
Functionality	10
Satisfaction	10
Challenge	10
Fun-Factor	10
Replay Value/Game Length	10
Multiplayer	10
FINAL SCORE	9.6

Review by Player Guy Forever

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