Video Game Corner: Super Mario Kart (1992)

I'm typically not big into sports games or racing games, but the Mario Kart franchise is a notable exception. I have loved these games ever since I first played the original back when I was a really young kid, with my absolute favorite being Mario Kart 64, which I grew up with and played endlessly, both by myself and with my friends, well into my high school years. A close second would probably be Mario Kart Wii, which is so much fun. As for the original Super Mario Kart on the Super NES, I rented it a few times as a kid but never owned it (I came close to getting it a few times, though), and after I got Mario Kart 64 when I was nine, it got left in the dust. In fact, I didn't play it again until I found a used copy at McKay's when I was in my late 20's. Even though it's much simpler and has different gameplay variables from the later games, which I've long since become more used to, it was still really cool to catch up with this undeniable classic after so many years and, I must say, it's still a lot of fun. But, it can also be really, really hard, challenging, and downright brutal on the harder difficulties and races. I won't lie, there have been playthroughs that have left me fuming inside, and I also tend to have the worst luck on certain courses and with the item selection. Seriously, I've botched things up so badly when a certain item should've put me over that you would think I was just incompetent as player. And there also various maneuvers that, for whatever reason, I cannot pull off to save my life. In the end, it's a good game, but a very frustrating one.

Like with the later Mario Kart games, there are several different modes of play, two for single players and three for two-players. Since I'm by myself when it comes to playing video games nowadays, the one I often end up playing is the Grand Prix, where you, as well as a friend, compete in one of, initially, three different sets of races or cups, at two different difficulty classes: 50cc and 100cc. You race through five different courses a cup, each individual race lasting five laps (later games would knock it down to three laps), to compete to win one of three trophies: gold, silver,

and bronze, depending on how many points you rack up through the various races. First place awards nine points, second gets six, third gets three, and fourth gets one. At the end of each race, the points are tallied up and whoever has the most is ranked in first place, the second-most gets second place, and so on. Whichever position you finish one race in will be where you start the next one. You have to place at least fourth in order to move on to the next race; otherwise you get ranked out and have to try again, and you only get three or so chances to do so before it's game over (and this isn't a game where "0 lives" counts as one last

chance). You can get extra lives by placing the same position three races in a row, and if you can tell you're going to lose and want to spare yourself the misery of crossing the finish line at fifth place or lower, you have the option to "GIVE UP" when you hit the pause button, costing you a life in the process. At the end of each set of races, the various trophies are awarded to their corresponding rankings. When you win the gold at 100cc on each of the initial three races, you unlock a fourth race called the "Special Cup," and if you do the same on it, you unlock the 150cc difficulty (trust me, if you want a challenge, that'll give it to you; I've only been able to complete the Mushroom and Flower Cups on that difficulty, and even then, I got silver and bronze, respectively).

Time Trial is a one-player only mode where you pick a single track and see how fast you can drive it, without any aid from coins or items. Each lap's time is recorded individually and are added up to time the entire session, with the fastest lap and the character used being individually noted. This mode is also a really good way to practice courses that you may have trouble with on the Grand Prix. There's a cheat code you can enter on the mode's cup selection menu to unlock the Special Cup courses (though it doesn't unlock it for the other modes). For two-players only, you have Match

Race, which is like the Grand Prix, only it's just you and your buddy on a given track, with no computer-controlled opponents to contend with (although there are Bullet Bills sliding back and forth across the tracks at various points). And Battle Mode has you and your friend going head-to-head in one of four different arenas, trying to pop the three balloons each of you has in order to win. I don't have much to say about the two-player modes, as I can't remember ever playing them with my friends when we rented the game as kids (I'm sure we did but that was decades ago now) and, as I've said, I play games by myself nowadays.

The game is typically set up on a split-screen, both in the actual game and on some of the selection screens, with course selections up top and maps and other stats for each course on the bottom. In one-player, the top screen is a third-person view of your character on the track, while the bottom displays the map and everyone's individual positions throughout the race. You can also press SELECT or X to switch the bottom to the rear-view mirror in order to keep an eye on who's behind you, although I prefer to keep it on the map, as I find the mirror to be distracting. Because of that, it annoys me how, when you're in first place and the driver behind you keeps throwing obstacles out in your path, it automatically switches back and forth between the map and the rear-view. Though

each course has its own obstacles and types of terrain to deal with, what's almost always consistent are the question mark tiles that give you items, coins you pick up to increase your top speed, as well as make yourself more durable against getting side-swiped by other karts (you spin out if you're hit while you don't have any coins), speed-bumps or "Jump Pads" that can cause you to miss an Item Tile ahead of them if you don't hop manually, and arrows on the track, called either "Dash Panels" or "Zippers" (I like the latter more), that give you a boost of speed, as well as make you jump really far if there's a Jump Pad in front of it (though you have to be careful about how you're lined up when you hit the arrows, as they can send you flying into oblivion, straight into a wall, or out

of bounds). What's also consistent is how the terrain off the actual track slows you down and how, on a number of them, you can fall off, be it through a pit or a gap in the track's guardrails, into water, or lava. I've never read the instruction manual, as it never came with the game when I rented it, nor did my used copy come with it, but from what I've read, it states that Lakitu owns all the racetracks, which is why he oversees the races. He warns you if you end up going the wrong way and helps if you fall off the track or go out of bounds, though he sure takes his sweet time in doing so and takes two coins when he places you back on the track.

From a visual and audio standpoint, the game holds up really well. Graphics-wise, it looks really good, with lots of bright, beautiful colors, well-designed tracks, and is groundbreaking in how it's both the first game to feature characters from the Mario franchise in a genre other than platforming and how, I'm pretty sure, it's the first one to feature them in a 3-D type of presentation. Speaking of the characters, their designs are obviously based on Super Mario World, released the year before, and while the animation on them is very limited, usually consisting of just a couple of frames, and

you can tell when you're driving that it's a static image of the character being turned ever so slightly on an environment that's actually whipping by in order to simulate movement, it still looks really good for the time. However, that's not to say it isn't dated. During the races, while the map-screen and the rear-view on the bottom halves of the screen, as well as your character and the environment immediately in front of and around them, all look good, almost everything in the distance tends to come off as pixelated, becoming a colorful blur when you're really flying around curves (the far backgrounds tend to remain fairly steady). And as

well-designed as the tracks are, with exclusive traits, obstacles, and shortcuts to each of them, I wish there was a bit more variety as, except for the very last one, Rainbow Road, they're all just variations on the same seven types of environments. As for the audio, I think it's pretty much perfect. It would've been nice if more than just three of the characters had their own specific taunts whenever they pass someone (but, that might've required actual speech or human sounds, which the Super NES wasn't able to handle), but I like how each character has his or her own distinct engine sound and theme music, as well as how you can usually hear when someone slipped on or got hit by an item, even if it happens far behind you, and the different sounds your tires make on various types of terrains. That's to say nothing of the music, which I'll go into more detail on later.

The controls are also nicely smooth and responsive, and there are a number of special maneuvers that are crucial to excelling at the game. There's the simple hop, which you do by pressing either "L" or "R," allowing you to avoid speed-bumps, obstacles in the road, and items the other drivers use against you that can spin you out or keep you from reaching a needed Item Panel. The hop can also help you get through a patch of terrain that slows you down and makes sharp turns easier to get through. Speaking of which, just as important as the hop is the power slide you can

pull off by holding either of the L and R buttons and pushing left or right on the control pad. This maneuver allows you to make sharp turns without losing speed, and you really need to practice and master it, as there are many courses that are curvier than snakes. But, as useful as this move is, it has a drawback for me in that holding left or right after hopping makes you drift. I tend to get caught up in this after round a corner and stop the power slide, which causes problems when it sends me to a part of the track I don't want to go into or leaves me open for another driver to slam into me. Another useful move is the Turbo or Rocket Boost, which

you can pull off at the start of a race by hitting the accelerator at just the right moment, allowing you to go from zero to top speed and mow past everyone else to take an early lead. Unfortunately, while I can pull it off in the other Mario Kart games no problem, I can't get the feel for it here and either fail to activate it or spin out and get left behind. And when I do activate it, it's purely by accident and I'm so surprised that I end up either slamming into something or flying off the track. Finally, one complaint I have about the controls is that you can't go in reverse. That means if you get caught against a wall, you have to repeatedly hop in order to right yourself, and that takes precious time, allowing the others to leave you behind.

What comes to most people's minds when they think of the Mario Kart games are the items you can use to gain the advantage over your opponents. In this game, you obtain them by driving over one of a set of "Item Panels," usually found near the starting line, though some courses have miscellaneous ones placed farther down the road, be it in pairs or just one. While the Item Boxes in later games would respawn during each lap, once you've used a panel, it stays deactivated for the rest of the race. As many know, the specific items you can get at a time are chosen at random, but even if you stop the roulette, there is a system that determines what type of item you'll get, depending on your position in the race, what lap you're on, and what track you happen to be driving, as well as what the mode of play is. For instance, if time's running out and you're way behind, the odds are more likely that you'll receive an item that either temporarily increases your speed or allows you to really screw over your opponents. However, I sometimes find that it'll give you those boosting items on tracks where there a lot of curves, when they're best used on straight paths that allow you to keep control.

Some of the items would be retained and even added onto in future games, while others would only figure this first time. The Banana Peel is one of two items which you can either throw out in front or leave on the track behind you (I prefer the latter, as I've never been able to make somebody slip on one of these things, even when I do throw them out in their path). The other is the green Koopa Shell, which acts like a banana peel when you use it from behind, rather than firing backwards like in later games. I find it's most effective to leave those sorts of items behind on a curve, where they're difficult to

avoid. The downside to using them is that, if no one slips on them, you run the risk of hitting them yourself when you come back around. The red Koopa Shell, naturally, homes in on your target, but its drawback is that it goes directly at them, which can lead to it hitting a wall and knocking itself out of commission. Also, it'll sometimes go for another driver near you, rather than the one you want to hit with it. The Feather allows you to perform a high jump to sail over obstacles and hazards, as well as take shortcuts that are impossible to leap otherwise. The Mushroom is the item I tend to get the most on really

curvy courses, where the boost it gives you is more of a handicap than an aid. However, on straight paths, it can allow you to catch up with opponents, and you really go flying if you use it in conjunction with the Jump Pads. The Invincibility Star is one of my favorite items, as it allows you to mow through the other racers and blast through most obstacles that otherwise stop you dead. But, like with the Mushroom, using it on a curvy track can prove detrimental. A coin item adds two coins to your total, but it's probably the most annoyingly useless item

you can get, especially when you need something whose results are more immediate. The Lightning Bolt is the rarest item of them all, hardly ever popping up even when you stop the roulette yourself (it's also not featured at all in Battle Mode), but it's probably the most useful, in that it shrinks and slows down all your opponents, allowing you to run over and squash them like bugs. Also, in Match Race and Battle Mode, there's a Ghost item that temporarily turns you transparent and steals your opponent's item.

The game has eight drivers to choose from, dividing them up into specific categories of two, depending on their acceleration, top speed, weight, and handling, whereas in later games, the criteria would be based almost purely on their weight. Mario and Luigi are fairly average all around, in that their top speed is quite high but everything else is in the medium range. Yoshi and Princess Toadstool have the fastest acceleration but their top speed is medium and their handling is quite poor, not to mention that their light weights make it easy for other, heavier racers to knock them around. Donkey Kong Jr. (who, after the modern iteration of Donkey Kong from Donkey Kong Country was introduced, would only appear in one other Mario Kart game) and Bowser, the two heavyweights, have very lousy acceleration but, ironically, have the highest top speed, along with medium handling. And finally, Toad and Koopa Troopa have high acceleration and the best handling which, despite their top speed being very low, make them two characters I like using.

In addition to the Item System, there's also a Rival System, a predetermined order of the other racers, specific to whichever character you decide to play as. There's the "Very Fast," "Fast," and, "Medium" drivers, the ones you find yourself battling for first place with; the "Slow" driver, who brings up fifth place; and the three "Very Slow" drivers, who bring up the last three spaces. Interestingly, while the Very Slow drivers often keep whatever position they fall into after getting hit or slipping on an item, the fastest of the group tend to take back their positions when it happens to them. And if something causes one of the faster drivers to end up in the back at the end of a race, they become one of the slow drivers, with everyone else getting booted up by one position. The points they've accumulated over the races also determine

their position for the next race. Even if a rival ended a race in last place, if their point tally still ranks them as second to the player, they'll start the next race in second place. For Mario, the three fast drivers are Donkey Kong Jr., Princess Toadstool, and Yoshi. For Luigi, it's Yoshi, Mario, and Bowser. Princess goes up against Bowser, Toad, and Mario. Yoshi contends with Koopa Troopa, DK Jr., and Princess, while Bowser's main rivals are, fittingly, Mario, Luigi, and Princess. DK Jr. goes head-to-head with Toad, Bowser, and Koopa Troopa, Koopa Troopa himself contends with Luigi, Yoshi, and Princess, and finally, Toad deals with Princess, DK Jr., and Mario. As you can see, the rivalries don't always overlap. For instance, while Donkey Kong Jr. is the opponent Mario fights against the most for first place, Mario isn't one of DK's top three rivals.

Instead of using the items provided by the panels, your opponents have their own items they use against you. Some are items that you yourself can acquire from the panels, while others are specific to their individual users. Mario and Luigi have the most infuriating one: the Invincibility Star. It almost never fails: you'll be slamming into them and trying to get around them, when they'll suddenly start flashing and playing that unmistakable music. This makes it almost impossible to get around them without getting spun out, especially since they will try to deliberately slam and back into you. When they use it, it doesn't give them a boost of speed (though I kind of wish it did, so I didn't have to contend with them), and it doesn't last as long as when you get it from an Item Panel, though it's still long enough to be really

annoying. Donkey Kong Jr., naturally, uses Banana Peels, throwing them out in front of you or leaving them behind for you to slip on. Both Yoshi and Bowser have their own variations on the Banana Peel: Eggs and Fireballs, respectively. The latter is trickier to avoid, as it hovers back and forth in the spot where Bowser left it. Koopa Troopa, fittingly, uses Koopa Shells, but instead of firing them like when you use them, he instead tosses them ahead of you, where they sit stationary on the ground like Banana Peels, Eggs, and Fireballs. Princess Toadstool and Toad leave behind Poison Mushrooms which, like the similar items in Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels and the Lightning Bolt here, shrink you down if you hit them, making you an easy target to get run over by the other drivers. Fortunately, if you hit another Mushroom while you're shrunk, it reverses the process. Also, if you really want a challenge, you can enter a code on the Character Select screen for the Grand Prix that shrinks your character down for the duration of the entire race!

In the Grand Prix mode, each race or cup has its own specific tracks, though like I said earlier, when you drive them, you come to realize they're all variations on a handful of environments, each type having its own hazards, terrain, and even music themes. However, each individual course does have enough specifics to where it doesn't feel like the game is becoming repetitive, and while I would say the races become more difficult with each cup you pick, even the Mushroom Cup can be quite challenging when played on the higher difficulty levels. That's especially true for 150cc, where the drivers are not only very fast but feel much more aggressive in how much they're willing to slam into you and knock you about.

Mushroom Cup

Mario Circuit 1: The first course in the entire game is, fittingly, a typical racetrack setting, and a very straightforward one. There aren't that many twists and turns, none of the turns are sharp enough to where you have to Power Slide, and the only things liable to slow you down are either some Warp Pipes you come across right before the second turn (said pipes are common hazards on these and two other types of tracks) or the dirt that surrounds the track. You can pull off a shortcut after you drive across the Item Panels by cutting straight through the dirt and bypassing the next-to-last turn.

Donut Plains 1: This course, with a setting consisting of a dirt road circling around a small lake, is much curvier than the first one, with them coming one after the other and tending to be quite sharp and wide. It also has a spot right past the starting line where you cross over a bridge (while this one is simple, later ones aren't nearly as forgiving), and introduces you to a new hazard:

water, although you're not likely to fall in this lake unless you're really unlucky on one specific curve. In any case, when you fall in water, the game allows you to keep driving for a few seconds before Lakitu comes and fishes you out, which can either help or hurt, depending on how close to the shore you fell in. There are several shortcuts, such as a patch of grass to the right of the bridge you can boost through, a gap in a wall just past the bridge, and the inside of the last curve before the finish line, which you can also boost through.

Ghost Valley 1: These courses are set on old, rickety bridges with a bunch of Boos floating all around in the dark night skies that make up the backgrounds (they don't do anything, though). While there aren't any real tricky turns here, these courses have guardrails made up of individual tiles that can be destroyed if you slam into them, creating gaps you can fall through. There's also one

stretch of the track where there are no guardrails at all, and it's here that you find two extra Item Panels sitting right on the edges, directly across from each other. Each of these tiles have a small Jump Pad right before them, meaning you have to either hop at the right moment or use a Feather to activate them. There are a number of other, larger Jump Pads throughout this course, including one near the finish line that allows you to sail over a big gap. Just beyond that gap is an unprotected edge with a long plank across from it, which makes for a very risky shortcut that drops you off right before the finish line. You can only reach it with a Feather, using a Mushroom before you hit that Jump Pad behind the initial gap, or a well-timed hop, which you can only pull off in 150cc.

Bowser Castle 1: These courses are always among the most difficult, as they combine a number of annoying hazards: sharp turns, lava, which you often have to jump across, and Thwomps. On the first lap, the Thwomps hover in midair, but after that, they start trying to crush you. As you drive towards them, you have to watch their patterns and wait for an opening to drive under them, which you

don't even get, sometimes. Even if they don't squash you, they can still act as barriers, making you lose time. That makes it so satisfying to knock them off the screen with an Invincibility Star, and they don't respawn when you come back around, either. On this particular course, the Thwomps are placed at the end of a long, wide spot full of Zippers, as well as at the end of two sections where you hop across a series of lava pits. Speaking of which, it's best to try to drive as straight as possible and not use any boosts while hopping across lava; otherwise, you'll fly right into it. This first Bowser Castle isn't all that bad, but the ones in the later cups are absolute nightmares.

Mario Circuit 2: This is basically a longer and trickier version of the first Mario Circuit, with many more curves, a lot more coins to collect, and a new hazard: oil slicks. You come across one slick just beyond the Item Panels, and it's not there for decoration; run over it and you spin out like if you hit a Banana Peel or other such item. The difference is that you don't lose coins for it. This

track's most notable feature comes right before the finish line: a ramp jump that you make with the assistance of some Zippers right before it. If you're not going fast enough, you can fall on an earlier part of the track and have to go back around again. This spot is also ideal for setting traps for the other drivers by laying items right behind the Zippers, and if you use a boosting item before making the jump, you'll go flying, although you can wind up out of bounds doing this.

Flower Cup

Choco Island 1: A new type of setting, this one features hazards that include really thick dirt and gravels off the main path that severely slow you down, patches of mud right before the finish line that both slow you down and make it difficult to steer, and Piranha Plants placed on the edges of sharp corners that cause you to spin out if you hit them. There are also a number of small bumps in the dirt that make you hop and make it a bit tougher to steer. Despite all this, it's not that hard of a track, and it goes by really, really fast.

Ghost Valley 2: This one goes by really fast too, but it's much more difficult. On the higher difficulties, I usually do well on Choco Island 1 and then get pulverized here, mainly because this is where the game tends to give you items that aren't helpful on this particular course. Not only are there are more turns and curves than on the first Ghost Valley course, a number of which are very sharp,

there are a lot of spots, including in the middle of those turns, where you can fall off due to a lack of guardrails and gaps in the rails that are there. There's a Zipper at the start of the final leg towards the finish line that, although useful, especially if you have a Mushroom, is hard to use because it comes right after a sharp turn, making it difficult to properly line yourself up with it. There's also an extra Item Panel right in front of a Jump Pad just past the Zipper, but the only way to get it is to slow down and carefully maneuver around it, something you don't have time to do. There's another possible shortcut by using the Feather to clear a large gap just past the starting line, and around that same point are two other Item Panels tucked in the corner off to the left, making them easy to miss in the heat of the action.

Donut Plains 2: And speaking of courses that give me problems on higher difficulties. This one is much harder than the first. Again, unless you're really unlucky, you're not likely to fall in the lake. The problems here are a lot of sharp curves, with some spots having two in a row, meaning you have to Power Slide like mad to get around them without losing speed. That task is made even

harder by the walls on the grassy parts of these turns that can be really hard to clear, and annoying gophers (I thought they were Monty Moles at first but, from what I've read on the Super Mario Wiki, they're just gophers) who make their holes on the inside of some of these curves. It's almost impossible for me to race through this course without running into at least one of these annoying furballs, who get in your face and can only be thrown off by repeatedly hopping. While that's not difficult to do, it can waste precious time. And finally, the track gets narrow in some spots, making it easy to end up on the grass, and there are other spots with thicker dirt that makes you lose traction.

Bowser Castle 2: According to the Super Mario Wiki, this is the longest track in the entire game and I can believe it, which is to say nothing of how it's also really hard and annoying. The first leg features three spots where you have to jump over pools of lava using speed bumps, and there are two pairs of Thwomps floating here as well. After that is a sharp corner to a spot where there are a bunch

of coins and choice of either going straight or heading to the left. The latter is a trap, as it leads to an unguarded pool of lava, and while you can jump this spot with a Feather or a Mushroom combined with a hop, it's so difficult to pull off that it's not worth the hassle. The actual path isn't much easier, as you go around two more sharp corners, the latter of which has four Thwomps hovering right at the bend, and then come to a spot with a number of forks leading around some pools of lava. While those pools, thankfully, do have stones around them, and there's a Zipper and an extra Item Panel to be found here, it's still a really hard place to get

through, as the turns are quick and sharp, and when all the drivers come in and get bunched up while trying to fight their way through, it becomes complete chaos. After that is another set of hops over lava, including two wide gaps and another spot with four Thwomps hovering just before one of these jumps (remember, once they start rising and falling after the first lap, they'll make this section even tougher), before another turn to the last leg to the finish line. And like I said before, if you get a boosting item, wait until you're coming up on the finish line to use it, as you'll regret it if you use it while making those jumps.

Mario Circuit 3: What makes this course so difficult is not that there are a ton of hazards (although, the oil slicks and Warp Pipes are here) but because it's very long, with a lot of sharp twists and turns, and walls and pipes that can make it hard to clear them without getting stuck. In the middle is the toughest turn yet: a very sharp hairpin that almost takes a miracle to clear without hitting

the wall, slamming into the four pipes on the right side of the track just past it, or going off into the sand and slowing down. Again, this is where the game tends to taunt me by giving me items that increase my speed and yet, the only spot where it's best to use those is in the last leg to the finish. Speaking of which, the course is not entirely without mercy, as there's a gap in a wall to the left of one of the last turns which you can cut through, though it's best to do so with a boosting item so you don't lose speed. There's also a Zipper around the last corner leading to the finish line, but like in Ghost Valley 2, it comes right after a curve, making it difficult to line up with (though not as difficult).

Star Cup

Koopa Beach 1: Like Choco Island 1, this cup's first race is very short (this is the shortest track in the whole game) and rather easy. Consisting of several small islands, its hazards mainly consist of some Cheep Cheeps flopping about here and there (they're so far out of your way, you're not likely to run into them), and a big patch of grass on the largest island that you'd naturally avoid anyway, as the Item Panels are over to its left. In these environments, you can easily drive through the light-colored, shallow water (though it's best to hop so as not to lose speed) but you'll sink if you go near the darker, deeper sections. Again, there's no reason for you to go near the deep sections here, so they're unlikely to be a problem.

Choco Island 2: This course, however, can be a problem, as it's longer than the first Choco Island stage, with more twists and turns, narrow sections of road, natural bumps in the road, and a massive lake of mud before the finish line, with Piranha Plants lining the center of it. There's no point in trying to drive around it because the bit of track between it and the rocky dirt off-road is really narrow. Your best bet is to just blaze through it, jumping as much as you can, and taking advantage of the one dry spot near the back edge. There is a shortcut right after the starting line, but it's another gap through the wall over in the terrain that slows you down, so it's best to do it while using a boost.

Vanilla Lake 1: One of two courses that take place around a frozen lake, and they're both pains in the rear. First, the icy track you have to drive on makes it difficult to keep your kart from sliding around and there are sections of snow on it around the back that can slow you down. You better make sure the contrast on your TV is correct; otherwise, it can be hard to make out and avoid these snowy parts.

Also, around the corner past the Item Panels are four Warp Pipes that are hard to get around because of the ice, and beyond them is a spot where you have to drive through an opening in a wall, only to run into a row of icy tiles that knock you back a bit. The good thing is that they break after you hit them, but there's an even wider set of them not far from that one. And finally, there are parts where the ice is smashed open, exposing the water, but like in the previous Donut Plains courses, you almost have to be aiming for them to fall in.

Bowser Castle 3: This is the last Bowser Castle track and thank God, because it's the worst one of all. After starting off with a sharp corner, a narrow passage you have to orient yourself perfectly to get through, and more lava jumps with Thwomps hovering over them, you come to a fork, this one leading to one of two paths made up of lava jumps with an Item Panel just past each Jump Pad. Either

one works fine, but trying to cross over from one to another will likely land you in the lava. And there are Thwomps here too, of course. Beyond this, you go around another curve, hit a Zipper that speeds you down a passage with four Thwomps at the end (those guys will become the bane of your existence once they start pounding), and around that is a spot with three forks. The one to the right is the best to take, as it has a Zipper just in front of a Jump Pad. The middle one has a couple of Jump Pads and two extra Item Panels lined up beyond them, meaning you have to hop at the right moment to get at them. And the one over to the left has six coins and a Zipper, but using it can cause the others to get

ahead of you, especially since you have to make a tricky hairpin at the end. Finally, around that corner is a jagged spot leading to the stretch to the finish line. There are two Thwomps at the corner and those assholes caused me to lose a race when they dropped down in front of me at the last minute (and I was in like second or third place, too, which was really good for me on one of the higher difficulties!).

Mario Circuit 4: The most difficult thing about this track, and why I tend to lose, no matter how well I've done up to now, is its length. It's the longest Mario Circuit, with sharp turns galore, narrow spots that make it hard to keep from going through the dirt, two spots where there's a line of four Warp Pipes running across the road, and not even that many Item Panels. Speaking of items, you never get a Feather here, as you'd then be able to jump over the wall that separates two sections of the track. There is a shortcut near the finish line, where you can boost through an opening in the wall, but that's about the only advantage there is. 

Special Cup

Donut Plains 3: Like the other two Donut Plains courses, this one goes by relatively fast, but it is, by far, the most difficult. There are a lot of sharp turns and narrow sections of the track, spots with lots of thick dirt that hurts your traction, two smashed up bridges that don't have guardrails, one of which has a large hole in the center that you have to hop over, and more of those annoying gophers (some are actually jumping out of the lake). Like before, they tend to pop out of holes on the outside curves of the two biggest turns on the course, specifically the ones leading to the finish line, and they're almost impossible to avoid slamming into because of the sharpness of the corners and how fast you tend to come upon them. And there are no shortcuts to make this one any less painful.

Koopa Beach 2: While it's more difficult than the first Koopa Beach, with hazards that aren't as easy to avoid, this is probably the easiest track in the Special Cup. As you race around the edges of one large island this time, avoiding the patches of grass inland that slow you down, the spot that can cause you problems is around the bend past the Item Panels. You have to drive through a large section of shallow water while avoiding a number of patches

of deep water, which isn't as easy as you might think. You have several different paths you can take through here, including one with a little isle housing an extra Item Panel. There are also Cheep Cheeps bouncing around in this section, as well as around the curve just before the finish line, but I've never found myself slamming into them. There is a potential shortcut just on the other side of the wall near the main set of Item Panels, but you need a Feather to reach it.

Ghost Valley 3: Now this is most definitely when the Special Cup stops going easy on you, as this last Ghost Valley course doubles down on everything that made the first two tricky. There are numerous sharp turns, some of which are almost like hairpins, long sections with no guardrails, big gaps in the spots that do have guardrails, spots where the track zigzags without any railing, a lot of big holes in the track that come up real fast, and Jump Pads and Zippers placed right before those holes, making it very easy to go plummeting down if you try to use them. And there are no shortcuts to be found here, so expect to pull out a lot of your hair before the race is over.

Vanilla Lake 2: Like the previous course, this one takes all the annoying hazards of the first Vanilla Lake and multiplies them exponentially. First, besides the slippery ice and patches of snow, the course itself runs around an enormous hole in the frozen lake, and it's so narrow that it forces you to stay close to the edge of the ice. Second, there are spots where the crack's edges jut out fairly far to the right, forcing you to either maneuver around

them or hop across them at their narrower points. Third, there are plenty of Warp Pipes strewn across the track, and many more of those icy tiles, including one spot where there are three clusters of them, with very narrow paths in-between them and the wall, and a small field of them before the finish line. Finally, there are sections during the last quarter of the track where you can either hop over a number of breaks in the ice or just drive around them, including going through a gap in the wall that's best done with a boost item, which is the only shortcut to be found here.

Rainbow Road: This is probably the most iconic track in the Mario Kart franchise, and it's definitely the most unique in this first game, being the only one of its kind. It's quite beautiful to look at, with all those colors, and the black and dark blue night sky as background, but it's also probably the hardest one to drive, even on the lower difficulties. There are no guardrails at all, all of the turns are a sheer 90 degrees, and there are sections where the

track gets very narrow. Thankfully, you don't have to worry about traction problems, but getting into fights with the other drivers on this track is a disaster waiting to happen. There are coins on the track, but they're practically invisible amongst all those yellow tiles, and the same goes for the occasional Jump Pad you come across. The worst hazards, though, are the Star Thwomps. If you thought the regular Thwomps in the Bowser Castle courses were annoying, these are electrified, meaning you spin out if you touch them. Of course, they have to be really obnoxious about where they're hovering, be it near curves, around large gaps, or right before the finish line, where there's a group of four that you either have to drive around, forcing you get seriously close to the edge, or wait

until they rise and drive under them. The only shortcut to be found here is a potentially risky one. Before the curve that leads around to the finish line, the track splits off in two, leaving an enormous gap in the center. There are coins on the left track and two extra Item Panels on the right, but both end with two Star Thwomps hovering in the air before the paths merge again. There's also a hard to see Jump pad in front of the gap, and if you use a Mushroom in conjunction with it, you can sail right over the gap... but then, you have to worry about potentially driving off the edge beyond due to momentum.

If you manage to place third or higher in the rankings at the end of a Grand Prix, you're treated to an awards ceremony, where the drivers stand on a podium and receive their trophies. Or, at least, you see your character win his or her trophy, which pops out of this big Cheep Cheep balloon, while the others just celebrate their own wins. If you came in fourth place or lower, you have to watch from the sidelines and are told to try again. Whoever came in first has a bottle of champagne and, if you're first place, your character pops the cork, which hits the balloon and sends it flying off into the horizon. In the Japanese version, Bowser and Princess Toadstool actually drink the champagne in their celebratory animations, with Bowser pouring it sloppily into his mouth while Princess, with a flushed face indicating

drunkenness, simply drinks more of it. Naturally, they couldn't get away with that in other countries, so here, the two of them just celebrate like everyone else, with Princess repeatedly tossing the bottle up into the air. Also, if you win the gold on all three of the regular races on the harder difficulties or do the same on all four, you actually get ending credits, with a final screen that thanks you for playing. The only downside to this is that you can't just go back to the menu screen by pressing one of the buttons. If you want to try another race, you either have to reset or turn the Super NES off and then back on again.

Even though I have no reason to go into it whenever I play, I will comment on the courses found in Battle Mode, although there's not much to say. All four of them, which should actually be referred to as "arenas," are square-shaped, with a large open area at the center, while the surrounding area is a labyrinth made up of the multi-colored walls found on the racing courses, with Item Tiles scattered all around. Each arena takes its design

and tile-scheme from various types of courses: the first one is based around Donut Plains (unlike the others, it has sections of varying size that branch off from each side), the second on Koopa Beach (the various walls, which are square, rectangular, and L-shaped blocks, have shallow water in the middle of them, but without a Feather or other item, it's unlikely you'll end up in it), the third on Vanilla Lake, with the track made of ice (no snowy patches, though), along with both normal walls and those breakable ice tiles, and the fourth is based on Mario Circuit, with a sandy patch in the middle that you can drive over.

The music for Super Mario Kart, composed by Soyo Oka, is just delightful on all fronts. When you hear that distinctively energetic and joyful title screen tune, you know that you're in for a good time. Without a doubt, my personal favorite bit of music is the Mario Circuit theme, which gets your blood and adrenaline pumping because of how thrilling and action-packed it sounds. The Donut Plains courses have this softer, more rustic sound to them, with a constant beat that sounds like some light drumming, whereas Ghost Valley is clearly based on the Boo House music from Super Mario World. It starts out with that same ethereal sound, accompanied by an eerie version of the soundtrack's overall horn aesthetic, but then transitions into a very low, menacing rumble that goes, "Dun-dun-dun dun, dun, dun, dun-dun," which it repeats with some extra "dun-duns" at the end. Bowser's Castle has a theme that, for 16-bit, has a surprising amount of hard-hitting bass to it, done in a very memorable, rocking sort of tune. Choco Island's theme has a rustic feel akin to Donut Plains, with a lot of light percussion but done in a manner that's actually relaxing. I could easily see myself listening to this music if I'm out for a drive in the country one afternoon. Koopa Beach's music is done in the same manner and is also relaxing to listen to, if faster-paced and with a smidge more majesty to it. Vanilla Cup's music may be quite lovely to listen to, with more rapid percussion and a definite glacial sound, but because of how irritating those courses are, you're likely to come to associate the music with hair-pulling frustration. And finally, there's Rainbow Road's theme, which is just as unique as the course itself, with a sound that's like a mixture of that same fast, percussive aesthetic and an otherworldly-sounding, almost disco-like beat. Sayo Oka herself has said it's one of her personal favorite compositions and I can see why, as it's so unusual and unforgettable. During every race, when the final lap is reached, the classic "Time Running Out" jingle from Super Mario Bros. is heard and then, just like in those games, the music speeds up considerably until the race is over, same as how they use the "Invincibility" music for whenever you get the Star item.

As I mentioned earlier, every character has his or her own personal bit of music when they advance to the next race. Mario's jingle is actually a faster-paced version of the first few notes of his familiar theme, while Luigi's music sounds similar but has a more classical Italian sound to it. Princess Toadstool has a very light, childlike tune that's very beautiful, while Toad's has a more hollow feel to it, with not much around the percussion. Yoshi's tune has that familiar "horseback" sound you heard in Super Mario World whenever you rode him, accompanied by a whistling melody and a variation of his trademark sound at the end. Koopa Troopa's victory theme is very slow and laid back, befitting of a turtle, whereas Bowser's is metal as all get out! And Donkey Kong Jr. has a surprisingly banging, funky kind of theme that wouldn't be out of place as the modern DK's theme music. The awards ceremony at the end of every Grand Prix is really cool and majestic and sounds like something you would hear at such an event. That's what you hear if come in third or above, though; otherwise, you'll hear this sad, solemn music when you get the message to try again. Battle Mode has the same music regardless of which arena you choose to play but, thankfully, it's good music. It's this very exciting and memorable remix that I'm sure makes the gameplay even more awesome and blood-boiling than it already is. Finally, the ending credits theme is especially cool, ranging from awesome and profound to downright beautiful in some spots. It makes you reflect back fondly on the game as the credits roll along with various, miscellaneous images.

There's no other way of putting it: Super Mario Kart is just an awesome, classic game. It's wonderfully-designed and a pleasure for the eyes, the gameplay is thrilling and addicting, the controls work almost perfectly, the selection of characters, items, and courses gives it a lot of variety and help make it all the more enjoyable, and the music and sound effects are a pure delight. While there are minor quibbles I have, like how some of the graphics are, inevitably, dated, the absence of a reverse button, some of the computer-controlled opponents having really unfair advantages (i.e. Mario and Luigi's bursts of invincibility), and how I wish there was a bit more variety in the different types of settings for the tracks, overall, I can't say anything but good things about it. But, man, can this game mercilessly kick your ass on the higher difficulties and on some of the tracks! I encourage anyone who hasn't played it to do so, be it by yourself or with a friend, but be prepared for a lot of frustration.