Super Mario Kart
If there is one game that set the bar high for racers, it was Super Mario Kart. This deceptively simple game has been responsible for many a gamer spending hours glued to a screen on the Super Nintendo, desperately trying to beat a high score and crush someone’s lap time. As a retro game it is now going from strength to strength, easily holding it’s own against other racers, even the more realistic racers of today. We say ‘realistic’ but we guess it can't fail to be less realistic than a game that has dinosaurs driving go karts.
Why is it so good? Well, one of the best things about the game on the SNES is the speed. It really feels frantic as you race around the tracks, and this is a big plus for anyone who likes racers. The speed of the game is noticeable as soon as you take your first race. Even when there are a number of things happening on the screen, including a variety of special attacks as well as other racers, the game doesn't suffer one jot when it comes to updates and/or glitches. This may seem like a moot point for a console game but let's remember that some of today’s games regularly slow down when there is too much going on. Not Super Mario Kart on the SNES. This game was as fast as they come.
The characters
Then you get the characters. The Nintendo platform has long had the Mario universe to help keep profits up as well as keep fans happy. The company has happily kept much of the games and attached characters as exclusives on the console platforms, which makes them even more unique. No port overs to other platforms for Mario. This makes this game even more fun, as you realise that it is a special treat for the console and it’s fans. You get Mario and Luigi, and you also get all of the supporting players in the platform universe, seamlessly transported over and placed in karts that are incredibly good fun to drive. You also have bikes (some of them very powerful) that add even more fun to proceedings.
Perhaps one of the best things about the game was the ability to play with friends. Retro gamers who are still paying this will know that there isn’t much in life that is more fun than ranking higher on that leaderboard. And the fact the game is set up into cups brings more of a challenge, making it an exciting and progressive experience that really helps people to develop their skills. There is a huge learning curve here, but one that even novice players can fit into.
This game will still be played for years to come. It’s not even a fully retro game experience, being so universal and engaging to all. But for the casual retro gamer, it’s so easy to pick this up and get to playing quickly. Pretty soon, you’re lost in the magic world of Mario Kart. Addictive and great fun, this is truly one of the greatest SNES games of all time, and that is saying something.
About the author
Zeeshan Mallick
Co-Founder of SuperRetroGamer.com