Mario Kart Super Circuit Review
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Intelligent Systems
Platform: Game Boy Advance
Genre: Kart Racing
ESRB: E
Mario’s first kart outing on a handheld is nothing short of brilliant!
The name Mario Kart is known by anyone who has played video games. Who doesn’t remember having some friends over for an “all-nighter” on the N64, with nothing other than Mario Kart 64. Well all you Mario Kart fans, Mario and Co. are taking al their banana peels, koopa shells, and mushrooms to the handheld in Mario Kart Super Circuit for the GBA.
This game is fun. I thought that would be the best way to start off this paragraph for many reasons. For starters, this game preserves the feel of a true Mario Kart game, but it can be played off nothing but double As (or a rechargeable). The game has all the modes that you would come to expect in a Mario Kart game. Grand Prix mode is still in tact for 50cc, 100cc, and 150cc classes. Time trials are also back, naturally. The gameplay depth in this game is really something to behold. You can race as Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Toad, Yoshi, DK, Wario, and Bowser. Yup, all the racers from Mario Kart 64 are back, and ready for some karting fun.
I chose you, Peach! (Yeah right!)
The new tracks in this game are also something that Intelligent Systems took into account for. Everyone knows that a racing game with lackluster tracks, just turns into a lackluster racing game, even if it is Mario Kart. Intelligent Systems and Nintendo know this, and most of the tracks in this game are pure genius! You can be racing in a garden in the sky, driving through numerous Bowser Castles that are all unique, or be racing on an icy lake with snowmen that are just dying to get someone to drive into them. In total, there are 20 new tracks that are broken into five cups. The tracks however, aren’t done there.
In the Grand Prix mode there are coins on the track, just like in Super Mario Kart for the SNES. By picking up 100 coins in each cup, you unlock that cup from Super Mario Kart. Yup, that’s right! There are 20 new tracks, and the 20 old tracks from Super Mario Kart! By adding all of these retro tracks into the game, it added a great amount of replay value, and altogether made the game have much more bang for the buck.
“Where is-a my sun block-a Luigi!?!?”
And now, the actual controls. This game has gotten a lot of crap form numerous sites, message boards, and people complaining that the steering is always like “riding on ice.” I too thought this about the game when I first got it, then I realized that, after playing the game for a few hours, the controls just take some getting used to. I find that every Mario Kart game has it’s own feel to how the karts move, and this game is no exception. Personally, I feel that this game’s steering is the hardest to get used to, it is still really fu once you have mastered the controls (which usually only takes an hour, or less).
The control scheme is pretty basic (like all Mario Kart games), but (like all Mario Kart games), it is a blast to play. The A button is used for acceleration, the B button is to brake, the L button is to use items, the R button is for sliding and hopping, and the D-Pad is obviously used for steering. Sure, it’s basic, but it works very well. If you can hold a slide down for over a second, you get a little boost. This concept of power sliding was first used in Mario Kart 64, and it has been simplified for this game.
When in a race, you will notice that this is still Mario Kart at it’s prime. There is a boost start if you time it right, lots of shortcuts to be found, and hitting Peach in the back with three red shells just for the hell-of-it never gets old.
There also has to be the multiplayer component in every Mario Kart game, and this one is great like always. If you have a link cable, and friends with copies of the game, then you can race and have balloon battles unto your heart’s consent.
Graphics wise, this game looks beautiful. From the rich colors, to the beautiful track environments, you can tell that the developers put some real effort into making this look like one of the best racers on the GBA. Getting a game into 3D on the GBA isn’t an easy task, and Intelligent Systems and Nintendo did the best they could with the graphical limitations of the GBA. The character models looks similar to that of Mario Kart 64, but that isn’t a bad thing. At heart, the game is more or less 2D, but with characters animations and the environments, it really looks nice, and has that “pseudo 3D” look to it.
Rain rain, go away, I just lost to Luigi, there is no way!
And that leads us to the next bit about this game. What would be a Mario Kart game, (or a Mario game in general) without a great soundtrack? Just imagine Super Mario 64 without music, and then you’ll understand what I’m talking about. The GBA speakers are small and puny, but nonetheless, I was amazed at how catchy beeps can be. The developers really amazed me again, as they brought some really well done themes and tunes that suit every track in the game perfectly. I’m not quite sure how Nintendo does it, but they definitely struck gold with yet another great musical score, even if it’s a Mario spin-off like Mario Kart!
In conclusion: I don’t know how they did it, but they did it. Mario Kart has hit the the road (literally), in the first portable rendition of the series. Not only did they bring the thrills or Mario Kart to the handheld, but they also kept the great concept of the game, and perfected it even more.
9.4/10
