Mario Kart 64

Mario Kart 64 (styled as MARIOKART 64 abbreviated to MK64) is a racing game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64 video game console. It was released in 1996 in Japan and 1997 for the rest of the world. It is the sequel to Super Mario Kart, and features a move to 3D computer graphics and the inclusion of four-player support. Players take control of characters from the Mario universe, who race around a variety of tracks with items that can either harm an opponent or aid the user. The move to three dimensional graphics allowed for track features not possible with the original game's Mode 7 graphics, such as changes in elevation, bridges, walls and pits. However, the characters and items remained 2D pre-rendered sprites. The introduction music for Mario Kart 64 is loosely based on the original Super Mario Kart theme tune. The game is compatible with the N64 Controller Pak, but only to save track ghosts in the Time Trial mode. All other data is stored in-cartridge. This was re-released on the Wii's Virtual Console, but it cannot be played with the Wii Remote. This is the second Mario Kart game in the series.

Gameplay

Players choose from a roster of eight characters that vary in weight, speed, and acceleration. These characters race in a variety of tracks based upon different locations in the Mario world. Each track has a unique shape, and can contain various obstacles, hazards, and short cuts. Eight characters participate in each race. Up to four of them can be human characters, while the rest are computer controlled (for one to two players only). Three and four player races have no computer controlled racers.

On a track, various actions can be performed to change the flow of a race. Items can be acquired by hitting an item box, a rainbow-colored box with a spinning question mark. The items' uses include acting as projectiles to impede the opponent, speed up the user, or stop opponents through other means. One can earn a small turbo boost by drifting, which one can perform by hopping and tilting the control stick back and forth three times. However, AI-controlled racers do not use any kind of shell.

There are various modes of play such as the Mario Grand Prix where one or two human players compete with computer players in a group of eight around a series of four courses per cup - Mushroom Cup, Flower Cup, Star Cup, and Special Cup respectively. A player selects one of the four cups at the beginning of the game as well as a difficulty level, measured by engine size (50cc, 100cc, or 150cc). After a gold trophy has been acquired for each cup on the 150cc level, the Extra difficulty level is playable, where the tracks are mirrored. The player can also race on a track alone while recording a time (Time Trial mode), and trying to beat this time on subsequent races. There are two modes where players can face each other. The VS. mode allows you to race with each other, and Bob-ombs are thrown in each track. The Battle Mode allows players to compete in one of four special arenas filled with item boxes; each player has three balloons attached to their kart which are lost if any damage is done to the kart, with the winner being the last remaining player. If three or four players are participating, then the first one or two players without balloons transform into bombs on wheels that can crash into the remaining karts.

One of the major flaws of the gameplay revolves around the computer "cheating". When hit with weapons, the computer characters can stop for half a second and then continue at full speed. This is possible in Mario Kart Wii when you are a player. This is at odds with a player controlled character being thrown into the air and coming to a complete stop. Also, the computer can seem to catch up with the player controlled character, regardless of the lead the player has developed (especially when said player is not drifting).

Racers

Mario Kart 64 has eight drivers from which the players can choose. Koopa Troopa and Donkey Kong Junior, both of whom appeared in Super Mario Kart, did not return for Mario Kart 64, and were replaced by Donkey Kong and Wario. In pre-release screenshots, a Magikoopa was playable, but before the game's final release the Magikoopa was replaced by Donkey Kong.

The racers from the lightest to the heaviest are: Toad, Yoshi, Peach, Luigi, Mario, Wario, Bowser, and Donkey Kong. Unlike the other Mario Kart games, the racers of a lighter weight class have higher top speeds just like their acceleration. However, lighter weight racers are more prone to spinning out in collision with heavier weight racers, and can lose a balloon in Battle Mode from that collision.

Mario Medium	Luigi Medium	Peach Light	Toad Light
Yoshi Light	Bowser Heavy	Donkey Kong Heavy	Wario Heavy

Tracks

Battle courses

Big Donut also in Mario Kart 7

Block Fort also in Mario Kart DS

Double Deck

Skyscraper also in Mario Kart Wii

Items

Item Picture	Item Name	Description
	Mushroom	This item can be used to generate a speed boost for a limited time.
	Triple Mushroom	This item is the same as the mushroom, but instead of one, the player has three.
	Golden Mushroom (new)	This item is the same as the mushroom, but it has unlimited uses for as long as the item is in the player's possession.  The item's countdown timer begins as soon as it is first used.
	Green Shell	An unguided shell that can be launched into racers.  If a racer or other suitable object is not hit, the shell will bounce around the course.  Can also be fired backwards.
	Triple Green Shell (new)	A belt of 3 green shells that circle around your racer.  They can be fired one at a time or used as protection.  If a shell comes into contact with either a racer or an item, it will break a shell but knock out the racer or item, depending on the item. Cannot be fired backwards.
	Red Shell	A guided shell that when launched will seek the nearest racer to the front of the racer. If you are at the first place, the Red Shell will continuously cruise the entire circuit until it hits any racer that collide with its course.
	Triple Red Shell (new)	A belt of 3 red shells that circle around your racer. They can be fired one at a time or used as protection.  It is recommended to wait until the target recovers from their tumble before using another shell or the shell will break and not cause any additional damage. It can be also used to cruise the entire circuit until it collides with any racer if you are at the first place.
	Spiny Shell (new)	The be-all-end-all weapon. The Spiny Shell (or Blue Shell) will seek out the person in first place by tearing across the middle of the track.  Anyone in the direct path of the shell will be knocked out of the way.  This shell cannot be stopped except by a Star or if you are invisible.  This shell can be destroyed if it hits a wall.  This shell can also correct itself if it flies off of the course and there's a possibility for it to do so, such as on Banshee Boardwalk.
	Thunderbolt	The Thunderbolt will shrink anyone who isn't under the effect of a Boo or Star.  This will slow down everyone affected and make them crushable.
	Banana Peel	The Banana Peel will cause any racer who runs it over to spin out.  This item can either be thrown forward or set behind the racer.  It can also be dragged along to absorb an item hit or to spin out a racer who is riding on your tail.
	Banana Bunch	This item releases and drags a row of 5 bananas behind the racer.  They can absorb incoming items or spin out racers.  If an item hits it, one banana is destroyed.  If a racer collides with the bunch, it breaks off all of the bananas and scatters them everywhere.  They can be thrown forward or dropped behind.
	Fake Item Box (new)	The troll box.  This item box is hard to see at a distance but as you come closer the color shifts and the ? in the box is upside down.  Since CPU racers don't know which is which, they won't steer toward or away from it.  If trying to hit a CPU player, place it in the middle of the track.  If trying to hit a player, the best option is to throw it around an immediate corner or place it in a line of item boxes, possibly on top of a legit one.
	Boo	This item will steal an item from another player and make you invisible.  This is one of the few ways to avoid a Spiny Shell.
	Star	This item will increase your speed, acceleration and make you invincible.  Any player you hit will spin out.  This is one of the few ways to avoid a Spiny Shell.

Production Credits

Executive Producer - Hiroshi Yamauchi

Producer - Shigeru Miyamoto

Director - Hideki Konno

Assistant Director - Yasuyuki Oyagi

Programmers - Masato Kimura, Kenji Yamamoto, Yasuhiro Kawaguchi, Yuzuru Ogawa, Masahiro Kawano, Hirohito Yoshimoto

Demo Sequence Programmer - Hajime Yajima, Takumi Kawagoe

Visual Director - Tadashi Sugiyama

CG Character Designers - Tomoaki Kuroume, Hiroaki Takenaka, Tokihiko Toyoda, Shigefumi Hino, Masanao Arimoto, Hisashi Nogami

CG Map Designers - Makoto Miyanaga, Naoki Mori, Hiroyasu Kuwabara

Music Composer - Kenta Nagata

Sound Programmers - Taro Bando, Yoji Inagaki

Japanese Sampling Voices - Asako Kozuki, Tomoko Maruno, Charles Martinet,Julien Bardakoff, Thomas Spindler, John Hulaton

English Sampling Voices - Charles Martinet, Leslie Swan, Isaac Marshall

Technical Support - Takao Sawano, Tsuyoshi Takahashi, Hirohito Yada

Progress Management - Kimiyoshi Fukui, Keizo Kato

Special Thanks to - Yasuhito Sakai, Yoshitaka Nishikawa, Hideki Fujii, Yusuke Nakano, Wataru Yamaguchi, Phil Sandhop, Super Mario Club

Donkey Kong 3-D Model provided by Rare U.K.

Trivia!

• Oddly, the word "Circuit" was switched with "Raceway". For example, Mario Circuit is the name of Mario's track in the Japanese version, and in the American version, it's switched to Mario Raceway.
• This is the first appearance of Donkey Kong and Wario as playable characters in the series.
• Luigi, Peach, Toad, and Wario have different voices in the Japanese version. Their voice clips would later be reused in Mario Kart: Super Circuit, Mario Party and Mario Party 2.
• In production, its original name was Super Mario Kart R, but was changed, likely because it was too similar to Sonic R's name (a Sonic racing game).
• This Mario Kart game has fewer unlockables than any other game in the entire series; its only unlockable content are "Extra" Mode (Mirror Mode) and an alternate title screen change of Yoshi, Peach, Luigi, Donkey Kong (holding a Green Shell), and Mario on Kalimari Desert (both unlocked by beating all cups with 1st).
• Kamek was originally going to be a playable character in the game, however he was scrapped in favor of Donkey Kong.
• This is the first game where you can play with 4 players.
• Every track in this game has made a reappearance in another as a retro track except for Wario Stadium.