Super Mario Kart

Published in 1992 for the SNES console, Super Mario Kart is the first game in the Mario Kart Series. It was re-released in 2009 and 2013 on the Wii’s and Wii U’s virtual consoles respectively.

Graphics

The use of Mode-7 for SMK on SNES is a significant improvement from its original roots in Nintendo. Mode-7 allows the creation of visual perceptions of 2D pixelated art behaving like 3D graphics. The previous technology basically employed DSP-1 coprocessors along with Mode 7 graphics allowing floating point data. Texture mapping surfaces thus created the illusion of depth. Retaining the retrospect of the old graphics movement has added beauty to the game.

Gameplay

Super Mario Kart on SNES features Kart racing in either singleplayer or multiplayer mode. The game begins with a player selecting one of the 8 original characters, and Lakitu appears with a traffic light attached to his fishing pole. When the green light appears, the battle begins, and players race around the track, with the other 7 players. You win by either finishing a circuit in the fastest time or beating the other 7 competitors.

Tiles and other icons on the track give a player’s kart special abilities if they pass over them. This, in turn, allows them to hit other players with objects like shells, causing them to lose control in the process. The star power-up makes a player temporarily invulnerable to attacks. A player can collect coins which increases their speed. Coins also keep a player’s kart under control if it is hit or shelled by other karts.

Controls

If you’re running Super Mario Kart on a regular Wii console, the following buttons are useful to remember:

• B: Accelerating and ‘enter’ for selections
• L and R: kart hopping and power slides
• A: use your items
• X: Cancel entries and activate your rearview mirror in 1P mode.
• Arrow button: Control pad that steers your kart and changes selection
• Y: Braking
• Start: Entering selections and pausing the game

Lasting Appeal

Super Mario Kart is the third bestselling game on SNES (over 9 million sold). The game has diehard fans who’ve played on earlier Nintendo platforms and now on more modern consoles like the Wii. The use of characters from the original series has also seen it maintain its cult feeling, with Mario, Luigi, Donkey Kong Jr, Toad, Koopa Troopa, Bowser, Princess Peach and Yoshi rekindling the old 2D console simplicity and appeal.

Verdict

SMK on SNES has several sequels including Mario Kart-64, Mario Kart: Super Circuit, and Mario Kart: Double Dash among others released for later sequels. This proves its success and folks who grew up playing the first installations always feel nostalgic knowing that 2 decades later they can still access those memories. Though some criticize the apparent lack of change, most love it because it remains true to the original creation.