Mario Kart 64

Just so as to get it out of the way, this game has nothing to do with the original title. It’s just a fan-made version of the 1996 Nintendo release which in all fairness, doesn’t even come close to the real thing.

Right off the bat, there is nothing truly pleasing about this Mario Kart 64 even though it was designed with the original game in mind. The graphics are bad at best, the tracks are just hard to navigate and it just looks like something that was made in a hurry.

The moment you start the game you can create a new player profile and with it, a new logo for yourself. Basically you get an icon editing tool to draw something which will be your in-game identifier. If you don’t have any drawing skills at pixel level, you’ll either leave it blank or end up with some kind of thing.

After you create the profile, you are allowed to enter the Grand Prix. Here you are able to choose the cup you want to race in, set the AI difficulty level and view statistics from previous games. Passed that is the driver selection screen from where you can choose between Mario, Luigi, Bowser and the rest of the gang.

The Nintendo version of Mario Kart 64 was no walk in the park because you had to be a really good driver but when it comes to this version of the racing game, you have to be beyond godlike. The car is difficult to control at first but even after hours of practicing, chances are that you still won't be able to go in a straight line or go around a corner without hitting everything.

Moreover, the pseudo-3D design of the game makes the tracks fairly difficult to follow and most of the time you won’t even see a curve coming your way, except if you learn the tracks by heart.

On a closing note, Mario Kart 64 is a game that could have used plenty more work on all aspects. It scores low on every category except ambition, work has been put into it and that deserves some appreciation. The bottom line though, it’s a game that disappoints.