So, here we are.
I’ve written 19 of these things so far. I’m on my last review for a perfect Top 20, and I’m faced with probably a dozen or so worthy contenders (at minimum) for the final slot.
The biggest question I asked myself as a tie-breaker was this: Is a particular genre under-represented?
As it happens, the answer to that question made it an easy choice.
Say hello to Super Mario Kart, one of best racing games of all time, an inspired use of an existing, popular license, the genesis of an entire sub-genre of gaming (“kart racing”), and just a damn fine piece of popular entertainment.
Super Mario Kart
Genre: Racing
Released: 1992
Platform: SNES
Next Generation’s No. 7 game of all time (1999)
One of the things you have to admire about Nintendo is they rarely mail anything in. Regardless of the initial merit of an idea, they see it through to the best of their abilities, until they’re left with either a game they’re comfortable releasing to market (generally to massive acclaim), or a game that they decide to just put on a dusty shelf somewhere and never release ever.
They can do this because they have more money than Jeff Bezos. But regardless of the how, the fact remains: they want only their best possible first impression on the market.
Super Mario Kart represented this philosophy in spades. It was fairly silly in concept: “Let’s put Mario into a racing game and keep it cute!” But they put genuine care and effort into designing the best game they possibly could, and in doing so, they released an A-plus game that inspired dozens of knock-offs overnight (and hundreds over the next 30 years).
What made the game stand out, aside from general quality and the Mario license, was its reliance on game-breaking weapons and shortcuts, which could enable massive “rubber banding” among racers (without one’s opponent being able to drive twice as fast as you or some other “cheap” feeling dynamic you see in lesser games). If you were in the lead, you could acquire weaponry that was either useless or at least less helpful (e.g. feather, mushroom) than the more powerful weapons (e.g. red shell, lightning bolt), which you could acquire if you were toward the back.
The net effect was that you rarely felt safe in the lead or out of a race when trailing the pack … keeping the gamer’s interest glued on the here and now in a way which most other racers could only hope to aspire toward.
Of course, balance mattered. If you developed your skills to such a point that you could literally lap the competition, no weapon should have made a difference. And it generally didn’t. (Though there was always that element of chance that kept you on the edge of your seat, waiting for disaster to strike…)
So yeah, they struck some gold here. And all the other video game companies wanted a piece of the action.
Fair enough. But Mario Kart did it better, and they did it first. THAT’S why this game still matters.
Now, you might be a fan of the later games in the series, and you may be wondering to yourself, other than historical impact, why should I play this game, when due to system limitations it’s so graphically inferior and its tracks are also often inferior in design?
Well, it’s true. Later games were better looking and had more interesting/cool track layouts.
But I’d give you two answers to the question of “Why play?”
Firstly, this puppy controls super well. So while the tracks have their limits, the challenge of fending off other racers through tight turns and precise inputs is still alluring.
“I just finished 7th because of that dang lightning bolt. I bet I can do even better next time…”
This is never to be undersold, this “let me give it one more try” effect. You have to have a basic underlying quality to achieve it, and this game has that.
Secondly — and this is important — I don’t know that a single Mario Kart game released since has managed to reach the highs established by the original’s battle mode.
“Battle mode” was a genius sort of sub-game within the game, wherein instead of racing other folks, you simply tried to whack them over and over with weapons. A player would get knocked out of the battle after taking three hits, making the other player the winner. And then you’d do it again. And again. And again.
I won’t even get into the first three tracks in the battle mode because they were actually kind of useless (a lot like most of the battle arenas in all the other games … BOOM!). It was track four, the one with all the walls and weapon boxes, that sang a beautiful tune.
My brother and I could play that battle mode for HOURS without getting bored. And it isn’t just nostalgia. Go back and play it today. It’s still killer. And Nintendo agrees: they’re recreated this arena over and over, and pulled its music into all of the modern games too, just for good measure.
And they’ve done that because they know that this battle mode, on this track, slaps the shit out of most other games in their entirety.
Let alone other kart racers or even other kart battle modes.
No. Games.
This battle mode slaps the shit out of most other GAMES.
So yes, I recommend this game completely. And it absolutely deserves a spot in my Top 20.
So what makes it worth playing today?
With older games in a series, it can be a tough sell for anyone, let alone for younger gamers. And as a game that is severely limited visually in a series that gives you literally more than a dozen other options that are prettier, it’s always going to have some limited appeal.
I get that.
So play it for the historical relevance. Play it to understand what a revolutionary game that changes an entire industry looks like. Play it for the tight, strong controls, which transcend the dated visuals (which are still adorable and charming in their own, limited way).
But most of all, play it for a battle mode that still hasn’t been topped, nearly 30 years later.
Dave’s Score: 10/10
Check out the whole Retro Gaming Essentials list here!
How to play
- Original hardware (Super Nintendo)
- Virtual Console (Wii & WiiU)
- Super NES Classic Edition
- Nintendo Switch Online