Today was a good day in the Wii corner of the CVG office. A crowd of nostalgic Nintendo fans gathered round the Wii, drawn in by the distinctively catchy jingles of Mario Kart 64, which was released on the Virtual Console this morning. Office-wide Mario Kart competitions are back!
Mario Kart 64 is undoubtedly one of N64's best games thanks mostly to its legendary four-player racing. We hammered it for months back in 1997. Now it's back on the Wii, and not only is it a welcome return for the classic, but it's one that comes with a few added benefits.
The horrible blur of the N64 has been wiped out by the Wii's superior hardware. Now the game looks a crisp as you like, and the frame rates are now constant and smooth - even in the four-player mode. Those are the advantages that all of the 3D games that hit Virtual Console should benefit from in the future.
Nintendo has also done us European gamers a much-needed service of getting rid of the gigantic borders that plagued the original PAL version. Now just a tiny, insignificant slither of blackness lines the top and bottom of the screen, but it's hardly noticeable and doesn't make the graphics appear to be squashed like in the original.
The only problem with the new, crispier resolution is that the 2D sprites which make up the characters, trees, items and various other objects are now more immediately noticeable. The new sharpness exposes a sort of pixilation around the edge of the sprites. Again however, this is not a huge problem.
Leaving it there with the techie stuff, Mario Kart 64, for those who never played the original, works in the typical way - you race through four cups, each one with four races, to win the gold cup award at the end.
This was the first game to feature triple items - Red and Green Shells - and that cheating Blue Shell that seeks out the person in first position. It also pioneered the powerslide boost, which has you sliding the analogue stick left and right during a powerslide to change your smoke orange and achieve a boost.
But if you've only played Mario Kart DS, you should know that the handling on Mario Kart 64 is a lot looser. Courses, like Banshee Boardwalk, that are relatively easy on DS are made hard on MK64 by the weightier handling.
Despite that, it's an absolute treat to play through all the old Mario kart courses again. We actually forgot how good they are. There are so many brilliant ideas in here that were never taken further by the series - Kalamari Desert's train that crosses the track forcing players to slam on the brakes, Yoshi's maze-like course that saw players getting lost as they scrambled along the intertwining canyon paths - brilliant.
MK64 is an unforgettable classic, and will bring nostalgia flooding back to everyone that loved it back on the N64 era. It'll set you back about seven quid, and we reckon it's worth every penny for fans. The first must-have VC is here and it's a gem.
I think they'd make a killing with GoldenEye so its surely on the cards...
The chance of it coming to Wii is about the same as me using smaller less colourful text or clan members admitting they're liked about as much as finding a long grey pubic hair in a bowl of custard is liked.
I think they'd make a killing with GoldenEye so its surely on the cards...
The chance of it coming to Wii is about the same as me using smaller less colourful text or clan members admitting they're liked about as much as finding a long grey pubic hair in a bowl of custard is liked.
Nintendo did say that they are 'exploring the rights' or something like that. They're trying pretty hard to get it as far as i know, so there's always a chance.
The only problem with the new, crispier resolution is that the 2D sprites which make up the characters, trees, items and various other objects are now more immediately noticeable. The new sharpness exposes a sort of pixilation around the edge of the sprites. Again however, this is not a huge problem.
This is something I've noticed when playing N64 games like Mario 64 in emulation (yes I do have the original, but the N64 is in storage). I'm wondering just how hard it would be for Nintendo to replace those sprites with higher res versions... there were rumours we'd see improvements or additions to games and this is one (hopefully) simple way they could deliver on that.
But of course what everyone really wants is online multiplayer for VC games, and Pilotwings 64
Wario stadium in multiplayer was a great laugh way back, used to hit my brother with a lightning bolt just as he went over the big jump & watch him fall into the pit below & he would to drive another quarter of the track again just to catch up.
Great fun if you have a Wii & do not have access to this game & you have some friends to play multiplayer I recommend it.
the first must have VC title? are u p**sed, how is it a must have when theres the original zelda title for nostalgia and the ever classic super mario bros. get real, the game had loads of flaws, why pay Ł7.50 and waste 1000 wii points for a ten year old game when u can play 4 of the tracks in a better game on the ds?? you forgot to mention the fact that it has no battery pack to save data such as ghosts, so theres another negative..your reviews are starting to become really under par
MK64 is pretty cool, and the course design in brilliant... but online multiplayer support would have more than doubled the fun and replayability of this game, and I would have happily waited an extra 6 months or a year to get it with online multiplayer...
I am now hoping that Nintendo don't release any decent games tonight at midnight for fear they will prematurely release something good that could come at a later date with online multiplayer support. Ah well, there is always Mario Kart DS...
Personally speaking, both Double Dash!! and Mario Kart DS are far superior to 64. (waits for angry mob to be silenced) The fact is that 64 looks and feels incredibly old in this day and age - the weapons are basic, the CPUs are idiots (they can't even fire shells) and most fans of the seires have it already. It is stupid to pay 1000 Points for a slight graphical update. (Rant over.)
I'll second the Pilot Wings 64 vote too. Brilliant games. And if they could wangle it, Blast Corps too. That rocked my world for many weeks back in the day.
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