Mario Kart Super Circuit

Developer: Nintendo/Intelligent Systems

Review by: bard

Mario Kart: Super Circuit Overview:

+ Classic racing action.

+ Power-ups add interesting twists.

+ Great graphics.

- Tracks are somewhat bland.

- Multiplayer more difficult with game link.

If you've been alive in the past decade, you've heard of at least one Mario Kart title. Beginning with the stellar Super Mario Kart back in the days of the Super Nintendo, the racing genre was broken wide open. With innovative graphics, wacky power-ups like banana peels and turtle shells, and truly addicting multiplayer modes, it broke the mold and practically defined it's own genre. A successful sequel on the Nintendo 64 improved on the formula, and now the Game Boy Advance finally has its own Mario Kart.

Kart Me Away

The basic Mario Kart mold from the old days goes largely unchanged in this incarnation. Select your driver, choosing from Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Bowser, Donkey Kong and so on. Then start Grand Prix, Time Trial and Multiplayer mode, each offering a good helping of entertainment and racing action either by yourself or against the computer. New is the Quick Run mode, allowing you to race just one of the 20+ courses with a full complement of computer controlled drivers.

The power-ups are drawn from previous games; sadly nothing new is introduced. Actually, a few items such as the multi-dash mushroom and chain of banana peels are noticeably absent. Are they prima donnas who are too good for the Game Boy? Pffft. Fine, I don't need them anyway.

The three difficulty levels, 50cc, 100cc and 150cc, give a good challenge. 150cc can be impossible at times. Getting the gold trophy in the courses nets you some bonus unlockables. And if you get the gold on every course you get a nice surprise: all the tracks from the original SNES game will be playable. That's worth the game's price alone.

What's the Frequency, Luigi?

Visually, this is an impressive game. The Game Boy Advance is capable of some nice looking graphics and Super Circuit will not disappoint. From the mode-7 rotating landscapes, parallax scrolling and more, it's a treat for squinting eyes. Special effects such as a reddening sky at sunset or a dark cloud bringing rain are very well done. It's definitely one of the top five best looking GBA carts of all time.

The music and sound effects do their job. The tunes don't have the classic beat from the other games but hold their own quite well.

How Do You... Feel?

The only bone to pick with this stellar title is a small one that will go largely unnoticed. If you're a veteran of the series (such as myself), you'll notice the game doesn't have the same classic 'feel' as previous titles. While this may seem like a vague statement, you'll know just what I mean when you race a few laps. The track design has been subtly retooled and just enough old favorites were nixed to give this game a new feel. But with the facelift, unfortunately, a bit of the old goodness was lost. If you haven't been a Mario Kart addict since day one, you won't notice a thing. Even if you are, this is still a tremendously entertaining game.

If you can stave the pangs of nostalgia, Mario Kart Super Circuit will delight the pants off of you. This is a definite one to pick up if you're even remotely interested in it. You won't be let down!