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[Broshnat]

I was playing Double Dash on the Gamecube last night, and it got me thinking- just what is my favourite Mario Kart?

It's funny- when SMK came out on the SNES, it wasn't recieved that well critically if I remember, and yet went on to be a huge success with the fans. By the time Mario Kart 64 came out, SMK was hailed as a classic, and MK64 as a disappointing follow-up. And yet it too went on to be a huge commercial success (outselling the original everywhere but Japan) and again being very poular amongst fans.

I loved MK:Super Circuit and it was recieved well if I remember, and is the 2nd best selling GBA Game behind Pokemon.

What is general opinion of Double Dash? As far as I can tell it was seen as another disappointing follow-up to MK 64!! Will it too grow to be considered a classic in years to come?

And what about Mario Kart DS?

 

[AniHawk]

My favorite was MK64. So many memories.

 

[Alcibiades]

Double Dash is really FUN, FUN, FUN.

The gameplay, the tracks, the music, the atmosphere, it's all TOTALLY NINTENDO.

it may be underated right now, but it'll go down as one of the all-time greats for Nintendo. It needs some time to settle in, but sales are still good for this, and this holiday season will provide quite a bump.

It's the #2 selling GCN title IIRC.

 

[Broshnat]

I think mine too. The 4-player clinches it.

I suspect many purists still think the original though.

Sales comparison (obviously the last two still have a lot of sales left in them yet... both could hit 6m + by the time they're finished)

Mario Kart 64 N64 9.87
Super Mario Kart SNES 8.76
Mario Kart: Super Circuit GBA 4.46
Mario Kart: Double Dash GC 3.58

Total 26.7 million

 

[Broshnat]

It's the #2 selling GCN title IIRC.

#2 in what way?

It's currently 3rd worldwide, although expect it to surpass Mario Sunshine at some point....

 

[Alcibiades]

#2 in what way?

It's currently 3rd worldwide, although expect it to surpass Mario Sunshine at some point....

I meant in the US (not counting the Mario Sunshine bundle).

 

[Broshnat]

Double Dash is really FUN, FUN, FUN.

The gameplay, the tracks, the music, the atmosphere, it's all TOTALLY NINTENDO.

It's probably my favourite GC game, but I still prefer MK64 (as well as Goldeneye, SM64 and Zelda:Ocarina). They are still my 4 fav games ever.

 

[Broshnat]

I meant in the US (not counting the Mario Sunshine bundle).

Well, you have to count the sunshine bundle !!

It's about 2.1 m to 1.6m, Smash Bros on 2.4m

If u look back at 2002, Sunshine sold (ish) upto Dec:

Aug 350k
Sept 230k
Oct 90k
Nov 100k
Dec 190k

Total 960k

(off the top of my head- someone correct me if u have actual figures)

and the Sunshine bundle came out in Oct and sold a further 550k upto Dec (which ties in well with the big drop-off in oct of sales of the stand-alone game as people buy the bundle)...

You gotta add 600k to Mario Sunshine numbers when u quote them- it's a lot to miss off.

 

[Alcibiades]

Well, you have to count the sunshine bundle !!

It's about 2.1 m to 1.6m, Smash Bros on 2.4m

true, unfortunately, there are no "accurate" figures for the bundle, just Nintendo's estimate shipments I think.

That said, Mario Sushine has been a great success story units-wise, as it has sold more than every other XBox game except Halo.

 

[Broshnat]

true, unfortunately, there are no "accurate" figures for the bundle, just Nintendo's estimate shipments I think.

That said, Mario Sushine has been a great success story units-wise, as it has sold more than every other XBox game except Halo.

As has Smash Bros (in fact, it's possible outsold Halo)

Mario Sunshine is comfortably the biggest GC game in Europe (I'm estimating about 1.4 million sold).

 

[etiolate]

I don't think I prefer any one to the other. They just feel like different flavors of the same thing.

 

[Broshnat]

I don't think I prefer any one to the other. They just feel like different flavors of the same thing.

In a good or bad way?

You must admit that SMK / MK:SC have a different feel to MK64 / MK: DD in terms of handling etc...

 

[ManDudeChild]

Mario Kart 64.

Mario Kart Double Dash is a fun game, but the multiplayer mode felt lacking compared to 64.

 

[drohne]

super mario kart for racing, 64 for battle mode.

haven't played super circuit, don't care for double dash.

 

[MaddenNFL64]

MK64.

King of kings.

 

[Broshnat]

haven't played super circuit, don't care for double dash.

Any reason why?

 

[drohne]

actually i thought the racing in double dash was quite decent, and certainly an improvement over mk64's. made for a nice rental. but honestly i play mario kart for the battle mode, and double dash's arenas are terrible. oh well -- i wouldn't have many opportunities to play multiplayer these days anyhow.

 

[buck naked]

Mario Kart 64 wasn't exactly bursting with multiplayer content either... Block fort is the only multiplayer map that actually stood the test of time. Skyscraper was cool, but was nearly unplayable for more than 2 players.

I think Super Circuit is the best of all the sequels. It's got the traditional gameplay with modern presentation and features. It's a tough challenge and the unlockable SMK levels are an excellent bonus.

I've only played a little Double Dash, but I will agree that it is a better racing game than MK64 was.

 

[SpoonyBard]

Double Dash is the best of the series.

Of course I never played MK64. Or Super Circuit. And only quickly tested the original...

 

[drohne]

we used to play the stadium as well, but yeah, mainly block fort. mario kart 64's a funny case -- i don't think it's a particularly good game, but i've had some of the best gaming experiences of my life with it. the racing mode was a total loss and much of the battle mode was badly designed, but it was just simple enough and random enough that non-gamers could play with experienced players and enjoy themselves. played the hell out of it freshman year of college. perfect thing to break out when the company was too drunk, stoned, inexperienced, or female for goldeneye. i remember one night we had nine or ten people passing controllers around, stoned absolutely senseless...at some point we were all trying to do that yoshi noise that yoshi would do before he started saying "yoshi." i'd better shut up before i start sounding like buddychrist or something.

and brosnhat, iirc the original mario kart was enthusiastically received, at least in the states. i'm pretty sure egm gave it high scores, and all my friends and i loved it.

 

[Broshnat]

I'm not so sure it was. I remember reading it was originally seen as a bit gimmicky upon release. Don't forget that people weren't used to seeing mario in a racing game then. I'm sure it got decent reviews, but hardly 10/10, 95%+ etc as it should have deserved considering it's now classic status.


And Mario Kart 64 is a hell of a game- this is what I'm saying. It's so underrated it's not true.

 

[Baron Aloha]

Mario Kart: Double Dash!! for me.

I hated Mario Kart 64.

1. MKDD
2. MKSC
3. MK
4. MK64

 

[buck naked]

SMK didn't get a great reception, discarded by the critics as a shallow novelty event.

 

[Broshnat]

Actually, looking on gamerankings.com, Double Dash fared better than MK 64 in reviews...

SMK didn't get a great reception, discarded by the critics as a shallow novelty event.

Yeah, that's what I seem to remember....

 

[HooDoo]

Despite its 2 players limitation Super Mario Kart is still my favorite Mario Kart, I dont know why but i feel the time trial is more rewarding than in the other games.

 

[ourumov]

Super Mario Kart for me.

-Best Track Design
-Best Gameplay (drifting system)
-Siren for the non-classified

 

[Broshnat]

OK, to really stir things up....

What is the best racing game ever?

I know it's hard to compare, but is it Gran Turismo or is it Mario Kart?

Of course Gran Turismo has better graphics, real cars, customisation. I'm a car nut and I love GT, BUT Mario Kart is more fun to play. Better track design, far better multiplayer.

 

[bobbyconover]

SMK is my favorite by far, and is actually one of the few games that I think is most fun in 2-player mode. I never thought the 4-player modes in the later games were very fun at all, though linking up 4 GBAs for nu-classic battle mode is definitely more fun than 64 or DD's battle modes. Anyway, my ranking looks like this:

1. Super Mario Kart
2. Mario Kart Super Circuit
3. Mario Kart Double Dash (which I really did love, just not as much as the top 2)

And in a distant 4th, Mario Kart 64. I'm unbelievably not even one of the 9.8 million who owns it, despite my rabid first-day purchase and endless play of the original SMK. I pretty much got my fill of 64 at other peoples' houses, never liked it much at all, and never bothered buying it.

 

[HooDoo]

Grand Turismo with banana to throw would be the best racing game, but the comparison between MK and GT is silly IMO.

 

[Broshnat]

Grand Turismo with banana to throw would be the best racing game, but the comparison between MK and GT is silly IMO.

I know, but it may stir up some interesting debates

In terms of how fun they are. If a mate came round and you could play 2-player GT or 2-player Mario Kart, which would you chose?

 

[HooDoo]

I'd go for Mario Kart but only because my friends (who are casual gamers) own me at Gran Turismo. Shame.

 

[shibbs]

Mario kart 64

skyscraper + 4 players = winnar.

 

[Deg]

sll of them are killer. Double Dsh is the peak for me however. Mk64 is the one i mastered the most. SMK is the one i was most hopeless at

 

[SA-X]

For racing, Double Dash, for the battle mode, MK64.

 

[dog$]

Oh, christ.

What is the best racing game ever?

First to come to my mind is either Wipeout 3 or F Zero GX.
Most other people would probably say something like PGR2 or Burnout, to cite recent examples.

I know it's hard to compare, but is it Gran Turismo or is it Mario Kart?

Neither.
GT offers a ton of crap to do but can be as exciting as Klondike if you don't buy into all the tweaking and such. I only played GT3 for the arcade races and that's about it.
However, I view all kart racers as pointless.

Listen:
The point of races is to win.
The way to win races is to go faster than everyone else.
Therefore, the point of races is to go fast.
Therefore, the point of racing games is to go fast.
In kart games, NOTHING "goes fast".
Since you're putting around in a lil kart amongst large backdrops, there is 0% sense of real speed in any kart racing game.
And since I experience 0% sense of speed in a kart racer, I have 0% reason to play the lousy things.

I'm guessing that answers your MK or GT question...

 

[worldrunover]

MK64 had more personality and randomness. DD was awesome, but the level design was way cooler in the 64 version.

 

[Deg]

Oh, christ.
I view all kart racers as pointless.

Listen:
The point of races is to win.
The way to win races is to go faster than everyone else.
Therefore, the point of races is to go fast.
Therefore, the point of racing games is to go fast.
In kart games, NOTHING "goes fast".
Since you're putting around in a lil kart amongst large backdrops, there is 0% sense of real speed in any kart racing game.
And since I experience 0% sense of speed in a kart racer, I have 0% reason to play the lousy things.

I'm guessing that answers your MK or GT question...

Yeah but you can you use turtle shells in GT?

 

[Broshnat]

Actually, come to think about it- I absolutley loved F-Zero X. Not a huge fan of GX though, or the original SNES versions. I dunno, there's just something about F-Zero X.

God, I loved the N64.

 

[evilromero]

Double Dash because because it improves upon the forumla and includes the share-a-kart feature, lets my girlfriend join in. If it wasn't for that she'd have no interest. So once again, thank you Nintendo for making games that non-game players enjoy!

 

[DJ Demon J]

we used to play the stadium as well, but yeah, mainly block fort. mario kart 64's a funny case -- i don't think it's a particularly good game, but i've had some of the best gaming experiences of my life with it. the racing mode was a total loss and much of the battle mode was badly designed, but it was just simple enough and random enough that non-gamers could play with experienced players and enjoy themselves. played the hell out of it freshman year of college. perfect thing to break out when the company was too drunk, stoned, inexperienced, or female for goldeneye.

drohne exactly describes my feelings on MK64. I have plenty of fond memories of SMK, and it outshines MK64's battle and race mode in some areas, but MK64 just had "it" and the 4-player multiplayer drew every single person (men and women) on my floor in freshman year to play at least one game. It was quite the phenomenon.

 

[Solid]

My favorite was MK64. So many memories.

Indeed. Nothing beats Koopa Troopa Beach!

 

[Broshnat]

I just think Mario Kart 64 is effortlessly fun.

I think the track design is better than in Double Dash.

 

[impirius]

Double Dash because because it improves upon the forumla and includes the share-a-kart feature, lets my girlfriend join in. If it wasn't for that she'd have no interest. So once again, thank you Nintendo for making games that non-game players enjoy!

Exactly!

The two-rider mechanic and especially the two-player co-op put MKDD above everything else for me.

 

[Son of Godzilla]

I probably played the shit out of MK64 mp, but I still hate it. I feel that way about almost all n64 mp games. MKDD is by far my favorite. I tried to play SC again after getting DD and it was impossible.

Bomb mode on the donut or battle on pipes are just as good anything in MK64.

 

[Drinky Crow]

MK:SC.

 

[Broshnat]

Is Mario Kart DS based on Mario Kart 64? (in the same way that SC was based on SMK?)

 

[Teddman]

Mario Kart 64, for all the reasons Drohne and others listed.

I got Super Circuit not long ago, and consider it a close runner-up.

 

[Suerte]

Mario Kart 64, although the PAL version was too slow.

 

[Diomedeskun]

Double Dash overall, but the only good multiplayer level is the Luigi's Mansion unlock (which is remarkably similar to the Arena from MK64). The pipe level is good for some modes too, but nothing touches the incredible Block Fort from MK64. Bob-omb Blast and Shine thief help make up for the weaker vs levels, and Bob-omb Blast in Luigi's Mansion is awesome, but Co-op 4 player Grand Prix is actually my favorite for Double Dash (never been able to play LAN mode).

I mastered Super Mario Kart in high school, I was good at Mario Kart 64 in college (mostly played both multiplayer for years, my nephew unlocked Extra), I played Super Circuit to completion during breaks in college, and I now have had little time to play Double Dash (I had to let my nephew get at least half of the unlocks). Nevertheless, I love Double Dash (for co-op and its awesome single-player modes, as well as Bob-omb blast) the most overall.

 

[suikodan]

My favorites

1- SMK SNES
2- MKDD
3- Super Circuit
4- MK64