I'd like to start this topic by stating that it is my B-day today (Aug. 29)! Get out the music and lets party!
*10 secs. later*
Ok, enough partying. . .now, because I have gotten a chance to thoroughly play Mario Kart : Super Circuit, and I don't want this message to be spam, I will now give you a review on my opinion on the Mario-related racing game, so enjoy!
Gaming Value 10/10: Ah, this is probably MK:SC's greatest point - gaming value! Contrary to what it states on the box, there are actually 40 courses (with many obstacles) in this amazing game instead of 20, 24 courses being secret courses in which you have to earn (I have gotten all of the courses on 50cc already, but it took a ton of work). And with 3 (4?) levels of difficulty (50cc, 100cc, 150cc), you'll be racing for quite a while trying to complete this game. Also, don't forget that there is a Time Trial (with racing ghosts) mode to get the best times for the racetracks, and a Quick Run mode to practice the tracks you have gotten (trust me, you'll need it). With that in mind, you can play MK:SC for hours and hours. They chose the same 8 characters from MK64, and they have almost the same items (except less) from MK64, but still they did a great job with the items and characters. I haven't had a chance to play Multiplayer yet, but I could imagine that MK:SC's multiplayer modes are fantastic (especially Battle mode), so you'll be playing this game for quite a while ;) !
Graphics 10/10: Beautiful graphics! They got the 3D models of the racing characters perfectly (I think that they're even better than the models used in MK64 because they're much smoother and crisper.) Most of the game is in 3D, thus the graphics are quite amazing for a portable system, and the graphics of the racetracks (which are 3D) are absoulutely flawless. My only gripe is that the backgrounds are 2D, but they're done so professionally for a portable system, and having the whole game in 3D would be impossible for the GBA at this time. Great job!
Music and voices 5/10: The music is somewhat repetitive and mediocre in this game, but its ok for a racing game (especially since its on the GBA - a portable system), and it is quite enjoyable. I especially like that they put some nostalgia music for some of the secret courses from previous Mario games. As for the voices - AAAAAAH! Luigi sounds like a soprano, Toad's voice could break glass, and Wario sounds like the fat Mandark from Egotrip (if you're a fan of Dexter's Lab), which is just weird. Mario, Peach, Bowser, and DK's voices sound almost identical to their voices from MK64, and they gave Yoshi his voice from Super Smash Bros. In short, they could have done better with the voices, but then again, I couldn't expect great voices for the GBA anyway, so given the circumstances, great job.
Gameplay 8/10: I knew that playing Mario Kart for GBA would be quite difficult, and I was right, though they did a very good job anyway. Most of the functions from MK64 are in play here, except you can't change the map view to border view or to speedometer (though you can use the speedometer in Time Trial mode), you can't do the sliding boost anymore (though you can slide), but they gave each of the characters a horn for their kart which is quite humorous. Playing Mario Kart on a GBA will take some time getting used to, but overall gameplay on the GBA is superior to that of many other racing games and superior to what I thought it would be, so very good job in that aspect.
Replay value 6/10: I can't really rate this because I haven't beaten the whole game yet, but I could imagine once you beat everything this game has to offer, it'll probably get boring. Luckily the challenge of improving your cup ratings (you're given a rating of your driving ability once you finish a cup), improving your time trial scores, and the constant fun of multiplayer bring this score up, thus its replay value is also quite good.
Overall (not an average of previous scores) 9/10: I believe Nintendo has really outdone itself again with this amazing racer. All Mario Kart fans will definitely enjoy this new addition to the Mario Kart universe. Almost all aspects of this game are perfect or almost perfect, so if you have some money to spare and want a good racing game, I'd recommend getting this game. In short, Mario Kart: Super Circuit is definitely a game worth buying for any Mario fan, and kudos to Nintendo for making such a great game.
Well, I hope you enjoyed my little review of MK:SC, and Happy Birthday to me!
This message was written by davidcoolestguy, master of anime and video games (actually he''s just a guy who''s got too much free time)
Founder of the Mario Game idea: Super Mario Bros 4: Sibling Rivalry. If you wish to see this game idea, e-mail me at david_coolest_guy@yahoo.com, and I''ll see if I can get it to you. I''m also planning on updating it, and possibly converting it into an RPG. . .
