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The blind nostalgia of Mario Kart 64.

1

120v

Member
i'm kind of shocked to learn its generally regarded as one of the more mediocre mario karts.... some of my best-- if not the best memories with my N64 were with MK64

my N64 collected dust after Ocarina but my family and friends would still dust it off for years and have a blast with it

that said, it was the last mario kart game i played. wouldn't be surprised if newer games shit all over it but i don't think it was nostalgia, it was simply a very fun game for me
 
S

Sane_Man

Member
it's a great game. I actually preferred the simplicity of the older Mario Karts. Modern Mario Karts have too much random shit going on in each level and it's why all I really care about are the classic levels.

8 is a return to form though, but it still has problems in level design.
 
M

-Mutsukki-

Member
LeleSocho said:
Meh... i still play it and i still like it.
Sure DKR is more meaty but MK64 is still great.
Click to expand...

Yeah... I like DKR and all but... being more meaty isn't exactly the same as good. I find the tracks in DKR to be pretty bland and somewhat bad in a lot of cases. The different vehicle system isn't too good either imo. I always prefered the more cohesive and better paced experience that MK64 provided (even if DKR's singleplayer was good)
 
R

Rodin

Member
120v said:
i'm kind of shocked to learn its generally regarded as one of the more mediocre mario karts....
Click to expand...
It's not. Don't mistake a vocal minority with what the general public thinks of something. Many of the people who are complaining about it even specified that their friends still love it after 20 years.

Sane_Man said:
it's a great game. I actually preferred the simplicity of the older Mario Karts. Modern Mario Karts have too much random shit going on in each level and it's why all I really care about are the classic levels.

8 is a return to form though, but it still has problems in level design.
Click to expand...
Only dolphin shoals.

-Mutsukki- said:
Yeah... I like DKR and all but... being more meaty isn't exactly the same as good. I find the tracks in DKR to be pretty bland and somewhat bad in a lot of cases. The different vehicle system isn't too good either imo. I always prefered the more cohesive and better paced experience that MK64 provided (even if DKR's singleplayer was good)
Click to expand...
Some people tend to shit on MK 64 because it didn't have a sp mode on par with the competition. Nevermind if DKR came out a year later from the very proficient Rare, and CTR came out in 1999, 3 years later and basically at the end of the generation. And the fact that neither of them had a comparable mp experience.

Actually some people even crap all over modern MK because its sp mode isn't as developed as Sonic's, because who cares about track design/gameplay/multiplayer/items/general feel of the game.
 
Boss Doggie

Boss Doggie

all my loli wolf companions are so moe
Wait, people have nostalgia for MK64? I thought it was one of the often stated "bad" MK games.
 
A

Alpha17x

Neo Member
I definitely had some rose tinted glasses for MK64. I do remember loving it and for it's time it was absolutely amazing. But really only in it's time. I was even watching a twitch stream where I proclaimed how great it was, though not having played it in around 18 years.

One of the broadcasters disagreed with me so I dragged it out the following day, played it and realized that yeah. he's right. Not that amazing when you've played far better.

It actually somewhat reminded me of transition from Diablo into Diablo II. if you play D2 first and then go play D1 (or even D3 first) you'll wonder how that game ever did well enough to get a sequel. But hey, Mario Kart 7 and 8 are pretty good. My favorite is actually Arcade GP2, but not everyone can get access to that.
 
M

Markitron

Is currently staging a hunger strike outside Gearbox HQ while trying to hate them to death
It's the best MK and always will be, anyone that says otherwise probably sniffs bicycle seats and listens to Coldplay.
 
R

rrs

Member
Always found MK64 too floaty for my taste, and Nintendo at the time tried to push this realistic look that aged very badly
 
njean777

njean777

Member
For me MK64 may not be the best, but my memories of playing it for hours and hours with friends will never be forgotten. I never had that with any of the later Mario karts. DKR was also another game that will forever be in my memories from childhood.
 
Terrorblot

Terrorblot

Member
It definitely doesn't hold up, but my memories are fonder of 64 in it's hayday than Double Dash and Wii's extreme item BS. I think Double Dash gets more love than it deserves, honestly. To me that was when the games really got over the top with the items. Drifting and Sparks were a great addition to the franchise though, I'll give it that. Mario Kart Wii was terrible and I found it pretty painful how often it got whip'd out for college parties.
 
T

Tesser

Member
My argument might be somewhat flawed what with certain tracks featuring in future titles, but I can easily remember and distinguish tracks like Royal Raceway, Yoshi Valley or 64's Bowser Castle moreso than anything from Double Dash or even 7. Off the top of my head, though I can vaguely remember some features/moments, nothing from out of DD or MK7 immediately comes up when I think fun, memorable, well-designed tracks. I agree that the art-style and aesthetic hasn't aged well but a lot of tracks in MK64 felt like a clear focus on fusing both challenge and fun into the overall design. There wasn't a single time when, as a kid, I didn't look forward to that huge jump on Royal Raceway or hoping to God I managed to get around Bowser's Castle without falling off or losing my 1st place position.

Games like DS, Wii & 8 have certainly been the ones to maintain Mario Kart's general philosophy and even build upon what 64 brought. It's definitely not the best but it's by no means the worst - far too many well-designed tracks for it to land in the bottom tier
 
F

friskykillface

Banned
Nostalgia yes but I still love Mario kart 64, plus it came out so early which was a plus. Lol kid me was actually blown away by the graphics 😂😎
Maybe because I played a ton of Mario kart snes

That rainbow road jump still gets me hyped and I always attempt it, and miss.


Who could forget battle mode too, loved that skyscraper level
 
T

Torokil

Member
It's better than Super Circuit, Double Dash, and MKWii. Mario Kart DS will always be my favorite though out of blind nostalgia for the amazing years of the early DS, and yes I played MK64 when it was new.
 
clem84

clem84

Gold Member
I didn't think it was bad. But yeah, probably my least favorite MK. As a game with similar graphics, Mario Kart DS was so much better.
 
M

marmoka

Banned
I enjoyed playing it with friends, but it hasn't aged well. Game looks ugly and dirty nowadays. Same with Crash Team and Diddy Kong Racing, and many many games of that generation.

Whatever, the game was great. Never was bad.
 
S

Solobbos

Member
I played both Super Mario Kart and Mario Kart 64 for the first time in 2016, out of curiosity since I really liked Mario Kart 8 and to a lesser degree Double Dash and 7. I gotta say, neither of those games really are enjoyable if you don't have any nostalgia for 'em.
 
C

cuate

Banned
Solobbos said:
I played both Super Mario Kart and Mario Kart 64 for the first time in 2016, out of curiosity since I really liked Mario Kart 8 and to a lesser degree Double Dash and 7. I gotta say, neither of those games really are enjoyable if you don't have any nostalgia for 'em.
Click to expand...

they are as good now as they were back then. what makes them not enjoyable?
 
U

Unicorn

Member
friskykillface said:
Nostalgia yes but I still love Mario kart 64, plus it came out so early which was a plus. Lol kid me was actually blown away by the graphics 😂😎
Maybe because I played a ton of Mario kart snes

That rainbow road jump still gets me hyped and I always attempt it, and miss.


Who could forget battle mode too, loved that skyscraper level
Click to expand...
Yeah I remember getting Tips & Tricks magazine before it came out and they had all the maps and a couple CG render posters. Fucking 3D maps blew my mind more than Mario 64. The western track where you race to beat the train across the track had me so hyped. Battle mode with high and low ground was amazing after spending so much time with SMK. Which is weird now that I think about it, because I played a ton of Twisted Metal in between.

Still, Super Circuit handled better and was not as muddy visually. Lots of vivid colors.
 
A

andymcc

Banned
I loved it when it came out, so many hours spent with friends. Hasn't aged well and it's not something I go back to.

Except battle mode. still has my overall favorite stages there (including MK8D).
 
S

Seven Force

Banned
Battle Mode is great, and some of the tracks are great (Koopa Troopa Beach and Yoshi Valley in particular), but the game doesn't really hold up outside of that.

I think Super Circuit more mechanically sound and more aesthetically pleasing. I love it's emphasis on finding the shortcuts in most ofnthe levels. Really fun time trials, too.
 
X

Xenoblade

Member
It's certainly not the worst, and it's only behind MKDS as the best Mario Kart game.

The reason is because, like MKDS, it requires skill to execute a fast miniturbo (MT). It's precisely because the execution of a MT is player controlled that these two games stand above the others in the series. All other MK games limit the number of MT's you can do by locking the MT behind a timer. This puts a cap on the number of MT's you can perform in any given time period. The only control that the player has over the speed a MT can be executed is by adjusting the sharpness of the drift. A sharper drift results in a MT being ready sooner. The problem with this method is that on a soft bend, a sharp drift is often not possible/feasible.

In contrast, MKDS and MK64 allow the player to execute MT's around any bend so long as they are fast enough in being able to perform it (for the technical among you, there is actually a frame cap that governs the earliest frame you can execute the MT for MK64 but it's low).
 
V

VDenter

Banned
Sir Abacus said:
That's only because it literally samples the MK64 rainbow road theme right in the middle of it.
Click to expand...

Yes but its an improvement in every way basically making Mario Kart 64 not have the best Rainbow Road theme anymore as a result. That is basically what this thread is about the future games completely blow MK64 in every single way. Yet some people cant seem to admit that its not the best one in the series if it ever was to begin with which it certainly wasn't.
 
F

Fantastapotamus

Wrong about commas, wrong about everything
It's the best Mario Kart because I have the best memories playing it.
I honestly don't care whether it is actually a good game, I never had as much fun playing a Mario Kart game as I had when I played 64, and that's all that matters to me.
 
J

jet1911

Member
I still have no idea whatis supposed to be bad about MK64. Fun tracks, no bullshit blue shell, good music and a great Battle mode.
 
S

Solobbos

Member
cuate said:
they are as good now as they were back then. what makes them not enjoyable?
Click to expand...

They control badly, they don't look that good, I have no idea why half of the screen is a map in Super Mario Kart etc. A few of my friends always want to play Mario Kart 64 and I have it bought on my Wii U, but they always get bored of it after a few races and want to switch to Mario Kart 8. I have some games that I've played when they were fresh and can play nowadays but I can see how hard it would be for newcomers to enjoy 'em. Same thing here, I suppose.
 
S

Supast4r

Junior Member
This game literally has problems working. The sound cuts on and off due to Nintendo horrible sound chip, the game has horrible frame rate, and the game has very little to do. Mario Kart Wii/ds are my personal favorites
 
M

mattiewheels

And then the LORD David Bowie saith to his Son, Jonny Depp: 'Go, and spread my image amongst the cosmos. For every living thing is in anguish and only the LIGHT shall give them reprieve.'
I guess there's a lot of nostalgia for N64 games in general that I don't get. You really had to be there for that system because going back to those games doesn't work nearly as well as with PSX in my experience.
 
L

LeleSocho

Banned
VDenter said:
Yet some people cant seem to admit that its not the best one in the series if it ever was to begin with which it certainly wasn't.
Click to expand...
Oh the irony...
Mario Kart 64 is not the best and we agree on that but it seems some people can't accept it that it was much more fun than Super Mario Kart.
 
X

Xenoblade

Member
Supast4r said:
This game literally has problems working. The sound cuts on and off due to Nintendo horrible sound chip, the game has horrible frame rate, and the game has very little to do. Mario Kart Wii/ds are my personal favorites
Click to expand...

No sound cutting out on my original PAL cart.
 
C

cuate

Banned
Solobbos said:
They control badly, they don't look that good, I have no idea why half of the screen is a map in Super Mario Kart etc. A few of my friends always want to play Mario Kart 64 and I have it bought on my Wii U, but they always get bored of it after a few races and want to switch to Mario Kart 8. I have some games that I've played when they were fresh and can play nowadays but I can see how hard it would be for newcomers to enjoy 'em. Same thing here, I suppose.
Click to expand...

smk has bad controls? first time i'm hearing that. 64 is a bit slippery and feels awkward at first, so it takes some time to adapt, but there's nothing really wrong its controls. visuals may be dated and simple but neither game is particularly ugly. both games have rock solid gameplay and track design, although mushroom cup's tracks are a bit bland compared to later circuits. i still play them to this day with my younger brother and we always have a blast. some people may prefer newer entries but the first two are still very fun to play today, nostalgia has nothing to do with it.
 
S

Smokey

Member
Ryuelli said:
I know quite a few people who don't play games but will still play Mario Kart 64 at parties and stuff because they're familiar with it.


The best racing game on the N64 will forever be Beetle Adventure Racing though.
Click to expand...

What a name drop.

Game was awesome.
 
M

MemoryHumanity

Member
By far the worst game in the series. Tbf, you could replace "Mario Kart 64" with "Nintendo 64" in the thread title. Not many games from that era hold up.
 
J

jstripes

Banned
Stop It said:
Well according to some posters on here, that precision didn't exist and somehow MK64 required more skill. Despite the wider tracks, leaden controls and having far fewer moments that required split second timing.

Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad game but people seriously calling this better than SMK are nuts.
Click to expand...

N64 is a helluva drug.
 
C

cuate

Banned
MemoryHumanity said:
By far the worst game in the series. Tbf, you could replace "Mario Kart 64" with "Nintendo 64" in the thread title. Not many games from that era hold up.
Click to expand...

meh, not really. cant think of any game that was considered great back then that still isnt great today.
 
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