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nkarafo · Apr 28, 2017

There are a few things Mario Kart 64 has going for it IMO.

-The music. Probably the best in the series composition wise IMO (excluding the DK track). Double Dash and MK Wii felt forgettable.

-The level design of some levels is still pretty good. I think Yoshi's Valley is my favorite design ever in the series (and it shines in the MK8 remake).

-The atmosphere. There is something about MK 64 that i can't put my finger on. It has a weird "emptiness" feel that i personally find interesting. I especially like the "darker" levels (Bowser Castle and the one with the ghosts) for that reason. Generally, it doesn't give you the feel of a flashy, loud event like later MK games do. I do understand that it was probably a hardware limitations thing and not a design choice though. But still, i like it.

But yeah, i don't like how it controls, i don't like the 2D sprites and the cheating AI is the worst. It's not the worst MK for me but it's not the best either. I would place it in the middle somewhere.

Also please, don't use the "blind nostalgia" argument. Most of the time is patronizing to people who have legit reasons to disagree.

Hispanic! At the Disco · Apr 28, 2017

I think its nostalgia comes from it being the first 4-player mario kart so its the memories of groups of friends playing.

Imo Mario Kart 64 is the second worst mario kart, but its no where near 3rd worst. MKWii holds worst crown but not by much. That game blew chunks.

atr0cious · Apr 28, 2017

Agreed op, the game is slow all around, which makes things like the battle mode an absolute bore. Double Dash saved the franchise in my eyes.

sixteen-bit · Apr 28, 2017

The Battle mode was so fun

Joe Shlabotnik · Apr 28, 2017

Vital Tundra said:
Only reason I would play is for Block Fort

.

Worst racing MK but four-player Block Fort was legendary.

Oemenia · Apr 28, 2017

Nintendo can do no wrong.

Kyzer · Apr 28, 2017

Unison said:
But there was music...

Maybe you were playing a bootleg?

I wish MK8D had an option to shut off engine noise.

Chacranajxy said:
Were you... playing a bootleg?

Hmm...I don't think so...I don't think I had anything that could run an N64 emulator during its day

Edit: I googled it and it looks like theres no music in 3 and 4 player

Spring-Loaded · Apr 28, 2017

Mousnis said:
-The atmosphere. There is something about MK 64 that i can't put my finger on. It has a weirs "emptiness" feel that i personally find interesting. I especially like the "darker" levels (Bowser Castle and the one with the ghosts) for that reason. Generally, it doesn't give you the feel of flashy event like later MK games did. I do understand that it was probably a hardware limitations thing and not a design choice though. But still, i like it.

I completely agree that it has the atmosphere you describe, but that was very off-putting for me when it came out and still is now.

Rainbow Road has no stars in the sky ... just pitch darkenss ...

Stop It · Apr 28, 2017

I remember when it came out and it was seen as far worse than SMK. The nostalgia for it came from people who clearly didn't play the SNES game nor remember the backlash MK64 actually had at the time.

Now, people who bash MK Wii, they're wrong

Unison · Apr 28, 2017

Good article about the coins:

http://www.polygon.com/2015/5/1/852...ve-no-clue-what-coins-do-but-its-great-design

No coins, no sale!

thecouncil · Apr 28, 2017

ElectricBlanketFire said:
How does Mario Kart 8 not even come close?

Mario Kart 64 is the best in the series as long as you stopped playing Mario Kart games after it.

VDenter · Apr 28, 2017

Its by far the worst Mario Kart. Its one of those games that was not even good by the standards of the time when it was released. Let alone when compared to pretty much every other entry in the series. Everything about it sucks. I could not and still dont believe that people place it as their favorite entry.

Durden77 · Apr 28, 2017

LOLDSFAN said:
You sure about that?

MK64 was my first Mario Kart and even I understand it's not that great compared to the others in the series.

Of course I'm sure. Did you read my post? It was my first Mario Kart too and left a huge impact on me.

Some people doesn't mean all people.

Iscariot · Apr 28, 2017

sixteen-bit said:
The Battle mode was so fun

I felt like it was bad compared to SMK. Made me regret the purchase despite the racing end being better.

Unison · Apr 28, 2017

thecouncil said:
Mario Kart 64 is the best in the series as long as you stopped playing Mario Kart games after it.

... and didn't play the SNES version.

Wagram · Apr 28, 2017

I liked MK64, but I remember enjoying both Diddy King Racing, and especially Crash Team Racing more.

Principate · Apr 28, 2017

thecouncil said:
Mario Kart 64 is the best in the series as long as you stopped playing Mario Kart games after it.

Block Fort is GOAT. For that reason alone it's superior to almost all succeeding games.

nkarafo · Apr 28, 2017

Spring-Loaded said:
I completely agree that it has the atmosphere you describe, but that was very off-putting for me when it came out and still is now.

Rainbow Road has no stars in the sky ... just pitch darkenss ...

Well, i agree about Rainbow Road. It was also the only track that had a limited draw distance for some reason. And it was too long. Loved the music though.

Appleman · Apr 28, 2017

Best battle mode until now for sure. Other than that it's ugly and awful, despite all the nostalgia I have for it.

Still prefer it to the Wii one though. That first day with MK Wii was one of my most disappointing days in gaming

PSqueak · Apr 28, 2017

Worst of the series?

Okay it's true that the game hasn't aged as gracefully as most other and it's nobody's champion, but i think some people are getting a bit carried away with it, i feel the Snes and GBA games had aged worse.

Real Hero · Apr 28, 2017

I thought everyone considered it the worst one by far

Spauldingxx · Apr 28, 2017

The racing mode has improved, but battle mode has yet to be matched. The Wii and WiiU battle mode were TERRIBLE.

Marcel · Apr 28, 2017

I would rather play 64 over Mario Kart Wii but that isn't exactly high praise.

swarley64 · Apr 28, 2017

Best game ever made, according to this guy.
He makes some pretty interesting arguments, don't you think?

And me personally, I played the hell out of it at the time but have no desire to go back to it. I'm not crazy about the newer games either though.

Nocturnowl · Apr 28, 2017

MK64 is definitely one of those games where anyone referring to it as the best MK or kart racer in general leaves me absolutely flummoxed.

kunonabi · Apr 28, 2017

Sorry, still the best for me. It has the best battle mode so far and If I drive better than my opponents I'll come in first every time. You can't say that about any of the other ones that came after.

Zomba13 · Apr 28, 2017

I feel there is more nostalgia for the SNES one. Granted, I never had an SNES as a kid so never played the likes of the SNES MK or F-Zero games and played very few racing games on my Mega Drive but playing MK just seemed awkward.

MK64 while not the best MK (that'd be 8) I feel is still entertaining and still strong with good courses, fun items and the type of rubber banding you expect. And yeah, some other kart racers at the time were as good or better than it (DKR, CTR) but either way, I find MK64 more fun to go back and play than Super Mario Kart.

faint. · Apr 28, 2017

Worst entry in the series.

EmCeeGramr · Apr 28, 2017

Even back in the N64 days I remember renting MK64 and not being blown away by it. It felt empty and blurry, and compared to Diddy Kong Racing the blurry sprite characters felt cheap. I remember being really confused by people praising it later, and finding every Mario Kart I played afterwards to easily be superior.

archreaper93 · Apr 28, 2017

It's fun, but the controls feel weird to me. That might be because I grew up on the GameCube and am used to Double Dash though.

Also, unless I'm missing something, red shells are pretty worthless in this game. They follow a straight line to the person you're targeting, so if they're around the next corner when you throw them, they'll hit the wall.

Cloud7 · Apr 28, 2017

Mario Kart 64 has always been terribly overrated but still had enough charm for people to hang out and have a good time.

Every console Mario Kart game since then has been vastly superior.

G0523 · Apr 28, 2017

Kyzer said:
I never liked it. I remember there being no music for some reason and it felt like a bootleg game

You can turn on and off the music by pressing the L button.

CharminUltra · Apr 28, 2017

Mario Kart 8 beats it handily, but it's still a top 10 Nintendo 64 game.

Edit: for the record, SNES Super Mario Kart was my first, but I spent more time on MK64 Battle Mode alone than the original (every mode.)

Lynd7 · Apr 28, 2017

It's still good because it is still fun. The battle mode is still the most fun somehow, probably due to local play and not having dumb rules, lose all balloons, your done.

Shil Pencer · Apr 28, 2017

Graphically no it has no aged well, but as for gameplay and skill i find it to be the best. I honestly cant believe anyone would think other wise unless they didnt grow up with it

jstripes · Apr 28, 2017

Durden77 said:
But MK64 is just one of those games that a lot of people just CANNOT take off their rose tinted glasses for.

Honestly, you can say that in regards to the N64 in general.

Lylo · Apr 28, 2017

asker said:
Best game in the series and no game has come close since.

This. And i'm playing Mario Kart 8 Deluxe right now...

Merchandise · Apr 28, 2017

asker said:
Best game in the series and no game has come close since.

^^^^^^^^

Sordid · Apr 28, 2017

MK64 was great, had tons of 4 player game nights on it and it's my most played MK by far. I immediately liked Double Dash more when it released though, 64 while still being good is my least favourite. 64 has some of my best MK memories though.

Anustart · Apr 28, 2017

No way for 64 to be worst in the series when the snes and gba games exist.

ChouGoku · Apr 28, 2017

MK64 is a fun game to play with friends, has fun tracks and good music.

Stop It · Apr 28, 2017

Shil Pencer said:
Graphically no it has no aged well, but as for gameplay and skill i find it to be the best. I honestly cant believe anyone would think other wise unless they didnt grow up with it

Because it followed SMK, which required more skill and didn't play like you were karting through treacle.

ShirAhava · Apr 28, 2017

MK64 is the only one I've ever liked hated MK on SNES and hated the later games. Not really sure why tho.

potatohead · Apr 28, 2017

asker said:
Best game in the series and no game has come close since.

It's always been between super Mario kart and 64 for me

Super had by far the best battle mode

thomasmahler · Apr 28, 2017

Super Mario Kart is the best game in the series. Period.

Lynd7 · Apr 28, 2017

Stop It said:
Because it followed SMK, which required more skill and didn't play like you were karting through treacle.

More skill lol MK64 has more mechanics than SMK.

zewone · Apr 28, 2017

MK64 was awful at launch, the fact people would want to play it today blows my mind.

thomasmahler said:
Super Mario Kart is the best game in the series. Period.

Easily. Such a huge disappointment for the sequel.

Deleted member 1235 · Apr 28, 2017

hasnt aged well at all. memories of being the best at making the beach shortcut are all warm and fuzzy

MegaManTrigger · Apr 28, 2017

As a kid, I played MK64 and never understood what the hype was about. I LOVED the way DKR handled single/multiplayer as well as the battle modes. Now that I hear how much people love MK64, I'm really flabbergasted and have no idea why there's so much love for the game.

Raw64life · Apr 28, 2017

Haven't played it in a while but I played the shit out of it when it first came out.

When I went to college 10 years later, I played it a bunch and it was still really fun.

I guess it's possible that I might not enjoy it today, but I doubt it. Rubberband AI aside it's a fantastic game.

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