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[Cramoss]

Having played all MKs to this day, I still find MK64 to be the most fun somehow.

 

[ubercheez]

The best Mario Kart is whichever one you spent hundreds of hours playing with your friends.

 

[Servbot24]

By far the worst in the series, although I haven't played the GBA one.

Best is MKDS with 7 and 8 right behind.

 

[Crom]

I grew up in the N64 era, and it may be my favorite system of all time because of that. It opened my eyes to a world of gaming that I never thought existed, made me realize games were here to stay and were going to grow up with me, and created memories that would last forever.

One of those games that left a huge impact on me as with many, was Mario Kart 64.

I played the shit out of MK64. I had played SMK on the SNES before, (or after, I don't remember, either way MK64 was definitely my "first" MK), but this was something way cooler. And it was something I owned. Countless nights were spent playing this game for years on end. I loved it. It was the shit, and it will always hold a special place in my heart.

But I'm also not blind. MK64 has not aged well. It can still be fun mind you, but in my opinion, every Mario Kart since has been superior. We are now at MK8, which I firmly believe is the best entry in the series, (I haven't played DX yet, but will be very soon!), and as much as I love MK64 for what it gave me, at this point I would probably say that I think that it could be one of, if not the worst MKs ever made. Compared to other entries, it's boring and uninspired, and the only thing I really think it had going for it was having the last great Battle mode in the series (until hopefully MK8DX's).

But MK64 is just one of those games that a lot of people just CANNOT take off their rose tinted glasses for. A few of my close friends still stand by that they think it's definitely the best MK, and shun every new one because of it. Their reasons are always bullshit, and if we do end up playing it we get bored pretty quickly. And I know this just isn't in my group of friends either. The game just left such an impact on so many people that they still legitimately see it as the only MK worth playing, which is insane to me.

I completely understand why so many people would hold it so dear, but comon. Really? What is the deal with people just not being able to let MK64 go? Is it because Double Dash mixed too many things up too quick for some people, and they immediately assumed the rest wouldn't retain the 64 simplicity? I think MK8 has overcame people's opinions more than others because it's just so god damned good, but I still feel like there's this weird stigma attached to every MK after 64 just because they're not 64.

I know this could probably just come off as "don't hate what people like", but I'm curious, does anyone here on GAF think that MK64 is actually the best MK game? If so, I would like to hear the case. I just don't get it, but I will listen and try to. I understand wanting to play it FOR nostalgia purposes, that's fine, but when people say it's actually the best Mario Kart, that's what drives me loopy. It's not like Mortal Kombat 2 against the 3D Mortal Kombats that I could definitely see a case for liking the originals over, or the 3D Mario games that are all different enough that I could understand someone's love over 64 to Galaxy. MK8 and most in the series behind it still retain the same core of MK, it's really just a better version of the same game. And also, does anyone else have friends that pull this card too? Or am I alone in this and my friends just suck?

I love the Mario Kart series and started with the SNES version as a kid. Mario Kart 64 disappointed me big time when it came out. The courses felt boring to me and I much preferred the orginal game.

Huge fan of Mario Kart 8 though.

 

[Weltall Zero]

Easily my least favorite entry in the series.

Same. I rented it and disliked it profoundly even back then, and skipped it even though I loved and played the hell out of the SNES original. By far the weakest entry including portables.

The best Mario Kart is whichever one you spent hundreds of hours playing with your friends.

Not really, objectivity is not that hard. I spend said hundreds of hours with friends with the original Mario Kart, but I'm not so nostalgia-blind that I can't see MK8 is far, far superior.

 

[Silurus]

Loved the Super NES version, played it to death. Not so much Mario Kart 64, the rubber banding really annoyed me.

 

[BiggNife]

Mario Kart 64 was revolutionary for the time, but yeah it does not hold up super well.

I remember playing it on a whim after being addicted to Mario Kart DS and being shocked at how sluggish it feels and how muddy the visuals are. It's not like MK DS was a looker either but 60fps really makes all the difference in the world.

 

[fabricated backlash]

The racing was crap mostly, but the Battle Mode was god like and for me is still not matched by any modern Mario Kart. Including MK8D. Allthough Renegade Roundup could change my opinion.

 

[Weltall Zero]

As usual, hyperboles everywhere.

Mario Kart 64 was an outstanding game back then with fantastic track design, ost and incredible local multiplayer. It was borderline impossible to sit there playing with friends and not enjoy every second spent in the goat battle mode, racing against each other or competing in time trials. One of my friends had CTR and guess what - we always played Mario Kart. In fact, we played Super Mario Kart before going to CTR.

And of course now there are better entries in the series, like DS and 8/8D. But if there's nostalgia bias going on with the series that's all about Double Dash, MK64 was something never seen when it came out and this is not something that late 90s kids/millennials can understand.

So much utterly wrong.
1) MK64 was a mediocre game even back then, especially compared to the SNES original.
2) It was entirely possible to play it and not actually enjoy a single moment. Your comment is frankly hilarious in a post prefaced with a warning against hyperbole.
3) I honestly have no clue what you're even talking about when you say it was something "never seen when it came out". It did absolutely nothing that hadn't been done by either the original or other racers.

 

[Deleted member 752119]

I have a lot of nostalgia for MK64 as it came out toward the end of high school for me and was super popular through college so it's the only entry I've played a lot of local MP (or any really).

That said, it hasn't aged well and MK8 is leagues better.

 

[AwakenedCloud]

Loved it as a kid, probably one top 3 games on that system. But you're absolutely right, it plays like trash in, and people aren't having it!

Me and a couple of my old buddies from high school decided to fire Mario Kart 64 up to level the playing fields after it became apparent that we couldn't have competitive matches in 8 with one another. I rarely say this about games, but 4 player MK64 is borderline unplayable. It literally gave me a headache. The frame rate is unspeakably bad. I felt like I had lived a lie.

 

[Lupin the Third]

Mario Kart 64 was revolutionary for the time, but yeah it does not hold up super well.

And yet whenever someone buys an N64 the very first game they try to track down is Mario Kart 64 (or Zelda OoT or Smash or Mario 64, but MK64's pretty much always on that person's list).

Compared to other entries, it's boring and uninspired, and the only thing I really think it had going for it was having the last great Battle mode in the series (until hopefully MK8DX's).

This is the only portion of the OP that is an actual critique of the game. I get that it's kind of old hat at this point with so many others to choose from but rose tinted glasses aside it's not like it's unplayable or even unenjoyable. It's flawed but fun. And the battle mode being worth a darn probably just nailed it on the head: Double Dash is the only console one to date besides maybe MK8D with a half-decent battle mode OTOH.

 

[Rodin]

So much utterly wrong.
1) MK64 was a mediocre game even back then

Wow you convinced me

especially compared to the SNES original.

I don't have any problem if people think that SMK was better. Maybe it was. But at the time having a group of friends that gathered almost every day to play meant choosing between playing "the older game" (which sounds silly now, but not necessarily so amongst kids) two at a time while other 2-3 people sat there watching, or enjoying MK64 all together at the same time. It was a no brainer.

2) It was entirely possible to play it and not actually enjoy a single moment. Your comment is frankly hilarious in a post prefaced with a warning against hyperbole.

I don't think anyone who ever gathered friends to play MK64 (which is what i was talking about) was annoyed throughout the whole play session. Speaking about hyperboles, right?

And saying "borderline impossible" should mean that it's "almost impossible", and that isn't exactly as hyperbolic as calling it a trash tier game. Especially when most of the people saying that likely didn't even experience the game when it came out.

3) I honestly have no clue what you're even talking about when you say it was something "never seen when it came out". It did absolutely nothing that hadn't been done by either the original or other racers.

Oh yeah? You could play in 4 players mode in the original? Lol

Can't speak about other games, as i'm not arrogant to the point of thinking that i know of every single racing game that let you do that back then, but i'm really curious to know what other and how many of them allowed people to play in 4 players before MK64 came out in 1996.


EDIT:

Any nostalgia for MK64 is genuine proof of the phenomenon that one's first Mario Kart will almost inevitably be their favorite Mario Kart.

Mario Kart 64 isn't good. You just enjoyed being eight.

Lol. Super Mario Kart is my first Mario Kart and my favorite is 8D.

 

[Brhoom]

Playing it after Crash Team Racing didn't help at all.

 

[polyh3dron]

It was the best for a very long time. This only stopped being true when Sonic Transformed came out. No MK pre MK8 compared to it.

Only version of Sonic Transformed that is good is the PC version. All console versions ran at 30 FPS and were shit as a result.

 

[Pinkuss]

Bought this recently(ish) on the Wii U; love Mario Kart 8 with mates but knocking a mate off of the ledge on Choco Mountain, twice and managing the shortcut on Rainbow road after never attempting it (in 10 or so years) when very very wasted was a laugh. Also the battle mode is always fun.

 

[Dangansona]

I agree OP, and from the looks of it so do plenty others. Being in college you tend to encounter N64 games to this day and I can't say I ever enjoy playing MK64. I know I'm on the defense force for this game but I still stand by the Snowboard Kids games being better.

Edit: I will say I'd probably rather play MK64 than MK Wii, but that's about it.

 

[night814]

All entries since have been far superior, it is exactly blind loyalty that keeps mk64 in our hearts. It's the same as games like GoldenEye and no mercy. Because people put 100s of hours into the games we have nostalgia out the wazoo for them. Techniquely they have been far surpassed but nothing will erase our memories *tear*

 

[muteki]

DK Racing and Super Mario Kart were much better.

 

[giancarlo123x]

Any nostalgia for MK64 is genuine proof of the phenomenon that one's first Mario Kart will almost inevitably be their favorite Mario Kart.

Mario Kart 64 isn't good. You just enjoyed being eight.

Its a great drinking game, I love it.

 

[Onemic]

MK64 is absolute trash. An absolute technical disaster with a bunch of easy to break stages.

I swear MK64 runs at an average of 15FPS

 

[cheez124]

mk64 was my favorite for the longest time purely on nostalgia alone. it was my first mario kart, after all. after seeing those vids showing how bad the rubberbanding AI was i realized it wasn't really as good as i remembered lol. i still have fun playing it with friends every now and then though

 

[RangerX]

Played so many games of this back in the with a bunch of mates when we were all smoking weed. I wouldn't call it the best but its easily the MK I'm most fond of.

 

[Arkam]

MK64 was my favorite battle mode but one of my least favorite racer. I cannot count the number of hours I spent playing block fort in 4-player. At least as many hours as I did playing GoldenEye. Have yet to see a better battle mode exp in an MK game. Here is hoping MK8D is superior when I boot it up tonight.

 

[Papo Swing]

Nothing is superior than having an N64 with 4 controllers and friend playing Mario Kart 64 or other games.

And yes the nostalgia is a really important factor as I feel I liked certain things like Mario KArt when I was of that age and had more time to play and had more friends that could come over at any time and just play. Things like interest, time, age change that specially with a game like Mario Kart.

I agree that every other entry might be superior, just not as blissful, not even Beerio Kart.

Edit: oh and the SNES version too. Forgot that. Mario Kart 64 was a bit more disappointing than that one, everyone recognized it at that point, but still preferred the fun times of 64.

 

[Lionel Richie]

By far the worst in the series, although I haven't played the GBA one.

GBA one is utterly fantastic and my favorite Mario Kart in a honorable tie with MK8.

 

[Hindl]

It sucks ass but a ton of people have fond memories of sleepovers with it and probably didn't play any future Mario Karts

 

[Carlius]

I dunno man. I love it. The shortcuts were amazing. Has any other Mario kart done shortcuts so well? The lightning bolt was great, battle mode was epic fun. Maybe it is nostalgia but... Nah, best in the series for me alongside Mario kart ds.

 

[PeakPointMatrix]

Even at the time, Crash Team Racing eclipsed it without question. Going back to MK64 is a test of patience for racing in a foggy, blurry sub-20fps mess.

Any nostalgia for MK64 is genuine proof of the phenomenon that one's first Mario Kart will almost inevitably be their favorite Mario Kart.

Mario Kart 64 isn't good. You just enjoyed being eight.

This right here.

 

[MrSaturn99]

It was the first game I ever asked for, so I have many fond memories of it, but yeah, it feels super clunky to go back to.

Soundtrack is still one of my MK faves, though.

 

[shouamabane]

I've played them all. I thought MK64 was okay. I'm not a huge Kart fan though.

 

[Shpeshal Nick]

Mario Kart 64 is the game that made me switch from being a Sega fanboy to a Multiplatform owner going forward.

I think it's still my favourite in the series.

 

[dose]

Loved the Super NES version, played it to death. Not so much Mario Kart 64, the rubber banding really annoyed me.

Really? The rubberbanding in the SNES version is terrible.

 

[DarkConfidant]

It's my least favorite.

I don't have those friends. I once met a dude who was convinced that Brawl was the best Smash Bros though...

 

[PeakPointMatrix]

I want someone to play 10 hours of MK8D, and then jump on MK64 immediately after and tell me it's still the best Kart Racer, let alone Mario Kart.

 

[Shpeshal Nick]

Any nostalgia for MK64 is genuine proof of the phenomenon that one's first Mario Kart will almost inevitably be their favorite Mario Kart.

Mario Kart 64 isn't good. You just enjoyed being eight.

I was 16 and my first Mario Kart was Super.

Sooooooooooo. Yeah.

 

[peetfeet]

Super Mario Kart was by far the best, spent many many hours on that, even more on the battle mode with friends.

 

[Hardvlade]

I think we can all agree with that this game was vastly superior anyway:

I still hate how the original version is now lost forever due to the Microsoft buyout.

Microsoft allowed Rare to develop the DS version of the game in 2007, so who knows if we'll ever see it in the future again.

 

[Cipherr]

Has any kart racing game had a better single player campaign than DKR?

Nope, closest that generation was CTR but even CTR single player couldnt hold a candle to DKR.

 

[AdventureRacing]

I love the music, stages and graphics for this game. The main thing I life is the controls, they just gelled with me.

Having said that I like essentially every Mario kart.

 

[arkon]

I've mentioned this before in other threads where the topic has come up, but for me it's not blind nostalgia. The last time I played it was about 3 or 4 years ago I think and we still had as much fun with it as we did back in the day. Battle mode was our mode of choice though (especially 4-player on Block Fort), with racing a sort of filler to wind down the session with.

I'll add that I've not played some of the newer entries after not gelling with Double Dash and the DS version so I can't say how it stacks up to those. It's still my favourite entry though.

I think a big part of the problem is that I've played MK64 so much that the handling is ingrained now, so if I'm not able to replicate the same maneuvers it doesn't sit right. This was largely the problem with the DS version, when initially I thought it was only a problem of maps not matching the greatness of Block Fort (as in Double Dash).

 

[El Odio]

The SNES one always frustrated the hell out of me as a kid with it's garbage AI so MK64 was a very much beloved sequel to me. Lots of memories playing it with my friends and cousins as a kid but it was easily dethroned by MKWii for me since DD couldn't quite reach the same highs as it and I never spent a lot of time with DS.

 

[J@hranimo]

Yeah I know a couple of people like that too. I think people saying that have not played anymore MK games, which sucks but it is what it is. I have some fond memories of both racing and battle, but like others have said other games like Diddy Kong Racing are just so much better.

The one thing I wonder is why some people say SMK > MK64?

 

[Pizza]

By chance, I never played MK64 at its prime. I was big on the snes one but none of my friends or I had the N64 one. I loved double dash tho, but nostalgia aside I thing 8 is the best by far

 

[TheDinoman]

Microsoft allowed Rare to develop the DS version of the game in 2007, so who knows if we'll ever see it in the future again.

That was mainly because Microsoft doesn't compete in the handheld space.

Regardless, the DS version is widely considered to be inferior to the N64 version, so re-releasing that just wouldn't be a good substitute. And Nintendo won't re-release the N64 version because it has Banjo and Conker in it. They most likely don't want a competitor's IPs to be mixing in with their own, hence why they were removed from the DS version.

 

[Moondrop]

The 64 sequel was a big improvement on SNES due to the fun of battle mode, but SNES was amazing back in the day. Many never played the Double Dash (including myself). Mario Kart Wii was pretty terrible. And 8 was amazing but the battle mode was garbage tier.

Prior to yesterday, it wasn't blind at all to hold warm feelings for MK64.

 

[The_Darkest_Red]

Nodded the whole time I read the OP. I loved MK64 as a kid but come on, it's easily the worst game in the series. 8 is king.

 

[Clessidor]

It's pretty hard for me to judge that. game, because I am one of those who grew up with it. N64 was my first home console and MK64 my first Mario Kart game. So I mostly see the game through my nostalgia lenses.

But in general the game has really a very slow feeling compared to all the other MK games I've played. I personally like that it feels so slow for a racing game. It's still thrilling for me without being chaotic or hectic.
But we played it in an unusual way. I can still remember how my brother and I preferred to race coop instead of competitive. Always one was taking the role of the bodyguard, keeping the AI away from the one who drives first. I know it's not fair. But we always liked it. And I think it only worked because the game has this slow feel.

And of course it has a good battle mode. We always had fun filling the ground level of Block Fort with as much green shells as possible, we called it the Green Hell, and then tried to push each other down.
Like I said. Nostalgia is strong with this one. And if I think about it. MK64 can get quite boring sometimes, because it's missing a lot of action sometimes. But I wouldn't consider it a bad game or bad MK game.

 

[Rodin]

It's pretty hard for me to judge that. game, because I am one of those who grew up with it. N64 was my first home console and MK64 my first Mario Kart game. So I mostly see the game through my nostalgia lenses.

But in general the game has really a very slow feeling compared to all the other MK games I've played. I personally like that it feels so slow for a racing game. It's still thrilling for me without being chaotic or hectic.
But we played it in an unusual way. I can still remember how my brother and I preferred to race coop instead of competitive. Always one was taking the role of the bodyguard, keeping the AI away from the one who drives first. I know it's not fair. But we always liked it. And I think it only worked because the game has this slow feel.

And of course it has a good battle mode. We always had fun filling the ground level of Block Fort with as much green shells as possible, we called it the Green Hell, and then tried to push each other down.
Like I said. Nostalgia is strong with this one. And if I think about it. MK64 can get quite boring sometimes, because it's missing a lot of action sometimes. But I wouldn't consider it a bad game or bad MK game.

LOL that's what me and my cousin used to do with Super Mario Kart. It wasn't easy to slow down fucking Donkey Kong Jr in 150cc, but we had tons of fun playing like that.

But yeah, like i already said i don't think 64 is all nostalgia. Most of the tracks were fantastic and i think people forgot how great it felt to find new shortcuts, the music/sounds were outstanding and the graphics were impressive enough for most people who played the game, especially coming from SMK or SNES in general. Then there was 4 players battle mode and there's nothing to add to that, it was simply some of the most fun you could have with friends while playing videogames. It's ok to think it didn't age very well (i'd still buy the shit out of it on Switch VC though), and i guess it's annoying to have people telling you that MK8 is bad or irrelevant because it's not 64, but some posts are way over exaggerating things.

 

[Khrno]

Yeah, I actually prefer the GBA one to MK64, because it has less repulsive graphics to me and because the controls remind me of the SNES version.

Coins on the track are a big feature of the series too...

I love the GBA version too, I just didn't play it as much as the SNES game so I have more fondly memories of SMK, but if I looked at both games objectively I believe the GBA game is the superior game.