The say that sainthood needs to be
validated by the accomplishment of three certifiable miracles. With plenty of tracks and
lots of gameplay options the programmers of Mario Kart Super Circuit have more than met
that criteria in my books. Someone just needs to contact the Vatican to get the ball
rolling.First
Miracle: Mario Kart: Super Circuit has made kart racing fun again. Who wouldve
thought that after Bugs, Buzz, Diddy Kong, and Darth Maul, Mario, the one who started it
all, would be the one to make kart racing exciting again? It seems like every conceivable
franchise short of fast food chains has copied the kart formula without capturing the
magic. If I had a nickel for every time I said, "Oh no, not another kart racer,"
Id have quite a handful of nickels. I honestly didnt think that anything new
could be done with the genre. What I didnt realize was that nothing new really had
to be done. Mario Kart worked great. As they say, "If it aint broke, dont
fix it."
There have
been a few changes made to the game, but theyre largely superficial. Youve got
the same characters, power-ups, and pretty much the same tracks, and it all works great.
Yes, this is essentially a souped up version of the SNES game, but what a difference a few
details can make. Besides the touched up graphics, Mario Kart reintroduces coin collection
to your racing requirements, which had been featured in the SNES version, but was not in
Mario Kart 64. In order to reach your top speed you have to collect as many coins as
possible. Its a nice little strategic addition that really pays off in gameplay.
Your ranking is also affected by the number of coins that are collected through each
circuit.
Second
miracle: Mario Kart is the best looking game on the Game Boy Advance and better looking
than a lot of games that have shown up on the original Sony Playstation. I simply cannot
get over how good this game looks. The drivers are all beautifully rendered, the tracks
all look gorgeous, and some of them have some great background animations that really add
to the overall feel of the game. The game is bright, lively, and moves like a Lamborghini
(not that Ive ever driven one).
I have to
admit that I was a little skeptical of how good the graphics really were. Ive
learned that you can get away with a lot when youre dealing with a really small
screen. But when I was at Wal-mart the other night, they were broadcasting vid-captures on
their televisions throughout the store. I was struck by how much better the game looked
when blown up on a 27" screen. Graphically, this game is about as flawless as they
come.
The third
miracle is the biggest on in my book; although it may have little relevance to you. Mario
Kart Super Circuit got my wife interested in video games again. She hasnt enjoyed
playing video games this much since, well, uh, Mario Kart 64. For the last five years,
Ive been trying desperately to find a game that she would enjoy to no avail. Now, I
just have to convince her to spring for a second Game Boy Advance so we can go head to
head. Shes very close to caving in. I can just feel it.
Did I
mention that the game also supports four players racing off of a single cartridge? With
the single cartridge multi-boot, there are only a limited number of tracks, and one
character available, but if each player has his own copy of the game (and anyone with a
GBA should have their own copy) all levels and characters are available.
Theres also a battle mode that only works for multi-player games. The only fault
that I can find with the game is the fact that it doesnt support a single player
battle mode. I really would have liked the option of taking on the computer in a Kart to
Kart confrontation.
This is a
great game, and I havent even touched on the miracle of the super tight controls or
beautiful menu design. Simply stated: Mario Kart Super Circuit is a big miracle in a small
package. Some reviews are torture to write, but sometimes the words seem to flow straight
from the mouth to the iridescent computer screen. Chalk up another minor miracle to the
gaming gods. If you buy only one game for your Game Boy Advance, make it this one.