Genre: Racing
Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo

This reviewer remembers seeing screenshots of this title in the game magazines, and thinking "Look at the resolution of those sprites!" And they don't let down, even in 2024: the characters may not be polygonal, but they are drawn from every conceivable angle, for every frame of animation-- they are a sight to behold! The track design aesthetics are intentionally drawn from "Super Mario 64", but lack some of the geometric complexity of that game. There is a wide variety of settings from dirt arenas to grassy zones to Bowser's castle. Some tracks have real novelty, such as one with railroad tracks and a train! The game's art direction is consistently very strong.

Kenta Nagata lends his skills to this title's soundtrack, and the result is very Koji Kondo-like. Stylistically it has a MIDI-like sound to it, with the post-race song's horn sample being especially and pleasantly corny. Everything from banjo music to haunted house themes are here, and they all sound fantastic. Alongside the gentle hum of the kart motors, the game is loaded with crystal clear voice samples, and the sounds the other drivers make when hit with objects are frequently hilarious.

Mario Kart 64's steering feels very accurate, responsive, and tight. The player can get a boost off the starting line by timing the accelerator press-- but be careful not to crash into the driver immediately in front! The player can also jump with the "R" button, then slide while wiggling the analog stick to build up to a speed boost. The major downside to the gameplay is the AI "rubber banding", which is positively out of control on even just the 100cc difficulty. But against other three other humans the title plays great, and the battle mode is superb fun as well.

With four cups to play through, three AI difficulties, and time trial with full best time save support, not to mention up to four-player split screen with both races and battle arenas, there is plenty to do in Mario Kart 64. The game has a pleasant aesthetic with some incredible high resolution sprites, while the music and sound effects are memorable and well done. It's a pity about AI being so "cheap", as it's the only aspect of this title holding it back from an even higher score.