Well little poppets, it\'s been about a month and a half since my last review (GT3) and I\'ve been sort of slow lately getting back on the horse. Slow summers for gamers really suck. Anyways, let\'s hope this is the start of an excellent next three months of gaming heaven as well as a great three months of Ryu\'s Reviews. (About 13 in all and a weekly feature just for you guys) 
Anyways, lets get this ball rolling.Mario Kart Super Circuit
Mario Kart is one of the best games for both the Nintendo 64 and the Super Nintendo. Ultimately, the game is all about beating the tar out of the computer and your friends either in races or in battle and in either instance, it was great fun. Even if you were in last place trailing by almost a lap as the first place car moved to lap you, it was great launching a barrage of three red shells and knocking him out of the lead and into fifth place. The idea behind the game of simple racing mechanics coupled with some creative classic weapons just made it incredibly fun and replayable both alone and with friends.
Today, with the brand new Mario Kart Super Circuit for the Gameboy Advance, we get all of that great fun along with some brand new additions that keep the title true to the classic original formula coveted by most Nintendo fans as one of the best multiplayer games ever as well as a fresh offering to those new to the series.
Presentation:Well, I am a big fan of animated and detailed menus. My review of Twisted Metal: Black was highly biased because the game was so very please from when you saw the main title to when you finally beat the game. Most companies tend to just dump all over the menus and make a crappy little text based offering that is not pleasing to the eye or the player. I realize that you don\'t necessarily play the menu, but it does a lot in terms of immersion and appreciation. The reason I bring this up is because Mario Kart Super Circuit, much like that of Twisted Metal: Black, has some of the finest crafted menus for a sysytem, handheld or otherwise.
First, when you enter the menu, you are greeted by pulsating options that vary in size as you scroll through them. The real beauty is the transition between menus after making your selection where the background comes alive and rolls off the screen inducing a speedy fade-out fade-in touch that is quite pleasing and adds to the overall racing nature of the title. The best transition is after you select your driver, he spins out until he faces the left side of the screen and the proceeds to smash through the character select options smashing it into pieces and driving off the screen. Then, after selecting the League and Track, that same racer drives back across the screen and plows into the rest of the menus. Very artistic and original.
Graphics:The racers are incredibly well animated with lots of comical flair and color. Each one has their own little animations when they turn, spin-out, or jump into the air. Plus, the mode-7 scrolling feature synonymouse with some of the best games present on the SNES is used to its fullest in this game when you make every turn. Backgrounds scroll very smoothly making the ride that much more enjoyable. In a way, it\'s classic SNES style with some polished adapted N64 racers.
Sound:Much like that of Mario Advance, the characters all have digitized voices that all differ with each action. Firing a shell, spinning out, and winning a race will grant you with many different short sayings. In particular, I found Yoshi\'s voice to be the best either when he was winning, or when he spins out. Speaking of spinning out, the sound effects are also a mixed bag of greatness ranging from comical banana peel launches to strange lightning bolt crashes.
The music is also pretty damn good as well. The tunes match the tracks incredibly well while still maintaining a great deal of originality. The beats are pretty recognizable as well even when they speed up to ultra fast on the last lap just like they did in the original Mario Kart.
Gameplay:Like the original games in the series, Mario Kart Super Circuit does not dissapoint. The classic weapons of old that succeed in allowing you to thwomp the competition have made a faithful return to the series. Red shells, spiked shells, shrinking bolts, stars, and speed mushrooms are among a few of the items you can use to win the race or the battle. Believe me, you\'re going to need every one of them to hold that first place position in the 150cc class. Some of these weapons can also be avoided by an all new power slide feature in the game. I\'m not a big fan of the way it is done on the GBA, but it does take a bit of practice to master.
There are eight drivers in all ranging from Wario to Mario, to Donkey Kong to Yoshi and each one has their own driving characteristics. Yoshi for example is one of the more speedy racers, but skids heavily on tight turns while Mario remains faithfully well balanced. Just like that of Mario Advance, the characteristics of the drivers really do depend on the player\'s individual style.
A new time trial mode has been added to the game allowing you to master each track before venturing into them in league play. However, the greatest feature of this allows you to race a ghost of yourself on the track much like that of the Gran Turismo series allowing you to compete with yourself for the ultimate time. Once you reach that great time and perfect lap, you can also transfer the ghost data to a friend and have them attempt to beat your time. If nothing else, they can learn from your driving skill and at least attempt to match your style to achieve greatness.
Four player mode is the same as it has always been, but the best part of it all, especially after all these years, is that it\'s still great fun. If you have 3 friends with GBAs, I highly encourage them to make the purchase and get a link cable so you can all race or fight with eachother. It\'s definitely great for a few hours and a few hearty laughs. This game is definitely the best amalgam of the N64 and SNES versions of Mario Kart.
Lasting Appeal:Over 40 tracks to choose from as well as the 4-player battle mode will keep you busy for hours. Anyone who complains that the game is too damn easy has obviously not played a friend or played the game in 150cc class. I\'m sorry, but it\'s tough getting A rank against the CPU in 150cc class.
Rank is also a new addition presented by the coins present all over the track. The coins you pick up allow you to obtain a rank at the end of the league. Get all first places and collect up to 200 coins and obtain a rank based on coins collected. Get all A ranks and all first place finishes in all races, including the special league and you truly are a Mario Kart champion.
Mario World Characters.
Race Karts.
Multiplayer Battles.
Lots of Original Tracks.
Huge Fun.
\'Nuff Said.
Topic: Mario Kart Super Curcuit Review (Read 494 times)