Silicon Fusion >> Reviews >> Mario Kart: Super Circuit

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Review:

10th September 2001:
Mario Kart: Super Circuit
It's the fast and furious fun of Mario Kart in the palm of your hand - we're not worthy!
Posted by Marc Hull - Game Boy Advance - UK and Europe

Who can forget the first time they turned on their SNES with a copy of Mario Kart in it to stare in awe of the Mode-7 semi-3D visuals it boasted, then to find that it played just as well! Or how about when four friends come round, play on Mario Kart 64's insane multiplayer mode, and you keep playing the same game for hours? Well, now you can recreate these moments of gameplay goodness 'on the move' with Mario Kart Super Circuit for the Game Boy Advance.

As usual, when you start up the game you select one of the game modes (Grand Prix, Time Trial and Quick Run) followed by a speed/difficulty level (50cc, 100cc or 150cc), a character (one of eight classic Nintendo icons) and then a cup (of which four are initially selectable). In the main mode of the game, the Grand Prix section, you race against seven rivals on each track in turn, until all four tracks in the cup are complete. At the end of each race, you are given points depending on where you place, or have to retry if you fail to get into the top four. Finally, at the end of the last race, all the points are totalled up and you are awarded a trophy if you place first, second or third overall.

While this is hardly earth-shattering stuff, it's the racing that makes Mario Kart stand out from the other games available. Like its predecessors, Super Circuit contains an array of useful powerups for you or your rivals to collect while racing and use to your advantage. These can range from the all-too-common speed-up mushroom or fireable green shell to invincibility and a lightening bolt that shrinks all the other players. The distribution of these power-ups is far from random; instead it is set up to give the players at the back of the pack a greater chance of catching up, ensuring that you have a fun game whether you're first or eighth.

In terms of track design, while Super Circuit's courses are limited to being flat only (like the SNES game), they have their fair share of speed boosters, ramps and traps to keep you on your toes. Graphically, they are bright and detailed, with nice parallax-scrolling backgrounds that help it to stand out from the other Mode-7 racers on the market. This is also reflected on the rest of the game, with nicely animated menu screens keeping everything looking well-polished.

For sound, little has been changed from the SNES and N64 versions of the game, but this is no bad thing. Hearing the Game Boy Advance churn out some neat-sounding, chirpy tunes as well as the famous sound-bites that each character has at their disposal is quite an experience.

One of the best features, however, is the inclusion of the N64's four-player mode, which is possible by linking four Game Boy Advances together with only one cartridge needed! This little addition makes Super Circuit by far the best multiplayer GBA title available, and forking out a bit extra to get the link-up lead should now be a realistic prospect.

Overall, there aren't many faults to be found with Mario Kart Super Circuit. It's one of the best looking Game Boy Advance titles around, making full use of the semi-3D modes from the SNES days, along with some great background music and sound clips to accompany the on-screen action and frantic gameplay to keep you playing for hours at a time. The only possible problems that arise would have to be with the controls, since the Game Boy Advance in incapable of bringing the same kind of precise analogue control that the N64 version had. However, this hardly tarnishes what has to be a must-have game for Nintendo's new console.

Marc Hull

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Review Summary:

It's like having the SNES version of Mario Kart where-ever you go, and with great 3D-style graphics and memorable background music is one of the best GBA games available. There's even a four-player mode like in the N64 version, where four GBAs can be linked together with only one cartridge between them - pure madness! Some minor control differences exist if you're used to the N64 version, but that hardly diminishes the level of fun this title offers.

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