Mario Kart 64

Navigation

Understanding the navigation within Mario Kart 64 is key to mastering its tracks. While there isn't a traditional minimap (a small map displayed on the HUD (heads-up display — the on-screen icons showing health, ammo and the minimap), or Heads-Up Display, showing your immediate surroundings), you'll need to rely on track memorization and visual cues.

Characters

Mario Kart 64 features a roster of iconic characters, each with different stats that influence their handling and speed. Choosing the right character for your playstyle can make a significant difference.

Controls

Familiarizing yourself with the controls is crucial for precise racing. This includes acceleration, braking, drifting, and using items effectively. Mastering these inputs will allow you to perform advanced techniques.

Items

Items are a core mechanic in Mario Kart 64, offering offensive and defensive capabilities. They can be obtained from Item Boxes scattered throughout the tracks. Using the right item at the right time can turn the tide of a race.

Weight Classes

Characters in Mario Kart 64 are divided into weight classes, which affect their acceleration, top speed, and how they interact with other racers and items. Lighter characters may accelerate faster but have lower top speeds, while heavier characters might be slower to accelerate but have higher top speeds and better handling when bumped.

Welcome back! It's time for another guide, and this time I chose Mario Kart 64, the best racing game on the N64, in my opinion. Now, I practically promised I'd write for the Oracle of Ages/Seasons Zelda games earlier, but certain circumstances have made this impossible. You see, my first guide ever was for The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures, and it was posted on GameFaqs on July 10, 2004. My contributing career was "born", I guess, on that day. To commemorate this joyous occasion, I decided to write up a quick guide (I could not possibly write a guide for two Zelda games in such a short amount of time, or at least do it well) to release on July 10, 2005. In the end, no one really cares, but I thought this was the perfect way to cap off a great year.

After all, Mario Kart 64 is as great as, say, Frosted Flakes (bad joke alert). I remember back in the late 90's renting this game. I was blown away. Even though they look a bit bad by today's standards, the graphics were insanely good back then. The items play an integral role in the game (just one of the many reasons why this is better than most racing games), and you can play as any of eight Mario characters in Mario-tastic courses. It does play more slowly than Double Dash, but it's a big improvement over Super Mario Kart. But, this was still a blast from the past for me (and others, I'd imagine), and it's better than its sequels and prequels in many respects.

Mario Kart: Double Dash!! dazzled us on the Game Cube. With crisp, undeniably beautiful graphics, faster game play, and lots of secrets and co-op play, it is an amazing game. But, Double Dash borrows much of what people love about it from Mario Kart 64. From unlocking secret ghosts to new items... Double Dash will always just be the learner, not the master. You will understand after playing this wonderfully addictive game. To quote Mario... Welcome to Mario Kart!

By the by, should you happen to see this guide (or any of my other guides) on any site but GameFaqs and its affiliates, please contact me at the e-mail address listed at the top of this guide. With your help, this guide won't be plagiarized. Thanks a million, my friend.

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