Mario Kart 64 Weight Classes Explained

AntMag.NET

All the karts in the game are basically the same. The real difference lies in color. Mario has a red one, Luigi and Yoshi have a green one, Peach has a pink one, Toad has a blue one, Wario's is purple, Bowser's is orange, and Donkey Kong's is yellow. So, since they essentially have the same kart, the player makes the difference in driving, not the kart. Each character can be given a weight class - light, medium, or heavy. Here, we will discuss each category and give a brief summary of the driving abilities of each character.

Lightweights

Lighter characters are the easiest to use. They have excellent acceleration, slightly high top speeds (in comparison to other weight classes), and will not lose much speed when they drive off course (although it is still noticeable). Lightweights will often be bullied by the heavier characters. For instance, if Toad was driving along and Wario rammed into him, Toad would spin out as if he had hit a Banana. The reason for this is that Wario (and all other middleweights and heavyweights) is heavier than Toad, and thus can throw his weight around. So, lightweights should avoid contact with other drivers. Also, due to their wonderful acceleration, lightweights can recover from crashes quickly. Also, note that they lose more speed when turning (without sliding) than other characters, and their steering isn't as good.

Peach

Princess Peach is a lightweight. As such, she accelerates well, has fairly high top speeds, and has a high jump. But, you'd better learn to power-slide if you play as Peach.

Yoshi

Yoshi is pretty good. He has good acceleration, nice top speeds, and he probably has the best steering of the lightweights. However, like all lightweights, Yoshi cannot turn very well without losing speed, and thus power-sliding is a must. He's the heaviest lightweight.

Toad

Toad is probably the best, or the most-liked, character in the game. He has awesome top speeds, somewhat bad steering in comparison to the likes of Bowser, good acceleration, and one annoying voice. He is the lightest character in the game, and so his lightweight attributes stick out more than Yoshi's or Peach's do. The downside to this is that he can drive into a heavyweight who isn't even moving and spin out of control. Try him out and see how you do with him. Toad is the best character for Time Trials due to his speeds. But, learn to power-slide.

Middleweights

Simply put, middleweights are average in everything. Mario has been well-rounded in every game he's appeared in since Super Mario Bros. 2 (Japan), and the formula does not change for this game. They lose some speed when turning and going off the track, they can exercise their weight over lightweights but are weak to heavyweights, and they have fair acceleration and speed. But, why settle for average?

Mario

It's-a Mario! Yes, the star of the game is the most balanced one, too. Mario is the heaviest middleweight, and he has good steering, okay everything else. You could be good with Mario, but characters that excel at something are often preferred.

Luigi

Player 2, err, Luigi is also smack-dab between heavy and light, although he is a bit lighter than his plump brother. As such, Luigi is a bit faster than Mario, and he has traces of lightweight qualities in him, or at least more so than Mario. However, they are almost equal.

Heavyweights

Most of the heavyweights are unplayable in the higher cc's of Grand Prix. Heavyweights have bad acceleration, below-average top speeds, and they sink into grass or sand, meaning that veering off the track causes them to lose massive amounts of speed. They do have their pluses, though. If they turn a corner without sliding, they lose almost no speed. They have exceptional steering - the best in the game - and can hit any other kart (except other heavyweights) and cause them to spin out. So, although other drivers may go faster than them at a faster rate, they can hit opponents like they were a shell (or, at least a moving Banana). Unfortunately, crashing or spinning will cause these big guys to lose almost all their speed, and they'll have a harder time recovering due to their weak acceleration.

Donkey Kong

DK is the heaviest of all the characters in the game. According to Donkey Kong 64, he weighs 800 pounds (about 363 kilograms). He can ram just about anyone, but he's the slowest character in the game with the worst acceleration. Although he has the most precise steering, you have to be a master of items and dodging attacks to use Donkey Kong with any hopes of winning in the Grand Prix.

Wario

Wario is a heavyweight. He has bad acceleration and below-average top speeds. He sinks into grass or sand, losing massive amounts of speed. However, he loses almost no speed when turning without sliding. He has exceptional steering and can hit other karts (except other heavyweights) to make them spin out. Crashing or spinning causes him to lose almost all his speed, and his weak acceleration makes recovery difficult.