I did not vibe with this one too much. It was alright, but I could never get a hang of the tracks.
It's a good Mario kart if you main frame of reference is the original super Mario kart.
They tried
It's better than the SNES one in that it doesn't have screen crunch with half being taken up by a map, and its tracks are more imaginative with better design, and you can even unlock the SNES tracks!
But it still has that crippling flaw of Mario Kart that it doesn't really work all that great in 2D.
But it still has that crippling flaw of Mario Kart that it doesn't really work all that great in 2D.
Absolute blast playing through this for the first time in 2021, there’s something so charming about the great pixel art in the n64 mushroom kingdom art style and the “mode 7” style flat courses, and the racing fundamentals are still exciting to try and wrangle. Enjoyed also the simplicity of character selection here compared to the recent entries.
Probably my least favorite after the original
It must be weird to go back to Super Circuit coming from an all 3D era of Mario Kart for the kids. I had a hard time reckoning what it could be like for my 12 year old nephew when he felt lost facing the original Mario Kart on SNES Mini a few years back or a 21 year old a few weeks ago, when we changed from Mario Kart 8 Deluxe to the original on the Switch.
To me, the whole story is entirely different. I grew up playing racing games looking way worse than Mario Kart, so when F-Zero and the plumber's grand prix were released on the SNES, those games were a revolutionary blast. Looking back, I understand graphics appear a little mushy maybe, but that's what made the games so incredibly fast.
Especially the original Mario Kart with its competitive features was our go to racer for years and what Mario Kart 64 had to offer just wasn't as perfect. It didn't look as good, the N64 controllers were crap and the gameplay itself... well, we still played the shite out of it at a friend's place, but it was no adequate substitute.
Introducing Mario Kart: Super Circuit I bought the GBA for, actually. That was promising. Back from those weird inferior 3D experiments to a style we knew and loved on SNES, except graphics looked a little more polished. It supported link cable, even with just one cartridge in use, just that the opponent could only choose Joshi. Real friends owned their private copy anyway.
I still feel, that Super Circuits, despite the new tracks we rarely used after unlocking the old ones, just feels almost as pure and perfect as the original Mario Kart on SNES, though it has a place in my heart ever since. Any Mario Kart I tried after Super Circuit couldn't capture what I liked about a game that requires skill instead of helping you slingshot after you messed up. Actually, I still have been playing almost daily on my trusty GBA until the SNES Mini came out and I kind of changed back to the emulated original for a while.
Even though I learned to love my Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, I still think it's too much of item overkill and the way it rewards skill is too much based on, well, cheating, like the extensive use of shortcuts, to be truthfully honest. But Mario Kart 8 manages to balance between skilled driving and arcade mechanics enough to be fun. You can accidentally win sometimes and you loose way to often to crappy driver's just because they get spoiled with items, but in the end, you can dominate if you did your homework.
Still, Mario Kart: Super Circuit to me is the better balanced game between an already perfect original and modernity. I might have to be called purist, after rambling subjectively so much at the least, without even getting into detail about the program itself. But hey, it's Mario Kart, what do you expect? Everybody knows Mario Kart.
What I want to say is, there's some special charme about those two titles, the SNES and GBA version, that just can't be challenged and I'm a bit worried this is getting lost within later generations. But just as I had the patience to keep up with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, maybe it's possible for others to give those old games a chance like the above mentioned young folks did. After some getting used to and hard learning we actually had fun together. And after all, it's the history all your other favourite Mario Karts are based on.
Probably I'd recommend starting with the SNES game to understand what Mario Kart: Super Circuit was offering me after a disappointment with Mario Kart 64. The major flaw of Super Circuit could actually be, that we did not play it amongst friends as much as we did the SNES game. Maybe, had it not been requiring to link up consoles and had the screens been lit from the start, Super Circuit with its new additional tracks would have been completely on par with the SNES version.
I really was hungry for a true sequel and you can't believe how much I would appreciate a new one returning to what I feel was the main emphasis of Mario Kart. Just with modernized 2,5D graphics and some new tracks of course plus the online functions I enjoy so much in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Until then, I might wheel out the GBA every other month and see if I can beat myself in time trial anymore.
To me, the whole story is entirely different. I grew up playing racing games looking way worse than Mario Kart, so when F-Zero and the plumber's grand prix were released on the SNES, those games were a revolutionary blast. Looking back, I understand graphics appear a little mushy maybe, but that's what made the games so incredibly fast.
Especially the original Mario Kart with its competitive features was our go to racer for years and what Mario Kart 64 had to offer just wasn't as perfect. It didn't look as good, the N64 controllers were crap and the gameplay itself... well, we still played the shite out of it at a friend's place, but it was no adequate substitute.
Introducing Mario Kart: Super Circuit I bought the GBA for, actually. That was promising. Back from those weird inferior 3D experiments to a style we knew and loved on SNES, except graphics looked a little more polished. It supported link cable, even with just one cartridge in use, just that the opponent could only choose Joshi. Real friends owned their private copy anyway.
I still feel, that Super Circuits, despite the new tracks we rarely used after unlocking the old ones, just feels almost as pure and perfect as the original Mario Kart on SNES, though it has a place in my heart ever since. Any Mario Kart I tried after Super Circuit couldn't capture what I liked about a game that requires skill instead of helping you slingshot after you messed up. Actually, I still have been playing almost daily on my trusty GBA until the SNES Mini came out and I kind of changed back to the emulated original for a while.
Even though I learned to love my Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, I still think it's too much of item overkill and the way it rewards skill is too much based on, well, cheating, like the extensive use of shortcuts, to be truthfully honest. But Mario Kart 8 manages to balance between skilled driving and arcade mechanics enough to be fun. You can accidentally win sometimes and you loose way to often to crappy driver's just because they get spoiled with items, but in the end, you can dominate if you did your homework.
Still, Mario Kart: Super Circuit to me is the better balanced game between an already perfect original and modernity. I might have to be called purist, after rambling subjectively so much at the least, without even getting into detail about the program itself. But hey, it's Mario Kart, what do you expect? Everybody knows Mario Kart.
What I want to say is, there's some special charme about those two titles, the SNES and GBA version, that just can't be challenged and I'm a bit worried this is getting lost within later generations. But just as I had the patience to keep up with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, maybe it's possible for others to give those old games a chance like the above mentioned young folks did. After some getting used to and hard learning we actually had fun together. And after all, it's the history all your other favourite Mario Karts are based on.
Probably I'd recommend starting with the SNES game to understand what Mario Kart: Super Circuit was offering me after a disappointment with Mario Kart 64. The major flaw of Super Circuit could actually be, that we did not play it amongst friends as much as we did the SNES game. Maybe, had it not been requiring to link up consoles and had the screens been lit from the start, Super Circuit with its new additional tracks would have been completely on par with the SNES version.
I really was hungry for a true sequel and you can't believe how much I would appreciate a new one returning to what I feel was the main emphasis of Mario Kart. Just with modernized 2,5D graphics and some new tracks of course plus the online functions I enjoy so much in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Until then, I might wheel out the GBA every other month and see if I can beat myself in time trial anymore.
At least they can use these tracks as retro tracks in later games. It's basically Super Mario Kart but with better graphics and more unique courses.
Mario Kart but on the go???? No freaking way holy cow!!!!
Super Mario Kart but good. A slight exaggeration, but seriously, if you ever see a Mario Kart tier list and this game is below SMK, slap that person, because Super Circuit has every single course from the original Mario Kart in addition to 20 brand new ones, all without the dated, slippery controls of the SNES game.
Super Circuit is a quality title in its own right and I really appreciate it having some of the more wackier and unique course themes in the series. I also like that it still has the N64 Mario aesthetic to its characters as it was one of the last titles in franchise to feature this look. Super Circuit was the reason I originally bought my GBA and I still hold it in high regard, even if a lot of the Mario Kart games that came later have far surpassed it.
Super Circuit is a quality title in its own right and I really appreciate it having some of the more wackier and unique course themes in the series. I also like that it still has the N64 Mario aesthetic to its characters as it was one of the last titles in franchise to feature this look. Super Circuit was the reason I originally bought my GBA and I still hold it in high regard, even if a lot of the Mario Kart games that came later have far surpassed it.
turning right goes left back in 2d but tracks are better this time
More 2D Mario Kart, more flat racetracks.
But this one's got all the tracks from the SNES game, so it gets a slight edge over that one.
But this one's got all the tracks from the SNES game, so it gets a slight edge over that one.
Peach Circuit
It's a fine introductory course, not much more
Shy Guy Beach
Features a ship in the background firing canons at you which is neat, otherwise it's pretty similar to SNES Koopa Beach 1
Riverside Park
Pretty cool course theme and track layout with a couple of neat jumps
Bowser Castle 1
Pretty simple BC. Got thwomps and jumps over lava but there's better ones
Mario Circuit
Pretty simple and standard Circuit style course
Boo Lake
Neat Ghost Valley style course with plenty of gaps and a narrow split path for those willing to take it
Cheese Land
Iconic course with little mice that get in your way
Bowser Castle 2
It's another BC course.... jump over lava, tight turns, thwomps ect
Luigi Circuit
Best of the circuit courses. Rainy weather and puddles to avoid help make it stand out
Sky Garden
Cool theme but it's a pretty simple course
Cheep-Cheep Island
Beach course at sunset and driving over rickety bridges with water gaps in them, pretty cool
Sunset Wilds
THE ICONIC GBA COURSE. The course starts at sunset and slowly fades to night as you avoid shy guys during your race
Snow Land
Would be a decent course if the screen wasn't shaking the whole time? We got penguins, snowmen and ice patches
Ribbon Road
Iconic theme with a few cool jumps in it
Yoshi Desert
It's a desert course alright. A couple of sinking sand sections but otherwise forgettable
Bowser Castle 3
It's BC but blue this time! And that actually kinda makes it better. Cool layout and plenty of wall less grates that make the lava dangerous
Lakeside Park
Really cool course with a volcano that erupts spewing lava balls at you and really tight turns that can leap you over walls in the wrong direction if you're not careful
Broken Pier
Basically what you expect from a late game ghost course, plenty of gaps to fall down
Bowser Castle 4
The culmination of the previous BCs. We got lava, thwomps, jumps, split paths, and even toy koopas to contend with. Really solid course
Rainbow Road
Nearly all the walls are jumps allowing for some pretty crazy shortcuts and chaotic races. There's also dangerous stars and plenty of speed boosts throughout
It's a fine introductory course, not much more
Shy Guy Beach
Features a ship in the background firing canons at you which is neat, otherwise it's pretty similar to SNES Koopa Beach 1
Riverside Park
Pretty cool course theme and track layout with a couple of neat jumps
Bowser Castle 1
Pretty simple BC. Got thwomps and jumps over lava but there's better ones
Mario Circuit
Pretty simple and standard Circuit style course
Boo Lake
Neat Ghost Valley style course with plenty of gaps and a narrow split path for those willing to take it
Cheese Land
Iconic course with little mice that get in your way
Bowser Castle 2
It's another BC course.... jump over lava, tight turns, thwomps ect
Luigi Circuit
Best of the circuit courses. Rainy weather and puddles to avoid help make it stand out
Sky Garden
Cool theme but it's a pretty simple course
Cheep-Cheep Island
Beach course at sunset and driving over rickety bridges with water gaps in them, pretty cool
Sunset Wilds
THE ICONIC GBA COURSE. The course starts at sunset and slowly fades to night as you avoid shy guys during your race
Snow Land
Would be a decent course if the screen wasn't shaking the whole time? We got penguins, snowmen and ice patches
Ribbon Road
Iconic theme with a few cool jumps in it
Yoshi Desert
It's a desert course alright. A couple of sinking sand sections but otherwise forgettable
Bowser Castle 3
It's BC but blue this time! And that actually kinda makes it better. Cool layout and plenty of wall less grates that make the lava dangerous
Lakeside Park
Really cool course with a volcano that erupts spewing lava balls at you and really tight turns that can leap you over walls in the wrong direction if you're not careful
Broken Pier
Basically what you expect from a late game ghost course, plenty of gaps to fall down
Bowser Castle 4
The culmination of the previous BCs. We got lava, thwomps, jumps, split paths, and even toy koopas to contend with. Really solid course
Rainbow Road
Nearly all the walls are jumps allowing for some pretty crazy shortcuts and chaotic races. There's also dangerous stars and plenty of speed boosts throughout
There’s no way Bowser needs this many castles.
Cool track designs! Shame the game controls like hot ass.
Plays so bad
Little plumber people go vroom vroom on the cool handheld system.
pretty quality for the first handheld Mario Kart
It was fine for its era, but revisiting it now, the basic, flat track designs in 2D Mario Kart can't compete with the 3D installments.
Mario Kart Super Circuit shares with Super Mario Kart the title of worst Mario Kart games. One major reason being the graphics which just doesn’t cut it for me. It just looks like a clusterfuck, and the steering is flawed.
The only positive point I can bring up is that both of these games have given us great tracks that have been re-visualised and remade into great new tracks in recent MK titles.
The only positive point I can bring up is that both of these games have given us great tracks that have been re-visualised and remade into great new tracks in recent MK titles.
nah
It’s ok
Estuvo bien para pasar el rato
aged like milk
6/10
Its fine I guess but there is absolutely no reason to check it out unless you A. are a huge Mario Kart fan or B. are very board.
Extra star included for introducing cheese land to the series.
Made many long car rides fun
Everything's shorter! Super Circuit? More like Short Circuit! The tracks are shorter, the trophy-winning screen is shorter (thankfully much much more so than the Nintendo 64 MK), the uh, game cartridge I guess is shorter cause it's a GBA game, the graphics resolution is shorter for the same reason... Wario is a little shorter I think
God DAYUM this game is solid for a GBA game, and it has such a sweet theme tune!