Super Circuit is the final game in this Mario Kart marathon that I had not played prior (sorry Double Dash). My friend Wheatie really loves this one but sad to say, I thought this was a big downgrade from 64 and is more comparable to Super in a lot of ways.
I know this is the first portable game in the series so I'd like to cut it some slack but honestly it's just plain unfun to play. Your movement, like Super, is just god awfully slippery. Maybe even moreso than Super at times. And again, the courses are flat and similar to Super in regards to its turns so the drift just sends you flying usually. I barely used it in this one and even still, on 50cc I had to take my finger off the gas a lot just cuz of the stage design and slipperiness.
Even though the courses are still boring design-wise like Super, I will say they definitely have a bit more visual flair than Super's even with it being a portable title. That and stage themes don't get reused as much (besides Bowsers Castle which gets reused a whopping 4 times) makes it better than Super in that regard. The AI was also better this time around in terms of cheating though I also only played on 50cc cuz I didn't even want to deal with the game's physics on 150. I played Peach Circuit on 150 and I just wouldn't be able to handle every cup on that lol. I did come in 1st on every cup on 50cc though which is more than I could say with Super.
I also didn't touch the battle mode at all so I don't know how that fares but I have a feeling it's not very good just cuz of the games controls. Also didn't unlock any of the Super stages cuz it felt pointless to play through those since I just did.
I also did find it interesting how this was a combination of both Super and 64. Super with the controls and stage design while most of the voice clips and character designs are from 64. Kinda makes it feel like it doesn't have much identity outside of some of the original course themes.
In the end, this is probably just slightly better than Super. But, even though this is the series first portable title, this game came out almost 10 years after Super so I'd expect it to be way better. Ah well, next on the Mario Kart marathon is DS and that one I actually did play as a kid and have fond memories of. So, I'm definitely looking forward to that one!
I know this is the first portable game in the series so I'd like to cut it some slack but honestly it's just plain unfun to play. Your movement, like Super, is just god awfully slippery. Maybe even moreso than Super at times. And again, the courses are flat and similar to Super in regards to its turns so the drift just sends you flying usually. I barely used it in this one and even still, on 50cc I had to take my finger off the gas a lot just cuz of the stage design and slipperiness.
Even though the courses are still boring design-wise like Super, I will say they definitely have a bit more visual flair than Super's even with it being a portable title. That and stage themes don't get reused as much (besides Bowsers Castle which gets reused a whopping 4 times) makes it better than Super in that regard. The AI was also better this time around in terms of cheating though I also only played on 50cc cuz I didn't even want to deal with the game's physics on 150. I played Peach Circuit on 150 and I just wouldn't be able to handle every cup on that lol. I did come in 1st on every cup on 50cc though which is more than I could say with Super.
I also didn't touch the battle mode at all so I don't know how that fares but I have a feeling it's not very good just cuz of the games controls. Also didn't unlock any of the Super stages cuz it felt pointless to play through those since I just did.
I also did find it interesting how this was a combination of both Super and 64. Super with the controls and stage design while most of the voice clips and character designs are from 64. Kinda makes it feel like it doesn't have much identity outside of some of the original course themes.
In the end, this is probably just slightly better than Super. But, even though this is the series first portable title, this game came out almost 10 years after Super so I'd expect it to be way better. Ah well, next on the Mario Kart marathon is DS and that one I actually did play as a kid and have fond memories of. So, I'm definitely looking forward to that one!
14 Comments
@spinnerweb yeah definitely not lol
Damn thats a shame. I remember really liking Super Circuit and I still think it looks pretty good, when not blown up on bigger screen of course. Tracks are ok, but definitly a bit too flat tbh.
@novaniles the visual flair in the stages arent bad tbh. I've been playing DS and ngl the models in that are rough, the characters probably do look better in this game lol
my goat ........
So sorry...
I thought it was fine; definitely held back by the hardware, but nowhere near as repetitive or frustrating as the original game.
@dunebot72 I agree in terms of level themes it's way better
This is a little surprising to see as I remember friends of mine who really enjoyed Super Circuit, but that could very well just be nostalgia. Slippery movement would definitely be a race killer for me haha.
Didn't even know it rehashed noise from M64. That's pretty lazy of Nintendo.
Didn't even know it rehashed noise from M64. That's pretty lazy of Nintendo.
@redbackloggd yeah some of them arent (like toad is just a reused mario party voice clip) but most of them are, it's weird
Did they at least reuse Toad's scream from 64 lol? That shit was hilarious.
This was the first video game I ever owned. i have such a soft spot for it
@nessun that's very fair, I probably wouldn't have been so harsh on it if I grew up with it. It's a charming little game at least
Did you try Konami Crazy Racers? I think it was the better Kart Racer on the GBA.
Spinnerweb
2 months ago