As one of the first kart racers out there, Super Mario Kart is responsible for starting the series, laying the foundation of what makes it great. Sadly, on revisit, Super Mario Kart did not age well at all.

Super Mario Kart isn't as difficult as F-Zero, but there is a lot more crap to it when it comes to racing CPUs and track design. A lot of the tracks are fairly standard, but some of the placing with traps and turns is just down right bad design. Donut Plains 3 being the biggest offender, a lot of tracks don't seem to understand where they should make bigger turns or sharper ones, and the majority of them look the same anyway. The fact we have 3/4 different versions of certain tracks makes for a lot of repetitiveness that makes going through the cups have a sameness to it. On top of that, the CPUs downright cheats on higher difficulties, and always have unique weapons at their disposal. The fact the computers are consistently faster and always have access to items means that any small mistake you make could cost you the entire cup, not just 1st place. This makes difficulties like 150cc an absolute nightmare to play through, and ruins any joy you would have wanted from the game.

If you stay away from 150cc, and/or play with friends, Super Mario Kart is the same kind of fun that you may remember it being. The battle mode feels a bit limited, and the tracks aren't as visually appeal compared to the other racers in the series, but the fact that even this old age game can still be enjoyed is a testament to it's formula being so successful. Largely though, I don't feel Super Mario Kart is worth revisiting, and honestly doesn't have much to give aside from Donkey Kong Jr. and some battle tracks. As a foundation for a series, Super Mario Kart is solid, as something fun to play nowadays? You're better off with any other Mario Kart.