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Mario Kart 64 for Nintendo 64
Mario Kart 64 for Nintendo 64 lets you race as Mario, Luigi, Peach, Toad, Yoshi, Donkey Kong, Wario or Bowser across sixteen courses. The four cups take you along wide roads, snowy corners, busy traffic and the lava landscape of Bowser's Castle. Choosing the shortest line is only part of the job: a banana peel or shell can knock you back just before the finish. You steer through corners with the analogue stick, while a well-executed powerslide gives you extra speed.
In Grand Prix you compete in a field of eight, including yourself. The first four places earn points towards the cup standings. The 50cc, 100cc and 150cc engine classes change the pace and the demands on your cornering. Time Trials removes weapons and opponents, letting you work on lap times and shortcuts. Saving your own ghost run requires a separate N64 Controller Pak; you do not need one for ordinary racing.
You can play Grand Prix alone or with two players. VS races and Battle's balloon fights support two to four players sharing a split screen. Each player needs a Nintendo 64 controller. Battle is not about reaching a finish line, but protecting your three balloons while hitting the other players.
Region and language
Our Nintendo 64 games are PAL editions, unless stated otherwise. This product contains a loose cartridge for the European market. A box is only included if explicitly stated in the product details. We note any different region in the product details. In almost all cases, the game is playable at least in English, and often in the other five common European languages too.
Manual
With Mario Kart 64 for Nintendo 64, you receive a loose cartridge. A box and manual are not included unless we explicitly state otherwise in the product details. This is the standard way we supply this copy.
The history of Mario Kart 64
Nintendo developed Mario Kart 64 as the successor to Super Mario Kart for Super Nintendo. The game arrived in Japan in December 1996 and in Europe in 1997. The move to Nintendo 64 chiefly changed how you read the courses. Elevation changes, bridges and corners disappearing behind buildings turned flat tracks into three-dimensional environments. Familiar characters, short races and items for disrupting other drivers nevertheless remained the foundations of the series.
Shared races also expanded. The original Super Mario Kart offered two-player contests; Nintendo 64's four controller ports made four-person VS and Battle possible. You can feel the difference in a fight at Block Fort, where you search different levels for an opponent. The main cup remained a separate event for no more than two human participants. Four players around one television therefore did not mean every type of game supported the same group size.
Mario Kart 64 also turned familiar track ideas into places with their own rhythms. Toad's Turnpike makes you account for traffic, while Yoshi Valley offers several paths alongside one another. Rainbow Road ends the Special Cup with a long drive against a dark backdrop. That variety explains the difference between knowing a course and mastering a cup: each setting calls for different braking points, a different line and a different moment to use an item.
Similar games for Nintendo 64
Mario Kart 64 and Diddy Kong Racing both use colourful racers, items and shortcuts, but their structures differ. Mario Kart lets you choose a four-course cup straight away. Diddy Kong Racing links races to an island, locked doors and bosses. Choosing between kart, plane and hovercraft also changes how you read an available route. In Mario Kart, variety chiefly comes from the course, your driver and the moment you use an item.
Mario Kart 64 and Wave Race 64 both demand precise analogue steering. In Mario Kart you memorise corners, traffic and item locations; Wave Race adds constantly moving water to your intended racing line. Its jet ski races focus on passing buoys correctly and keeping a grip on the waves. Mario Kart instead lets opponents interrupt your plans with shells or bananas, so attack and defence matter alongside good driving.
F-Zero X shares cups, different vehicle characteristics and the search for a better racing line with Mario Kart 64. Its futuristic hovercars, however, travel much faster over tracks with sharp elevation changes. Boosting consumes your own shield energy, making acceleration a survival risk. Mario Kart ties such sudden changes more closely to collected items and other players' attacks. The choice is therefore between direct speed management and racing in which opponents can unexpectedly disrupt your run.
1080° Snowboarding and Mario Kart 64 both reward memorising a route and steering accurately through a corner. On a snowboard you read snow, slopes and jumps, while a good landing preserves the speed you have built up. Mario Kart instead asks you to plan a powerslide and dodge shells or banana peels. Snowboard tricks provide a separate goal in 1080°, whereas Mario Kart turns to its balloon arenas for a different kind of contest.
Excitebike 64 moves racing onto motocross bikes on outdoor courses and stadium tracks. As in Mario Kart 64, you must prepare for corners and avoid mistakes that cost speed on the next straight. In Excitebike, jumps and the bike's landing determine how well you maintain momentum. Mario Kart puts greater emphasis on items and the differences between its fantasy courses. Excitebike also has a track editor, letting you build obstacles rather than learn an existing cup route.
