Continuing my foray down Gaming Memory Lane, today I bring you a post about Super Mario Kart for SNES, the game that introduced me to the “racing-game” genre, and probably taught me how to drive. (I may or may not be kidding, considering how I have to drive on the Interstate. xD)

As this commercial for Super Mario Kart shows, this game was (and still is) tons of fun. With a more realistic 3-D gaming environment (especially for 1992!), players were able to orient themselves a little better on the screen. (Not to mention that the choice of characters involved Princess Toadstool for the first time since Super Mario Bros. 2–this delighted my 7-year-old self.)

Drive with me along my fond SMK memories for a little while, via these awesome Youtube videos.

This was one of the more fun secrets in the game–taking the shortcut on the Ghost Valley level. I loved hopping across this little bridge not only in Time Trials (like this video), but during real races. What an ego boost to get around the course in so little time!

I enjoyed the Bowser’s Castle level, even though it was a little scary to play through; on this track, you could get some pretty awesome sliding action going if you concentrated and really worked at it…and if you avoided the Thwomps, of course. 🙂

Oh, the Rainbow Road course! It might make you dizzy, it might even make your eyes too dazzled to play, but it was AWESOME for my Lisa Frank-saturated childhood. It was one of my favorite levels, not least for the fact that I finally bested it on my 8th birthday. 😀

Oh, the horror! The Spiny Shell, the bane of every first-rate kart driver’s life. And yet, it was the unsung savior of those of us who seemed to get bumped to 8th place more than was proper. (The Spiny Shell, also known as the Blue Koopa Shell, targeted the person in first place and bowled them over; great if you’re not in first place, but if you are, well…)

I couldn’t find a SMK video to illustrate the Red Shell properly, so this one is from Mario Kart Wii. However, the mechanism is largely unchanged since 1992: the Red Shell targets the driver directly in front of you and bowls them over. Great for getting back at the cheating CPU player who just passed you for the 4th time. xD

Unlike the Red and Spiny Shells, Green Shells were randomized shells of chaos. Once fired, they would ricochet and zig-zag all over the course, only stopping when they finally hit a player. You could easily end up hurting yourself with Green Shells, but then again, you could potentially keep someone else from usurping your place. (I used to use the Green Shells as a weapon against tailgaters on the game. Kinda wish I could use a Green Shell in real life on the highway sometimes… :P)

With increased gameplay (and skill) came access to the Special Cup, the hardest levels in the game. Many a time I reset the game trying and failing to get a perfect score on the Special Cup, until I finally managed it about a year after I got the game. I remember being so happy I actually did cartwheels in the basement game room. xD

My favorite character to use on SMK, as mentioned above, was the Princess. Not only did I love playing the Princess because she was my favorite Mario-franchise video game character, but she was also the lightest (and therefore the fastest) kart in the game. Because she could hop over obstacles and skate across sand the fastest, her kart was the most forgiving of my early mistakes, and she could speed past others as I got better at playing. It was absolutely HILARIOUS to beat Bowser and even Mario in this game, doing a victory lap with the Princess waving the checkered flag–I reveled in it!

Summary

If you’ve never played Super Mario Kart (or any of the other Mario Kart racing games), I recommend it for some old-school fun. These days, the graphics may be a little dated, but the game is just as fun as ever! (I’ve recently enjoyed playing it through the Wii’s Virtual Console…ahh, reminiscing!)