Mario Kart: Super Circuit

Introduction

Mario Kart Super Circuit is one of the best games released for the GBA and a game that some people forgot. It has some of best tracks ever and some catchy music too. When you play this game you will be glad that you own it.

Story

There isn’t much of a story. It’s like any other Mario Kart, except I’ve heard you can unlock Waluigi…

Gameplay (10/10)

The gameplay is pretty simple, you play it like Mario Kart DS but without the drifting. A is to Accelerate, B to Brake and the D-Pad is to steer. L1 is to jump and R1 is to either select item, use the item or hold an item. There are the typical eight Mario Karters in this game: Mario, Luigi, Toad, Peach, Yoshi, DK, Wario and Bowser. They each have their own stats but sadly no special item. The gameplay is fantastic for a GBA game. There are five cups: Mushroom Cup, Flower Cup, Lightning Cup, Star Cup and Special Cup. In each cup there are four tracks, and if that isn’t enough. you can unlock 20 tracks from Super Mario Kart for the SNES, the difference being different backgrounds.

Graphics (8/10)

The graphics are ok, but at times it seems it is using 16 bit graphics. And unlike Mario Kart 64, there are no glitches. But if you play the tracks you will notice the different cameos, one of them being the appearance of Bowser’s Castle from Paper Mario, which can be seen in the distance in Rainbow Road.

Sound (10/10)

The music in this game is very unique. I’s background music is even better than Super Mario RPG (don’t get me wrong, that game has some wicked sounds). The sounds are a balance of modern keyboard sounds and retro sounds. If you are looking for a game to inspire you then definitely get this game

Replay Value (9/10)

Like any other Mario Kart game, you will want to replay it, though not like 20 times like Mario Kart DS. It has a Time Trial which you can practice tracks which also increases replayability.

Challenge (8/10)

There is actually a challenge in this game. You can unlock the Special Cup and the SNES tracks for each Grand Prix (50cc, 100cc, 150cc). And you can set a ghost record for each track in Time Trial.

Frustration (4/10)

There isn’t much frustration in this game so I cant really say much.

Value (10/10)

I’m not quite sure how much this game would cost, I’d say around 10 to 30 Australian Dollars. Any higher and there’s a slight chance you are getting ripped off. But if you see this in a shop for sale and you own a GBA or a DS and you want a game that will occupy yourself and friends, then I strongly suggest you buy this game before it becomes extinct or its value increases.

Overall (10/10)

This game is one of my favourite games and the game that brought me to Nintendo. It has unique sounds, amazing tracks and characters that all are good. If you see this game, buy it!!

Conclusion

This is one of the first Nintendo games I played and I always will remember it as a Mario Kart game that is worth more than its price. And when you buy it I’m sure you will think the same.

Screenshots