10 of my favourite Mario Kart tracks

This time I thought I'd try something a bit different. I'll present some of my all time favourite tracks in the popular Mario Kart series. They are in no particular order; the main reason for this being that I cannot really place them in an order of priority from 10 to 1, and even if I could, they would be subject to change every few weeks. The tracks are taken from the seven console games (SNES, N64, GBA, GCN, DS, Wii and 3DS); I didn't include the two arcade games, as I haven't yet played them.

So, without further ado, here are 10 of my favourite Mario Kart tracks:

DK Snowboard Cross/ DK Summit  
Appears in: Mario Kart Wii 

Kicking off the list is this snow course from the incredibly popular Mario Kart Wii. Arguably the best snow course the series has produced, DK Snowboard Cross sees you launched from a cannon to the top of a snowy peak, from which you progress back down to the finish line. Easier said than done however, as said journey downwards is full of piles of snow that slow you down considerably, deceptively easy to fall down drops and snowboarding Shy Guys. You'll have a lot of opportunities to perform tricks when you encounter these guys, and it's always a mad rush in the third lap with eleven other racers all trying to find the quickest course of action to get to the goal.

Koopa Troopa Beach

Appears in: Mario Kart 64 and Mario Kart 7   

A sensational course from the first 3-D Mario Kart, Koopa Troopa Beach seems simple in terms of layout, but looks can be deceiving. The course is boarded by deep water in which you will have to be rescued by Lakitu should you drive too far into it. On the beach itself, you will encounter several ramps, palm trees that you do not want to meet in a head on collision and a host of crabs scuttling about the finish line (they definitely chose their place strategically). Perhaps the most famous attraction of the course is the cave shortcut. If you time the jump off the ramp leading into it just right, you'll cut a large portion at the top right of the course. Mushrooms are advised for practice. All in all, Koopa Troopa Beach is a course that all Mario Kart fans, both veterans and rookies can enjoy every time.



Bowser Castle (GCN)
Appears in: Mario Kart Double Dash

Bowser Castle has appeared in many different incarnations in every Mario Kart game to date, and that's very unlikely to change any time soon. Proof of that lies within what I consider to be the best incarnation of the track in the whole series. The course contains all the sacred symbols that make these tracks so iconic and challenging, such as thwomps, sharp turns, dangerous jumps, awesome music and lots and lots of lava. What makes this course the best of the lot in my opinion is that it is simply the most fun.Whether you're navigating the thwomp-invested corridors, clinging on for dear life over a steel grating suspended over lava or racing head-on towards the fireball spitting Bowser statue, you feel constantly engaged from start to finish. The icing on this deliciously devilish cake for me is that when ever you get hit, either by an item or course obstacle, you hear Bowser's ferocious laughter echo through the castle; his little way of reminding you that you're on his turf now.



Ghost Valley 3
Appears in: Super Mario Kart and Mario Kart Super Circuit

Taken from the very first Mario Kart game on the Super Nintendo, Ghost Valley 3 is your last visit to this decrepit, ancient bridge. Many portions of the track fell off long ago, leaving several gaps at the most inconvenient of spots. On top of that, almost all of the turns are sharp and there is little to speak of in terms of guardrails for most of the course and even the rails that do remain disappear after a single hit; as if this track wasn't already lethal enough. It's not all bad though, the speed boost panel at the bottom right of the course can work wonders in combination with the jump panel in front of it. Overall, Ghost Valley 3 is a shining example of what made the original Super Mario Kart such an innovation in the video game industry, and why it's design is still considered masterful even today.

Waluigi Pinball
Appears in: Mario Kart DS and Mario Kart 7

What can you say about Waluigi Pinball? From the second you see it, you're guaranteed to have a grin on your face just because of the sheer imagination on display. And besides, who doesn't love the idea of racing in a giant pinball machine? From the starting line you'll be launched through a rainbow tunnel to the top of the track, ala a pinball being launched in a pinball machine. It's all downwards from there; long, sharp turns and giant pin balls await to make it so that you'll have to constantly be alert to survive in Waluigi's domain. The real challenge is at the foot of the track. Giant bumpers and flippers are intimidating enough on their own, but the fact that they'll be hurling pin balls your way keeps things both crazy and unpredictable on your journey back to the finish line. Waluigi Pinball is one of those tracks that just has fun being fun. Great stuff.

Alpine Pass/ Rock Rock Mountain
Appears in: Mario Kart 7

The newest course on the list makes really good use of the gliding feature in Mario Kart 7. Most of the track takes place on a mountainside where it is all to easy for an unwary racer to fall to his or her demise (Lakitu will still save you of course). Racers jockey for position in the bat inhabited caves, before taking to the skies with the gliders. Getting hit here can be disastrous as you'll want to stay airborne for as long as possible to keep your speed up. Therefore defencive driving/ flying is advised.

Once everyone has touched down on solid ground again, they'll find themselves climbing a portion of the mountain, complete with huge boulders plummeting down at lightning speed. Choosing your boost pads wisely is key to avoiding them. Before the finish line is another opportunity to use your glider and you can stay airborne for much longer than you might think here. A wonderful course all in all that proves that even after nineteen years, Mario Kart has still got it. Oh, and one more thing. The music on this course? Rocking!

Sunset Wilds

Appears in: Mario Kart Super Circuit

Showing the GBA version of Mario Kart some affection, Sunset Wilds is an epic course set in the desert. The course gets its name from how the sun gradually sets as you complete your three laps; it'll be night time in the last lap. Spacious mud puddles, totem poles, and rocks are your obstacles here. The former slows you down (which can be countered by careful manoeuvrability of surrounding dash panels) while the latter two will stop you dead in your tracks. The most memorable feature is the Shy Guy tippis about half way through. Hitting one will provoke a Shy Guy to grab the back of your kart and slow you down while also taking some coins to return the favour. Sunset Wilds is a prime example of 2-D Mario Kart at it's finest and doesn't receive enough love in my opinion.

Airship Fortress

Appears in: Mario Kart DS and Mario Kart 7

Another classic course from the DS game, Airship Fortress takes you on a particularly dangerous tour of one of Bowser's famous airships. The course wastes no time in throwing you in at the deep end, and you'll be dodging a never ending group of Bullet Bills seconds after you've started. Then it's onto the main deck, where Monty Moles frequently pop up to give any kart racers they encounter a hard time. Giant flame- throwers intent on scorching anyone they come across patrol the depths of the ship and when you're done with them, a mighty cannon sends you hurtling towards a long, hairpin turn down to a dangerously narrow wall, and then back to the finish line. Bowser has always made it his priority to throw everything he can at Mario to make his adventures more difficult, and this intense, edge-of-your-seat track sums that up brilliantly.

Maple Treeway
Appears in: Mario Kart Wii and Mario Kart 7

Maple Treeway is a relatively peaceful course from the Mario Kart Wii era. It is set in the tree tops of an autumn forest.You'll find yourself at the tree top courtesy of a cannon (these seem to be a popular theme of this list...) and race through some fairly tricky turns, which include piles of fallen leaves that can leave bananas, mushrooms or if you're really lucky, a star. Two giant Wigglers have made a home out of a fairly wide portion of the course and this can be quite a pain when you find yourself frantically weaving between their long frames to stay on track. From there you'll soon find a wooden bridge which is a great place to leave traps for the more unwary racers. All that remains is large piece of netting that sways in the breeze; an ideal spot for tricks and getting that extra edge over your opponents seconds before the finish. Maple Treeway is my favourite course in Mario Kart Wii and one of the all time best in the series in my eyes. It's happy and laid back, but it still manages to be both fun and challenging.

Rainbow Road

Appears in: Super Mario Kart, Mario Kart 64, Mario Kart Super Circuit, Mario Kart Double Dash, Mario Kart DS, Mario Kart Wii and Mario Kart 7

You might have seen this coming. I couldn't decide on a single favourite version of this track and I think they're all great, so why not include all of them?

The Rainbow Road courses have always been the final track in each Mario Kart game, and while each maintains the theme of a rainbow-paved path suspended in the star-filled sky, each is unique and brings something new and interesting to the table. The SNES version is nerve-racking with no guardrails at all and Super Thwomps stomping at the most inconvenient places. The N64 version is long and peaceful, if you avoid the Chain Chops patrolling it. The GBA version is fast and energetic, courtesy of jump panels for boarders and dash panels aplenty. The GCN version combines the feeling of all three of these and adds it's own twists, such as a pipe that shoots racers to a higher portion of the track at full speed. The DS version brings to mind F-Zero, thanks to it's many loops and corkscrews. The Wii version is heavily based on Super Mario Galaxy and contains many killer turns and a rainbow cannon (I dodged a blue shell for the first time here). Finally, the 3DS version is one long course with sections rather than laps. The affect of lower gravity is much more noticeable here, especially when you drive on the moon, before an adrenaline rush to the finish line in the final section.

One thing that makes all the Rainbow Roads so endearing and special is that they all allow you to reflect on the series as a whole and bind the games together. No Mario Kart game would be truly complete without one.

And thus concludes my list. I hope you enjoyed reading my opinions on the tracks listed here. It was certainly interesting to take a break from reviews for a little bit.

Until next time, keep on karting! :)

Mario Kart Super Circuit review

The third installment in Nintendo's hugely popular Mario Kart series, Mario Kart Super Circuit (released in 2001 for the Game Boy Advance) is the first to go handheld. Does this change benefit the series? Can the game continue the trend of it's insanely popular predeccessors? And how does it stand up in the series in hindsight, ten years after it's release?

Gameplay

Mario Kart Super Circuit (hereafter referred to simply as 'Super Circuit') is a lot like a combination of 'Super Mario Kart' (1992/93) on the SNES and 'Mario Kart 64' (1996/97) on the Nintendo 64. The gameplay and 2-D tracks bring to mind the original SNES classic, while the choice of items and the emphasis on them mirrors the franticness of it's 3D successor. With that said, the game feels different enough in it's gameplay and control to feel like a new game in it's own right.

Most of the game modes you may well know and love from newer installments like 'Mario Kart DS' (2005), 'Mario Kart Wii' (2008) and 'Mario Kart 7' (2011) are present and acounted for here. 'Grand Prix' pits you against seven computer controlled opponents in a series of four races to compete for the most points and earn yourself a trophy. 'Time Trial' lets you pick a track of your choice and strive to get the best time, with the best times being saved. 'Quick Run' combines both these modes in that you race against seven opponents on a single track of your choice.

If you have some GBA link cables, then you and up to three friends (each needing his or her own GBA system) can frolic in karting fun with only a single copy of the game. Each player controls a different coloured Yoshi, and the four tracks you can play on (while admittedly simplistic) can give everyone a good slice of the game without the need of a purchase.

But it's when each player has his or her own copy of the game that Super Circuit's multiplayer really kicks into high gear. Two players can play through the 'Grand Prix', while the 'Vs. mode' mode lets up to four friends race on a single track without computer competitors. Finally is the infamous 'Battle' mode, where you pick one of four battle arenas and duke it out in an all out brawl to pop alll of your opponents balloons with bannanas and koopa shells before they can pop yours. Mario Kart continues it's trend as one of the best multiplayer series around.

Returning for Super Circuit are the coins, found scattered about the tracks. Collecting them will increase your top speed, while colliding with other racers will cause you to lose some. However, this time there is an added incentive to scooping up as many as you can. If you can get 100 coins or more in a single Grand Prix cup, you will unlock tracks from the original SNES game. This is a great inclusion that keeps that keeps replay value at an all time high.

The cast of eight characters you can play as are the same as those in 'Mario Kart 64'. There are three weight classes to choose from but I reccomend experimenting with each one to find who best suits your driving style. The lightweights, Peach, Toad and Yoshi have great acceleration and off-road manurevrability, but can be knocked around very easily. The Mario Bros, Mario and Luigi, strike a perfect balance of acceleration power and top speed making them a great choice for all-round racers. This leaves the heavyweights, Bowser, Donkey Kong and Wario who have by far the the highest top speed and brute strength, but they suffer greatly in the acceleration and rough terrain departments.
The stats of each character still differ a little outside of these classes; Wario is a bit heavier tha Donkey Kong, Luigi is slightly better at turning than Mario, etc. This means approaching the game with a variety of characters will keep the racing fresh.

The gang's all here!

The tracks newly designed for Super Circuit are wacky and fast-paced with some really solid designs on show. A lot of the Mario Kart status quo courses are here, such as the asphalt-paved road trip that is Mario Circuit, four visits to the lava-filled, thwowp-infested Bowser Castle and of course, everyone's "favourite", the techni-coloured, always challenging Rainbow Road. We are also treated to some really intersting if not a little... random settings, such as the neatly wrapped Ribbon Road (with speed boost pads aplenty) and the deligthfully cheesy Cheese Land. Not two courses feel too similar or repetetive and with the inclusion of all the SNES tracks, you will likely be having a blast in the Grand Prix for months.

In no other game could you claim to have been in a heated race in a world made of cheese, complete with giant mice.

It wouldn't be a Mario Kart game without the items and Super Circuit doesn't dissapoint. While it intoduces no new items of it's own, it brings back all the favourites like the red and green koopa shells, the bannana peels, the super mushroom and the dominating lightining bolt. The items never feel too unfair and while there will be the odd occasion where an item smashes you mere yards from the finish line, this is rare and for the most part, the computer fights fair with it's item distribution. Be sure to continue the practice of dangling an item behind your kart to block incoming shells as this will really help you maintain first place.

Finally, there are a few tweaks to the Mario Kart engine in Super Circuit that haven't returned since, but I personally really like. If you shoot a red shell behind you, it will sit on the track until someone drives by it and it will give chase like a homing mine. Perhaps the best perk of Super Circuit is the abitlity to outrun homing shells. If you are going fast enough, you can outrun it long enough for it to simply give up. You can even do this with the dreaded blue shell (punishing skill since 1996).

The controls are super simple, d-pad to turn, A to accelarate, B to break, L to fire items and R to drift. The turning may feel a bit strange and over-responsive at first, but practice it in combination with the hop and drift and you'll soon catch on.

Audio

The game's music is really catchy and memorable. The likes of Sky Garden and Sunset Wilds are particular standouts. While the GBA's sound chip was a little limited, you can tell the composers were determined to get the most out of what they had. The character all have voices for boosting, crashing, etc, and they sound pretty crystal clear throughout. Most of them were recycled from the Japanese version of 'Mario Kart 64', so some sound a little different from what we usually hear. This is especially the case with Luigi, whose voice is actually even higher than Mario's. But this isn't really a flaw, so the audio for Super Circuit is very strong, especially when you consider that the developers were still getting used to the GBA's sound capabilities.

Visuals

Super Circuit is one of the best looking games on the GBA. The game is simply bursting with colour and animation. The tracks are very detailed on road and off, and the character sprites are similar to those in 'Mario Kart 64' which animate fluidly.

Portability clearly wasn't an
issue in the graphics department
as the game looks even better than
the SNES version.





Negative

There isn't much to dislike about Super Circuit. The only complaints I really have is that it would have been great to have a Battle mode (even if limited) for the single pak link mode. Also, when used the Boo item goes after the first place racer and steals some of their coins as well as temporarily lowering their top speed, which is very cheap in my opinion; the item shouldn't have had this abilty. But it's still not as bad as the blue shell in 'Mario Kart Wii'.

History

As well as being the first handheld Mario Kart game, Super Circuit is also the first in the series to not be developed by Nintendo EAD. It was infact developed by Intelligent Systems, who also developed games such as the 'Paper Mario' and 'Fire Emblem' series.

Intelligent Systems managed to sneak in a few nods to the 'Paper Mario' series in some of the tracks, such as the Shy Guy pirate ship in Shy Guy Beach and Bowser's floating Castle in Rainbow Road.

Overall

Mario Kart Super Circuit is a fantastic addition to the Mario Kart series, with clever track designs, balanced gameplay, huge replay value and fun multiplayer modes. It still stands up in hindsight thanks to it's faithfullness to the original SNES game and it's fast-paced portability. You can still find cartridges for under £10, so I definatly reccomend treating yourself to this wonderful Mario Kart.

This Mario Kart still races miles ahead of the rest for the Gold.

F-Zero GX Review

Released on the Nintendo Gamecube in 2003, F-Zero GX boasts all the gameplay and adrenaline-fuelled races of its predecessors and gives it a huge reboot, with new modes, stunning FMV cut scenes, new characters and a huge increase in difficulty...

Story

Not one to step down after winning the previous F-Zero Grand Prix, the bounty hunter Captain Falcon is entering the race once again, as well as his arch nemesis Black Shadow, who aims to erase Falcon once and for all. Is Black Shadow the real menace? Or is there a much more powerful and evil force watching from the shadows?

Gameplay

Staying true to the previous F-Zero games, F-Zero GX (hereafter referred to as GX) sees you racing around futuristic environments at speeds that can break the sound barrier.  There are many ways that you can approach the game, courtesy of a variety of modes that outnumber even those presented in F-Zero X. Of course, you have the standard Grand Prix, in which you pick a cup, choose a machine and pilot, and take to the tracks. After 5 races, whoever has earned the most points (judged on individual placement) wins 1^st place. This mode is the standard for almost all racing games, simply because it works and GX is no exception. The Time Attack mode lets you pick a machine and race on a track of your choice, with the best times being saved. The Vs. Mode see’s you and up to three friends on any track without computer controlled opponents. Struggling on a certain course in the Grand Prix? Practice Mode has all you need and more to hone and fine-tune all your high speed racing skills. New to the series is the Customize option, which allows you to use tickets you’ve earned in the Grand Prix, to purchase new machines and pilots, as well as custom machine parts in the shop. Perhaps the most interesting new addition here is the Garage, in which you can use your custom parts to build your own machine from scratch, or you can customize a pre-built machine to your own liking.

One thing I should mention about this game is that while the Grand Prix is easy enough on the Novice difficulties, the Expert and Master modes are insane. The computer players will relentlessly attack you in groups and boost at all the right times to make sure you’re left in the dust. For some races in the Master mode, if you want to rank in the top 6 (out of a possible 30) then you have to be near perfect, and no I am not joking. This game can be so unforgiving at times it’s unreal. On the subject of difficulty, one final mode, Story, shows really brutal game design. The mode has you following the story of Captain Falcon, told through great looking FMV cut scenes that bring the F-Zero universe alive like never before. In between these, you take control of
Captain Falcon’s machine, the Blue Falcon and complete various missions, such as collecting items on a track, dodging obstacles and keeping your speed above a certain limit. There are only nine chapters making up this mode, but completing them all will take much longer than you might think as the missions are difficult, very difficult. With the exception of the first chapter on the normal difficulty, you will likely be trying these missions over and over again. There are three difficulty levels, Normal, Hard and Very Hard. After you’ve seen how challenging these missions are on the Normal difficulties, you may find it hard to believe that there are even more difficult levels. On the Very Hard setting, these missions borderline on near-impossible. I can honestly say that your worst nightmare in this game comes in the form of Chapter 7 on Very Hard. This mission is the hardest thing I have ever beaten on any game I have ever played. Even when I did beat it, it was partly down to luck (dumb CPUs driving off cliffs).

 So, overall GX’s gameplay offers many modes and customisation for your racing enjoyment and the controls are sublime, which is a necessity in a game this fast.

Audio

The music in GX is a joy to listen to and really helps pump adrenaline into the races. It ranges from guitar solos to trance metal and techno. Particularly worthy of mention is that each pilot has his or her own theme song, and all of them are unique (albeit cheesy) and help you to connect to your character. Big props to the composers on this game; they really went all out to provide a smashing soundtrack.

The voice acting during the cut scenes is hardly first rate, but it’s still funny enough to listen to. Captain Falcon does sound a little boring, but it’s great to hear a Nintendo protagonist talk at all.

Visuals

GX boasts perhaps the best graphics on the Gamecube. Each track is highly detailed, as are the pilots and their machines. The GameCube’s processing power really shines through here. 

The cut scenes during the Story Mode are really well animated and mirror the likes of animation from Pixar. It really does immerse you in the world of F-Zero.

History

GX was released alongside an arcade twin called F-Zero AX. You could take your memory card to one of these machines and unlock new characters and machines for your home console game. Unfortunately, only a few made it over seas, so tracking one down is very difficult. But never fear, you can still unlock these features in GX without the arcade machine. All you have to do is beat all the Story Mode chapters on the hardest difficulty...

Negative

The only real problem I think anyone would have with GX is its sheer difficulty. The Story Mode is so un- relentlessly brutal, that some just won’t want to dedicate hours upon end to beating it. Some players will be able to beat the challenges thrown at them, but some just won’t get it. The key is to approach with a positive attitude. It’s very, very difficult, but not impossible. I know this because I’ve beaten it (yes I know, I’m insane).

Overall

F-Zero GX is a fantastic racing game with great gameplay, intricate tracks, stellar music and lots of replay value. If you can overlook the difficulty then definitely give this game a purchase. It can found at most game shops or online for around £8.00; a complete steal for a game this good. 

It’s defiantly the best F-Zero game so far; too bad we never got one for the Wii...      9.7/10

Super Mario Bros 3 review

Super Mario Bros 3 was released in 1988 in Japan, 1990 in the USA and 1991 in Europe for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). Many people consider it to be the greatest game ever made. This is due to, among other things, expanding on the legendary gameplay of the first Super Mario Bros (1985, 87 in Europe) and adding many new features such as world maps, bonus games and most famously, all new power-ups.

Story

Out for revenge on the Mushroom Kingdom, Bowser has recruited his seven children, the Koopalings and sent them to steal the magic wands from the seven Kings of the Mushroom World.
Princess Peach (or Princess Toadstool at the time) calls on Mario and Luigi to retrieve the wands, drive out Bowser and his kids and restore peace to the Mushroom World.

Mario and Luigi are setting off on their biggest, most ambitous adventure yet.

Gameplay

As previously mentioned, the gameplay of Super Mario Bros 3 (hereafter referred to as SMB3) brings together all the best mechanics of the first Super Mario Bros and builds upon them for a fantastic plumber-platforming experience that you'll never forget.
There are a total of 8 worlds for you to play through, each with their own theme and gimmicks. These themes include Desert, Snow, Cloud and perhaps the most popular, the Giant World with giant enemies and item boxes. Of course, what would these creative worlds be without power-ups to enchance them? SMB3 has one of the widest power-up varities in Mario history (rivaling even the likes of Super Mario Galaxy on the Wii). All the regular items are here, such as the Mushroom, Fire Flower and Starman, but this game adds such classics as the Racoon Suit which grants Mario (or Luigi) the ability to fly for a short period of time courtesy of a racoon tail. The Frog Suit allows the Mario Bros to swim with much more agility, while the Tanooki Suit, in addition to temporal flight, can breifly turn into a statue to avoid damage (it won't have this ability in the upcoming Super Mario Bros 3D Land for 3DS, unfortunately). These power-ups do a cracking job of enchancing the jump and run gameplay and will keep you playing for hours on end.

More on the basic gameplay; you run, jump, stomp and swim your way through the many well designed levels, and not two of these feel too similar or repetitive. One level has you exploring a vast pipe maze, while another has you fleeing an angry sun. You'll always feel constantly engaged. The level design is what solidifies this game as a gem; the little surprises and secrets along the way are what makes it immortal. You have high-jackable Goomba Shoes, a giant (and very hungry) fish that can swallow you in one bite, the aformentioned angry sun and a room in which all of the solid walls can be turned into coins. Most of these only appear in one specific level, but they're so charming, and you can tell the game designers went all out to provide a non stop fun-fest. There are so many secrets hidden away in almost every level and the sheer quantity of them is astounding, even by today's standards (I'm still only just discovering some of them for the first time now).

SMB3 intoduced the map-screen to the Mario series, in which you move across a small world map and select a level to play through. While you will intially have to go through the stages in order, there are points where you can skip levels by completing other ones. Toad Houses are scattered around the maps, and offer fun little bonus games, such as matching up cards or lining up a picture, as well as some offering free power-ups. These include the Cloud Block which allows you to bypass enemies that patrol the map. A Music Box will temporarily put them to sleep too. If you land one of these enemies without either of these, you must defeat them to gain an item and move on. Once you reach the end of a world, you board one of the seven Koopaling Airships and confront one of Bowser's troublesome offspring to retrieve one of the stolen magic wands. Thes battles are fun and varied and will keep you on your toes in some of the later worlds.

One final note about the gameplay, there is a 2 player mode in which you and a friend can play through the entire game together with player 1 being Mario and player 2 being Luigi. The Bros share the same moves and power-ups, as well as sharing the same item stash (which consists of all the items you have collected from Toad Houses). Once a player dies or completes a level , it's the other players turn. If the two players are on the same area of the world map, they can play a round of the original Mario Bros Arcade game. This is an interesting little feature in which players can either compete or co-operate. The 2 player mode is balanced and adds a whole new layer to the game, so if you have a friend who wants to join in, I reccomend it.

As with most of the Mario platformers, the controls are super simple. The D-pad will let you walk, the B button makes you run and use your suit's special ability, such as fireballs and finally the A button lets you jump and fly with your racoon tail. Less is more in this case; the controls are pretty much perfect and in combination with the great level design, cheap deaths will be virtually non-existent.

Audio

The music in SMB3 is charming, catchy and memorable. Kodji Kondo really pushed the NES sound chip to it's limits, with tunes that sound like there are two or three instruments playing at once. This makes it sound really smooth and when compared with the first Super Mario Bros, it really shows how far the series had come.
The athletic theme is still one of the most iconic songs in the series and every World Map  has it's own tune, which greatly empahsises the different themes. The music is truly the icing on the cake and paved the way for the direction that Mario music would take.

Visuals

SMB3 is definately one of the best looking games on the NES, with graphics that are colourful and bursting with life. All the characters move smoothly and the environments almost look like you can taste them.
One feature I really like is the shimmering effect on the blocks; seemingly simple now, but 20 years ago this would have looked amazing.

History

If you were around for it (which I wasn't) , then you will probably know that SMB3 was promoted outside of Japan with a sneak peak in the film "The Wizard". Even after the films release it would be months before SMB3 finally hit the shelves. To this day, I can think of no other game that had a film made to hype it's release. This is truly a testament to the power Nintendo had at the time.

SMB3 is one of the best selling non-packaged video games in history, with over 18 million copies sold worldwide. This has only recently been surpassed by the likes of Wii Play.

Negative

I'm really scraping the bottom of the barell to find any real flaws in SMB3. The only real problem I have is the lack of a save feature on the original NES cartridge version; to see everything the game has to offer, you have to leave your system on or complete it in one sitting. However if you play this game on any of the many re-releases, then this won't be a problem. This includes the Virtual Console version.

I also think that some of the later power-ups, that I don't want to spoil, feel a bit under used. But this is a minor complaint and dosen't affect the game in the slightest.

Overall

SMB3 is an amazing experience and you should play it even if you are only remotely interested in Mario or video games in general. It's chock full of more levels, secrets, power-ups and memorable moments than you can shake a Fire Flower at. It's only 500 Wii points on the Virtual Console, so if you have the internet on your Wii, definately download it. It's one of the greatest games ever made.

9.8/ 10

F-Zero X review

Released on the Nintendo 64 in 1998, F-Zero X is the third installment in the futuristic F-Zero racing series (although the second game never made it outside of Japan). It brought the series into 3-D, allowing for some crazy but clever track designs and gameplay features that go above and beyond the games before it.

Story

Set in the future, somewhere around the mid 26th century, the F-Zero Grand Prix is the most famous event in the known universe. However, due to the brutality of the competition and a freak accident that badly injured many pilots (though there were no fatalities), it was briefly discontinued. But with the growing pressure from the many millions of fans, the Grand Prix was allowed to continue with revised rules.

The participating pilots now have their eyes set on the big cash prize, not to mention the enormous prestige.

Gameplay

F-Zero X keeps the fast-paced gameplay of previous F-Zero titles, and has a large number of game modes. There are a total of 30 machines to choose from, although only 6 are avalible from the get go, and you must progress through the Grand Prix to unlock the rest, giving an extra incentive to winning all the cups. Each machine has it's rating of A to E on three different areas; body strength which determines how much of a beating the machine can take before it's energy is drained, boost, which is how well a machine can benefit from boost power, and finally grip which is how well your machine will grip the track.
In all of the modes, your machine will have an energy bar displayed in the top right hand corner of the screen. You lose energy if you bump into walls, obstacles or fellow drivers. Energy also doubles as boost power, which in most modes is awarded at the start of the 2nd lap. If you deplete all your energy and hit something, your car will explode into a hunk of metal, and you will be "retired".
There are three default difficulties for the Grand Prix and Practice modes, Novice, Standard and Expert, with a fourth difficutly, Master becoming unlockable after beating all the cups in the first three difficulties.

The standard mode is the Grand Prix, in which you choose from one of the 30 machines,  choose a cup and then race across 6 different courses and try to get to the highest number of points to place first overall. If you are retired in this mode, you can choose to quit or retry which use up one of your spare machines (essentially lives), to try again. If you run out of machines and retire it's Game Over.
Time Attack mode has you racing in a machine of your choice across a single track to try to get the best time. If you do well enough, you can challenge staff ghosts made by the developers, as well as challenging your own times.
The Vs. Mode allows up to four players to race on any track in attempt to win first place. A nice little feature here, is that if you are retired and your friends are still in the race, you can play a little slot machine game. This will contiue until the race has ended. If you manage to line up three of the same pictures in a row, you can deplete up to half of your friend's energy meter depending on the picture. Of course, you can turn this feature off in the options menu if you want to play it fair. Options also contains a handicap setting, which helps give novice players an advantage over more experienced players, as their energy will not be depleted as fast. This mode is always a blast.
A very interesting new mode in F-Zero X is the Death Race. Your goal here is to take out all 29 of your fellow racers in the smallest amount of time possible. Your best times will be saved like in Time Attack which adds to the addiction of this mode. It is also a good way to practice attack your rivals for the Grand Prix which is often the key to winning the harder difficulties.
Practice Mode is where you can (believe it or not) practice to your hearts content on any course with any machine. If you are struggling with a particular course; practice, practice, practice!

The controls for F-Zero X are easy to learn, but take a lot of practice to master. The A button is your accelerator, while the B button is your booster. The control stick will obviously control your movement and the C buttons can change your view, and also allow you to look behind you if you want to take out a passing rival. The L and R buttons allow you to slide turn around tight corners while tapping the L or R button opposite to the direction you are turning will make your machine drift turn. However, your machine must prioritise acelaration over top speed for this to work effectively. But we'll get to that in a minute.
If you can get to grips with these controls, then I think you will be able to get the most out of F-Zero X. The controls are tight and responsive, which is epesicially good as your are driving machines that can exceed the speed of sound.

One more thing, before each race, you can set a balance between accelaration and top speed. Putting a lot of emphasise on accelaration will allow you to reach your top speed quicker, but your said top speed will be lower. Putting emphasise on top speed will allow you to reach the very highest speeds, but your accelaration will be much slower, and therefore you will not be able to benefit from the drift turn. It is best to look at the course layout and make your choice about the balance based on this.

Audio

The music in F-Zero X is delightfully retro, with most of the tunes consisting of rocking guitar rifts and remixes from the first F-Zero game on the SNES. The music might not be to everyones liking but there is no denying that alot of thought went into performing the guitars to accompany the fast paced racing. One of my personal favourites is "Dream Chaser" which plays on the Silence courses (ironically). Some of the songs are so metal that you'd think it was almost a little too "hardcore" for a Nintendo game. There is also a really good gutiar remix of the Rainbow Road theme from Mario Kart 64, but unfortunately this was exclusive to the    F-Zero X Expansion Kit (See the History section of this review for more information on that).

The only voice acting the game has is from the game's announcer Mr. Zero. They are pretty low quality, but still good enough for Nintendo 64 standards.

Visuals

One of the most infamous things about F-Zero X is its limited and at times bland graphics. To keep the game running at a constant frame rate, with 30 machines cruising and dodging their way around crazy tracks at breakneck speeds, Nintendo had to sacrifice anything that stood in the way of near- perfect gameplay. As a result, the graphics don't do much to please the eye, with few road side details or amazing background lanscapes to speak of.
However, in my eyes, this is not a flaw, as Nintendo knew that great graphics are nothing if the gameplay isn't rock solid. I respect Nintendo for what they did here and you are going too fast in the game most of the time to notice anyway.
With this all being said, the machine and character designs are all really cool and give the F-Zero universe a furturistic, almost comic book feel.
The tracks, while not too detailed, still look impressive and never feel dull or repetitive.

Negative

I don't think there's alot wrong with F-Zero X, but one little thing about that bothers me is how easy it is to slide out of control when under the effects of boost power. I can understand this with machines that have lower grip, but even those with first rate grip slide out really easily. Little taps and adjustments on the control stick are the key here, but even then it can feel tedious at times when 29 other machines are constantly ramming into you and using their boost power without sliding. This isn't a huge flaw or anything; I'm probably just more used to the physics in F-Zero GX for the Gamecube, but it's just something that I have trouble overlooking sometimes.

History

As I previously mentioned, F-Zero X had an Expansion Kit that added even more features to the game, including hidden veichles, new music, and most famously a track creator, where you could make your very own tracks from scratch. Unfortunately, this was for the Nintendo 64DD, an add-on for the Nintendo 64; it was only released in Japan as it was a commerical failure. This is a real shame as a track editor would have added almost endless replay value to the game. But I won't rate the game down for this.
It is now very hard to get your hands on an Nintendo 64DD; there are some on sites like ebay, but they are going for over £100 and unless your an Nintendo Collector completist, I just don't think it's worth it.

Overall

F-Zero X is a great Nintendo title and a memorable entry in the F-Zero series, boasting some great tracks and machines, fast, smooth-running gameplay, great music and a large number of game modes to keep you coming back for more.
It is available on the Wii's Virtual Console for 1000 Wii points, so if you have the points to spare, I'd say it's worth the download.

9.3/10

Super Mario Bros 2 review

Super Mario Bros 2 was first released on the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1988 (1989 in Europe). It was the long awaited sequel to the revolutionary Super Mario Bros (1985 or 1987 in Europe). It's gameplay differs quite a lot from the first game, but does different necessarily mean bad in this case?

Story

Mario dreams that he finds a staircase leading to a door, which leads him into the world of Subcon. The inhabitants have been overtaken by a giant frog dictator named Wart (who hates vegetables). After awakening the next day, Mario, along with Luigi, Princess Peach and Toad find the same door that Mario saw in his dream. Upon entering, the world of Subcon spreads before them...

It's now up to our hero's to defeat Wart and his minions, liberate Subcon and rescue it's imprisoned inhabitants.

Gameplay

Anyone who has played a side-scrolling Mario game will probably know that the gameplay is all about running, jumping and stomping on enemies. However the gameplay of Super Mario Bros 2 is quite a bit different from this standard formula. It requires you to pluck vegetables out of the ground and throw them at your enemies to defeat them, or alternatively pick up enemies by standing on top of them and then throwing them at other enemies. As well as plucking vegetables from the ground you'll also be able to pull special items such as 1-up mushrooms, koopa shells and magic potions. These potions can be used to access sub-space via the doors they create. Whist in sub-space, you can collect coins to use in a bonus game at the end of a level, and mushrooms which give you extra health. Collecting five cherries will cause a starman to appear which retains it's use of granting temporal invincibilty. Defeating lots of enemies will eventually cause a heart to float onto the screen, which can be used to replenish lost health.
This quirky style gives Mario 2 a wonderfully unique feel and while some may not like it, I personally love it.

Another unique feature of Mario 2's gameplay is the choice to play as one of four characters. Each has his or her own special attributes, which adds alot of replay value to the levels; you can experience them a different way with each character. Mario is the standard all rounder, with average jumping, strength and speed. Luigi (my personal favourite) can jump higher than anyone else, but he is a bit weaker than Mario. Princess Peach (or Toadstool as she was called at the time) can float for a few seconds, but she is slower and weaker. Toad can pull items from the ground faster than anyone else, and can also run the fastest whilst carrying items; his jump however is the worst overall. Everyone should be able to find a character that suits their play- style and the levels are designed in such a way, that you'll always be able to find the right character for the job.

The controls for Mario 2 are very simple; the d-pad controls your movement, the B button lets you run while walking and also lets you pull items from the ground and throw them, whilst the A button lets you jump. The controls are as simple as they come and have a free but responsive feel.

Audio

Mario 2's music is bright, cheerful, energetic and a joy to listen to. There aren't many songs in the game, but alot of heart and soul has been put into composing what is there. The overworld theme is fittingly happy to go with the bright outdoor environments of Subcon, whilst the catchy underground theme fits the darker, but lively action of the enemy infested caves. The starman theme has even gained a cool bongo drum beat.
Koji Kondo delivers yet another one of his many, many great soundtracks.

Visuals

The graphics are very bright and colourful and are a very nice example of what the NES can do. The animations of the four playable characters are very well done and they do a good job emphasising their personality traits, especially Luigi. The roots by which the vegetables are plucked sway in the breeze, and the whole thing feels very alive visually.

Negative

One little nitpick I have with this game, is that when you have collected your five cherries or defeated enough enemies to earn your starman or heart, it will sometimes appear in a completely inaccessible area like a solid wall, which can be annoying when you are desperately trying to survive a tough stage.

History

I'm not going to go on too much about this, as a lot of people know about it anyway, but Mario 2 was originally a Famicom Disk System title exclusive to Japan called Yume Kojo; Doki Doki Panic created by Shigeru Miyamoto. When the Japanese Mario 2 (known outside of Japan as The Lost Levels) was deemed too frustratingly difficult for Western audience, as well as not being much of a step up from the first Super Mario Bros gameplay- wise, Nintendo decided to modify Miyamoto's own Doki Doki Panic by replacing the original playable character sprites with Mario characters, changing a couple of items and music cues, and adding the abilty to run. This was then sold in the West as Super Mario Bros 2.
Despite this backstory, I don't think you should let it taint your view of this game. I personally think it was a very smart desicion, and not only did we get a great game, but many staples in the Mario series today would not be there without it, such as Birdos, Shy-guys and Bob-ombs.

Overall

Super Mario Bros 2 is a true Nintendo classic, with wonderfully unique gameplay, free but responsive controls, a lot of replay value and a catchy soundtrack to boot.
I highly reccomend you download it from the Wii Virtual Console for 500 Wii points and experience this quirky but amazingly fun game.

9.1/10