Super Mario Kart: Difference between revisions

|release='''SNES:'''<br>{{release|Japan|August 27, 1992|USA|September 1, 1992<ref>Nintendo Switch Online app</ref>|Europe|January 21, 1993}} '''Player's Choice:'''<br>{{release|USA|May 20, 1996}} '''Virtual Console (Wii):'''<br>{{release|Japan|June 9, 2009|USA|November 23, 2009|Europe|April 2, 2010|Australia|April 2, 2010}} '''Virtual Console (Wii U):'''<br>{{release|Japan|June 19, 2013|Europe|March 27, 2014|Australia|March 28, 2014|USA|August 6, 2014}} '''Virtual Console (New 3DS):'''<br>{{release|Europe|March 17, 2016|Australia|March 18, 2016|USA|March 24, 2016|Japan|May 9, 2016}} '''Super NES Classic Edition:'''<br>{{release|USA|September 29, 2017|Europe|September 29, 2017|Australia|September 30, 2017|Japan|October 5, 2017}} '''Super Nintendo Entertainment System - Nintendo Switch Online:'''<br>{{release|USA|September 5, 2019<ref>Nintendo (September 4, 2019). [https://youtu.be/8TVE44feo_I?t=1386 Nintendo Direct 9.4.2019]. ''YouTube''. Retrieved September 4, 2019.</ref>|Japan|September 6, 2019<ref>Nintendo (September 4, 2019). [https://youtu.be/IjZbFWW23d0?t=3568 Nintendo Direct 2019.9.5]. ''YouTube''. Retrieved September 4, 2019.</ref>|Europe|September 6, 2019<ref>[https://twitter.com/NintendoEurope/status/1169375812610592769 Tweet by Nintendo of Europe (Super Nintendo Entertainment System - Nintendo Switch Online release date)]. ''Twitter''. Retrieved September 4, 2019.</ref>|Australia|September 6, 2019<ref>[https://twitter.com/NintendoAUNZ/status/1169378280031436800 Tweet by Nintendo AU NZ (Super Nintendo Entertainment System - Nintendo Switch Online release date)]. ''Twitter''. Retrieved September 4, 2019.</ref>|HK|September 6, 2019|South Korea|September 6, 2019}} '''''Fully souped up!'':'''<br>{{release|Japan|May 26, 2021|USA|May 26, 2021|Europe|May 26, 2021|Australia|May 26, 2021}}

If the player enters the cheat code {{button|snes|L}}, {{button|snes|R}}, {{button|snes|L}}, {{button|snes|R}}, {{button|snes|L}}, {{button|snes|L}}, {{button|snes|R}}, {{button|snes|R}}, {{button|SNES|A}} on the cup selection menu in Time Trial, the Special Cup is unlocked. In the Japanese version, a [[Boo]] sound is heard upon successfully inputting the code.<ref>[[tcrf:Super Mario Kart|''Super Mario Kart'']]. ''The Cutting Room Floor''. Retrieved September 16, 2019.</ref>

''Super Mario Kart'' has eight available drivers, divided into statistically identical pairs of two. While subsequent ''Mario Kart'' games would classify characters based on weight class, in this game other criteria are used. The stats presented here are derived and inferred from the manual.<ref>http://gamesdbase.com/Media/SYSTEM/Nintendo_SNES//Manual/formated/Super_Mario_Kart_-_1992_-_Nintendo.pdf</ref> The Bros are average drivers with a high top speed, The Dragon and The Lady have the highest acceleration with low handling, The Showdown have the lowest acceleration with the highest top speed and weight, while The Small Guys have high acceleration and handling, which makes them recommended for beginners. Each pair of characters has different engine sounds for their karts, which reflect their appearances and characteristics. All drivers also have a unique theme music whenever they finish a race with a good position.

!colspan=2 style="background:lightskyblue;color:black"|<big>'''The Bros.'''</big><br><small>Standard Performance</small>

!colspan=2 style="background:pink;color:black"|<big>'''The Dragon and The Lady'''</big><br><small>Fast Acceleration</small>

!colspan=2 style="background:aquamarine;color:black"|<big>'''The Showdown'''</big><br><small>High Top Speed</small>

!colspan=2 style="background:khaki;color:black"|<big>'''The Small Guys'''</big><br><small>Good Control</small>

The Japanese ''Official Nintendo Guidebook'' of the game lists the maximum speed in the 100cc engine class in various conditions.<ref>''Super Mario Kart Nintendo Official Guidebook'', page 17.</ref> This maximum speed is increased by 1 km/h per each coin collected, until 10 coins are collected.<ref>''Super Mario Kart Nintendo Official Guidebook'', page 15.</ref>

[[File:SMK Acceleration Graph.png|thumb|center|600px|A graph showing the speed as a function of time when accelerating from a standstill with various characters. The horizontal axis shows the time in seconds. The red line refers to Mario and Luigi, the green line refers to the Princess and Yoshi, the light blue line refers to Bowser and Donkey Kong Jr., the yellow line refers to Koopa Troopa and Toad.]]

The official instruction manual illustrates a chart that details how well characters perform on tracks and their stats. It notes that Toad and Koopa Troopa have the best steering while the Princess and Yoshi steer worse. Another point it mentions is that Toad and Koopa Troopa can get knocked aside by Bowser and Donkey Kong Jr.

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!width="25%"style="background:#dedede"|Notes

The following tables are derived from the Japanese ''Nintendo Official Guidebook'' of the game and report the probability of obtaining each item in the various modes with letter codes ranging from '''A''' (most likely) to '''F''' (unlikely).<ref>''Super Mario Kart Nintendo Official Guidebook'', pages 142 and 143.</ref>

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The staff for ''Super Mario Kart'' has consisted of 15 members. ''Super Mario Kart'' was directed by Tadashi Sugiyama and [[Hideki Konno]], the latter who would go on to play prominent roles in later main entries of the ''Mario Kart'' series with the exception of ''[[Mario Kart: Double Dash!!]]'' [[Yoichi Kotabe]], Mie Yoshimura, and [[Yoshiaki Koizumi]] has provided the illustrations for the game. [[Soyo Oka]] has composed the game's soundtrack, with [[SNES Rainbow Road (theme)|Rainbow Road]] being one of her favorite compositions.<ref>[http://www.rocketbaby.net/interviews_soyo_oka.html Interview between Rocketbaby and Soyo Oka]. Retrieved February 12, 2015.</ref>

''Super Mario Kart'' was born out of the idea of making a two-player racing game following ''[[fzerowiki:F-Zero|F-Zero]]'', which was exclusively single-player.<ref name="Iwata Asks">[http://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/#/wii/mariokart/0/0 Iwata Asks: ''Mario Kart Wii''] (accessed March 22 2012)</ref> The team wanted to make a fun, multiplayer-oriented alternative and was aimed to be enjoyed "with family and friends." according to Nintendo Producer Hideki Konno.<ref>Otero, Joseph. (May 29, 2014). [https://www.ign.com/articles/2014/05/29/how-anti-gravity-made-mario-kart-better How Anti-Gravity Made ''Mario Kart'' Better.] ''IGN''. Retrieved November 27, 2020.</ref> The prototype initially only featured a generic "guy in overalls". The design for the characters onscreen were three heads tall as opposed to ''F-Zero''{{'}}s seven heads tall to suit the design of the karts. At first, there was no racing involved; it was a test of two karts moving freely. The decision to include ''Super Mario'' characters and concepts was made three to four months in development, when the developers added Mario driving one of the karts moving around because they were curious about how the game would look, and decided that it looked better.<ref name="Iwata Asks"/> Before Banana Peels were added, oil cans that spill their substance out were used to spin karts out.  The battle mode was implemented because the developers thought it would be a good idea to include a form of one-on-one battles that did not involve competing for ranks during the races.<ref name="Iwata Asks"/>

*In ''Super Mario Kart'', every character has a winning animation that involves a bottle of champagne. In the Japanese version, Bowser and the Princess drink champagne in their animations (with the latter becoming drunk in the process), which goes against Nintendo of America's policy on the depiction of alcohol, as it was considered inappropriate for younger children.<ref>https://youtu.be/hNZfd3JDFOA</ref><ref>http://www.themushroomkingdom.net/smk_j2e.shtml</ref> In the Western releases of the game, Bowser merely poses happily agitating the bottle and Peach tosses and catches her bottle.

The player should pick up a Mushroom, then use it and hop very close to a corner. If done correctly, the effect of the Mushroom lasts longer than normal. The player can get a time of a lap under 10 seconds.<ref name="smkglitch"> 呂理彬 Lu Li Bin. (February 14, 2013). [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30iZWoq6c3o 【TAS】SNES Super Mario Kart 150cc All-Cup Stage By Stage Comparison]. ''YouTube''.</ref>

''Super Mario Kart'' met with very favorable reviews, scoring a 93.60% on GameRankings based on 10 reviews.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20150629081951/https://www.gamerankings.com/snes/588738-super-mario-kart/index.html Archived URL for GameRankings score for ''Super Mario Kart'']. ''GameRankings''. Retrieved November 27, 2020.</ref>  Much of the praise of the game has been attributed to its bright and colorful graphics, fun gameplay involving its items that set it apart from ''F-Zero'', intuitive controls, its ''Super Mario'' franchise theming, and retroactively, its legacy that helped pioneer the kart-racing genre and the overall introduction of the ''[[Mario Kart (series)|Mario Kart]]'' series. While ''Super Mario Kart'' does not have an official Metacritic entry due to the game coming out before its inception, the user score for the Wii Virtual Console is mixed, scoring 7.4, with common laments being that while the game is regarded as a classic, it is outclassed by later ''Mario Kart'' entries.<ref>[https://www.metacritic.com/game/wii/super-mario-kart Metacritic score fr ''Super Mario Kart'' on the Wii.] ''Metacritic. Retrieved November 27, 2020.</ref>

Shey Stevens from the magazine, ''Electronic Games'' gave the game a 93%, citing how the game changes up mechanics from ''F-Zero'' such as the item-based system to deliver a unique experience. Stevens has additionally praised the one-on-one combat modes the game offers.<ref>Stevens, Shey. (December 1992). [https://archive.org/stream/Electronic-Games-1992-12/Electronic%20Games%201992-12#page/n77/mode/2up Archive for Electronic Games magazine, page 79-80.] Retrieved November 27, 2020.</ref> A section by Bro. Buzz from the ''Game Pro'' magazine has given the game a score of 5.0 in graphics, control, and fun factor and a 4.0 in sound, ending with, "''Super Mario Kart'' makes wheel-spinning, bumper-grinding, motor racing actually cute! The little guys definitely have a lot of drive."<ref>Bro. Buzz (December 1992). [https://retrocdn.net/images/2/26/GamePro_US_041.pdf "Super NES Pro Review: ''Super Mario Kart''"] ''Game Pro''. No. 51. pp. 80–82. Retrieved November 17, 2020.</ref> Nadia Oxford from USgamer, reviewing the game's release on the [[Classics#Super NES Classic Edition|Super NES Classic Edition]], has called the game "the SNES Classic Edition's most perfect inclusion." and has generally praised how well the game is held up, despite its simplicity compared to later ''Mario Kart'' entries, with ''[[Mario Kart 8 Deluxe]]'' being compared to in the review.<ref>Oxford, Nadia. (January 23, 2019). [https://www.usgamer.net/articles/super-nes-classic-game-by-game-7-super-mario-kart Super NES Retro Review: ''Super Mario Kart''.] ''USgamer''. Retrieved November 27, 2020.</ref> The flaw Oxford has cited was the single-player splitscreen and the fact that the game supports only two players rather than four. ''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' has given the game an Editor's Choice award in its November 1992 issue.<ref>Alessi, Martin; Harris, Steve; Semrad, Ed, Sushi X. (November 1992). [https://retrocdn.net/images/7/7f/EGM_US_040.pdf Review Crew: ''Super Mario Kart''.] ''Electronic Gaming Monthly''. p. 25. Retrieved November 27, 2020.</ref>

''Super Mario Kart'' has seen frequent placements in Top Games lists. The game was placed 32nd in the 100th issue of Nintendo Power's "100 best Nintendo games of all time" in 1997.<ref>(September 1997). [https://web.archive.org/web/20091225020235/http://www.gamekult.com/communaute/forum/voirmessage.html?foid=13000909 Nintendo Power's 100 Best Games of All Time - Sept. 1997.] ''GameKult''. Retrieved November 27, 2020.</ref> In the book, ''Guinness World Records: Gamer's Edition'' for 2009, ''Super Mario Kart'' was placed as the #1 best console game. The game was placed 33rd in the 200th issue of GameInformer's "Top 200 Games of all Time" in December 2009. The game was awarded the Most Critically Acclaimed ''Mario Kart'' Game by ''[[Guinness World Records|Guinness Book of World Records]] Gamer's Edition 2009 - 2014''.

''Super Mario Kart'' is the 4th best-selling game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, selling 8.76 million copies worldwide as of December 31, 2009.<ref>Futter, Mike. (June 2, 2014). [https://web.archive.org/web/20140604084937/https://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2014/06/02/mario-kart-8-speeds-to-over-1-2-million-sales-in-opening-weekend.aspx ''Mario Kart 8'' Speeds To Over 1.2 Million Sales In Opening Weekend.] ''Game Informer''. Retrieved November 27, 2020.</ref>

''Super Mario Kart'' was adapted into a Japan-only electro-mechanical arcade game developed by {{wp|Banpresto}} and {{wp|Atlus}} called ''[[Super Mario Kart: Doki Doki Race]]'', released in 1994.<ref>[https://www.marioboards.com/index.php?topic=35637.msg1780735#msg1780735#msg1780735] Borp's coverage on Mario boards</ref> The playable characters are [[Mario]], [[Luigi]], [[Princess Peach]], [[Yoshi]], and [[Bowser]], with [[Cheep Cheep]], [[Monty Mole]], and [[Lakitu (Mario Kart referee)|Lakitu]] in supporting roles. The game seems to operate on magnets to move the karts and is based on chance by who can press a series of buttons fast enough. There are five music tracks in total, two in particular being the music for the title screen and the Mario Circuit theme. The latter theme is sped up and has additional notes that play throughout the track with an ending note. A male announcer voice can also be heard throughout the gameplay. The other three music tracks are a preparation theme and two different victory themes.<ref>Super Mario Wiki (October 31, 2015). [https://youtu.be/1SMFdLu-cuw ''Super Mario Kart'' Dokidoki Race Gameplay]. ''YouTube''.</ref>

The instrument samples used for the soundtrack included the "flute shots", grand piano, distorted guitar, electric bass, and organ from the {{wp|Akai S1000}}; the reedy keys from an {{wp|E-mu Proteus}} synthesizer; a guitar from the {{wp|Korg M1}}; the bass marimba from the {{wp|Roland D-50|Roland D-550}}; the reverb snare and closed hi-hat from the {{wp|Roland R-8}}; whistling samples from the {{wp|Yamaha}} RX-8 and {{wp|Yamaha TG77|TG77}}; and an agogo, bongo, electric kick drum, and timbale taken from unknown equipment.<ref>[https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1JJBlHHDc65fhZmKUGLrDTLCm6rfUU83-kbuD8Y0zU0o/edit?pli=1#gid=717751203 NEWER VGM Sound Sources.] ''Google Docs''. Retrieved March 3, 2021.</ref>

|ChiS=超级马力欧卡丁车<ref>[https://www.nintendo.com.hk/topics/article/a_200904_02_sc.html 超级马力欧兄弟 35周年！] ''Nintendo''. Retrieved September 4, 2020.</ref>

|ChiT=超級瑪利歐賽車<ref>[https://www.nintendo.com.hk/topics/article/a_200904_02.html 超級瑪利歐兄弟 35週年！] ''Nintendo''. Retrieved September 4, 2020.</ref>

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*[https://www.nintendo.co.jp/clvs/manuals/ja/pdf/CLV-P-VAAFJ.pdf Japanese Super Famicom Instruction Booklet]

*[https://www.nintendo.co.jp/clvs/manuals/common/pdf/CLV-P-SAAFE.pdf North American SNES Instruction Booklet]