Mario Kart Super Circuit

The new look to the level design and graphics of Mario Kart Super Circuit are strange, yet fit just right. It's an interesting racing world where the Mario video game themes have all been added in to a racing game to decorate the levels. For instance, in the ghost house level, you'll notice floating boo characters and creaky floorboards that were found from the original days of Mario. There are fire races set in theme after Bowser's castle.

Certain tracks don't cover up the entire portion of the ground. Therefore, you have got to try to not fall and slip off those tracks. Falling off of a racetrack brings out the famous Lakitu, one of many cameo appearances made by cast members of other Mario games. Those stone blocks out of the Mario Brothers past are trying to crush the brothers again and are a part of the Bowser level. Just like a stone block would crush Mario in the original Mario games, interactive objects like these crush all of the other racers too. Other interactive Super Mario Bros. characters make racing cameos. The moles from Super Mario World and the Venus flytraps from the original Super Mario Bros. squirrel their way into the game. However, all of these enemy characters aren't here to shake your hand, they are there because they operate as roadblocks for each racecourse. Slamming your vehicle into one of these guys further pushes you back towards the last place. All I can say about the levels is that if you've ever been a fan of Mario titles, the game itself is ALL MARIO, wrapped up in a racing game.

Each racer in the game is suited differentially in user preference. Characters like Yoshi, Luigi, or even Toad will move quicker than others. That reason is because of Nintendo's creative thinking in how each character should handle. Toad, being a relatively small guy, can speed around greatly. Bigger and meaner characters like Wario and Bowser have a hard time keeping up with the pack. Though, the characters each have a flaw in their usage. Quick characters don't normally round turns as well as slow characters would. Turning corners are essential to the levels, as many tight or twisted turns can appear in rapid succession. The slower characters have the flaw of not being able to keep up in a race but have the upper hand when the time comes for those wacky corners. These status features balance each of the characters out.

The gameplay mechanics are nicely done as well. Most of the racetracks are made up of several tricky turns. The best option to resolve turning has to do with how well a character can use traction to the best of their ability. While slow characters don't need much traction to make a tight turn, the quick characters will most of the time have to depend on it. For the most part, the game is fairly easy to control. Even if you've never played a Mario Kart title before you will feel as if you were born behind the wheel of a go-kart.

To explain how playing the game works, here's the gist. After starting a race, in one player mode for example, you'll notice you're not alone as seven others will be on the raceway too. As one of the eight selectable Nintendo characters, you'll find things like coins, or most importantly, pickups that increase the advantage of winning significantly along the way. These pickups can vary in either offensive or defensive objects. Red Turtle shells, for example, are used as homing devices. Whoever is in the front of you, using the shell will automatically make your racing rival spin out of control. Other objects like stars can make your character invincible for a limited time, and mushrooms that increase your speed are there to equally advance to first place. Whatever random object is chosen, the effect is always crucial to another player.

The sound found in the game I feel could've been worked out better. Some of it sounds new...and mostly mixed from the earlier Mario Kart games. While the sound isn't fantastic, it has that typical "Mario" feel to the game's ordeal. Other times in the game it's the spinning motion of a racer, the hop your character makes through the sky, the shift between cement track and a crunchy grained surface, and even the blinking countdown at the start of a race which all are in a part of the game's inner sounds. Especially in the characters themselves, the sound has been improved. Each of them now has been given a voice that's activated when they're sent a shell into the backside, or the like.

Some of the game's extras involve using the Game Boy Advance's multi-link cable (which is sold separately at game retailers everywhere). With the cable, you will be able to go head to head against up to three friends when connecting three separate handhelds put together. In four-player mode, players are able to match up against each other in a race. If you don't have the extra handhelds to pass around, two players can duke it out in the Mario GP tournament; against the computer, you and a friend or family member will enter the tournament to find out who'll win the top brass. Of course, no Mario Kart game is complete without a battle mode; two players mop the floor with each other in a grueling battle of the fittest in any crazy arena. There is also a time trial mode that is set up for single player races allowing you to try and beat the top times of other opponents. If you're looking for a great racing game to play with friends on the Game Boy Advance handheld, this SHOULD be it!