CGR Undertow - MARIO KART 64 for Nintendo 64 Video Game Review

[@nickdude07]

Could the looseness in control be the looseness of the joystick? This became a problem with heavily used controllers. Myself, I have three sitting around with tight joysticks, including one that I replaced with a Hori joystick.

[@ShineOnYouCD]

I have played this many times on an emulator over the years, and the controls still are not as slick as other MK

[@ultrairrelevantnobody1862]

Honestly. This is one of the better reviews of Mario Kart 64 and obviously I agree with his points for the most part. Mario Kart 64 has aged really poorly and comes off as a shitty tech demo by today standards rather than being a proper game. The rubbing banding is horrendous and makes using items on your opponents pointless because they'll catch up to you in just a few seconds and don't even get me started on how unfair and frustrating it becomes in 150cc. The red shells themselves are buggy as hell and seem to keep crashing into walls half the time. Most of the courses are either bland and forgettable with not much going on or tediously long and take more than a while to finish (looking at you Rainbow Road), the graphics are barely average even for a N64 game and the control is floaty and unresponsive and makes grabbing item boxes a chore here and there. The game does have a few redeeming qualities, the soundtrack is good, the framerate is mostly consistent in single player mode and the battle courses are well designed (the multiplayer in general is a lot of fun), but they aren't enough to make up for the many dated problems this game clearly suffers from. All it serves to me is another reminder of why I don't care about the Nintendo 64 and its library of games, same with Mario Party 1, that game was really bad.

[@Super-A.I]

Mario Kart Double Dash on the GameCube is my favourite

[@RottenMuLoT]

To be fair, you are totally right BUT there is a mod called "Mario Kart 64 CPUs use human items including shells" that really make the game more enjoyable. Long story short, someone found leftover code from the orignal developper that is disabled in the final release that allows the CPU to use much different items. It seems stupid on paper but trust me, playing the game with this mod enabled make it feel way more complete. It weirdly reminds me of MK8 frenzyness. So the rubber banding effect, even if present, is diminished as well as the blandness of the experience. I highly recommend. It doesn't make for a new game entirely, but certainly a better one... or the one the dev intended to release instead which is super interesting. This is my go to version now.

[@peterlacasciamusic1175]

You hit the nail RIGHT ON THE HEAD. Seriously. Every sentence in your comment is better than the next. Well done. Its games like Mario Kart 64 that remind me how horribly the N64 has aged. It might have been considered state-of-the-art for the time, but in reality - it was the awkward period between… quote, unquote “the old and the new.” I would take the GameCube’s and Wii’s library in a HEARTBEAT compared to the N64.

[@supermariof0521]

Finally! Someone actually wipes away the nostalgia and looks at it from a fresh perspective.

[@D-Nova]

Yes, because looking at a game from 1996 with a "this doesn't control as well as newer titles" attitude is such a competent thing to do, right?

[@MrSuperleobros]

I honestly wish that more people could be like Derek and look beyond the veal of nostalgia. FINALLY someone reviewed this game correctly.

[@RottenMuLoT]

Oh. Well Double Dash might as well be the most "tight" Mario Kart game ever, followed by the SNES version and now MK8. No wonder one has a hard time playing the N64 version when coming from DD.

[@tthomaselli2]

0:18.; How do you get the alternate title screen like that, again?... Is that through a cheat code, or, no?

[@AnmolSingh-wt2vt]

You have to fully beat the single player mode(minus the extra mode)

[@zeppelin1996]

I played this game for the first time last year after playing Mario Kart Wii and Double Dash, and I didn't find the controls to be a problem at all. I actually enjoyed the game quite a bit.

[@EzeLuigi]

derek is the best at reviewing nintendo games =D good review

[@EamonnMazur]

I don't think the game is bad now. It's just the way we play is very different. Super Mario Kart, Mario Kart 64, and Mario Kart Super Circuit all play similarly, but very differently from every game afterwards. That doesn't mean those games are obsolete now; they're just a different kind of Mario Kart from what we've become accustomed to. When I picked up Super Circuit recently, I thought it was god-awful. Then I practiced again, and it's fun again, so if you give it some time, it's just as fun as it was before. :)

[@crashban4t.f.s.b783]

And Super Mario Kart controls ALOT better than Mario Kart 64! It was originally going to be the N64's launch title.Mario Kart 64 started its life as a Beta for Super Mario Kart which they scrapped and started over and made Super Mario Kart. Nintendo ported the game to the N64 and made the sprites unifinshed halfassed 3D models. They ported the game over because making a real Mario Kart game for the N64 would take too long to develop . THAT'S MY THEORY!Remember it was origially going to be a lauch title.

[@crashban4t.f.s.b783]

+Eamonn Mazur: Mario kart 64 has horrible handling, 2d sprites, only 8 characters, cheating cpu, items not doing anything,and it's lazy as hell! Even Super Mario Kart had better handling.Nintendo didn't even try to make a good Mario kart N64 game. But, Nintendo learned their lesson and Mario kart double dash and onward are great games.

[@khav11]

game isn't that bad... derek at his usual pissy mood, great multiplayer game that aged well into the 2000s

[@5k4k1dhtp]

I think this is a pretty good review. Most people complain that Derek praises Nintendo games too much, but now that he's criticizing one, everyone's going ape shit. Here he says how awesome it was back in the day, but he remarks that going back to it, it may feel a bit floaty. I think that's a pretty good way to review, though CGR usually puts itself into a time warp when reviewing games, this is an interesting way to approach it: from a modern gamers perspective.

[@lampenpagulvet5489]

Am i the only one who likes the controls of mario kart 64.

[@RottenMuLoT]

Yes.

[@OtterloopB]

After playing Mario Kart 8, sometimes new can be better than the old. I don't think I can go back to this. The incredibly tight steering the Jet kart body offers me and how I can manage super tight turns with it makes me appreciate all the improvements and balances Nintendo has poured into 8.

[@supermariof0521]

+OtterloopB I agree. I believe the only reason why Mario Kart 64 is still the most popular, is because people refuse to wipe away their nostalgia and look at it from a non-biased perspective.

[@cant1rac]

@thatfilmgeek the analogue stick got loose with age and the machine calibrated when turned on so if it wasnt true centre, the calibration was off. most off the review ive seen from derek, have some critism of the controls in some way so its probably more a problem with the reviewer or his hardware. or not having enough insight of the limitations of the hardware compared with modern systems

[@EmilFranken]

One problem with wobbly controls is that the analog stick on the controller tends to wear out so it gets harder to steer and avoid objects in games as this

[@The_Crooked_Step]

I completely agree with you on this one. Mario kart 64 has not aged well due to the loose controlls. It was fuckin awesome back then, but now the controlls ruins it for me. Sorry Mario Kart 64 fans :(

[@genesisSOC]

Did you only play as Mario?

[@SatoshiEK]

This is game is the kind of game that you will never forget..

[@jpta162]

Your game night high school thing is inspiring me to do that on the wii. Skyping with friends on wifi friend rooms.

[@Shrimp8]

u forgot the extra CC

[@doktorabraham]

Maybe your controllers are still from 1997, because this is by FAR the best game in the series

[@Immafirinmahlazer]

You don't like this review just because his revisted opinion of it was slightly negative? I agree with everything Derek said in this review, upon replaying this game recently, I too noticed the floaty and unresponsive controls. It's still a good game, but a flawed game that takes back seat to later incarnations. But hey, that may not be your opinion, and that's fine. The opinions of the CGR team are not fact, y'know.

[@demonchacer]

this game will never get old. you cant expect perfect controls in a first attempt at 3d mario kart. even tho ive played double dash and mk wii. i still go back to this as a party game as apposed to the newer ones. my friends even insist we play this one instead of the new ones

[@jumpingpolarbear]

This game was great back in the 90's. Played with my friends and brothers all the time. Wario Stadium was hell when somebody got lighting. Just waiting for you to get close to that big jump :)

[@luiscanamarvega]

completely agree with this review... i never really liked mario kart 64 that much.. even when it was brand new...tho i would play it a lot with friends..

[@EatingDriedFruit]

i'm so glad somebody feels the same way about blue shells that i do.

[@MrSuperleobros]

I think that people should stop getting all pissed off because of how he doesn't like 64 as much as he used to. I think many game reviewers only praise games through nostolgia, eg mario kart 64 nowadays gets alot of hype because it was very nostalgic. I think that Derek is doing the right thing (even though I don't completely agree) by not letting nostalgia get in the way of his opinion. So next time you review a nostalgic game, try to look beyond the sedimental love. Don't get me wrong though.

[@inquiry10]

There are some games that I have replayed and wondered why I ever thought it was my favorite game all those years ago but I rally have to question if it was really your lack of experience with the game that has you saying all this. As to my own experiences with nostalgia I think a lot of it has to do with money and the fact that if I bought a bad game I just had to figure it out and make it work because allowance took a while to accumulate for another game.

[@Inunah]

When you play MK64, you rate it based on the epicness of Rainbow Road. Not on the steering.

[@DaveJolieIV]

Crash Team Racing > Any Mario Kart game

[@Obi-WanKannabis]

I love this review for the simple fact that it shows that Derek is not a fanboy, he says the truth, and I love this game, but we all got to admitt that the controlls could be a little bit more tighter, I disagree tho, that it ruins the game, but this review is awesome If you disagree with his point, test the game for yourself

[@SonofMrPeanut]

One of the best things about playing this back in the day was doing so on Best Buy's GIANT SCREEN! How the times have changed.

[@TheInfiniteMiseryJumper]

You need to drift round every corner if you want the steering to be tight, responsive and in other words, practically flawless. Oh Derek, I suppose every reviewer has to miss the mark sometimes...but not on a title like Mario Kart 64!?!

[@Logan912]

I've always hated ads on youtube, but Geico is the one exception.

[@Oondivinezin]

I don't know what you're talking about. The control from Mario Kart 64 is the best in the Mario Kart series.

[@spacepuppy720]

i remember playing this game with my brother and father all the time, good times :)

[@666danielclark666]

@Tmal10 How is he the last one to post a comment?

[@ali1093]

This game was one of my childhood games with super mario 64 /the legend of zelda ocarina of time and mario kart 64 those 3 games are way better than most games now

[@ZarkYouTube]

@BobbyShyne did you watch the review??? he has been playing it with his friends since 1998. you should watch before you comment

[@walkerctranger]

Spot on once again Derek.

[@Liynkx]

While I completely disagree, this is a good review and not worth disliking for difference of opinion.

[@mattdavis9371]

I just downloaded a Nintendo 64 emulator and Mario Kart, it's so good!

[@Mortablunt]

You just nailed why I think HL2 is one of the worst games I have ever made myself sit through. It would have been merely "tolerable" if I had played it when it came out. However, I didn't play it until 2011. For the supposed "greatest FPS of all time", it didn't hold up to even half of the games that I had played. Not to N64's Goldeneye, F.E.A.R., Bioshock, Metroid Prime, Quake 4, Doom, Doom 3, Halo 2, Call of Duty: World At War, CoD4, or Devil May Cry 4. It simply was a weak game.

[@KyleWillLivingston]

I still play this game. I have no problem with it at all.

[@GreeceFPS]

i still play this game i still get a kick out of it but the steering is a little loose

[@Weareonenation303]

It's still a pretty good game. Commonly overrated do to nostalgia. Sure the visuals and the controls have aged. That doesn't stop it from bringing you nostalgia and a fun rememberable experience. The main thing I hate about this game is the cheating bastard, rubberband AI. It's clear that the AI use Game Shark.

[@supermariof0521]

+Weareonenation303 Maybe they programmed it like that?

[@cybershroom9240]

They are for the fact the N64 would not be able to handle the racers getting too far apart thus why items like the Blue Shell were invented and why the multiplayer didn't have AI racers

[@emme0731]

Dear people who are made at this reviewer: IT'S HIS OPINION.

[@Cerenityy]

well, I can't agree with this reveiw to be honest. You're complaining about the steering and the controls? That means that you need some more skill to me. Me and my sister still plays this game and we always love every second of it. I've played the Mario Karts that were released after the 64 version and they don't come anywhere near the enjoyment that the 64 version brings!

[@jpta162]

I like the blue shell. I don't mind getting hit because of the fun and chaos. The thunder cloud in wii is EVIL!!!!

[@TheMedia2009]

Thank you so Fucking much for bring lot of good child memories

[@crazypoptarts09]

Picked this game up a few weeks ago along with an N64 - I've never owned either of them before. The only real problems I have with this game are the AI and the drifting. The AI racers are quite challenging to beat compared to other MK games, and the drifting only seems to work properly half of the time. Other than that, and the fact that the depth perception can be a little wonky at times, I really enjoy the game.

[@ZeldaMaster408]

you were in high school when this game came out! man I was in the second grade

[@ForrestJ88]

You see everyone, reviewers aren't always going to agree with you. 80% of professional reviewers didn't recommend "Transformers 2" according to rotten tomatoes. I know a lot of (fucking idiotic) people that liked that movie. Derek is a great reviewer regardless of this. It's his opinion, and sharing his educated opinion is his job.

[@LemonlyGamer]

While a ton of butthurt asshats will rail on Derek for criticizing Mario Kart 64, I think this proves how seriously he takes his reviews. He won't let nostalgia drive his opinions, and he's right. The driving is loose and the psyhics are outdated. MK Wii, Double Dash, and DS are all better Kart races in this regard.

[@perfectibility999]

I agree that it's because the newer games are easier. I remember I was really good with the controls of Mario Kart 64 back in the late 90s. I kind of suck now, because I'm not as accustomed to how much harder many games used to be.

[@WeShallC]

This is a classic, quit hating Derek.

[@RealRaynedance]

I bet all of you freaking out about his review would get even worse if someone dissed Black Ops.

[@skDanT]

IMO from best MK game to worst, just my opinion so don't get too hateful. Mario kart: double dash!! Mario kart DS Mario kart wii Mario kart: super circuit Mario kart 64 Super mario kart I know some people would pretty much flip this list.

[@nonamerus]

well back then there alot of things you don't notice,until you've had better

[@idk38358]

I still play this game today! it changed my life in mario kart!

[@BigBossMan538]

So basically dude, you're comparing an early game to its sequals. *scoffs* I'm sorry, I mean no offense, but this was the second game in the series and it was like you said, it was released a few months after the N64. Of course its not gonna get everything right right away!

[@johnandrewthomas1981]

The control is looser because its an analog stick, not a D-pad. Try playing Super Circuit with the Game Cube controller then shift between the analog stick and the D-pad mid-race to see the difference.

[@Dankcatvacs]

you think this is bad to revisit? super mario kart is soo damn hard! and the steering is too tight this isnt that bad the striing is kinda floaty , why do you have o twist while you turn? the funniest part is when you play 4 player split screen and you cant see all the damn item boxes or kamakazi bombs on the road! blurred mess trying to see whats coming up , but its still great fun to go back 4 player or 2 player ! i cant agree with you more double dash is by far the best!

[@joeywomer]

My only questions are; Why did they stop with the ability to make your Kart jump after this game? And if you ARE able to make your kart jump in the newer games, how do you do it?

[@Metal7771]

this review was good!

[@Bladeslingersgamepreserve]

I agree with Derek. Mario Kart 64 is a great game, especially for it's time but much like other N64 games like Goldeneye and Orcarina of Time (yes I said that) time hasen't been kind to Mario Kart 64, namely because later games just get better and better. In the case of something like Mario Kart, the best game in the series will always be the most recent entry and will hold that position until the next game comes out.

[@josephskater1994]

Im not talking about you I mean the reviewer. You dont say an nes game has shitty graphics, it doesnt make sense in this era.

[@pinotostado]

How dissappointing derek, I thought that you considered the context of the games. Mark is the Boss

[@Leethellama]

Sorry Derek but most the time I agree with you but your controller must have been crap this is still the best Mari Kart game out there and the turning is SPOT on.

[@Obi-WanKannabis]

@irockwithbass no its not, it uses a 3D engine, without polygons

[@brandune96]

Gah! I hate the way some people just say that this game sucks...this game was made in 1996. But I will have to rebuy this one and play it again soon :)

[@Absurdword]

@MrTURBOJOHN No, I get it. To me it sounds like he just turned on the console and started reviewing it. Just because the controls aren't intuitive doesn't mean they're not tight or otherwise. I'd say it was relatively good for a 90's racing game.

[@NitromeSupporter]

FFS. It's a bloody opinion. Everyone has one. Just cause the majority have the common opinion, doesn't make it a legitimate statement.

[@JamesMorrow07]

@TheNervousRobot - Psh! No kidding... It just doesn't feel the same. The joystick on the Classic Controller is just too touchy to make precise steering while play MK64, something that I missed dearly from the N64 controller.

[@kR0B45]

@thenintendo64nerd Fanboy? What am i exactly a fanboy of?

[@KuutenV3]

It was the late 90s, did you expect the best controls ever? I remember this game and I Remember that part of the difficulty was keeping it on the track which I found fine. Its a game thats about 14 years old and I say its still one that I could play all day long.

[@09miaha]

This game gives me memories

[@darkhand987]

i enjoy the critique on the game, i personally feel though that the controls for the game on the N64 were done well.

[@TTGGrave]

I never had an N64 back in the day (had a Playstation instead) and bought this on the VC. I couldn't believe that it was so mediocre compared to what came afterward. Oh, and great review, as always.

[@Josh2658]

this video must be a joke. this game is still fun to this day

[@Joaking91]

The thing i hated about mk64 is that everytime you turned left, you banked right like one body and a half, so if you wanted to, say, go between 2 trucks in toad's turnpike, they kart would go right into it. it was really annoying. It didn't ruin the experience though.

[@TeamMastaPr2]

It's as old as me (I was born in '96), but this sure give back a lot of memories! AH!

[@MasterChiefultra]

1:26 did i hear mario say MAMA F*CkA

[@TheMightyWebbGaming]

I'm sorry but I can't stand the game magazine article script reading crap at 1:20- 1:30

[@Piegoose]

What?

[@SatoshiEK]

Super Mario World review FTW!

[@beat4me2in64]

I don't really take the game to seriously anymore because of the shitty A.I and controls but I do remember playing multiplayer with a lot of my siblings and that's what matters

[@fenderman21guitar]

Its very simple really, the reason you loved it so much then is because you were playing it with your friends....almost this entire review is in single player? Even back then in single player it was a bit meh. I can still happily play this in multiplayer today

[@josephskater1994]

but why would you buy a game from 1996 and expect it to look amazing? GAMEPLAY OVER GRAPHICS DAMNIT.

[@lldownlifell]

thumbs up if you rock an adblocker and dont get commercials :)

[@Stormer324]

i would not say that the game is bad just because the controls are a bit hard to get used to. me and my friends play this game from time to time(preferably with a beer or 6) and we always have a good time. if the controls bother you so much you really should just do a couple of practice laps and you are good :D

[@EpicLuigi24]

Yeh, he isn't used to a game that he played every week for years.

[@321cheeseman]

@imbadatnames390 Gave valid pointS? Derek says, and I quote: >This is a disappointing game to revisit, and I base that solely on the game's controls. Unlike the sharp steering we've become accustomed to in more recent Mario Kart games, everything feels loose and almost floaty in Mario Kart 64. And he never said it was no longer a great game, just disappointing to revisit because of controls that are different than the newer games.

[@Obi-WanKannabis]

@noose357 You are not getting it, at the time this game came, it could have better controlls, he didn't complain about graphics, he complained about something that was wrong with the game back in the day, that could be better He isn't comparing the game to todays but with 1990's racing games

[@1sayanbakshi]

Its sad that you can't enjoy the game like you used to ...

[@blues03]

He didn't play enough Toad.

[@N0NEoftheAB0VE]

My main issue with this game was the Battle Mode which was nowhere near as fun as the original Super Mario Kart Battle Mode which me and my brothers spent hours on back in the day

[@distr0ia]

Derek, is that you?!

[@4816tidus]

footofaferret sent me here

[@qwopandminecraft]

a little while back i got my uncles old n64 and figure "hey ill buy some classics" so i picked up this game (and some others) and i tried it and found that it was extremely loose but after a little while i got used to it and had a ton of fun. i dont see what this guys complaining about

[@Obstructing]

i would choose this game over mario kart wii any day.