In some courses it is even possible to fall back into previous parts of the map which can see you drop a huge advantageous lead to trailing well behind in 8th place.

From Kalimari Desert where you will need to sometimes stop and wait as a train passes by, to Yoshi Valley having no indication as to where you currently place in the map, due to each player being covered by a question mark symbol, each racecourse feels unique and incredibly well thought-out.

Possibly a pinch of nostalgia, but the sixteen race maps are some of the best in the whole history of Mario Kart. Each character does have their own weight class which defines their acceleration and top speed which, for the most part, I would argue getting caught up in statistics which aren’t even clear in-game is a waste of time, unless you are looking to seriously compete for records and speed runs. There’s no need to concern yourself with speed, acceleration and weight stats being displayed whilst having to rush to pick what wheels or glider to utilise whilst a timer swiftly counts down to the map screen. The simplicity is part of what makes this game such a brilliant entry in the series. Mario Kart 64 boasts a humble roster of just 8 characters, with no options to customise any further than that, allowing the player to just jump straight in with hardly a care in the world. Mario Kart 64 (Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack) Check out what we thought in this review!

Mario Kart 64, originally released back in 1996, was the first 3D outing for the series and has now finally made its debut on the Nintendo Switch via the “Nintendo Switch Online (NSO) + Expansion Pack”. As the years go by, this only rings more true as the series has been incredibly creative in finding innovative ways to make the game fun for players of all levels. If the question was “Name a chaotic racing game that is almost guaranteed to make you lose friends”, the answer would almost certainly be “Mario Kart”.

8 bit mario kart 64 music