Mario Kart 64

The first of many modern Mario Kart 

Game no: 520
Genre: Racing   
Platform: Nintendo 64
Release Date: 1997

So this is considered the fist game in the Mario Kart series. It has all the modern game mechanics that makes up what we know and love in Mario Kart today. (Techically this is Mario Kart 2). You start with 8 characters and 16 tracks. The track ranges from easy to downright hard.

What I liked about this game is that the racing is fast paced. If you get left behind you can catch up by the power ups. I think the most useful powerup is the lightning since it provides a significant boost for you to catch up. There is a blue shell but that doesn't seem to do the same thing as in the previous Mario Kart. The karts handle very good. There is a slide button but you rarely use it since it always tend to understeer and you'll end up going off track. 

What I don't like about this game which I think they improve on it after previous iterations. The main thing I don't like about this game is that the moment you get hit by something the reaction time is slow. You'll end up in a 10 second or more slowdown and it is going to take you a long time to catch up. That really hurts the game experience since newer Mario Karts you'll be right back in the action. Another thing is that even at 100cc the game is relentlessly hard. The AI opponents will always catch you no matter how far you are and the weapons have a lag time every time you want to fire it.

So I finish all the cups and enjoyed my time with it. Mario Kart is a suitable game but not for solo players. It is fun playing with another 3 people. That said this game is really enjoyable. I don't know when I get to play any current gen game but this game is really one of the best so far this year. A-Rank for me