Mario Kart: Super Circuit

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mario Kart: Super Circuit
North American box art
Developer(s)	Intelligent Systems[1]
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Composer(s)	Kenichi Nishimaki
Series	Mario Kart
Platform(s)	Game Boy Advance
Release date(s)	JP July 21, 2001 NA August 26, 2001 EU September 14, 2001 AUS 2001
Genre(s)	Racing
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer
Rating(s)	ESRB: E (Everyone) OFLC: G (General)
Media	32-megabit cartridge

Mario Kart: Super Circuit, known in Japan as Mario Kart Advance (マリオカートアドバンス, Mario Kāto Adobansu^?), is a racing game developed and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Advance in 2001. It was the first Mario Kart released on a handheld game system; in 2005, a second handheld Mario Kart game titled Mario Kart DS was released. It is the first Mario Kart game not to be developed by Nintendo EAD; instead, it was developed by Nintendo's Intelligent Systems division.^[1]

Super Circuit combines features from earlier Mario Kart games (Super Mario Kart and Mario Kart 64). In particular, it features the gameplay mechanics of the latter title and tracks from the former game. In the game, eight racers take to the tracks and race for first place.

Upon release, the game was well-received by reviewers.

Contents 1 Gameplay 1.1 Tracks 1.2 Single Player 1.2.1 Mario GP 1.2.2 Extra 1.2.3 Time Trial 1.2.4 Quick Run 1.3 Multiplayer 1.3.1 Link it Up! mode 1.3.2 Mario GP 1.3.3 VS. 1.3.4 Battle 1.3.5 Ghost trade 2 Characters 3 Reception 4 References 5 External links

[edit] Gameplay

As with its predecessors, Super Circuit is a circuit racing game. In it, the player races against seven opponents, each a character from Nintendo's Mario series, in small go-karts, on tracks set in the Mario universe. Strewn upon the tracks are power-ups to aid the bearer or hinder their opponents, as well as coins which increase the player's top speed.

[edit] Tracks

Mario Kart: Super Circuit features 20 original race tracks, as well as 20 from Super Mario Kart. Each set of tracks is organized into 5 cups of 4 tracks: the Mushroom Cup, the Flower Cup, the Lightning Cup, which debuted in this game; the Star Cup, and the Special Cup.

Included in the Super Circuit originals are several Mario Kart staples: two beach tracks (Shy Guy Beach and Cheep-Cheep Island,) three circuit tracks (Peach Circuit, Mario Circuit, and Luigi Circuit,) a Bowser Castle in each cup except for the Lightning Cup, two ghost tracks (Boo Lake and Broken Pier,) two desert tracks (Sunset Wilds and Yoshi Desert,) a snow track (Snow Land,) a track made of food (Cheese Land,) two jungle tracks (Riverside Park and Lakeside Park,) and Rainbow Road, the final race of the Special Cup as in every Mario Kart. The remaining two tracks are unique concepts not seen in previous games, Sky Garden (a garden in the sky) in the Lightning Cup, and Ribbon Road (a Christmas-themed track.)

[edit] Single Player

[edit] Mario GP

The main mode in the game. The player races in a series of "Grand Prix" competitions (Cups), against seven computer-controlled competitors. Each Cup consists of four three-lap races. Each Cup may be approached at a 50 cc, 100 cc or 150 cc speed, which determines the speed of the race.

In the start of the race, Lakitu shows a stoplight. Like previous Mario Kart games, players use items to disable other players. Shells can knock out a player; bananas will cause players to skid. Mushrooms temporarily boost speed (and if the player uses a mushroom just before a jump on any track, except Bowser's Castle, they will fly further and faster). Each racer's finishing position in each race determines the number of points he or she receives, and at the end, the player with the most points wins. If the player finishes in fifth place or lower on any given race, he or she loses a life and must restart. The player may also choose to restart a race at any time, at the cost of a life. Upon losing their allocation of three lives in each Cup, however, the player loses and is ejected from the competition.

[edit] Extra

The cups and tracks from Super Mario Kart for the SNES are available in Super Circuit. They have been retitled the Extra Cups. These cups are unlockable by winning a Gold Trophy for the corresponding regular cup and then collecting 100 coins in the same cup.

Each race in an Extra cup consists of five laps. The track arrangement has changed due to the number of cups. In Super Mario Kart, there were four cups with five tracks each; in the Extra cups, there are five cups with four tracks each.

Unlocked tracks (Special and Extra Cups) are only available at the speed they were unlocked with. For example, obtaining a Gold trophy in each of the first four Cups at 50 cc unlocks the Special Cup at 50 cc, but not 100 cc or 150 cc. Time Trial mode for the Extra cups is unlocked when the player unlocks 150 cc.

These tracks are not exact replicas of the original courses. Many hazards have been removed, such as flashing Thwomps from Rainbow Road. The Super Circuit backgrounds are superimposed on the Extra Cup tracks. Some areas and shortcuts on the SNES tracks are now inaccessible or more difficult to reach due to the removal of the feather item from Super Mario Kart.

[edit] Time Trial

In Time Trial, the player choose any of the tracks they unlocked on Mario GP 150cc. and race for the best record. The player will start with 3 mushrooms, which can use during the race.

[edit] Quick Run

The player may choose any unlocked track, from any cup and any speed, and race against seven opponents as in Mario GP mode. The number of laps may be changed between three or five, and the coins and items can be toggled on or off. This feature can also be used to practice for the Mario GP. It is essentially a VS Mode where settings can be modified, though it is not an official VS Mode.

[edit] Multiplayer

[edit] Link it Up! mode

Mario Kart: Super Circuit was one of the few Game Boy Advance titles to use the Link it Up! mode of the Game Boy Advance. Using a Game Boy Advance link cable, up to four Game Boy Advance units can be linked together and the game can be played with multiple players using only one copy of the game. Due to the memory limitations of the Game Boy Advance, only four tracks are selectable and all four players racer's characters are different colored Yoshis.

[edit] Mario GP

Up to two players may progress in this mode. It works identically to the single-player Mario GP, except that there are two human players and six computer-controlled ones.

[edit] VS.

Similar to single-player Quick Run mode, with two to four human players, and no computer-controlled ones.

[edit] Battle

Two to four players are placed in specially designed battle arenas (taken directly from Super Mario Kart), strewn with power-ups. Each player has three balloons attached to their kart, and each time he or she takes a successful hit (from an offensive item or aggressive ramming), he or she loses one. Upon losing the last, he or she is taken out of the game and in three-four players game, turned into walking bombs that explode when they come in contact with other players. The last player standing wins.

Just as in the previous installment, Mario Kart 64, defeated players turn into Bob-Ombs. As long as there are two players still standing, those who had already lost have the opportunity of driving around to help destroy the remaining players' balloons by simply running into them.

[edit] Ghost trade

Up to two of the player's "ghost car" saves may be copied to another player, and up to two received in return. These may then be raced against in Time Trial mode or viewed as replays as though they were the player's own. This may be useful in attempting to better a friend's best time at a given track or to show off a player's skill.

[edit] Characters

There are eight characters in this game. The cast is made up of the same characters from Mario Kart 64 (Mario, Luigi, Peach, Yoshi, Bowser, Donkey Kong, Wario and Toad). Each has a specific weight and acceleration rate. In multiplayer mode, players who do not own Super Circuit become Yoshi, and are colored to differentiate between several players. According to this game, Peach was classified as lighter than Yoshi and Bowser was classified heavier than Donkey Kong, although most Mario games classify Peach being heavier than Yoshi while Bowser is lighter than Donkey Kong.

[edit] Reception

Reception
Aggregate scores
Aggregator	Score
GameRankings	92%[2]
Metacritic	93 of 100[3]
Review scores
Publication	Score
Edge	9 of 10[4]
Electronic Gaming Monthly	8.5 of 10[2]
Eurogamer	9 of 10[5]
Game Informer	9.5 of 10[2]
GamePro	5 of 5[2]
GameSpot	8.2 of 10[1]
GameSpy	96 of 100[6]
IGN	9.5 of 10[7]
Nintendo Power	4.5 of 5[2]
Awards IGN Editors' Choice Award[8]

Mario Kart: Super Circuit was well-received by the press and public alike. Those frustrated with Nintendo's policy of remaking older games for the GBA were pleasantly surprised that not only had Nintendo released a brand new Mario Kart game, but that all of the courses from Super Mario Kart had been included instead of being released as a separate port.

In 2007, IGN named Super Circuit as the 19th best game on the Game Boy Advance.^[9]

Mario Kart: Super Circuit has sold over 2.53 million in the United States alone, thus placing it onto Nintendo's Player's Choice list.^[10][11]

	Book:Mario titles
Books are collections of articles that can be downloaded or ordered in print.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Official Site
• Mario Kart: Super Circuit at Nintendo.com (archives of the original at the Internet Archive)
• Mario Kart Super Circuit at GameFAQs
• www.mariokart64.com/mksc

v • d • e Mario sports games Golf games Golf • NES Open Tournament Golf • Mario Golf • Mobile Golf • Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour • Mario Golf: Advance Tour Tennis games Mario's Tennis • Mario Tennis • Mario Power Tennis • Mario Tennis: Power Tour Racing games Famicom Grand Prix • Super Mario Kart • Mario Kart 64 • Mario Kart: Super Circuit • Mario Kart: Double Dash‼ • Mario Kart Arcade GP • Mario Kart DS • Mario Kart Wii • Mario Kart 3DS Soccer games Super Mario Strikers • Mario Strikers Charged Baseball games Mario Superstar Baseball • Mario Super Sluggers Mario & Sonic Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games • Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games Single games Mario Hoops 3-on-3 • Dance Dance Revolution Mario Mix • Mario Sports Mix Cameo appearances Tennis • Punch-Out!! • NBA Street V3 • SSX on Tour