Characters | Tracks & Cups | Battle Mode
About The original, the first, and some say the best. Super Mario Kart was one of the first Mario themed sporting games and started the magnificent franchise of Mario sport games we see today. If it wasn't for the success of this game then Mario Party, Mario Tennis and Mario Golf would proably not excist today. It also created the whole new genre of karting games which many (from Sonic to Shrek) would try and replicate.
One thing that one would like to note most about this is the stuff that was left out in future Mario Kart games. The coins have only appeared in MKSC, the hop was absent from MKDD and the feather vanished from the gaming scene alltogether. Also Koopa Troopa who was one of the best (if not the best) racers in this game was also ditched only to return in MKDD.
However this game did have quite a flaw in its tracks; the repeativeness. Each type of track had 2 to 4 reincarnations of itself and they were each very similar in look and style. This meant out of the 20 tracks you only really got to experience 8 sceneries. The only single unique track in the game was Rainbow Road. Fortunatly this idea was lost in MK64 (although it made a brief reappearence in MKSC).
Mario
Hey it's Mr. Average. Average speed, average acceleration, average height, average hair colour...
Luigi
Slightly less average than Mario. He turns a bit better and may go a little bit faster but he's still not all that great.
Peach
She is the 4th lightest in the game but her speed does not represent that. She can be a bit skiddy from time to time too.
Yoshi
In this Mario Kart he can be unbeatable in the right hands. His poor acceleration means the slightest skid and you've got to wait half an hour to get back up to top speed.
Toad
Certainly the fastest in the game (yes even faster than Koopa Troopa). But his extreme lightness gives him slightly poorer control and he is easily knocked out even by Peach.
Koopa Troopa
This is the guy. Not as fast as Toad but not enough that you notice it. He does have better acceleration and has the turning to keep you on track.
Donkey Kong Jr.
I don't usually drive with heavy weights but they tend to have better character. He is super slow and super dumb. You ain't going to be knocked out by other drivers but they'll be so far ahead it won't matter.
Bowser 
Another slow one. Slightly faster yes, but it's still not worth it. He does have better handling for what its worth.
Mushroom Cup
Mario Ciruit 1: As it is the opening track it's not too hard. The pipes can be a small annoyance but they are easily avoided.
Donut Plains 1: Think Mario Circuit 1 but wobbly. The tracks is more bent but the pipes are off the track and won't trouble you.
Ghost Valley 1: Well this one has a shortcut that can only be reached with a feather, other than that it's pretty basic.
Bowser Castle 1: I quite like the Bowser Castle tracks, although this one is not not favourite. The only real obstacles are some tight turns and the Thwomps are easy to avoid.
Mario circuit 2: Another Mario Circuit already??? This one is better and it has one of those sections where you must jump over a previous part of the track.
Flower Cup
Choco Island 1: Not a complicated shape but it has loads of shallow turns and quite a bumpy road. Also watch out for the rough ground as it really slows you down.
Ghost Valley 2: Quite a wide track really, and many of those right angle turns.
Donut Plains 2: These tracks are based on the Donut Plains in Super Mario World. Monty Mole appears on this level, so keep tight to the turns they are on and you will avoid them with no trouble.
Bowser Castle 2: Now things are getting better. Shortcuts, a mini maze and 2 paths that merge causing near fatal accidents. The Thwomps are also harder to avoid as they are clumped much tighter together.
Mario Circuit 3: A very tight turn that I always fail to make is the only intresting thing here. Except the track is shaped like a rabbit's head (or a pair of testicles).
Star Cup
Kopoa Beach 1: With the water flooding parts of the track it's hard to know where to go. But in all reality this is just a circle track.
Choco Island 2: A very tight section asks for straight driving and a very wide area is covered with rough ground.
Vanilla Lake 1: You can quite easily get lost on this track despite the simple path. Just stick tight to the right and you'll avoid most obstacles.
Bowser Castle 3: Many narrow tight turns and a multitude of small jumps make this my favourite Bowser Castle track in this game.
Mario Circuit 4: Why does Mario have 4 tracks and Luigi have none?
Special Cup
Donut Plains 3: Very tight and twisty course. It's easy for other characters to knock you into the water on some of the turns and the monty moles don't help much.
Koopa Beach 2: This track seems to be a basic circle, but not long after the start line you enter a patch of water that has some noticable dark patches.
Ghost Valley 3: God I hate this track. I always fall off at least once (per lap). Just take it steady and don't do anything fancy. You can attempt to jump some of the holes if you wish but try to avoid them.
Vaninlla Lake 2: You will have to jump over the icy water at some points, so make sure you do it well. The AI characters may remove some of the white tiles but don't hope on it to much.
Rainbow Road: Look Ma, no walls. Slow down or even brake when you get to the turns and be very aware of the other drivers. Also the thwomps on this level won't just stop you but make you spin out too.
Despite only being able to have 2 people play, its still a great battle mode. The courses are relativley simple and feature nothing fancy, but they do make for good shelling.
Battle Course 1: A very simple course. Try to avoid the dead ends untill items become hard to get.
Battle Course 2: Don't worry about the water on this track, the ones inside the track are shallow and even if you fall into the deep stuff you won't loose a life.
Battle Course 3: The layout is the same as the first course, but the ice is slippy and there are white tiles in multiple places.
Battle Course 4: Another simple course. Bigger than the first one but you wouldn't notice it.
by Charzendat