Joystiq

Super Mario Kart (SNES)

The seminal 1992 release that created an entire subgenre, the original Super Mario Kart at times resembled a typical run-and-jump platform game more than an outright racing title. After all, racers have to collect coins, use items (including one that makes karts jump high in the air) and race on themed courses that came right out of the platformer trope playbook (the fire level, the ice level, the desert level, etc.)

The game had a focus on shortcuts and precise path-finding that set it apart from the racing games of its day, but the real draw for many was the two-player battle mode, which cemented the game as a drunken party favorite for decades. The game was also one of the first of Mario's major spin-offs, and so the spiritual precursor to everything from Mario Party to Mario Golf.

Fun fact: Collecting 100 coins in a single race nets an extra life in the single-player mode. This is a bit odd, seeing as the only way to collect so many coins is with a Game Genie code.

23/04/08