It was a golden age for split screen multiplayer during the heyday of the Nintendo 64, and what better way to play with three of your closest friends than with Mario Kart 64. Mario Kart 64 didn’t have the realism of other racing games; it did, however, rely completely on its fun factor to make it a staple of the Nintendo 64. With single and multiplayer races as well as battle modes, Mario Kart 64 was a tough game to stop playing once it was taken out of the box.

Go karts, the Mario bros. and projectile weapons...what else do you need in a game?

Mario Kart 64 had some character to it, there’s no doubt about that. Instead of racing through drab country and metropolis style scenarios, Mario Kart 64 had interesting racetracks that all took place in a variety of crazy settings like in the Donkey Kong Jungle, Bowser’s castle and the extremely long Rainbow Road. With each level, players will be dodging obstacles that include ghosts, Thwomps and penguins (devotees might remember them from the snow level of Super Mario 64). These levels are all lush and entertaining with plenty of secret time saving passages to allow careful drivers to gain the upper hand during important parts of the race. Mario kart 64 also has four levels of difficulty (they are 50, 100, 150cc and the bonus difficulty ‘extra’) to keep things interesting without getting too easy. However, the speed and racing is only a small part of the addictiveness of Mario Kart 64, the aspect that made the game so fun had to have been the weapons and power-ups. Yes, if one just happens to be stuck in last place, a few well thrown turtle shells, a couple mushroom engine boosts and a focused mind could mean a complete turn around and a first prize trophy. Such items like Mario’s invincibility star as well as Donkey Kong’s bananas are present and could cause a serious road hazard for opponents and when playing against friends: they make for a great game of revenge. But to vent all of this anger could only lead to a straight up battle…

I know what you're thinking Bowser, did I use all three turtle shells? Or did I just use two...

And the battle mode for Mario Kart 64 is what makes this game so easy to play over and over again; this mode has 4 maps and allows all four players to duke it out by using their wits and items to their advantage. Battle mode gives each player 3 balloons to signify the life of each player, which means three hits and its game over. Instead of simply racing to the end of a finish line, battle mode allows the players to get revenge by knocking each other senseless with whatever weapons they see fit. The only drawback to this mode it the limited amount of battle areas. However, the four tracks (the donut stage, the skyscraper, the block fort and the double deck) are all fun tracks with little or no distractions. These maps are simply made to let players chase each other around without the need of a flashy track.

There are few things in life that are zanier that slipping on a banana peel, and Bowser is about to make this lap the zaniest.

Yes, there are more updated versions of Mario Kart available (most recently on the Nintendo Wii), Mario Kart 64 was a significant game in terms of multiplayer split screen. And although split screen is pretty much dead and gone, with the advent of online gaming and LAN connections, Mario Kart 64 will always be a Nintendo fan favorite because of the advances in multiplayer settings and graphics.