By the time Mario Kart 64 had officially launched in Japan, Kamek had been replaced by Donkey Kong.

The demo shown at Shoshinkai featured Kamek the Magikoopa, one of the main villains from 1995’s Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island. Super Mario Kart R’s roster was a tad bit different.

Read More: Underrated NES Games You Should PlayĮarly footage of Super Mario Kart R showed a nearly completed version of the game – the track designs in the demo seem to be the same as the ones in the finished product – yet there were some changes made in the period between the launch of the N64 in Japan (June 23, 1996) and the game’s release the following December. The only reason that didn’t happen was that Miyamoto took developers off the project in order to finish Super Mario 64 in time for launch, therefore delaying the release of the racing game. It’s unclear how close we were to getting this version of the game, but Nintendo originally intended to include this Kart sequel in the N64’s launch line-up. Originally known as Super Mario Kart R (the “R” could stand for the Japanese word “Rokujūyon,” which means “64”), this beta version was slightly different from the finished product. 10 of the following year.ĭuring the first official unveiling of the N64 – then known as Ultra 64 – at the 1995 Shoshinkai Software Exhibition, an early version of Mario Kart 64 was among the 30 games showcased for the new console. Today, we add Mario Kart 64 to that list – first released in Japan on Dec. If you grew up gaming in the late 90s, nothing will make you feel older than the fact that many of your favorite video games from the era are now over twenty years old. With the success of Super Mario Kart, which is the third bestselling title on the SNES, it’s no surprise that Nintendo greenlit a sequel for its next console, the Nintendo 64 – the platform that introduced 3D to the world of Mario. In fact, famed Nintendo developer Shigeru Miyamoto and his team spent some time at go-kart raceways studying how the karts zipped through the tracks in order to get the game’s unique feel right. For Mario and friends, go-kart racing was a perfect fit.

Kart wasn’t designed to be a fast-paced racer, but instead a racing game that fit Nintendo’s decidedly wacky cast of characters.

Super Mario Kart debuted in 1992 as a lighter alternative to Nintendo’s classic futuristic racing game F-Zero, with an emphasis on casual multiplayer gameplay to set it apart from the latter’s more fast-paced single-player experience. And then there’s Mario Kart, the most iconic and bestselling Mariospinoff of them all. Mario and his friends have played tennis, golf, soccer, baseball, competed in mini-game challenges in Mario Party, and punched each other in the face in the Super Smash Bros. It’s no secret that part of Nintendo’s success in the last three decades is due to the myriad ways the company has used its iconic cast of characters to explore genres beyond side-scrolling platformers.

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