STACK April 2017 Issue 150

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48 APRIL 2017
visit GAMES FEATURE
Super Mario Kart
The first instalment in the series
was on the Super Nintendo
Entertainment System. Super Mario
Kart allowed you to buddy-up and
race against a mate as one of a
roster of eight; Mario, Luigi, Yoshi,
Princess Peach, Bowser, Toad,
Koopa Troopa, and DK Junior.
Believe it or not, there was once a time when kart racers
on consoles were non-existent. One of the first tastes of
this high-octane environment was Nintendo’s Mario Kart
series, which went on to become one of the company’s
best-known franchises. A series the whole family can enjoy,
the Mario Kart games have been a mainstay of Nintendo
consoles since the SNES days. To celebrate the launch of
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
on the Switch this month, we take a
look at the series’ rich history.
Words Alesha Kolbe
Start
Your
Engines
Mario Kart 64
Five years later, Nintendo
released Mario Kart 64
on – you guessed it – the
Nintendo 64. Without
the hardware limitations
of the Super Nintendo,
Mario Kart 64 was able
to include things like
elevated courses and
pits in the track. Wario
replaced Koopa Troopa
on the roster, and
Donkey Kong became
his upgraded version
following the release of
DK that year.
Mario Kart:
Super Circuit
Making its way to handheld
consoles, Mario Kart: Super
Circuit was a Game Boy Advance
title, retaining many of the
stylistic quirks from the original
game on the SNES. It did,
however, use the same roster as
Mario Kart 64.
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1997
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