If you are into kart racing games, Mario Kart should be on your list. Nintendo developed and published the Mario Franchise. The game itself offers players the chance to complete in these go-kart races whilst they are also still able to make use of the different power-up items that are available. All the well-loved characters from the Mario series feature in this game. Characters from other franchises such as Animal Crossing and Pac-Man have been included in some of the game releases. The Super Mario Kart series was officially launched during 1992.
Evaluating the gameplay of Mario Kart
As mentioned before, the focus of the game is go-kart races. These races are completed by controlling a selected Mario character. Depending on the game, there are 24 characters to choose from. Driving techniques available for use during the game include things such as drifting, mini turbos as well as slipstreaming. Power-up items further enhance gameplay.
These power-up items are varied and feature across the games. The power-up items are accessed by driving into specific item boxes. These item boxes are spread out across the course. Mushrooms, for example, offer a speed boost whilst the green / red shells can be thrown at opponents. Power-up items are game selected according to the current position of the player within the game.
UFO sightings within the Mario Kart World
In the Mario Kart World, a UFO (Unidentified Flying Object) appears in the sky. This only happens in the free roam mode. If the gamer can get beneath the tractor beam of the UFO, the UFO itself can be driven. As stated before, they only appear in the free roam mode of the game. Although they seem to appear randomly, the UFO’s can be found at specific places in the game itself.
If a player heads north on the road that leads out from the Moo Moo Meadows, there will be a P-Switch in the grass on the left. Activating this will put the player in the control of the UFO which is tasked to “Search fields” and “Abduct Blue Coins.” Using R will allow the player to use the tractor beam of the UFO. The next location for one of these UFO finds is in the woods.
Location is everything in this game world
If you are within the woods, somewhere just west of the Mario Circuit there will be an area that borders on a volcano. After crossing the bridge, the player is encouraged to keep an eye out for a tree on the gloomy side of the town. It is advised to drive behind it, off-road, close to the cliffside. The player should keep to the left and drive through the fences. The next UFO can be found after driving through a torch-lit path.
Whilst driving underneath the beam will allow the player to be pulled into the UFO and then give the option to drive the UFO for a short period of time. Returning to this same spot will allow the player to find the same UFO, again. Other UFOs seem to appear randomly. The UFO can be followed to see if it is low enough to beam the player up.
Driving functionality on the UFO works very similar to that of a regular kart, except the fact that it is airborne. This airborne ability will allow the player to be able to grab some of the Peach Medallions which are sometimes in the hard-to-reach locations or just to get a good view of the area. Holding the R will allow the player to use the tractor beam to suck up items such as cars, characters and other players. Acceleration is achieved with the A button, whilst B handles breaking. The left analog stick controls steering.
