Welcome to Bowser's World! The Best Mario Kart 64 Site on the Web!


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The Drivers

Mario

Mario's back on his second game for the Nintendo 64 as one of the average guys. He is also the host of the game. Those who liked him in Super Mario Kart will probably still use him.

Luigi

It's about time we saw Luigi! After his brother took all the credit in Mario 64, he's out for a little revenge. In Super Mario Kart, he was one of the most popular characters. No doubt that he'll once again be one of the favorites.

Princess Peach Toadstool

She's the only female on the game. As a light weight, she can easily be kicked around, assuming the other players can catch up with her.

Toad

As the other favorite character from Super Mario Kart, he'll be the first pick of all the beginners and many of the other players. His course is wild.

Yoshi

After resting from Super Mario World 2, Yoshi's back in action. Once again, he's in the fast acceleration group. He doesn't say much in this game, and what he does say, nobody understands. He is one of my personal favorites.

Donkey Kong

He's considered a new character by Nintendo, but he's not. In Super Mario Kart, his name was Donkey Kong Jr.. In Donkey Kong Country, Cranky Kong, the original Donkey Kong, surrendered his name to his son. He's still huge, which means others will have to go around him.

Wario

Wario's A big guy that can knock everyone off the road just like Bowser. He and Wario are competing for the meanest character in the game. Wario is my 3rd favorite charactor.

Bowser (King Koopa)

Mario's arch enemy hopes to steal the victory any way he can. He growls and roars as he shoves the other off the track and into barriers. He and Wario are competing for the meanest character in the game. He is one of My pesonal favorites.

Driver Weights

Weopons

It just happens to be one of the most common items regardless of your position. When dropped, the peel remains in a stationary position until someone or something collides with it. Passing over a peel causes a kart to go into a spin. On a wide-open track this isn't much of a problem, because karts don't lose much speed from spinning. On the other hand, a well-placed Banana on a turn or near a hazard, rivers, and ponds especially can be deadly. The actual spin--unless corrected--robs the driver of all control and will last for about two seconds. So, place Bananas in areas where drivers have very little control--turns. If the course allows, try to disguise Bananas by laying them on yellow patches of turf or just behind an item box. Bananas can also be thrown forward. Pushing forward on the joystick as you tap the weapon button heaves the peel several car lengths ahead. This is good for messing with someone in front of you, but actually trying to aim the Banana is very tricky. Another advantage to this technique is that you can throw Bananas over walls. In fact, you'll soon notice that this is the CPU's favorite attack.

Boo is normally a shy little guy, but for now Boo's shyness takes second place to his kleptomania. This rare item is one of the few that actually appears for karts in first place the most. In fact, you might say that a Boo is first place's only chance of snagging a really cool power-up. When activated, Boo randomly steals an item from one of your opponents. In GP mode, it's difficult to tell what you'll get, but in a multiplayer race you receive an item if one of your opponents has an item on standby. Boo cannot steal an item once its activated, but the Super Mushroom is the only exception. Save your Boo until one of your opponents picks up an item you want. However, you must realize that if two of your opponents have items, you may not get what you are after.

This bouncing projectile is one of the most common items. In fact, any driver running at the front of the pack can expect to find it more than once. As a weapon, the Green Shell is very limited. It can be shot in a straight line forward or backward (your shot can also be angled to the left or right) to make it bounce off walls or rails until it collides with a driver or an obstacle. Outside of close range, it is difficult to make a successful attack against another driver with a Green Shell. The shell is best used to set up a sneak attack of sorts. For example, fire the shell backwards in tight areas that have walls or railings on both sides. The shell will most likely remain in that area bouncing back and forth until it finds a victim.

This item is a homing projectile that can be launched forward at an opponent. This makes the Red Shell one of the best weapons on wide tracks. However, the Red Shell loses some of its potency on narrow twisting roads. Once shot, it takes a second for the Shell to lock onto a target. During this time, if the Shell comes into contact with a wall, it is destroyed. Also, you need to prepare for changing conditions. For example, like knowing where your opponent is in relation to you. A wise opponent will either attempt to get around a corner, block with another item, or even drop back so he's just behind you. If he gets around a corner, the Shell will most likely hit the wall after locking on. Blocking a Red Shell simply destroys both items (unless the blocking item is a Banana Bunch). If your opponent falls back behind you before the Shell locks on, it may either lock onto a different target or pull a 180° and slam into your kart. The same is true if another driver is lurking next to you, because the Red Shell always locks onto the closest opponent. Red Shells always travel around the track in the same direction as traffic.

Only slightly more useful than a Banana, the Fake Box is the item for those with a gift for deception. This common item looks basically just like a normal Item Box. The only difference between the two is that the question mark inside the box is upside down in a fake box, which is difficult to detect when travelling at high speed. Fake Boxes can be laid down in tight traffic in hopes that you might catch an opponent tailgaiting, but these items are best hidden among actual Item Boxes. Equip and drag the Fake Box as you pass through an actual Item Box. When the real box breaks, drop the fake one in its place. Careless opponents will fall for this trap every time. Fake Boxes are also fairly large obstacles. This makes them great for tight passages like the narrow bridges found in the Star Cup. They also work well in areas where your opponents will have very little control. For instance, placing several Fake Boxes in the landing zone opposite a ramp often works well. By the time your opponent knows he's trapped, there won't be anything he can do about it.

Although a single Banana isn't worth much, the Banana Bunch can be a lot of fun. Unfortunately, it's not quite as common as the single Banana, but every driver has a chance of picking up this power-up. Once armed, five peels drag behind your Kart in a straight line. Each one can be fired or dropped independently from the rest. This allows for some creative trap building. Grouping the Bananas in a turn or any place where your opponents can't dodge (bridges, underpasses, etc.) is an effective tactic. Just remember, however, that anything they dodge you must deal with on your next lap. So always leave some sort of path through your own trap. The string of Bananas behind your kart can also act as a whip of sorts, which is great for defensive purposes. It can be difficult to hit your opponent with a single item, but a line of five peels is at least a whole car length. If someone tries to pass you, just bump them around. Chances are they'll eventually touch one of the peels. This also works well if you can cut across someone's path during a turn. The down side is that when any one of the peels is touched, the string breaks and Bananas go flying everywhere. Therefore, you may want to drop off a couple of peels in strategic locations and save the rest for defense.

Admittedly, there isn't much to say about the Mushroom. When fired, your kart gets a brief burst of speed. Due to the game's AI, this item is nearly worthless in a GP race. In multiplayer races, it helps a little, but you really need the Triple or Super Mushrooms to make a definite impact. Unfortunately, this is also the only Mushroom item a player can expect to collect while in first place. The most obvious time to use a Mushroom is to pass opponents or get an extra bit of speed needed to reach a secret path. It can also help you keep up speed as you go up big hills. However, the Mushroom does have other uses. If you wreck, the Mushroom can get you back up to speed instantly.

Offensively the only difference between the Triple Red Shell and the single Red Shell is the two additional shots. However, the Triple Red Shell is rarer than the single and Green variants. The triple variant is a much stronger item simply because it gives you additional options. Now you can use the first Shell to eliminate or put a hole in your opponent's defense, and then use the second and third Shells to cause him some major damage. There is one basic technique to using this item: Never shoot all three Shells at once unless you're desperate for some sort of help. Doing so might waste all three Shells. When you shoot two or more Shells, they will often home in on the same driver. After the first Shell hits and knocks your opponent into the air, the remaining Shell(s) will hover below until the kart lands. Unfortunately, this means the remaining Shells are wasted because they make contact before the kart actually recovers. If you space your shots out (say a full second or more), the kart will have time to recover before the next shell arrives. This also helps thwart karts protected by Triple Red/Green Shells. When you shoot all three shells simultaneously, your Shells collide with your opponent's Shells in such a way that all three will most likely be blocked. This is due to the fact that all three Shells home in on the same spot and the rotation of your opponent's Shells keeps that same spot protected for a full second or more. If you space out your shots, the gap made by the first Shell may make a full rotation by the time your second shot gets there. Defensively the Triple Red Shell is much like the Triple Green Shell. When triggered, the Shells surround your kart and continue to circle there until either they're fired or they collide with something. This creates a great shield against Green/Red Shells, Bananas, Fake Boxes, and other drivers.

This is the best of the Mushroom items. Instead of a limited number of boosts, the Super Mushroom allows you to boost for a period of about 10 seconds. This is the rarest of Mushroom items and never seems to show up for those karts in first place. Even this mega-powered Mushroom isn't very powerful in a GP race, but it kicks some serious asphalt in a multiplayer race. The best use of this power-up is cutting corners. Just remember that you only have 10 seconds to get where you're going. Unfortunately, you can't pick up another item until the Super Mushroom burns out. You may also notice that Item Boxes seem to be spaced out so that you'll pass a row just after your Super Mushroom times out. The biggest danger in using a Super Mushroom is the possibility of losing control of your kart. Some players get so obsessed with flailing away on the trigger, that they completely forget about the track ahead. So use this item wisely.

As a weapon, there really isn't much difference between the Triple Green Shell and the single Green Shell. The most obvious difference is the fact that you get three shots instead of just one. However, unlike the single Shell, these Shells can only be shot forward. Don't worry--because of the Green Shell's bouncing capability, you can simply shoot it off a wall in front of you and it will rebound toward a tailgating opponent. What this item lacks as a weapon, it easily makes up for defensively. When triggered, the shells surround your kart and continue to circle until either they are fired or they collide with an object. This makes a great shield against Green/Red Shells, Bananas, Fake Boxes, and other drivers.

What could be more fun than road kill? This rare item shrinks your opponents down to minuscule proportions. While shrunk, your opponents are slowed down and are also vulnerable to being squished under your tires. They can also squish each other if they accidentally make contact. Once squished, it takes a couple of seconds for a driver to recover. This gives you time to roll to the front of the pack. Some drivers are better at this than others. Bowser and Donkey Kong have no problem trampling over a shrunken opponent, but Toad will often spin out after racing over someone. For this reason, you should always be ready for surprises. When a driver is first hit with a Lightning Bolt, his car will spin several feet. This is very similar to the effect a Banana has on a car, but the spin caused by a Bolt cannot be corrected. Knowing this, you can use the Bolt to send your opponents flying off the track and into all sorts of hazards.

The Spiny Shell is the toughest item and therefore extremely rare. Too bad it doesn't come in a three pack. This item has homing capability just like a Red Shell and can bounce like a Green Shell. It also homes in on the racer in first place and will take out anyone who gets in its way. And if that wasn't enough, it can't be destroyed by Bananas, Fake Boxes, or Green/Red Shells. Spiny Shells can destroy each other, but karts in first place never receive Spiny Shells from Item Boxes unless the box only holds Spiny Shells. Actually, the only real defense is a Super Star, a well-timed Ghost, or just running way off the track (not recommended without turbos).

Although rarer than the single Mushroom, the Triple Mushroom's only advantage is its trio of turbo boosts. As with the single Mushroom, you'll find that the boost provided by this power-up is ineffective in single player GP races. In fact, its only real use in one player races is for reaching shortcuts and cutting corners. You can always save Mushrooms for that last minute speed burst at the end of the race, but they never seem to show up when you need them. The single Mushroom only enables you to cut across short corners. The Triple Mushroom can be used to cut across large areas.
STAR

The Star is quite possibly the most useful item in the game (also one of the rarest). Not only does it provide exceptional defense, it also packs a wallop offensively. A Star's main use is defense. Once activated, your driver is invincible for several seconds. During this time, nothing can hurt your kart--not even trees, creatures, or other karts. Some things are actually destroyed when a Star-powered kart slams into them. Granted, most of these things are trees, but this can be really helpful at times. The Star also provides a decent speed boost. Although not as powerful as a Mushroom.

What happened To Koopa Troopa?

When Koopa Troopa was on his way to the Race, Wario came out of the the middle of no where and through a shell at him. He flew out of his Kart and lets just say Wario "borrowed" it to the race.

MUSIC AND SOUNDS
  • Mario Raceway [23K MIDI]
  • Rainbow Road [37K MIDI]
  • Credits Music [47K MIDI]
  • Luigi: "Yahoo!" [95K WAV]
  • Mario: "Let's go!" [77K WAV]
  • Peach: "Let's go!" [78K WAV]
  • Toad: "Yahoo!" [82K WAV]
  • Wario: "Hahahaha!" [146K WAV]
  • Yoshi: (yoshi sound) [55K WAV]
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