Coffee Beans:
Super Mario Kart was originally released on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in North America on September 1, 1992. It had previously been released in Japan on August 27, 1992 and later in Europe on January 21, 1993.
Super Mario Kart was re-released on the Wii's Virtual Console service in North America on November 23, 2009 and can be downloaded for just 800 Wii Points. The game received an "Everyone" rating from the ESRB, and has no "Content" listed for parents to be aware of.
Did the Virtual Console release of Super Mario Kart putt or speed its way onto the Nintendo Channel? Let's take a look!
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| Hours shown are for United States of America Wii owners, not world-wide. |
Approx. Number of Players Having Reported Data:
Super Mario Kart has 18,376 Wii owners that have reported data through the Wii's Nintendo Channel, with 519 days reported.
Average & Total Game-Play Hours:
Super Mario Kart has 50,005 Total Hours of game-play reported on its debut, with the average play-time being 2 Hours 43 Minutes "Per person".
The game's average play-time per session is about 31 minutes.
Sale Information:
Super Mario Kart is not currently listed in the Virtual Console's "Popular Titles" section, as of checking around 2:45PM on April 30, 2011. The "Popular Titles" section lists the current top 20 most popular(or purchased, I think!) Virtual Console titles, and while Super Mario Kart isn't on the list, there is another Mario Kart game in the section.
Super Mario Kart's North American Virtual Console version has made Nintendo about $147,008(before taxes), based on just the approximate number of players that have reported data and the game's $8 price point.
Review Score Average:
Super Mario Kart's "professional" review score average is 94.00%, based on 8 reviews on GameRankings.com.
The game has a 4.5 out of 5 Stars rating on Amazon.com, based on 58 customer reviews.
Super Mario Kart's customer review score average is 90.68%, when the customer reviews are converted to a 100% review scale.
(Review score averages recorded around 2:45PM on April 30, 2011.)
Filtered Thoughts:
The description for the game on the Virtual Console says, "Get-in, sit-down, and buckle-up to experience frantic kart racing with the game that started it all." If you have never seen what Super Mario Kart looks like, or perhaps have forgotten, the video below is a very brief trailer for it.
WARNING: It may bring back awesome memories!
While Super Mario Kart was the first game in Mario's "Kart" series, it did have a 2-player mode which added great replay value to the game.
I remember playing Super Mario Kart with my cousins, and I specifically remember playing a lot of balloon battles in the "versus" mode. I remember having a blast playing the game, and playing it for hours straight sometimes.
As for the data, I think the game taking 519 days to debut is actually pretty slow for a Nintendo Virtual Console game, especially one that has the words "Super", "Mario", and "Kart" in its title. It seems more like the game has been putting around collecting hours, than speeding its way around racking up hours.
Perhaps the fact that it did debut though, even with both Mario Kart 64 and Mario Kart Wii being available on the console, shows that Mario's Kart series is popular enough to justify more than one console release every 4-5 years?
Questions:
Can any of you recall playing Super Mario Kart on the SNES? If you didn't play it on the SNES, did you perhaps purchase the Virtual Console version? Either way, if you have played it, what do you think about it?
Also, do you think Nintendo should do more frequent releases with the Mario Kart series, or just keep the series with a single console release as they have basically done since Super Mario Kart?
If anybody is interested in purchasing Super Mario Kart, you can use a credit card and purchase it directly from the Wii's Shop Channel, or you can use a Nintendo Wii Points card, as seen/linked below on Amazon.com.
After receiving three emails from youtube about the video and not seeing a post I was wondering what the deal was. :)
ReplyDeleteI think I may have played it a handful of times 'back in the day' so I'm looking forward to picking it and MK64 up on VC. Do you know if SMK has the dreaded blue shell? I've read why they included it (in 64 at least), but I don't agree with that line of thought.
Anyway, it should also be interesting to play the older ones since I've put so much time into Mario Kart Wii first.
As for multiple kart titles per console I wouldn't be opposed to it, but I think they should be careful and be sure to offer variety or innovate.
Now I think it's time for some NES Metroid.. :)
I did play this, but not right when it first came out. I didn't have a SNES right when it released - I was a Genesis guy for years and didn't get a SNES until near the end of its life cycle. I liked this game, but the one that really stuck home for me was Kart for the 64 - that was the one my friends and I played the heck out of in college with 4 person racing (this, golden eye, tecmo super bowl and madden were staples for about 2 years).
ReplyDeleteI think they're doing it right. I'm okay with the current pacing - they do a good job with just about every release (though I didn't really care for double dash on the 'cube a whole lot).
I played this one as well. Never owned it. Borrowed it from a high-school buddy of mine for a while, and we played it on occasion when we hung out. It was fun and began a legacy. But, much like Chalgyr, the 64 bit version yielded more passionately fought battles for me and my friends.
ReplyDeleteDouble-Dash, I felt, was lacking something or somethings that I can't quite put my finger on.
Mario Kart Wii is fun, and I have plans to purchase a copy in the very near future.
It's really nice to have these retro titles available for download. I like the variety. But, personally, I'd save my coins for Mario Kart 64 over the SNES version. Unless it's one of those titles you played that you cannot do without.
@Robert:
Metroid.....one of those classics I keep coming back to. You saying the words sent me itching to playing myself :)
This is still my favourite of the Mario Kart series. I guess because of nostalgia, but I remember spending hour after hour racing over tracks I had already memorised with my brothers and friends.
ReplyDeleteI guess by modern standards it doesn't hold up - since downloading it months ago I've only played it for two hours, but it's still good to be able to still play it :)
I didn't actually like this one, I think I first got into the Mario Kart scene with Mario Kart 64. Think the DS one has sold an immense amount and the 3DS will probably do even better.
ReplyDeleteIt's great to hear everyone's responses on smk vs mk64. Certainly food for thought when the time comes for a purchase.
ReplyDeleteI bet the 3ds version will do well and will possibly boost system sales.
@Tim:
So did you? This weekend was going to be a full on retro gaming feast, but sadly I haven't touched a thing yet. Everything keeps getting in the way... Maybe tonight though where I have Metroid, Mega Man 9 and Dungeon Explorer lined up. :) (thought it might be time to try a MM remake before revisiting the originals. Mega Man X keeps calling my name now that it's out.)
We've got the smk on snes for our actual snes - but same with our N-64 version too, though I did buy that for the Virtual console as well about a year ago when some of my old college buddies came over. We played the wii version too, which I feel was technically superior - but we spent most of the time on the N-64 VC version - talk about some memories. Hearing my one buddy constantly spouting off "I'm Wario - I'm-a-gonna-win" as he well.. generally won, was a lot of fun.
ReplyDeleteMy kids have the DS Mario Kart, and definitely like it as well, though I haven't played it myself. We still have double dash laying around, but we never play it. It was definitely the weakest link for all of us, in that series.
Robert Super Mario Kart doesn't have the Blue Shell.It is one of the few Mario Kart games that doesn't have it. I think the GBA game Super Circuit doesn't have it either. I did have Super Mario Kart when it was released. Aside from Wii and DS Mario Kart games I'd place Super Mario Kart in the 3rd spot on my favorite Mario Kart games.64 after then Double Dash then Super Circuit.
ReplyDeleteI think that the one Mario Kart game a system works.It works because generally the Mario Kart games have lots of replayability. Also when F-Zero gets released on the same system they tend to compliment each other.
@Robert:
ReplyDelete"After receiving three emails from youtube about the video and not seeing a post I was wondering what the deal was. :)"
HAHA! For some reason the trailer wasn't uploading properly, and had some extra clip/scene, that wasn't showing up in the edited version, and I kept deleting/reloading trying to fix it! Sorry for the multiple notices.
As for the multiple kart titles per console, in order to offer variety, I wonder if people would like it more with going back to the basics of just karts for a game, and motorcycles(bikes) for another game.
@Chalgyr:
"though I didn't really care for double dash on the 'cube a whole lot"
Double Dash will always be remembered by me, and I didn't even own it...but I did rent it, and Mrs. CWG really liked the game...which is why I got her MKW, but that has only been barely played!
@Tim:
"But, personally, I'd save my coins for Mario Kart 64 over the SNES version."
Yea, it's only a $2 difference between the SNES and N64 version.
By the time you get MKW, perhaps I'll be playing it, and have updated my friend codes section with our code!
@GamesAndBiz:
"...since downloading it months ago I've only played it for two hours..."
You're right around the average!
@Retro Gaming Forum:
I own Mario Kart DS, but haven't played it very much, as with most of my DS games. While I enjoyed the game-play, I don't find gaming on my DS Lite to be comfortable after a while, so I don't play it very often.
@Robert:
"I bet the 3ds version will do well and will possibly boost system sales."
I'm really wondering about this now...I wonder how much it will boost sales, and if it will have a continued effect, or if it will only be very brief for the fans waiting on it.
I wonder how much the Mario Kart DS will play into people's decisions to buy it, if they already own it.
@Maxi:
So you like MKW the most? I've heard a lot of varying opinions on it, but haven't given it a try yet, though it's sitting on mere feet from me right now!
Thank you all for the comments/feedback! If anybody else has any thoughts on Super Mario Kart feel free to join the conversation!
@Coffee:
ReplyDeleteInteresting idea, but am not sure about the idea of separating karts from bikes. I'm sure kart purists wouldn't mind to see the bikes go, but I'm not one of them. It's been awhile, but you may be able to specify the mode in the online friend matches in order to exclude a set of vehicles.
3ds: Well, I'm sure all the major franchises will push system sales, but I really don't know how much and how fast that surge will drop off.
@Maxi:
Thanks for the heads up on the lack of blue shell in SMK. I think MK64 will be my next kart purchase, but really MKWii is the one that has me hooked.