Mario Kart 64

Mario Kart 64 (マリオカート64, Mario Kāto Rokujūyon) is the sequel to Super Mario Kart for the SNES. It features updated graphics, all-new courses, different characters and modified gameplay mechanics

Changes

 * The replacement of the item panels with item blocks. Unlike the panels, the blocks regenerate.
 * Additionally, trap blocks were added.
 * The addition of voices for some of the characters. The rest have sound effects.
 * Donkey Kong Jr. was replaced with Donkey Kong
 * Koopa Troopa was replaced with Wario
 * The stages are 3D, though the characters are still 2D sprites. They are also broad enough that the player can become lost.
 * Many items were introduced such as the infamous blue shell. The feather was removed.

Virtual Console
On January 29, 2007, Mario Kart 64 was released to the Wii's Shop Channel. It was discovered that the speed of the game on the Moo Moo Farm track "is about double than 150cc."1 It is also not possible to save ghost data in this version of the game as well.

Mario Grand Prix
The 16 different courses are split over four Cups of increasing difficulty, as follows:

Mushroom Cup

 * Luigi Raceway - The most basic track, taking the form of a quite traditional racing circuit. It mostly consists of wide, open and slightly banked corners, although also features a tunnel. A hot air balloon hovers over the track; canny players can jump when it flies low to pick up a powerful item.
 * Moo Moo Farm - Another fairly basic track, but more uneven. Mostly wide, but Monty Moles appear frequently on the edges of the track, causing the unwary to crash. A bridge near the finish provides a number of narrow openings in which to place traps. Re-appeared in Mario Kart DS. A good racing line is important here.
 * Koopa Troopa Beach - Perhaps the most complex of the Mushroom Cup tracks, with players racing around an island on the titular beach. (No Koopa Troopas in sight, though.) There are numerous ramps, a couple of which can provide potentially race-winning shortcuts if boosted over properly. Hazards include being caught in the deep tidal water, crabs and a slalom between palm trees.
 * Kalimari Desert - Fairly wide track on very open, sweeping desert terrain. A train track crosses the course in two places, completing a loop inside a tunnel. Players may drive along the rails but there are no advantages to this and, indeed, they put themselves at risk of a collision with the loco. A long and mostly straight section near the end provides a tense finish.

Flower Cup

 * Toad's Turnpike - Kart racing on a busy road, with the gargantuan slow-moving traffic cars causing any kart that hits them to crash. Fairly uninteresting layout, but picking a narrow route and fighting off rivals takes skill, especially in Mirror Mode, where the players race against the flow of traffic.
 * Frappe Snowland - A favourite course among players that saw a return in Mario Kart DS. A mix of narrow and wide sections, with corners requiring expert powerslides at higher levels of play. Ice sculptures of Yoshi and Baby Mario adorn the track. One section involves a tense weave through a field of explosive snowmen. A notable 'glitch' shortcut is present.
 * Choco Mountain - Another course later included in Mario Kart DS. A narrow weave through a mountain canyon, featuring tight corners and a barrier-free (on 100CC+) section with falling boulders. Infamously brown and not often considered an attractive sight, it can nevertheless produce quite a tense race.
 * Mario Raceway - A regular racing circuit in the vein of Luigi Raceway, but more complex, featuring tighter corners, a narrower track and hazards such as Piranha Plants. Near the finish players race through a giant green pipe. Features a 'glitch' shortcut that is notoriously difficult to pull off. This course is also featured on Mario Kart Wii.

Star Cup

 * Wario Stadium - A large dirt track inside the titular stadium (adorned with images of Wario's grinning visage), featuring motocross-esque obstacles such as small bumps and, of course, a jump - with no turbo boosts to save players who are scuppered by the attacks of others and fail to make it (in fact, they are unceremoniously dumped onto track further back in the course, almost inevitably being shunted back into eighth place). An excellent course for powersliding. Another tricky 'glitch' shortcut has been discovered here.
 * Sherbet Land - A mix of wide, slippery ice sheets and narrower routes through snowy caverns. The obstacles here consist primarily of enormous Mario 64-esque penguins that waddle or slide over preset routes. This course is also featured on Mario Kart Wii.
 * Royal Raceway - Princess Peach's personal circuit, right in the grounds of her eponymous castle. Narrower and tighter than both Luigi and Mario Raceway, it is a good test of powersliding skill. An enormous turbo-boosted jump completes this regal track.
 * Bowser's Castle - As one might expect this course is littered with hazards, not least the firey lava field that it apparently rests on. As well as fire-breathing statues and a rickey bridge over a pit of molten rock, plenty of Thwomps await to press the unwary into Mushroom Kingdom origami. Hairpin bends cement this course as a true test of karting prowess. This course is also featured on Mario Kart Wii.

Special Cup

 * DK's Jungle Parkway - A narrow track through the dense, if slightly two-dimensional jungle. Main features include a jump over the river, a rickety bridge and a cavern. A paddlesteamer journeys up and down the waterway. Unseen creatures in the jungle lob spiked fruits at players who stray from the track in an attempt to get them back on course. This course is also featured on Mario Kart Wii.
 * Yoshi Valley - Undoubtedly the most fiendish and devious course for newcomers, Yoshi Valley has multiple routes and furthermore hides the current rack of the racers, leaving it to players to make educated guesses. Precarious precipices, clusters of porcupines and a giant Yoshi egg add to the hazards.
 * Banshee Boardwalk - As more recently seen in Mario Kart DS, Banshee Boardwalk is a perilous run over a rickety wooden track high above the water. Racers also journey through a (sparsely decorated) haunted house that contains chests full of bats, which hit karts to slow them down. Many Boos and a giant Cheep Cheep appear at various times to distract players. Also of note is a narrow chicane devoid of barriers.
 * Rainbow Road - See the Rainbow Road article for more information.

Reception
Although attracting a small amount of criticism for elements such as the revised Battle mode, the game's reception was overwhelmingly positive, particulary as 4-player multiplayer made its debut.

Trivia

 * Though Yoshi's Island had been released the previous year, Yoshi does not have the voice introduced in that game. Instead, he has the sound effect generated when Mario or Luigi mount him.