Mario Kart: Super Circuit (Game Boy Advance) Playthrough
177A playthrough of Nintendo's 2001 racing game for the Game Boy Advance, Mario Kart: Super Circuit.
Since the Super Circuit cups have to be finished twice to unlock the Super Mario Kart tracks, this video shows three run-throughs of the Mario GP mode, all played at 150CC:
Super Circuit Cups, Round 1 0:23
Super Circuit Cups, Round 2 50:49
Extra Cups 1:42:27
Coming out a couple of months after the launch of the Game Boy Advance, Mario Kart: Super Circuit was the third Mario Kart game, and the first to be released for a handheld system. It's also notable for being the sole (non-arcade) MK game to not be primarily developed by one of Nintendo's internal teams. Nintendo was involved with the project, but the heavy lifting was handled by one of their closest held second-party studios, Intelligent Systems. (They're the folks behind the Fire Emblem, Paper Mario, WarioWare, and Panel de Pon series.)
Mario Kart: Super Circuit received a lot of hype in the months leading up to the GBA launch. It was an extraordinarily impressive showing for the new handheld (the 8-bit Game Boy Color was still the norm at that point!), and four years had passed since the release of Mario Kart 64 ( • Mario Kart 64 (Nintendo 64) Playthrough ). The fans were eager for a follow-up.
When it finally showed up in stores, most seemed to agree that Mario Kart: Super Circuit had been worth the wait. The game retained the playability that made the first two games such hits, the classic multiplayer modes were still available via the system link cable, and it packed way more content. Remade versions of all of Super Mario Kart's ( • Super Mario Kart (SNES) Playthrough ) tracks were included as unlockable bonuses. The graphics were also much more detailed than Super Mario Kart's, and the prerendered CG character sprites closely resembled their N64 counterparts.
My favorite thing about Super Circuit was the challenge it presents. I've always found it to be the most difficult of the main-line MK titles, and I appreciated how it forced me to learn the track layouts and the way each character handled. (I'm not at all fan of this take on the power slide, though! It's way too touchy to rely on in chaotic moments.)
Super Circuit was held back by a couple of things when it was new. The GBA's dark and blurry screen wasn't particularly suitable for a fast faux-3D racing game, and the presentation, though excellent for a handheld, represented a sizable step back for the series. Even so, those issues were the fault of the platform more than the game, and in the end, Super Circuit still went on to become one of the machine's top-selling games.
How many of you guys played this back in the day? Or, like me, have memories of leaning over the arm of a couch, straining your eyes trying to follow the action on a pre-SP GBA system?
*Recorded with a Retroarch shader to mimic the look of the original hardware.
_____________\nNo cheats were used during the recording of this video. \n\nNintendoComplete (http://www.nintendocomplete.com/) punches you in the face with in-depth reviews, screenshot archives, and music from classic 8-bit NES games!