When customers ask which Mario Kart game is best, most pick Mario Kart 64 (1996) or Mario Kart Wii (2008). I’ve bought and sold both for over 15 years.
Mario Kart 64 vs. Mario Kart Wii
I say one is better. Zach says I'm wrong. Here's our debate about these two games, plus what to know if you want to collect them.
The Table of Contents
Why Mario Kart Wii is better:
You get all the perks of a modern game: more options, modes, characters, vehicles, tracks, and better graphics. But none of that counts if the core gameplay isn’t solid. That’s why many of us still enjoy older
games. Good gameplay makes them fun, even with outdated graphics and controls.
Motion Controls Done Right
The core gameplay in Mario Kart Wii is great. So many early Wii games failed to deliver on the system’s promise of motion-based gaming, but Mario Kart gets it right. I’m not a fan of the wheel itself, but I find it so challenging to go back to Mario Karting on any control stick- or D-pad-based system after playing with the Wii Remote.
I love the nuance I can put into the handling and the fun of basically being able to drive as if I have a steering wheel in my hands. It puts a smile on my face to yank up on jumps to get the speed boost, or to yank up more frantically when the POW appears above my head, so I won’t lose as much momentum when it goes off.
Character Variety and Track Details
I’m also a fan of the wider variety of character/vehicle combinations my personal preference is Funky Kong on a Standard Bike L because he can still throw his weight into other racers like a large character, but the bike makes up for the handling trade-off that comes with large characters (and for some reason, Funky seems to handle better than Donkey Kong or other large characters). I like the wheelie speed boost on bikes, too.
Mario Kart 64 doesn’t have Funky Kong, it doesn’t even have Waluigi! I love hearing Waluigi’s moral code collapse after a single sixth-place finish: “Everybody cheated. Next time…I cheat!” Also, the courses are more detailed on the Wii, even those pulled from previous versions of the game.
When I went back to the N64 version after playing the Wii for a while, I missed all the new challenges the Wii versions of the N64 tracks had added. I do have to concede, though, that most of my recent MK64 playing has been through the Virtual Console, not on an actual 64, and the Virtual Console version seems to have some weaknesses that snuck in during the port. Playing MK64 on the N64 gives you more control over the handling.
The Mystery of the Missing Map Pack
On a final note, I will never, until the end of my days, understand why Nintendo never put out a second map pack for MK Wii…the best-selling racing game of all time. It seems to me that selling an additional 32
maps for $30 or $40 or whatever would have been a pretty easy way to make several dozen million dollars while making fans happy. How hard would that have been? Why didn't this happen?
Why Mario Kart 64 is better:
First, in response to your question about a Mario Kart Wii Map Pack, I think you might be underselling how large a percentage of time in an MK development cycle is based around crafting its maps. I think a map pack, if it were to be created, would have to be packaged basically as Mario Kart Wii 2, which doesn't fit with Nintendo's style.
Except for Super Mario Galaxy 2, Nintendo doesn't really release sequels, y'know? This is an oversimplification, but the SNES, N64, GBA, GC, DS, and Wii each got one Mario Kart, so I don't expect that to change with the Switch or the Switch 2. The good news is that the series has continued to perform strongly with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and beyond.
My Mario Kart experience
I'd like to admit before I start talking up Mario Kart 64 that I have some pretty big blind spots when it comes to my knowledge of MK titles. I've never played the original. I only recently played Mario Kart 8 for the first time, which seems to be a fan favorite from my cursory glances online, and I unfortunately do not have the time or money to justify buying a Switch 2, so the next superb Mario Kart is beyond my reach.
I've played the crap out of the N64, GBA, DS, and Wii U entries in the series, and the one I keep coming back to is the N64 version. It's the version I have the most fun playing, and I don't know of a better criterion for judging a kart racing game. Mario Kart Wii's motion controls always seemed to be, at best, non-intrusive, and at worst, frustration-shout-worthy when my character veers the wrong way due to my over-exaggerated movements, so that's not a selling point for me.
The Social Factor
The Wii version is shiny and pretty, and the newly released Mario Kart 8 is even shinier, but I can get past how nasty MK 64 looks on any TV larger than a desktop computer monitor because I think MK 64 brings
people together in a way no other series entry accomplishes. I'm talking about people roughly my age, so I'm going to ignore the kids entranced by the Wii's motion controls in this argument.
For those aged 20 to 35 (these numbers aren’t based on science – I don’t deal in facts), MK 64 feels familiar. This makes it easier for people who don’t usually play video games to join in and have a round or two. In the same way that someone who normally doesn't play board games might enjoy a round of Apples to Apples with some friends, MK 64 occupies an extremely welcoming place on the video game intimidation spectrum.
That's why I like MK 64 the most. The multiplayer aspect of the game is great, as I can compete with other video game nerds like me while still playing with friends who don't really know how to hold a controller correctly.
It also helps that I'm really, really good at MK64.
The Wrap-Up
So what do you think? Have we overlooked the major strengths and weaknesses of these games? Are we wrongly snubbing other entries in the series by focusing on these two? Which Mario Kart game is your favorite, and why?
A Collector's Perspective on Mario Kart Games
If you collect Mario Kart games, remember this: complete-in-box cartridge games are worth much more than loose carts. Mario Kart 64 and Super Mario Kart for SNES? Complete copies sell for 227% more than the cartridge alone. Disc-based games don't have the same big gap. Plastic cases from the 2000s held up better than cardboard boxes from the 90s. More people kept them.
Bottom line: If you're collecting, focus on complete Nintendo 64 and SNES games - that's where the real value is. If you want to play, loose carts work fine and cost less.
If you have any Mario Kart games you want to sell, we buy them for cash at The Old School Game Vault.
