Review Information
Game Reviewed Mario Kart: Speed Strife, by DJ Coco
Review Author rustolegrand
Created Jul 2 2015, 11:26 PM

General Commentary and Game Overview
Mario Kart fangames aren't something you see everyday, hell, they aren't something you see hardly ever. Probably because of their gratuitous use of 3D effects, the difficulty of programming fair driver AI, heck there's a whole pile of stuff to do, and none of it has some nifty pre-made engine that does all the hard parts for you like a Mario platformer would. So why bother? Well, maybe you have an idea for a unique spin on Mario Kart's age old mechanics, or some phenomenally interesting track concepts rattling around in your head. Or maybe you're doing it just because you can.

It seems like this game's creator falls firmly in that last camp. At first brush Mario Kart: Speed Strife seems impressive. There's crisp, clean 3D graphics and the presentation is practically Nintendo-level professional, but once you actually get into the game that candy coated shell slides away and you're left with something akin to a hollow M&M.

Is it technically impressive? Yes. Does it look crisp and professional? Absolutely. Is it something I would ever want to play when I could just boot up Mario Kart 8 on my Wii U? No way. The cool thing about fangaming is that it takes you places Nintendo can't or won't go. It gives you Super Mario Bros. through the filter of someone outside the offices of Nintendo. It gives you another person's perspective on the classics Nintendo makes. This is just a pale emulation of all the original Mario Karts before it that has no personal touches or interesting twists.

That's the biggest shame of all too, because the person behind this game is obviously very capable and very skilled in the art of game creation, so why, I ask, would you use that to talent just to make a tame, lifeless version of Mario Kart DS? You can create whole 3D worlds that look crisp and authentic! Do something with an interesting twist or a personal touch! Don't just emulate what Nintendo does, because then you are just wasting everyone's time and more importantly your great talent!
 
Pros +Looks professional
+Re-mappable controls
+Crisp graphics and great 3D models
 
Cons -No character animation
-Controls are stiff, weightless, and don't even remotely feel like driving
-No interesting twists or personal touches to set it apart from anything Nintendo had already done a million times before
-Tracks are uninspired and unimaginative
 
Impressions
Gameplay
4 / 10
Gameplay is standard Mario Kart fair with no interesting twists or turns. No new items, nothing that makes this game feel unique from standard Mario Kart outing from Nintendo. The first thing I would do when given the keys to the Mario Kart franchise is see what kinds of wild new item concepts I could come up with, but the creator of this game seems content to feed us the same bunch of bananas and shells Nintendo has for nearly a decade.

The control is another unfortunate misfire. The cars just seem to float around the track and really, well, not feel like cars at all. The way these cars control I would question if the game's creator has ever driven or even rode in an actual car or go-kart before. Everything just scoots along with no friction, the drifting is bizarre and has no weight, just kind of jumping your kart instantly into another angle. It's weird and has more in common with the Mode 7 weird control that the original Mario Kart had than the actual 3D titles this game seems to so desperately want to be.
 
Graphics
5 / 10
Sure those 3D models look nice, but after a few goes around the track you'll notice they are hardly moving...or that anything for that matter is really moving. The only really Kart animation going on is the wheels spinning and the tires moving, giving all the Mario characters the appearance of plastic toys lifelessly sliding around the track. Objects mostly rotate or tween more than they actually animate or look alive. Even upon victory the camera pans around to show an unmoving kart driver emitting canned Mario voice over from a stone-frozen mouth.
 
Sound
2 / 10
Sounds are fine and well selected except for the complete lack of any sort of kart noise except when drifting which only adds to the feeling of the karts just floating all over the track lifelessly. Maybe Super Mario Hoverkarts would have been the better concept to go with, although that would of required a lot more originality than what's a work here. The music is all the fantastically amazing stuff from Mario Kart 8, but here I think it actually does the game a disservice, as it only seems to point out the rest of the game's lack of sound and life.
 
Replay
2 / 10
You'll play a cup or two before the game shows it's true colors and you won't see any point in continuing, filled with a sadness that such a talented creator spent time on something so bland and so devoid of life or soul.
 
Final Words
5 / 10
A homunculus of Mario Kart, lacking in soul, life, or charm, your favorite Mario characters locked in frozen stares scooting around uninspired locales. An unfortunate use of the creator's talent and skill.

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