Review Information
Game Reviewed Mario Kart: Speed Strife, by DJ Coco
Review Author EvilYoshiToes
Created Aug 1 2015, 7:45 PM

General Commentary and Game Overview
Overall, Mario Kart: Speed Strife is a fun, well done fan game with lots of effort put into it. Of course it’s far from being as good as any of Nintendo’s recent Mario Kart games, but, from a fan game, that is to be expected.
 
Pros + May different features
+ Overall fun gameplay
+ Well done graphics
+ A lot of effort seems to have been put in
 
Cons - Harsh drifting and floaty mechanics take away from the gameplay
 
Impressions
Gameplay
8 / 10
Speed Strife offers an overall fun gameplay, but not one that can’t be improved. The controls are responsive, there are 12 different characters to choose from, and there is a ton of crazy items to toss at your opponents. There are also different game modes: Grand Prix, where the player races in a set of courses for a trophy; VS mode, where the player races on any set of courses they want; and a Time Trial mode, where the player attempts to finish a course as quickly as possible. So, clearly, this game is loaded with content which is bound to keep its fans busy for a while. However, in order to keep the player busy with these features, the player must enjoy the core gameplay and controls.
The basic controls are rather simple and easy to use. There is no complicated button pressing involved, making the controls easy to adapt to. But there are a few issues with the way the karts move. The driving is a tad floaty. Instead of feeling like a solid vehicle driving on the ground, it feels like the kart is slightly hovering. While this is a bit annoying, it doesn’t dreadfully reduce the amount of fun the game is. Another problem, which has been brought up by many others, is the drifting. Rather than making turns easier, drifting turns the player to almost a 90 degree angle. This harsh turn makes drifting quite difficult – but not impossible - to get used to.
The gameplay is, in general, pretty well done. There are tons of features in this game, which is quite unexpected for a fan game. The controls are responsive and easy to use, but the floaty physics and harsh drifting take away from the experience.
 
Graphics
9 / 10
Considering Game Maker's limitations, there isn't much to complain about here. This game sports decent 3D models, very similar to (if not the same as) Mario Kart DS. They aren't great quality, but considering the limitations, and the fact that this is a fan game, these graphics are more than acceptable.
 
Sound
10 / 10
The sound effects and music are very pleasing to listen to. Nothing seems out of place or harsh, and there are sound effects everywhere there should be.
 
Replay
7 / 10
There isn't really a finishing point to this game. It's a racing game, so you can always go back and try beating your records, or just play a few versus rounds if you're bored.
 
Final Words
9 / 10
Speed Strife is an excellent game with a lot of effort put into it. It does have its flaws, but that doesn't stop it from being enjoyable.

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