News Articles
Monday18th Jul 2022
Random Mario Kart 64 Nearly Had A 'No Item' Mode To Appeal To F-Zero Fans
Remember F-Zero?
If you look at the Mario Kart franchise and the F-Zero franchise, it's pretty easy to determine which of the two has been more successful. On the one hand, Mario Kart has seen major releases all the way up to 2020 with Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit, and will see a whole bunch of DLC launched for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe all the way...
Sunday17th Jul 2022
Video Take A Look At The Regional Differences In The Mario Kart Series
How does the Japanese version compare?
If you like Mario Kart and are a fan of the series' long-running history, this latest video from the same YouTube Channel behind Boundary Break (Shesez) is a must-watch. It investigates the regional differences in Nintendo's popular kart racing series - from different announcers in Mario Kart 64 to the...
Tuesday12th Jul 2022
Poll What's The Best Mario Kart Game?
Rate them Rainbow Roads
Some of us here at Nintendo Life Towers are convinced that your favourite Mario Kart game is simply the one you played first with three other players in the same room — or just one other player if you were there at the very beginning with Super Mario Kart on Super NES. We tend to think this because while we can all agree...
Monday16th May 2022
News You Can Play Mario Kart 64 In Glorious HD Thanks To This Fan-Made Texture Pack
Yippee!
The Nintendo 64 fan scene has been pretty darn busy lately, with the Zelda: Ocarina of Time PC port finally launching — and getting a shed-load of fun and unusual mods — and even more games rumoured to be made available through reverse engineering. Next on the list, however, is a very smooth and shiny update to a pa
Friday25th Mar 2022
Random Bloodborne Kart Is Real, And It's Coming "When It's Ready"
Steer the old blood
It's almost that time of year when every cool news story makes you flinch and check the date, but worry not, my April Fool's-fearing friends: This one is real, and also, it's the 25th March. You're safe. For another week, at least. The makers of the popular Bloodborne PSX demake (which you can read about over on Push Square,...
Sunday30th Jan 2022
News Switch Hackers Add Controller Pak Support To N64's Online Library
Time Trial Ghosts return in Mario Kart 64
One feature missing from Switch Online's Nintendo 64 library is Controller Pak support. Back in the day, it functioned as a memory card and could be used to store and transfer save files and other data (like Time Trial Ghosts in Mario Kart 64). While it can't be used in the Switch's N64 emulator, datamines...
Tuesday14th Dec 2021
Music You Really Should Listen To Skario Kart: A Ska Tribute to Mario Kart 64
Sure, why not?
Mario Kart 64 has a special place in many of our hearts, a game that transformed the look of the series and introduced a number of classic tracks. It has some great music too, and a project that we've enjoyed listening to throughout today has been Skario Kart: A Ska Tribute to Mario Kart 64. It's an album you can listen to on...
Monday29th Apr 2019
News Check Out The Title Screen Music Of This Mario Kart 64 Prototype
"Welcome to Muzakart!"
Every week we get fresh little peeks behind the curtain of games both big and small. Recently, Forest of Illusion posted this original theme tune for Mario Kart 64 on Twitter. It comes from a prototype build of the game and it's not the most inspired track in the plumber's songbook. Take a listen below: As you can hear, it...
Thursday3rd Jan 2019
Random This Couple Have Been Playing Mario Kart 64 Every Day Since 2001 To Decide Who Makes The Tea
Beats rock-paper-scissors
We've all been there, arguing over who has to do the cooking, cleaning, and washing for what feels like the 657th time this week, but this adorable couple seem to have the chore-deciding formula absolutely nailed down. It turns out the answer is simple: Mario Kart 64. Reddit user u/bork1138 has shared the story of their...
Monday12th Nov 2018
News This Wireless Nintendo 64 "Pro-Style" Controller Is Hitting Stores Early Next Year
Nintendo Sixty-Freedom
Video game peripheral manufacturer Hyperkin has revealed that it will be releasing a "pro-style" wireless controller for use with your beloved Nintendo 64. Named the 'Admiral', this controller uses a Bluetooth dongle to wirelessly connect to your console. As you can immediately tell, the design sacrifices the famous trident...
Friday6th Jul 2018
Random Toys R Us Employee Finds A Mario Kart 64 Box Hidden Under A Shelf
Dusty, but intact
Much like here in the UK, long-serving toy retailer Toys R Us is shutting its stores across North America. The worldwide chain also used to stock video games, and one employee just happened to stumble across a box that presumably fell down beneath some shelves back in the '90s. A box for none other than Mario Kart 64. Dusty (and...
Thursday5th Jul 2018
News Hackers Have Now Found A Way To Emulate Nintendo 64 Games On Switch
Pokémon Stadium anyone?
Nintendo 64 games have now been successfully emulated on Switch, teasing those who would love to see the classic console's stellar library come to the new system for real. We've been hearing of multiple stories surrounding hacking on Switch over the last few months, with players forcing adult-themed imagery into Super Mario...
Thursday29th Dec 2016
Nintendo Download 29th December (North America)
Mario Kart 64! Castlevania: Dracula X! Pokémon HOME Themes!
It's the final Nintendo Download Update of the year, and as expected we have a couple of Virtual Console releases and no 'new' downloads - the New 3DS gets another SNES title, while the Wii U get some classic kart racing. Let's get to it. Missed the European Nintendo Download details?...
Friday22nd Jan 2016
Video See How Much Mario Kart has Changed Since Mario Kart 64
56 degrees of separation
It's been over a year since Mario Kart 8 was released on the Wii U and nearly 20 since its N64 sibling Mario Kart 64 graced our systems. A lot's changed in that time, and in order to highlight all the refinements a company like Nintendo can make in such a span, we've cobbled together another cheeky little comparison of the...
News Mario Kart 64 on Wii U VC Doesn't Have Support for Ghost Data
Controller Pak emulation seems to be the issue
Some of you from around the earlier days of the Nintendo 64 may remember the Controller Pak. This add-on slotted into the back of the controller and acted as a means of saving or transferring data between consoles. While it wasn't absolutely necessary in every N64 game, many used it to include features...
Monday18th Jan 2016
Nintendo Download 21st January (Europe)
Mario Kart 64! Adventures of Pip! Radiohammer! Themes galore! More!
Another week begins with the Nintendo Download Update details in Europe, and this time around we have a Nintendo 64 classic joined by a long-awaited retro-styled new release on the home console. Beyond that we have an exciting demo, 3DS Home Themes galore and a few discounts; let's...
Saturday15th Aug 2015
Event Super Mario Kart SNES World Championships 2015 - 18th to 22nd August
Champion racers are back
The worldwide Mario Kart community is huge, especially since the success of Mario Kart 8; yet let's not forget that the older versions are still heavily competitive. Super Mario Kart has Official World Championships held annually in France every August run by the French Federation of SMK team ( Nintendo of France have been a...
Sunday4th Jan 2015
Video Teens Race and Talk Smack in Mario Kart 64
"Yo dawg I've got the golden mushroom"
YouTube has plenty of ways to entertain us, and one formula that's hugely successful is the React series in which different groups encounter games and are filmed as they get to grips with them. With Nintendo battling for attention against its big rivals, it can be fun to watch teens - particularly - getting to...
Tuesday30th Sep 2014
Weirdness Rainbow Road Muscles its Way onto Realistic Racer Assetto Corsa
Hilariously out-of-place
Rainbow Road from Super Mario 64 is a track steeped in many people's nostalgia banks, and Mario Kart 8 recreated that experience in HD for the first time earlier this year. Now, a clever modder who goes by the name of 'N64AC' has managed to get the original track working on an upcoming realistic racing simulator coming out...
Thursday21st Aug 2014
Video This Drake-Inspired Mario Kart Rap is For Champion Racers
"Got all these races looking like they're just time trials"
There are only a few Nintendo franchises that can bring on very real trash talk; no, that Nintendo E3 press conference attempt for Wii Sports Resort back in the day does not count. One of these franchises that'll have friends and family boasting red shell success is Mario Kart, to this day...
Monday7th Jul 2014
News Four Students Set New Mario Kart Marathon World Record
"As a matter of fact this was an incredibly difficult thing to achieve"
Many of us have had some excessively long gaming sessions, after which we may look back and think "what was I doing?!". They can be fun, though, and there are often teams of people that use gaming marathons to raise money for charity, among other things, taking what is an...
Friday30th May 2014
News If You Like Rainbow Road Music, This Album Is For You
Shiryu brings us Rainbow Road Adventures
As you may have guessed from all the Mario Kart 8 articles, today is the Wii U title's launch day. A happy occasion for many Wii U owners, certainly, and one being celebrated in various ways. One such celebration that we think you'll enjoy is this album, Rainbow Road Adventures from musician and Nintendo...
Monday12th May 2014
News Club Nintendo Rewards Updated for May, Physical Items Return
Super Metroid! 3D Classic! Brain Age! Mario Kart 64!
During April Nintendo of America took away physical rewards from Club Nintendo ahead of maintenance work, and it's now reintroduced its standard range a day ahead of schedule. Little has changed, though it's worth checking out the updated options on the official website, with Mario and Luigi 3DS...
Tuesday8th Apr 2014
News Nintendo Releases An Awesome Mario Kart Infographic
Sorry arcade titles, you're out
With the release of Mario Kart 8 on Wii U preoccupying many minds ahead of 30th May, Nintendo is taking every opportunity to raise awareness and hype. Is there a better way to do this than with a fancy infographic? No, no there isn't. The infographic below shows the eight main series entries to date, spurning the...
Friday27th Sep 2013
News Awesome Mario Kart Trophies Added to Club Nintendo Europe
Four available for 5000 stars each
We suspect, based on our community game nights and events — they will return! — that Mario Kart 7 is pretty high on a number of favourite game lists. The franchise is also the classic multiplayer experience on Nintendo systems, successfully bringing out the most competitive instincts in players. Naturally, if...
Thursday10th Mar 2011
News Mario Kart Without Items Isn't Mario Kart, That Includes the Blue Shell
Hideki Konno explains the importance of its inclusion
We can't expect franchises to stay the same forever, but when the crowd-dividing Blue Shell was introduced to the Mario Kart series back in Mario Kart 64, maybe not all of us expected it to stay through to the modern day instalments. Hideki Konno is one of the main players behind the series,...
Sunday27th Apr 2008
News South Korea gets their own Virtual Console
Interestingly the Wii finally went on sale in South Korea for the first time yesterday on the 26th April. This wouldn’t normally be a news item for us but with the Wii launch comes a whole new Virtual Console region with different prices!
Let’s take a look at the launch games as listed on the Korean Nintendo site: Famicom / NES (400 Wii...
