============================================== .---. Best viewed in Notepad, courier New, / . \ 10pt, 800x600 resolution |\_/| | ============================================== | | /| .--------------------------------------------------------' | / .-. | | / \ | | |\_. | ______ ___ _____ | |\| | /| ___ |/ /______ ____________(_)______ | | `---' | __ /|_/ / _ __ `/__ ___/__ / _ __ \ | | | _ / / / / /_/ / _ / _ / / /_/ / | | | /_/ /_/ \__,_/ /_/ /_/ \____/ | | | ______ __ ___ _____________ __ | | | ___ //_/______ ___________ /_ __ ___/__ // / | | | __ ,< _ __ `/__ ___/_ __/ _ __ \ _ // /_ | | | _ /| | / /_/ / _ / / /_ / /_/ / /__ __/ | | | /_/ |_| \__,_/ /_/ \__/ \____/ /_/ | | | __ __ | | | /_ |_ | | | /__|UIDE | AQ | | | / | |---------------------------------------------------` | | By Delta \ | danzdelta@aol.com \ / Version 1.0 `---' 4 Jan 2001 ---COPYRIGHT INFO--------------------------------------------------------------- No one pays attention to anything thats at the bottom of my FAQ so maybe more people will actually listen if the notice is at the top. This FAQ can not be used for profit at all, not even I am bothered about making money. This means you can't sell it, or publish it in a magazine (that means you Future Publishing). Also, you can not put this up on your website without my permission first. I will say yes if you ask, otherwise if you dont ask, I will take action, and sue you for a fair amount of money. Sorry to those who check out my FAQS for great info on great games, but it had to be said. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ___________________ />-----------------<\ | ~C O N T E N T S~ | |>-----------------<| | 1. INTRODUCTION | | 2. BASIC INFO | | 3. POWERUPS | | 4. CHARACTERS | | 5. COURSES | | 6. CHEATS/SECRETS | | 7. CREDITS | \-------------------/ `-----------------' ******************************************************************************** 1) INTRODUCTION ******************************************************************************** Well, when I first got this game, about three years ago when I first got my N64. I thought it was actually quite rubbish, but when I got my mates over for a little tourney I realised the true potential of ther game. Ever since then, it was always the first multiplayer game to be played, until Goldeneye, and then Perfect Dark now. But for great racing games, for me, its not the realism, or the jaw dropping graphics, its the gameplay thats important. And Mario Karts gameplay is beyond any other racing game. The graphics were also great, although not now, compared to newer games. And sound effects were also more than decent. The multiplayer was phenomanol, with the versus mode and more than anything else the Battle Mode. The characters are all different and the courses are a great laugh when playing with four mates. Almost each one has a shortcut. The powerups are also great. ******************************************************************************** 2) TECHNIQUES AND OTHER STUFF ******************************************************************************** This section has a few things that you may not have noticed about Mario Kart and some techniques that you will need to learn to be a pro at the game and to unlock some of the cheats. ------------------- POWER SLIDE ------------------- You want to use this technique all of the time as it is the one you will need to use on some of the shortcuts, and to get the special computer ghosts, and most definately to beat them. This will change your speed considerably. To use it can be quite hard. First of all jump to the left or right and hold R.Move the control stick to the opposite way your turning and then back again three times. You'll notice the letters coming out the back of your car. These letters will change from White, yellow and then orange. If you let go when they're orange you will gain a slight boost. If you use the powerslide on every turn your time will be much better. When you get good enough you should be able to do the powerslide on even flat stretchs of road. ------------------- TURBO START ------------------- Just before the lights at the beginning of the race turn to blue hold the A button and you will get a large boost which should put you in the lead as the computer opponents never use it. Beware however because if you press the A button too early your car will skid on the spot which will most definately put you into last position. Also if you are lightweight do not charge into the back of heavier opponents as you will also spin on the spot, this means, that if you are heavier you want to try to bash into the lighter people. ------------------- SPEED TRICK ------------------- Couldn't think of a name to call this, but when you are behind an opponent and you can't seem to overtake him line your kart up directly behind him and you will see smoke come from the sides of your kart. This will give you a slight speed increase, which will let you get past him. ------------------- BANANA TRICK ------------------- Not a trick for using the banana but to recover from a banana. When you are going to slip on a banana quickly release the accelerator, and push down on the brake, then when the exclamation mark appears above your characters head push down on the accelerator again and you will have survived a banana slip. ------------------- CONTROLS ------------------- Control Stick - Moves your character around. D-Pad - None. Start - Pauses the Game. L - None. R - Jumps. Hold for power slide. A - Hold to accelerate. B - Brake. C-Left - None. C-Right - Changes between between the HUDS (Heads Up Display). C-Up - Switches between the two views. C-Down - Uses powerup. Z-trigger - Uses powerup. ------------------- GAME MODES ------------------- ---Mario GP--- This is a tournament, involving 8 racers. There are four cups availible, each with there own four courses. There is the Mushroom Cup, Flower Cup, Star Cup and the Special Cup. There are also four different difficultys, 50cc, 100cc, 150cc, and extra difficulty which is only availible once you complete each cup on the first three difficultys, (50cc, 100cc and 150cc). This is availible with 1 or 2 players. ---Time Trials--- This mode has no opponents unless you race your ghosts. You can choose any course you want and there is no difficulty ratings. You start the race with three mushrooms, and you race a full three laps, and it records your lap times and full race time. Note, that if Lakitu has to pick you up from somewhere your ghost cannot be saved. This is only availible on 1 player. ---Versus--- This mode is availible in 2,3 and 4 players. There are no computer opponents in this mode and you can only play your friends. There are all difficultys on this mode and you can pick any course you want. ---Battle--- This is the best part of the game. You battle against your friends, and you will all be trying to pop your friends three balloons with the powerups scattered around the four different levels. If you are playing on three player then the first person to die will become a bob-bomb, this person can drive around trying to run into the other people. But he can't use any powerups. On four player the first two people to die will turn to bombs. After a bomb has ran into a player the bombs life will be over for good. ******************************************************************************** 3) POWERUPS ******************************************************************************** None of the powerups at all are actually useless, they all have good points, even the pathetic banana although i would try my hardest to disagree, has its good points. But then, of course, there are quite a few powerups that are a lot better than others. But each is unique, well most of them anyways. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- GREEN SHELL A single green shell. If you hold the Z button then hold backwards and let go of the Z button it will be shoot backwards of the opponents behind you. Use it as a shield from other powerups. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MULTI GREEN SHELL Three greens shells that circle you. You can't shoot them backwards but if you shoot them really quickly in the same direction at a person, then they will be hit three times obviously but it will knock them further. Useful if you want to knock someone into water or the void. Also is useful as a shield since there are three of them. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- RED SHELL The red shell is the favorite among many as it can provide protection and when shot will home into the nearest enemy. Note that if they have something held behind them for protection then aim to the left or right of them so it will hit them from the side instead of from behind. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MULTI RED SHELL This is the ultimate weapon because it consists of three red shells that will home onto the nearest enemy and because it gives you protection from all sides of you. Same thing applies to the multi red shells, that if an enemy has a powerup behind it for protection then aim for the sides of them. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BANANA The single banana is probably the most useful item, because it is relatively easily to dodge and there is a trick that will allow people to run over them and not slip, see section 2, techniques. The best use for these is for protection. The best places to put these is at turns next to the edge of the map, so they will fall into the water or space nearby. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BANANA BUNCH The banana bunch is my personal favorite weapon, because if you place them all along the road nearby water or space, it will almost be impossible to dodge slipping them, and using the trick will not help as there will not be enough time to use the technique. The best way to place them is by getting hit, because it will make a nice patch of them, however, that can be too risky in most situations. Place them right behind you when someone is in your slipstream. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BOMB The bomb is not like most bombs you find in games, because this one is shaped just like the item pickup in the game. The only way its not the same is that the question mark is upside down. The best place to put these is right on top of a real item pickup. Or just within the bunch of them. So beware every time you go to get an item, as you may very well get a bad suprise. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- STAR The star will make flash when you use it, and it will make you invincible to any weapon, even the spiky blue shell. When you drive into the people it will hit them as if they had blown up. It will also make you drive a lot faster than you could previously, however it will run out after seconds. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- GHOST This will make you invisible for a limited time. It will also when you first use it, make you steal an item another player has, as long as they haven't brought it out ready to use. You will also be invulbnerable to any form of attack. It will only last for seconds though. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MUSHROOM BOOST The mushroom boost will very plainly give you a boost, similar to the one you get when you do the turbo start correctly. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRIPLE MUSHROOM BOOST Exactly the same as above except you get three mushrooms. The best places to use mushrooms are when you want to use a shortcut, but you need that bit more of speed. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TURBO BOOST This will give you unlimited boosts for a certain amount of time, not a certain amount of boosts, but time. This is most likely to be got when in last place as it will catch you up to anyone. But beware as you can't protect yourself from using, and most opponents will just hit you when you get past them. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SPIKEY BLUE SHELL This is like the Bfg in Quake games. The most powerful and least frequent weapon. What this does is, when you shoot it it will automatically lock onto first place, happiliy hitting everyone else in its way. It will be locked onto first place however, so it will hit others if you are in its way. If you are in first place it will usually turn and hit you. But sometimes it will just journey around the course, hitting everyone that is in its way. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ******************************************************************************** 4) CHARACTERS ******************************************************************************** There are a total of eight characters which are split into three categorys, lightweight, middleweight and heavyweight. _________________ / Lightweight \ (-------------------) ~Peach~ Peach is widely ignored, however her speed is phenomonal and she tends to jump further than all the other characters, which helps for some shortcuts. Her turning is also very good, and when you powerslide with her, she will gain slightly more speed, just not as much as Toad. ~Toad~ Toad has the much higher acceleration than the other characters, also he can jump quite far as well. He is though, the weakest character, and he gets bashed all the time. ~Yoshi~ Yoshi has the better handling of the lighweights, and he also tends to bounce off walls without rolling, more often. He has a relatively high speed and good acceleration. His powerslides are faster than the other lightweights. __________________ / Middleweight \ (--------------------) ~Mario~ Mario is the good alround character, he and Luigi are very similar. Mario tends to be slightly stronger than Luigi, and Mario Kart is no exception. Mario has relative turning and moderate speed. ~Luigi~ Luigi has slightly better handling and acceleration than Mario. However speed and strengh is where Luigi falls below Mario. However, I much rather prefer Luigi, because he is an outspoken character. __________________ / Heavyweight \ (--------------------) ~Donkey Kong~ Donkey Kong's speed is the only thing you notice, apart from his strengt bonus. However all the heavyweights are strong, so Donkey Kong is the fastest, except his acceleration which is poor. ~Wario~ Wario is the only human heavyweight, which means he's the weakest heavyweight. His handling is the best of the heavyweights, and so is his acceleration. His speed is what really lets him down though. ~Bowser~ Bowser's handling and speed are his main strengths, but his acceleration is what lets him down. Plus he is not as strong as DK. For battle I usually choose him, because of his good speed and turning. ******************************************************************************** 5) COURSES ******************************************************************************** The courses are split into 4 courses, per four cups. Each cup gets harder as you get farther. For example the first cups ratings are 1,2,3 and 3. Compared to the last cups ratings, 1,3,4 and 5. Most of the courses have their own shortcut(s). I have also provided tips for each courses, which should help both in single and multiplayer. __________________________________ ---===M U S H R O O M C U P===--- ================================== DIFFICULTY RATINGS: Luigi Raceway - 1/5 Moo Moo Farm - 3/5 Koopa Troopa Beach - 2/5 Kalimari Desert - 3/5 ----------------- <>Luigi Raceway<> ================= This is the first, and easiest of the courses. Most of the course is just the track on the outside and the grass on the inside. The only exception is the tunnel, which contains an item spot. The Hot air balloon near the start has a Blue Spikey Shell on the bottom of it. However you have to jump for it only when the balloon lowers down enough. ITEM AREAS - 3 BOB-BOMBS - 5 ------------ ShortCuts ------------ 1) This is my worst shortcut, and I have only succesfully done it a few times. Maybe you'll have some luck and actually do it. This will cut off the big final corner of your lap. When you exit the tunnel, there will be a grey wall to your left that joins to a brick wall. Use a mushroom or two then speed towards the brick wall side of the corner, as soon as you bounce of the wall press and hold the jump button. The kart will get stuck on the wall, and Lakitu should pick you up and drop you off near the finish line. This is extremely hard to pull off. ------------ Tips ------------ - It is possible to use power slides non stop on this course, and if you do you can pull off really fast times on Time Trials. - Stay on the actually track and don't try to skip some of the course by cutting across the grass or sand, as it will only slow you down a lot. ---------------- <>Moo Moo Farm<> ================ This is one of my favorite courses, because it is the only one with the patches of moles that jump up and down constantly. That is the only thing that makes this course unique, however the bridge at the end is a great place for planting bananas and bombs. ITEM AREAS - 4 BOB-BOMBS - 5 MOLE AREAS - 3 ------------ Shortcuts ------------ None to my knowledge. ------------ Tips ------------ - Stay away from the moles as if you get hit off one, you will most likely be hit off another two or three as soon as you get back to ground. - Plant bananas and bombs in between the bridge stands where you drive through, as people will either have to slow down or they will slip, either way is good for you. ---------------------- <>KOOPA TROOPA BEACH<> ====================== This is another favorite course, because of the shortcuts and a lot of ramps and water. There are also a lot of items. You are also guarenteed to get a blue shell by going up the large ramp and getting the item on the top. Only do this if you either quite far behind or ahead. ITEM AREAS - 7 BOB-BOMBS - 5 RAMPS - 8 ------------ ShortCuts ------------ 1) Very obvious. Where there are three ramps followed by one ramp, there is a cave in the wall, you will probably need a boost to get in, unless you've got Toad. You will end up coming out of the Waterfall. 2) Before you go through the large archway, before the three ramps, if you to right of the arch and around you will notice the sea starts to go outwards, revealing a track across to the other side of the water. ------------ Tips ------------ - To get the blue shell, I have always needed a mushroom except when I am Toad or Peach. Because you have to jump quite far, and it is hard without a mushroom. - Place bananas at the top of the ramp to get into shortcut 1, and also in between the trees next to the waterfall. You can also use bombs instead of bananas. ------------------- <>Kalimari Desert<> =================== A desert track with railways interlacing with the track, which means that there gonna be trains crashing into unfortunate players. Not a very interesting track, even on multiplayer. Not a one I play often. ITEM AREAS - 3 BOB-BOMBS - 5 ------------ Shortcuts ------------ 1) After the second crossing turn left immediately and use any boost you have, stay near to the railway track and you'll eventually get to the road, If your boost runs out, then use a powerslide to get back onto the road. ------------ Tips ------------ - The best places to place bananas is before the train crossings so if anyone is trying to rush over before the train comes they will slip straight into the train, head on. Ouch! - Remember that the trains hurt, so no matter what slow down when you think your gonna hit it. Don't worry because the computer opponents will definately stop. ______________________________ ---===F L O W E R C U P===--- ------------------------------ DIFFICULTY RATINGS: Toads Turnpike - 5/5 Frappe Snowland - 3/5 Choco Mountain - 2/5 Mario Raceway - 2/5 ------------------ <>Toads Turnpike<> ================== A dangerous highways full of lorrys, cars and buses. Beware on this track however because it is easy to get knocked into the vehicles. All the items are in the sorta parking spaces at the sides every now and then. ITEM AREAS - 4 BOB-BOMBS - 5 ------------ ShortCuts ------------ 1) Look on the map and drive along to the junction - when you reach this part of the course, turn hard right and jump into the barrier. If succesful, your kart should get caught in the barrier and Lakitu will come and fish you out. Wait until Lakitu drops you back down and immediately press A and B, hold right on the joypad and when your kart turns right to face the barrier again, release the B button. Now is the tricky part, you must time your jump perfectly so that your kart leaps over the barrier. If you do all this correctly, you will land in a lake and Lakitu will rescue you once more, although this time he will place you much farther along the track. ------------ Tips ------------ - Place bananas in the middle of the track, that way when people slip on them, they will always slip in the vehicles direction. - Place bombs where the other ones are, at the side as they are harder to spot. - Beware when using boosts because it is very easy to stray away and into a vehicle. ------------------- <>Frappe Snowland<> =================== Quite a good course. Can be very aggravating when you drive around a corner to meet a happy little snowman who will be more than happy to blow up in your face. There is a tricky bit where there are lots of snowman all in one big area. Before the finish line there is a wooden bridge, where you can be knocked into quite easily. ITEM AREAS - 3 BOB-BOMBS - 5 ------------ ShortCuts ------------ 1) This is the best, and one of the easiest shortcuts to do. You can get a lap time of 20 seconds using this. When you start, turn around, and drive onto the bridge. Turn around again. Now on the top right corner of the bridge there are three different textures, the bridge, road and the snow off the road. From on the bridge you have to jump onto the snow off the road. Then drive so your past the finish line, then far away from the actual track, so that Lakitu will pick you up. He will then place you before the finish line. If done correctly when you pass the finish line, you will be on the next lap. Do this two more times to finish the race. ------------ Tips ------------ - To get through the snowman maze quickest, go straight through to the right of the first middle snowman. - Place bananas on the bridge at the end, or in the snowman maze. ------------------ <>CHOCO MOUNTAIN<> ================== Quite an interesting map, not exactly a chocolate course, but the walls and ground are brown. Theres nowhere to stray from the road except the large turn near the end where you can fall off below. Beware on that large turn however, because there will be boulders falling from above onto you, and if they hit you, you will be squashed and will most certainly stall you for about five seconds which doesn't seem like a lot but it is when racing against opponents. Note that on 50cc there are gates around the boulder dropping area, but on the others there is no barrier. ITEM AREAS - 3 BOB-BOMBS - 5 ------------ ShortCuts ------------ 1) Before you go round the large turn at the end, watch to your left for the grey slabbed wall, this is where the track later on is. Turn to face the end bit of the grey wall, and use a mushroom. As soon as you hit the wall press the Jump Button (R). ------------ Tips ------------ - Watch out the boulder area, because there are usually no gates and when people panic they will either knock you into a boulder or even worse, into the sorta quarry pit below. - On the last five or so bumps before the finish line becareful of hidden bombs or bananas, because they can be hard to spot, also try to control your jumps because if you dont you will hit the walls on the sides and roll down them, which will most likely lose you the race. ----------------- <>MARIO RACEWAY<> ================= One of the best courses, mostly because of its famous shortcut, and also the overall look of the course. The pipe at the end is a great place for filling with bananas and the sort because to dodge them they will have to go across the grass at the sides, which will slow them down a lot. ITEM AREAS - 3 BOB-BOMBS - 5 ------------ ShortCuts ------------ 1) The most famous shortcut of them all, and probably the hardest as well. I'll try to explain as best I can. Speed around the first few corners until you get to a section on the right which is raised slightly above the rest. You must now turn hard right and use a speed boost, then as you reach the highest point of the track jump, and you will sail over the wall. You can go to the right or the left of the central wall. The right will give you a better shortcut though. ------------ Tips ------------ - Litter the green pipe at the end with bombs and bananas because they are hard to dodge, and if someone doesn't go through the tunnel they will lose all their speed going over the grass area. - Beware where the sand is because there is a hard left before the green pipe. Slow down if you need to because if you go into the flower or onto the sand you will lose a lot of speed and time. __________________________ ---===S T A R C U P===--- -------------------------- DIFFICULTY RATINGS: Wario Stadium - 2/5 Sherbet Land - 4/5 Royal Raceway - 3/5 Bowsers Castle - 5/5 ----------------- <>WARIO STADIUM<> ================= This is my favorite course by far, full of very easy shortcuts and lots of bumps. There are a lot of trouble areas, including the first four bumps at the starting point. After this there is a large jump with a bunch of items at the bottom. The next main area is the very wide track with loads of small bumps, that will make your handling go crazy if your going fast. After this there are another two large bumps followed by another five small ones. The next bit is the very large jump that go's over the track from before. Then you have a few bumps when you land. The last part is a tight U-Turn followed by a nice straight run to the finish line. ITEM AREAS - 6 BOB-BOMBS - 5 ------------ ShortCuts ------------ 1) At the beginning of the lap, you can jump over the wall to your left from any of the four bumps. 2) After you have jumped over the first shortcut you will be in the wide area of track with loads of bumps. Look to where the starting grid flag is. You have to jump over the wall so that you get to the right of the flag. You can use a powerslide to get over, but if your not good with using them, then you can use any boost or star to get over. ---------------- <>SHERBET LAND<> ================ Sherbet land is one of the most dangerous courses because of the penguins and the icy waters on the side of the road. Don't crash into the penguins because they will most certainly knock you into the icy waters, which are worse than water because you will be frozen when you get out of the water. You will lose 10 seconds if you fall into the waters. The cave in the course has an item area and four ice pillars with two penguins walking round each one of them. ITEM AREAS - 4 BOB-BOMBS - 5 PENGUINS - 14 ------------ ShortCuts ------------ None to my knowledge. ------------ Tips ------------ - It is possible to skip the turns considerably by jumping a small gap over the water, on the corner. However, be very careful because if you dont make it and fall into the icy water you will pay the price. ----------------- <>ROYAL RACEWAY<> ================= A large and not very exciting course. The only good bit is when you jump the lake and land next to Princess Peachs castle. The really hard bit of this course is the turn near the end where you will roll into the lake 80% of the time, until you get the hang of the turn. ITEM AREAS - 4 BOB-BOMBS - 5 ------------ ShortCuts ------------ 1) Quite a good shortcut if you can pull it off. About three quarters of the way around the lap, you will get to the jump with two turbo boosts. When you reach the top of this ramp, jump hard left and you will soar over the water and crash on the bank at the other side, near the hard turn I was talking about before. Lakitu should pick you up and place you a few yards from the finishing line. I found this shortcut very unpredictable and personally wouldn't recommend using it to often. ------------ Tips ------------ - On the first few turns of the course, try to stay on the outer side of the road to avoid getting hit by shells and falling into the lake. - When you are on the jump ramp, place loads of bananas on the turbo boosters because the boosters are partly yellow. When someone slips on the banana they will fall to the lake below and have to start the jump again, wasting valuable time. ------------------ <>BOWSERS CASTLE<> ================== This is the hardest, well trickiest course anyways. The hardest parts of the course are probably the very small lava bridge thats inside the castle because people will knock into you, therefore knocking you off and into the lava. Also the spiral tower because of the amount of people with shells and bananas and the overall bad control of your vehicle you will have. On the last jump at the end of course jump to the left of the block tower because it is faster than jumping to the right. Another trouble spot is when you go down the stairs into the courtyard because you dont get much control over your kart. Remember the blocks will sqash you if you are under them at the time they drop. ITEM AREAS - 3 BOB-BOMBS - 5 BLOCKS - 7-11 (varies according to difficulty) ------------ ShortCuts ----------- None to my knowledge. ------------ Tips ------------ - Place bananas and bombs on the small lava bridge in the castle because they are impossible to dodge, unless you vitually stop to drive around them. - Another good place for bananas is on the spiral tower near the right hand wall, because most people will be going fast and will be completely unable to dodge it. Also before any of the two jumps near the end is a good place so they will slip and fall into the scalding lava. - When you get the star, be aware that you can drive right into the blocks and bushes around the level and you will blow them up, which will totally clear the way. ________________________________ ---===S P E C I A L C U P===--- -------------------------------- DIFFICULTY RATINGS: DK's Jungle Parkway - 3/5 Yoshi Valley - 5/5 Banshee Boardwalk - 4/5 Rainbow Road - 1/5 ----------------------- <>DK's Jungle Parkway<> ======================= This course tends to play faster than others, meaning you move a lot faster and so does everything else. Be careful when straying off the road because there are little sort of coconuts that are fired at you, that will knock you all over the place. The jump with the turbo booster can not be done when you are shrunk so dont even try. The bridge before the cavern at the end is perfect for bombs or bananas and the small slopey road in the cavern can be cut. ITEM AREAS - 5 BOB-BOMBS - 5 ------------ Shortcuts ------------ 1) Where the ramp is that circles round, don't waste time going all the round. Just use some sort of speed enhancement to jump the hill and fence, to land right in front of the ramp. ------------ Tips ------------ - When on the jump dont try and get as far to the right as you can because you won't have enough space to turn around, IF you actually land on the ground. If you jump onto the large semi circle area you will have plenty of time and space to turn around, plus, if you have a weapon you can blast the people who are trying to around into the water. ---------------- <>YOSHI VALLEY<> ================ This can be really aggravating, or the best course ever. For me, its kinda in the middle. There are plenty of different routes to take on this course, and some are obviously better than others. The best way to plan your route is to look at the map. There is a large floating yoshi egg guarding the bridge at the end which will sqash you if you get under it. To get past it driving round it is usually the best thing to do. ITEM AREAS - 7 BOB-BOMBS - 5 HEDGEHOG AREAS - 3 ------------ Shortcuts ------------ 1) After the point where all the routes meet up, you can miss off the first bend, by jumping on to the track right to the left of it, but make sure you're going relatively slow, otherwise you will fall off the cliff. You must your brakes as soon as you touch the ground on the other track. ------------ Tips ------------ - This is the quickest route through the maze of roadways. Once you cross the bridge into the valley turn right then left straight away. Keep going straight over this small bridge. Now watch out for the hedgehogs here up the ramp. Jump off the ramp hard to the left to avoid hitting the wall, and you are on the main piece of track where you perform the shortcut 1. - Place bananas on the very thin, narrow track to the left at the junction. Also on the various bridges, and anywhere where there aren't any railings. --------------------- <>BANSHEE BOARDWALK<> ===================== I personally don't like this course. Probably because I always lose on it. Its basically a course of walkways over water. There is also a castle sorta building that houses two hunches of bats that come out of a large bin when you get near. Also watch for a bob-bomb at one of the item bunches, because it is hiding behind them, where you can't see it till it comes out, and, BAMM!! ITEM AREAS - 4 BOB-BOMBS - 5 BAT AREAS - 2 ------------ Shortcuts ------------ None to my knowledge. ------------ Tips ------------ - Place bananas almost anywhere where there is no barriers at the side. Same with bombs as well - Try to stray as far as possible from the bats because they will slow you down quite a lot. ---------------- <>RAINBOW ROAD<> ================ My god. This is the first game I've played when the last level is the worst out of them all. God this level is both boring and long. Why did Nintendo use this in the whole game?! Simply, one big stretch of rainbow coloured road in the middle of space. The only hazard is the few space dogs that roam the course. But even they are easy to dodge. ITEM AREAS - 9 BOB-BOMBS - 5 SPACE DOGS - 5 ------------ Shortcuts ------------ 1) Thank god theres at least a shorcut that skips half the course. At the beginning, when the big drop starts you have to use a powerslide or boost, if you have one. And jump over the barrier as soon as you can, then watch yourself fly through space until you get to the stretch of track ahead of you. Try and land on it and then slam the brakes down when you land so you dont bounce over the next barriers. Can be very tricky. You just have to figure out where bouts to jump from at the beginning. ------------ Tips ------------ - Use the shortcut as much as possible, dodge the dogs and just drive as fast as you can. Thats it. ******************************************************************************** 6) CHEATS AND SECRETS ******************************************************************************** There are a few cheats, and secrets in Mario Kart 64. Not as many as most people would have wanted, but still its enough to keep you going, especially the Course Ghosts. ------------- Course Ghosts ------------- These are incredibly hard to get, and twice as hard to beat. To get them you must beat the following times on each course in Time Trial mode to unlock them. LUIGI RACEWAY 1:52:00 - You will be able to race the Luigi ghost. MARIO RACEWAY 1:30:00 - You will be able to race the Mario ghost. ROYAL RACEWAY 2:40:00 - You will be able to race the Peach ghost. *You will need to use powerslides non stop to beat these ghosts because thats exactly what they do. You have to use them on turns two or three times each, and constantly on straight stretchs of track. ------------- EXTRA MODE ------------- The extra mode comes after the 150cc option and will set you against racers as normal, except, you will be driving the courses backwards! Note that the difficulty is still 150cc, so you will still slip whenever you turn too much. ******************************************************************************** 7) CREDITS ******************************************************************************** In my time of glory I would just like to thank the following...... Nintendo - Mario Kart 64 among other great games. Shigeru Miyamoto - For being the greatest games developer of all time. Me - For writing this FAQ. Limp Bizkit - For making great music that I listen to while writing FAQs. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Same as above. .:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._ .:*~*:.