MARIO KART 64 FAQ
From the people who brought you the self-titled Banjo-Kazooie FAQ,
thespences!
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I. Introduction
II. The Cups
III. The Drivers
IV. The Techniques
V. The Items
VI. The Tracks
VII. Battle Mode
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I. Introduction
This is the one, the only, the BEST FAQ for Mario Kart 64 on the web!
Well....maybe not, but it ranks among the top three! Just try to read
this, because I tried very hard on this Faq. If you have read my BK Faq,
you know how good my work is.
II. The Cups
The Cups are different classifications and, some might say, the
difficulty levels of the game. Here they are!
MUSHROOM CUP
Luigi Raceway
Moo Moo Farm
Koopa Troopa Beach
Kalimari Desert
The 'Shroom Cup is the "easy setting". Consisting of the shortest
courses in the game, this should be no problem for beginners!
FLOWER CUP
Toad's Turnpike
Frappe Snowland
Choco Mountain
Mario Raceway
A moderate cup, this has a highway, a blizzard, a mountain, and our
star's home track. A likable one by beginners and experts alike!
STAR CUP
Wario Stadium
Sherbet Land
Royal Raceway
Bowser's Castle
This is a tough cup, holding the second longest course in the game. Try
at your own risk!
SPECIAL CUP
D.K.'s Jungle Parkway
Yoshi Valley
Banshee Boardwalk
Rainbow Road
I recommend this cup to only the brave. Coconut throwing monkeys,
porcupines, bats, and Chomp-Chomps inhabit these courses. Only for the
brave, I repeat, only for the brave!
III: The Drivers
Drivers have certain classes, and with these classes, advantages &
disadvantages. Here they are!
LIGHTWEIGHTS
Peach, Toad, and Yoshi are the Lightweights. They have high
acceleration, but low top speed. If they don't slide into turns, they
loose a lot of speed. Since they are Lightweight, Heavyweight Karters
tend to push them around and they spin Lightweights out.
MIDDLEWEIGHTS
Mario and Luigi fall into the Middleweights catergory. Middleweights
don't have any major pros or cons, except that they have the slowest
acceleration of any class.
HEAVYWEIGHTS
Wario, DK, and Bowser are the heaviest characters. Poor acceleration,
but high top speed to make up for it. Also, they like to push around
other characters. Bowser has an added advantage: his spiked shell!
IV: The Techniques
Techniques range from power slide to grating jump. All are cool. Check
'em out!
POWER SLIDE
To power slide, hold R on a corner and wiggle the analog stick from left
to right until the E in the smoke turns red, then release R.
ROCKET BOOST
To rocket boost, press A as soon as the second light on the starting
light disappears.
REVERSE
To reverse, press B and back on the stick at the same time.
SPIN TURN
To spin turn, hold A & B and the direction you want to turn.
GRATING JUMP
In Skyscraper Battle Mode, build up speed and drive up a grating. You
should clear it!
V: The Items
Items are obtained from rainbow boxes with a ? on them. You can get 14
different items. These Items are listed from least to greatest power.
Green Shell--A Green Shell is a "projectile" weapon. You can launch it
in front of you, but it could ricochet and hit you! A way to prevent
this is to hold back on the control stick while shooting. You can also
continually hold Z and take out any Karts behind you!
Green Shell Shield--Press Z for three Green Shells to revolve around
you. You can throw them off one at a time by pressing Z. This acts as
protection from enemy Karts, bananas, and Fake Item Boxes.
Red Shell--A Red Shell is like a homing missle, but it can't take turns
very well. Wario Stadium is a good place to use Red Shells, because all
the turns are gradual. Sharp turns will cause a Red Shell to crash into
the wall.
Red Shell Shield--Same as Green Shell Shield, only the shells home in on
enemies.
Single Mushroom--A Single 'Shroom gives you a speed boost.
Triple Mushroom--A Single Mushroom x3.
Banana--When you lay this down, a slippery road lays ahead or behind the
racers. Throw a banana ahead of you by moving up on the control stick
while throwing.
Bolt--A Bolt is a very sneaky weapon. Use it when you're in last to
shrink all the racers and make them slow down. You can run them over
like this!
Boo--Boo steals an item and makes you invisible.
Super Star--A Super Star speeds you up and makes you invincible.
Unfortunatley, you can't be invincible and invisible at the same time. :
(
Fake Item Box--A Fake Item Box, or Bad Box, as I like to call them, is
identical to a real item box except for one miniscule difference: an
upside-down ?. A Fake Item Box is probably the sneakiest weapon in the
game.
Hyper Mushroom--You can use a Hyper 'Shroom multiple times before it
runs out, but don't do a blast in the middle of a speed boost, or the
motor will choke up.
Banana Bunch--A Banana Bunch is the same as a Banana, except it can be
used five times.
Spiky Shell--A Spiky Shell is the best, and rarest, item in the game.
This item flies towards the leading player, taking out all in-between.
Just don't be in first when you fire this, or it's going to be puree of
you for dinner!
VI: The Tracks
This is probably my favorite section. Here come our tracks!
MUSHROOM CUP
Luigi Raceway
Length: 717 meters
Our favorite miscredited brother has his own...raceway. This is one of
the shortest courses in the game, and the only genuine way to get a
Spiky Shell. A Luigi balloon appears on the track after the first lap.
Press R to jump and grab the Item Box it is dangling. Don't stop the box
cycle, and a genuine Spiky Shell awaits your use!
Moo Moo Farm
Length: 527 meters
This mole-ridden farm doesn't look like a good place for a raceway, but
Nintendo needed a weird place to race. Near the end of the track, there
is a bridge. Try to go for the gap on the very right side. This will
chop off a lot of time!
Koopa Troopa Beach
Length: 691 meters
This place is crabby, but it holds one of the best shortcuts in the
game. In the middle of the course, there is a series of ramps. A thin
ramp lays at the end. Use a Mushroom to make it up the ramp and into a
tunnel. You can pass at least 20% of the course this way.
Kalimari Desert
Length: 527 meters
A train runs through this course at two points here. At the first
crossing, turn right onto the tracks and drive to the second crossing--
but watch out for Engine 64!!!
FLOWER CUP
Toad's Turnpike
Length: 1,036 meters
This place really is a turnpike, with tanker trucks and everything! A
string of five mini-bomb Karts greets you as you pull into the lane.
People always like to drop Fake Item Boxes in the middle of the road,
but don't be fooled. ITEM BOXES ALWAYS COME IN GROUPS!!!! If you see a
singular one, it's FAKE!
Frappe Snowland
Length: 734 meters
Snow, snow and did I mention snow? Also, EXPLOSIVE SNOWMEN! A field of
them lies in the middle of the track. No matter how cute they look,
they're dangerous. Contact with a snowman can put you from 1st place to
8th place, with a lot of room in-between the pack and you!
Choco Mountain
Length: 687 meters
Choco Mountain---sounds delicious, right? Do rocks and a ravine sound
tasty? Didn't think so. A guardrail prevents you from falling into the
ravine, but only in 50cc class! 100, 150, and Extra have no rail, and in
Extra mode, the track curves right instead of left!
Mario Raceway
Length: 567 meters
Mario Raceway has the BIGGEST SHORTCUT in the game!!! Time Trials Mode
is the easiest way to access this. Activate a mushroom at the very edge
of the road, right before the big mushroom. Jump the second before you
gun your motor with the 'Shroom. An easy 20 second lap is possible!
STAR CUP
Wario Stadium
Length: 1,591 meters
This is Wario's home course, and with all the bumps and jumps, we can
see why! At the monster jump, get a Bolt and activate it just as the
racers are about to jump. They won't make it over, but you will!
Sherbet Land
Length: 756 meters
Sherbet Land has these pesky little penguins that slide around. If you
crash into them, you spin out! Another hint is to try and push opponents
into the water. They will end up coming out in a block of ice.
Royal Raceway
Length: 1,025 meters
Princess Toadstool, or PEACH, would love it here, because you can take a
side route to her castle! After the booster jump, there is a yellow path
to your right (or left, if you're in Extra Mode). This has Peach's
castle in it!
Bowser's Castle
Length: 777 meters
As Bowser would say, "Ahh, the sweet scent of boiling lava. It's so good
to be home!" That's exactly what covers the course--LAVA! Push the other
Karters into the lava, but don't fall in yourself, especially on the
narrow bridge in the course's tower.
SPECIAL CUP
DK's Jungle Parkway
Length: 893 meters
DK was never a kind racer, and his course proves it! Two hints for this
course are: (1) Shrink the racers with the Bolt just before the booster
arrow. (2) Place Fake Item Boxes and Bananas on the narrow bridge near
the end of the course.
Yoshi Valley
Length: 772 meters
Do you think Yoshi's mind is twisted? After this course you will! A
shorter track is hidden in this course. Turn left when entering the
canyon, then turn right at the next fork. At the last fork, turn left.
At the place where the track comes so close together that you can jump
it, do it!
Banshee Boardwalk
Length: 747 meters
Ghosts inhabit this track, and they don't take kindly to strangers! At
the ghost house, an Item Box is hiding behind the chest of bats. Don't
go for it. The fork at the beginning of the ghost house has a star hole
to the left and bats to the right. Jump over the fragment of the hole
that you pass for a shortcut.
Rainbow Road
Length: 2,000 meters!
Neon faces of our racers can easily distract you, leaving you open to be
Chomp-Chomp fodder. If you go fast enough on the hill at the beginning
of the track, you can FLY! Keep your control stick completely straight,
or you will swerve out of bounds.
VII: Battle Mode
Battle Mode is a very cool option, but you only get four of them. Here
they are!
BIG DONUT
A lava bath is what you'll take; so sayeth Bowser, DK, and Wario.
Heavyweights are ideal for any battle course. Hide behind the walls to
ambush racers with Stars or Shells. Also, try to place Bananas near the
edge of the lava.
BLOCK FORT
Shells are the importance of this course. Blast from the start, get a
few items, then drive up the blocks. If you get shells, fire them down
below. Somebody has to fall eventually! The only problem with this is
that shells tend to collide and destroy themselves.
DOUBLE DECK
This course should really be named QUADRUPLE DECK. The key in this
course is to lay Fake Iems with real items. The trick is to hold Z until
you reach an item box group, then release it when you get an item. Try
to remember where you put them, though, or you will be losing balloons
before you can say Mama Mia!
SKYSCRAPER
This is really fun, because you could lay a banana peel at a grating,
and wait for a person to slip on it. When they recover, they won't have
enough time to turn, so they fall of of the skyscraper and lose another
balloon, just like in Big Donut! Also, ambush players by using the
grating jump technique when you're armed with a Red Shell!
