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Best viewed in Notepad, courier New, / . \
10pt, 800x600 resolution |\_/| |
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/ .-. |
| / \ |
| |\_. | ______ ___ _____ |
|\| | /| ___ |/ /______ ____________(_)______ |
| `---' | __ /|_/ / _ __ `/__ ___/__ / _ __ \ |
| | _ / / / / /_/ / _ / _ / / /_/ / |
| | /_/ /_/ \__,_/ /_/ /_/ \____/ |
| | ______ __ ___ _____________ __ |
| | ___ //_/______ ___________ /_ __ ___/__ // / |
| | __ ,< _ __ `/__ ___/_ __/ _ __ \ _ // /_ |
| | _ /| | / /_/ / _ / / /_ / /_/ / /__ __/ |
| | /_/ |_| \__,_/ /_/ \__/ \____/ /_/ |
| | __ __ |
| | /_ |_ |
| | /__|UIDE | AQ |
| | /
| |---------------------------------------------------`
| | By Delta
\ | danzdelta@aol.com
\ / Version 1.1
`---' 9 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.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---VERSION HISTORY--------------------------------------------------------------
1.0 - First release.
1.1 - Added the glitches section, thanks to Itsamepete for the glitches.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
___________________
/>-----------------<\
| ~C O N T E N T S~ |
|>-----------------<|
| 1. INTRODUCTION |
| 2. BASIC INFO |
| 3. POWERUPS |
| 4. CHARACTERS |
| 5. COURSES |
| 6. CHEATS/SECRETS |
| 7. GLITCHES |
| 8. 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 chomps that roam the course. But
even they are easy to dodge.
ITEM AREAS - 9
BOB-BOMBS - 5
CHOMPS - 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 chomps 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) GLITCHES
********************************************************************************
Thanks to Itsamepete for these great glitches from his FAQ. There is no way I
could have found these out on my own.
1) Luigi Raceway
You can use the Spiny Shell Trick here, just park him at the place where
the gray wall in the middle of the course meets the round brick wall,
after making him do one lap to get the balloon down. You can also use the
technique that will be described later.
2) Moo Moo Farm
Only the technique that will be later told of in detail can be utilized
here.
3) Koopa Beach
A) The spiny shell trick works here, just park the guy in the tunnel. (I
find it easier to drive him in the wrong way; the waterfall. You can use
the green rock to get spinies, which brings us to
B) You can hop the back of the green rock to grab a spiny shell. Works
well in conjunction with the Spiny Shell Trick.
C) You can hop up the walls into the middle of the course in at least 2
different places. You'll land in water and Lakitu will pull you out.
c1) In between the last two ramps, there's a spot where you can hop up
the rocks.
c2) The other one that I know of is behind the Koopa Rock's behind. At
the top there's a little moss where to show where you can go up, but it
actually spreads out a bit so you'll have to look carefully.
D) I'm not sure how to do this, as it happened by accident, but you can
get stuck in between two trees near the waterfall. Yoshi just kinda drove
thru and got trapped, constantly bumping and rotating until he got knocked
out. We've tried to recreate this trick, but haven't succeeded.
4) Kalimari Desert
A) You can do the Spiny Shell Trick here, just put the guy in the train
tunnel.
B) There are actually 2 trains. The manual, Nintendo Power, and others
say there's only one, but there are two! We found this out by having
Peach tail one train, and Yoshi sit at the crossing, watching the trains
go by.
5) Toad's Turpike
A) Only the Technique described later works here. With it, you can fly
thru the walls, anywhere.
6) Frappe Snowland
There's only a few here, but they have so many variations it's almost like
having many more.
A) At the first jump, (the only one) if you jump over to the left without
touching any snow on the way and landing in the said object, then you can
continue the drive 'til Lakitu picks you up. He'll then try to put you
back on the track, but get stuck and eventually drop you behind the
starting line. By driving to different places in the snow on the left of
the rack, possibly even getting to the other side of the river, you can
adjust how high Lakitu takes you before dropping you. You can even get
him to take you up so high that you can see to the end of the track's
world. This is a back cut, not a shortcut.
B) At the first jump, (the only one) if you jump over to the right without
touching any snow on the way there and driving until you reach the tree,
Lakitu will pick you up and try to put you back on the track, but will get
stuck. He will then (if correctly executed) will drop you in the river.
But not in the ordinary way. You'll fall into a void, and the only way to
get out is to have someone else jump in on you. You can get a variation
on this by going to the left with the difference of not being able to get
out. Ever. Note: when you are in the void, you are actually underneath
the finish line, so shells will do some fancy stuff to try to get you. In
fact, they'll stay there.
C) This trick has only worked in a 4P game with 2P. If you drive to just
past (I'm thinking like a scale inch) the end of the bridge, into the
snow, and then the water, Lakitu will put you down ina spot on the bridge
that isn't really there; you'll fall back in to the water. You can always
leave, but it's interesting. Especially if you try to start up before
you're down and spin out. With all the other players, we just couldn't
get in, except for one weird part; the bridge has a spot, where, if you're
driving at the right time, will drop you into the water. It may have
something to do with our trying ti fall thru the bridge repeatedly, but. .
.
D) You can hop up to the top of the walls of the canyon by going first to
where the walls start to form. Hop repeatedly and don't stray to far from
the edge.
E) Because you can drive so far without touching the road in this track,
you can get really far away from where you started and get picked up by
Lakitu, to be put down far away again.
F) You can also drive around the Yoshi snowman, but can't climb it.
7) Choco Mountain
A) At the place along the long curve, where the wall on the left turns
dark, after the items, where the Mts. on the right are striped, you can
climb up them to the top, where you fall in. You can do this all along
'Caramel Mt.' after the first spot.
B) At the 'falling rocks' sign, if you turn left, you can hop up the Mt.
after the part that juts out. You can even see a part of the track that
lies ahead.
C) At the next 'falling rocks' sign, there's a tiny spot in the wall which
is just unsteep enough to climb. You can go pretty far horizontally
before your fingers tire out and you drop, or you can just go up and fall
in.
D) At the place where the track crosses over itself, after the big yellow
signs, you can hop down to the track below. This is not a shortcut. You
can get there by climbing the hills on the left of the track with the big
humps. You'll have to go horizontally a bit before you're over the track
below, but it's possible.
E) At the place just after the item boxes, you can climb up on the right
to a plateau where you'll spin around and flip over until Lakitu pulls you
off. You can even rotate up there if you go up at an angle.
F) Right after the tunnel, if you turn around, you'll see the Mario Kart
banner that's above the finish line. But if you go up to the finish line,
you won't be able to see down there, or even how you could see up to where
you are. There's a wall there!
G) I've never seen him do it, but my bro says he can get up to the track
at the place before Boulder Curve, right after the big bump, with a
mushroom. This would be a good shortcut, and you may want to look in to
it.
8) Mario Raceway
A) The shortcut. If you drive along the road until you come to the last
turn before the hairpin with the big mushroom, you can drive up the hill a
bit, drive down, use a mushroom as you hit the road, turn a little to the
right and jump. This can send you over the wall, into the field on the
other side. What a shortcut!
B) You can do the Spiny Shell Trick here, just park the guy at the first
corner, off to the left. This causes the shells to take a strange, wavy
course.
C) I haven't done it, but many say they can get eaten by a Pirahna plant.
D) You can also use the technique described below.
9) Wario Stadium
A) At the first set of humps, you can leap over the wall to left and a
part of the track ahead. This is a shortcut.
B) After taking the first shortcut, or driving this far, you can jump up
the arrow wall at the next turn, and Lakitu will put you down on the other
side, farther ahead. This is a shortcut.
C) After the item depression, and at the arrow wall, you jump over the
arrow wall itself, skipping the big jump entirely. This is a shortcut.
D) If you cant get C, after the big jump, drive strait into and over the
wall to the finish line. If you take the first three shortcuts every time
in Time Trial, your time will be under 2'30"00. Or it should be.
E) You can take every one of the aforementioned shortcuts backwards. You
can actually jump
over almost any wall there is in Wario Stadium.
F) At the big jump, you can turn left (or even right) and jump over one of
those walls. If you do it right, you'll land almost half a lap backwards.
G) At the big jump, after you land you can turn around and jump over the
wall and take the big jump again. This has a strange side effect;
everything goes dark, except for the sprites.
H) The technique described later is also effectual here.
10) Sherbet Land
A) You can climb up the wall just before the finish line, but I have only
done it with a lighweigtht in 1P mode, tho.
B) Same thing, but this one is just after Penguin Cave's exit. You can
even land in the cave, if you see a penguin when you hit.
C) The Spiny Shell Trick works here if you park the guy on the right of
the big blueish rock.
D) You can even throw bananas onto the big island if you get a running
start, and when Lakitu picks you up, throw them at the island. You'll be
higher when he's lifting you so the bananas can make it.
E) In Penguin Cave, if you hit a penguin hard enough, or with a starman,
he'll spin out!! Well, actually not out, but he'll start spinning!
F) The technique which will be described later, can be used to reach the
island in the middle! It's hard to stop once you land, tough.
11) Royal Raceway
A) The Spiny Shell Trick could work here if you park the guy next to the
big ramp leading to the jump, on either the left or right, but all the way
on the far side of it. In any case, you can put the guy in the Castle
area.
B) At the big jump, if you hop and turn right, you can land back on the
track far behind. Or you can repeatedly ram the rail on the right as you
hit the Dash Zone, so you'll hit the brown part of the ground around
there.
C) At the big jump, if you hit the railing on the last Dash, you can fall
straight down into the water.
D) I've heard say that you can turn left on the big jump and land on the
track up ahead, but I've never done this. You supposedly use a mushroom
somehow, I'm not sure how.
E) At the big jump, if you hop and turn slightly right in the middle of
the last dash zone, you can land on the right mountainside, and, with well
timed hops, reach a little plateau where you can actually drive around a
little. You can also get here by driving around the bottom of the
mountain and hopping around the steeper part, but this is nearly
impossible without a lightweight.
F) The trees around the castle are not actually there.
G) After the castle bridge, you can climb up the lighter green hills a
bit, before crashing back down to the ground.
H) If you use a mushroom on the castle's stone walkway, you can launch off
and thru the castle wall and into another void. The windows are all
floating in place, as are all the other things, except for the walls.
I) The technique described later works well on the long, final, dash zone
jump. You can even land back on the track a ways backwards.
12) Bowser's Castle
A) The technique that's described below can put into use to get back up a
step, launch into the lava, jump over the small fire breathing statues,
and also the big guy, or land back on the bridge that leads to the
spiral.
B) After the big spiral, use a mushroom and rocket back into the spiral.
You can land back on it if you go to the left, or just land in lava on the
right. Lakitu will place you on the spiral if you miss. You actually can
land back on the spiral on the right if you turn just right before jumping
off the edge of the . . . um, castle part.
C) You might be able to do the Spiny Shell Trick by placing him behind the
big Bowser statue that breathes fire.
13) D.K.'s Jungle Parkway
A) A semi-shortcut is at the 4th turn after the pit. When you come from
the items, you can drive around the jungle plant wall, to a ledge that
leads to the bridge. You don't need a mushroom, although it makes it
easier. You need to drive towards the water, but turn so you have
turning momentum to fly around the plant wall. You actually leave the
ground, only to land back on the grass on the other side. It's tough and
might not be worth it, as you have to fall a long way to make it down
either onto the bridge (which is impossible without a mushroom) or into
the water, where Lakitu will pick you up and deposit you on the bridge. I
have yet to try it in GP, so you can experiment with it.
B) In the tunnel, you can slide or hop up the wall, cutting off precious
seconds. I find it's easiest to try and aim for an item box while sliding
up.
C) There's a wall that doesn't exist at the 4th item group. Turn left,
and drive up to the place where the wall sticks out. Now drive behind it,
from Lakitu's point of view, and drive backwards into it and you'll go
right through! But just try it the other way!
D) In the pit area, if you turn around, you can rocket backwards with a
mushroom and fall through the water, island, and everything, into a green
void. I'm not sure exactly how to do this, except that you need a
mushroom, and to rocket into the water on the side of the island. It
seems kinda erratic, though.
E) If you drive up into the grass right before the big turn that leads to
the dash zone, you can leap up onto the turn, actually going over the
railing. It's tough, but gets you ahead of anyone else, if only briefly.
F) At the dash zone, if you turn left a bit, you can land pretty far up
ahead the track. But you should only try to reach the items; otherwise
you'll fall in to the drink. There's a tree that you can aim for, so
there is a reference point.
G) At the 4th turn, if you don't take the semi-shortcut, you should power
slide early, so as to cut the grass. It doesn't seem like much, but it's
actually a great shortcut. Much bigger than you expect, especially
against the computer.
14) Yoshi Valley
A) You can go backwards, even though it seems like there's no way to.
There are actually 2 ways, but one requires you to use the technique
mentioned frequently above. The easier one only requires a mushroom, and
a jump. That's it, you don't even need a running start. You just have to
position yourself right behind the last fence on the right after the big
mountain, and aim for the bridge landing. You just hit mushroom and then
jump and voila! You're back on the track. If you miss, though, you'll
have to get another one and try again.
B) After you land from A, there's a little nook or cranny on the left,
unless you're going the right way, in which case it's on the right.
Anyway, it's around the items which are before the bridge. You can hop up
there, and if you time it right, can hop up onto the track above. It's a
shortcut, of sorts, if you discount the time it takes to get up there.
C) If you get blown up while on the egg plateau, and hit the egg, you'll
get squashed in mid-air. This is amusing, unless you're trying to race.
It takes a long time to get back down.
D) Around the starting line, if you get a mushroom and jump to the left,
you can fly over the railing and into the side of a mountain.
E) You can climb the side of the shorter mountain at the highest point of
the curve. Once up there, though you have a good view of the track,
you'll be picked up by Lakitu. You can also climb the side of the other
mountain horizontally and around to . . . places.
G) I don't know if you can use the Spiny Shell trick here, but you might
be able to move the guy far enough away from the track to get it to work
at the grassy place.
H) The technique which you are getting so desperate to know about also
works here, almost anywhere.
19) Banshee Boardwalk
A) You can drive behind the bat box.
B) You may have noticed that red and spiny shells fly around in weird
patterns in front of the ghost house. And if you haven't, I think this is
a way to get them to do it. Get a shell of said color, and put it out
behind you. Jump into the water. When Lakitu is picking you up, fire it.
If it 'locks on' before it hits the water, it will fly back up to the
track. When it reaches the front of the house, it will begin to circle
the track in front. Eventually, it will enter the house, and go on it's
merry way.
C) The lamp posts will kill your shells. But only if they're circling
you, and you drive into the water, brushing the post with your shells.
They'll just up and down, into the water.
D) In the ghost house, you can jump the corner of the star shaped hole in
the floor. Do this at the left of the post, and don't try to jump too
much, or you'll fall in.
E) The Spiny Shell Trick works here, if you park the guy on the left side
of the star shaped hole in the house. You'll have to make him go
backwards a bit, though.
20) Rainbow Road
A) At the first, big, huge, downhill slope, if you jump to the left, you
can land on the track below. But be careful, as it's very hard to do.
And you can't do it with a 50cc kart.
B) The soon to be explained technique can be used to launch over huge
sections of track at the top of the big hill. Or anywhere where the track
crosses over another part of track.
C) Just jumping straight down the hill is faster than just driving.
D) I have no idea of what use the big rainbow ring is. It seems to move
to get you through the center. It doesn't make you go faster, or slower,
or anything. It's weird.
21) Big Donut
A) You may be able to blow up, fly forward, and fall into the big blocks,
but I haven't done it.
22) Block Fort
A) Get a turbo boost and push the guy ahead of you into the wall, being
careful not to spin him out. Keep going till he's in the wall and you can
let go of the gas without the stars stopping. Now move the guy who's
getting bumped with the gas. Pop! Into the water he goes!
23) Double Deck
A) If you get blown up in just the right direction, you can fall into the
water, missing the track completely. It's hard, but possible.
24) Skyscraper
A) The Skyscraper is actually floating. Take a trip down a hole with some
shells and fire them at the bottom. You'll see what I mean. Actually,
there's a weird wall that kills all shells that touch it, but it's black
and therefore invisible. And you can't reach it because it's underneath
the regular concrete.
B) You can drive through the walls that are at the top by going from the
side. You know, the walls that have green stripes and are at your sides
when you start? Those ones can be penetrated by getting a running start
and jumping from the fencing. This is a quick escape, if you wanted to
know what use it is.
C) You can also drive straight over the holes if you've got enough speed.
But not the edge ones.
25) Jump Techniques
Throughout this list, I've mentioned climbing and jumping. You can make a
little hop by hitting the R button. This hop an be used to do many
things, among them, climb and jump walls.
A) Climbing Technique
Just go up to a wall that looks good, hold the gas, and start hitting
jump. You should begin to climb. Unless either the wall is unclimbable,
or you have heavyweight and he's too heavy for that wall. But most walls
that can be climbed can be climbed by anyone. In certain places, you'll
need to time your jumps to climb higher, but mostly it's just "hit the
buttons 'til your fingers scream".
B) Jump Technique
This works best in Wario Stadium, but you might find other places to use
it. Right when you hit a wall, jump. This should send you up and over.
You have to hit, bounce, and use your momentum to keep going over the
wall. This is easiest for Bowser, as he gains a lot of momentum. The
lightweights often need to bounce on the wall once, to get their speed
down, because if they don't, they'll go head over heels and land on the
ground again, without getting over. Practice, and you should be able to
get it right, every time.
26) The Spiny Shell Trick
This trick will let the spinies circuit the track, not blowing up, or
anything. You need to park the guy in first so far off the track, or in
such a strange place, that the shells don't know where he is and continue
going around the track. You can do this almost anywhere where you can
drive off the track, such as Mario Raceway, but not like Rainbow Road.
Sometimes the spinies will go around in strange, crooked paths along the
course, like in Banshee Boardwalk.
********************************************************************************
8) 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.
Itsamepete - For allowing me to use his great Glitches info from
his faq.
Natedog929 - For telling me the space dogs were actually called
chomps.
.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._ .:*~*:.
