Anime Milwaukee 2014: Mario Kart 64 Tournament Winner

The following is an interview with Keith Scannell, winner of the Mario Kart 64 tournament at Anime Milwaukee 2014.

What were the rules and what was the structure of the tournament?

The tournament was set up in games of four-player VS. Mode on 150cc. Each round consisted of two courses (usually first two courses of the cup). In each round, players were ranked using a point system was based off of the Grand Prix mode (nine points for first, six for second, three for third, and one for fourth). The top two overall players moved on to the next round while the bottom two players were eliminated. If there was a tie in points, the players involved in the tie had to play a tie-breaker in Balloon Battle Mode to determine who moved on.

What are some things about Mario Kart 64 that make playing it different from other Mario Kart games?

The tempo and rhythm of the game in general is much faster and harder to control than newer versions of Mario Kart. In the first round, my character felt out of control at times and it took a lap or two to get my kart moving the way I wanted it to. Also, there are some techniques that do not exist in the other games. A good example is that if a player runs over a banana while going straight, that player has a few seconds to press the B button in order to avoid spinning out.

What was your overall strategy for the tournament?

As a child I used to play this game endlessly, so I have a vast knowledge of techniques and courses from those days. My strategy was to use that knowledge, show no mercy, and have fun playing the game I spent hours trying to master. I stayed calm, did not let items and misfortune throw me off, and focused on making comebacks when I needed them.

What was one of the courses where you needed to make a comeback?

Toad’s Turnpike, I started off getting pelted with items and cars, but I used my driving skills to catch up and get first.

What were the races in the finals like?

We played DK’s Jungle Parkway and Yoshi’s Valley on Extra (Mirror in newer Mario Kart games) where the courses were flipped-If you made a right turn in the level, you instead made a left turn in Extra. It felt odd, but playing DK’s Jungle Parkway on the Wii game actually made it easier for me to remember the flipped turns, and I won first place convincingly. The same could not be said for Yoshi’s Valley-I made too many errors and turned the wrong way too many times. It was embarrassing, and it was my only loss in the tournament, but luckily for me, my victory in the first race kept me tied for first place.

That means you had to play battle mode for the championship-what was your strategy for that and how did it play out?

I didn’t really have a strategy until I realized what level we were playing on. We played on the Block Fort level (a fan favorite). In this level, staying at the top of the structure was the key. My goal was to stay on the highest bridges and shoot green shells into the lower levels, keeping an item for defense at all times. I would only leave the bridges to place bananas where I thought the opponent might slip on them, along with fake item boxes. The green shell strategy worked and I won the tournament. 

What else did you do at the convention?

I did a little of everything. I played other video games in the video game room and participated in the Super Smash Bros. Melee tournament (since there was no Super Smash Bros. Brawl tournament). I didn’t do that well but Mario Kart is more my game anyways. I played Yu-gi-oh in the tabletop games room a few times, went anime shopping on Friday, and went to the rave Saturday night. Basically, I spent the weekend with my four other friends and we enjoyed being silly and having fun together.

Mario Kart 8 comes out May 30th. What are your overall thoughts on the game?

It looks stunning. I’m excited to see how they will use the new anti-gravity feature to impact the game while keeping it a true Mario Kart game. It looks like they are putting a lot of work into the game to make it great, and some of those new courses are breathtaking, like the underwater level and one that looks like a roller coaster. I’m curious to see what older courses they will be adding as well. The Wii U is in need of a groundbreaking game, so we will see if Mario Kart 8 is that game.

Nintendo recently announced the Koopa Kids will be playable characters. What kind of impact do you think that will have on the game? Do you think that might be too many characters?

Mario Kart is a game that does well with many characters. Not only is it a nice reward for playing farther in the game but I think it makes the game more diverse and fun. Also, you can do more with the game if you have more characters-it makes the experience more personal and lets you have your own identity when playing the game. As for the characters themselves, I think the Koopa Kids are a great idea. It’s almost an appeal to older gamers since the kids were only in a few games and then dropped from the Mario series for a long time. It will be interesting to see what they will do in the game and makes you wonder if Bowser Jr. is still in there as well. I’m hoping for a Super Mario World based level for the Koopa Kids.

Some have argued that the series should be expanded to include other Nintendo franchises. What do you think?

Absolutely! It’s one of the reasons why Super Smash Bros. is such a big hit among Nintendo fans. The levels, items, and even cars, would be much more creative and it would attract a lot more gamers to the Mario Kart series if it was done. You could even make it like Mario Kart: Double Dash where you can pair up your favorite Nintendo characters in one car with their own specials. The possibilities are endless.

The Nintendo Experience-Greenfield, WI

On Saturday, June 15^th, I got a chance to head over to the Best Buy in Greenfield, WI for the “Nintendo Experience” event. Attendees at this event got a chance to try one of the following games: 

-Super Mario 3D World
-Zelda Wind Waker HD
-Mario Kart 8
-Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

I arrived at the store at around 11:15 am, at which point there were a handful of people already waiting in line. This Best Buy featured Nintendo Zone Wireless, so while waiting I was able to watch an episode of Pokémon: Rival Destinies and browse the 3DS eShop. I also talked about some of the games with people who had been there on Wednesday. The Nintendo representatives (there appeared to be three-two male, one female) set up the console, as well as some 3DS systems with previously released games.

Since I was only able to play one game (Super Mario 3D World), most of my comments will be based on observing other players. To give some context, here is a list of how many sessions (counting my own) were run for each game while I was present:

Super Mario 3D World: 3
Zelda Wind Waker HD: 6
Mario Kart 8: 9
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze: 2

It should be noted that the number of players also varies by demo. 3D World used four players, Mario Kart and Donkey Kong each used two, and Zelda only used one. Adjusting for that:

Zelda Wind Waker HD

Author’s note-I did not play the original game on GameCube, so my familiarity with that version is quite limited.

There were two options for demos of this game. Players could choose to either play a tutorial from early in the game, or fight the boss battle against Helmaroc King. The tutorial shows off excellent lighting effects, with sunlight coming in through windows and a wonderful haze effect over the ocean. The boss fight showed off the ability to have a large number of feathers on screen simultaneously, much like in the original. In both demos, controls appeared to be easily understood by the players.

Mario Kart 8

This demo consisted of the first two tracks from a GP race. Players were allowed to select from twelve available characters (notable returning characters include Waluigi and Toadette), and each race contained twelve participants and two laps. As shown in the trailer, players could race on the walls or upside down, depending on the layout of the track. Lighting and coloring were both very good (the exhaust from a boost was particularly well done). Most of the standard power-ups were present, but I did not see lightning or the blue shell, though those may still be in the final game. One notable change is that when a player fell off the course, they were placed back on without a fade to black (similar to the original SNES game).

Super Mario 3D World

For this game, participants were allowed to sample two levels from a selection of five. The first level I played featured a number of rotating cylinders, as well as the Cat Mario power-up, which I found intuitive to use. Unlike in the New Super Mario Bros games, where the power-ups pop out all at once, in this game each hit on the block generates a power-up. Additional power-ups can be stored reserve that players can access by pressing a button on the controller.

The second level I played used the clear pipe mechanic where players can guide their character . At one point we entered a "Coin Heaven" area in which I encountered a potted sleeping Piranha Plant. I picked it up (somewhat unintentionally), and as I carried it along it ate additional plants and eventually a green star (similar to the Star Coins in other Mario games) at the end of the area.

Other notes:

-Starmen are now "infectious", in that if an invincible player touches another player, that player will also become invincible.

-One of the isometric bonus areas had a baseball that could be picked up and thrown.

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

This demo was played using the Wii Remote and Nunchuk. There were four levels to choose from (both sessions I observed played the same level). As shown in the trailer, players are required at times to pull objects out of the ground (the players I observed seemed to be unaware of this mechanic). In the case of the level I saw, it was used to manipulate the field so that some platforms would come down. The level also featured a water segment and a portion traveling through trees via a series of barrels. At the end of the level, there was a barrel that cycled between various items. When it was hit, the level was completed and the player received the bonus shown.

Other notes on the event:

-The staff was well-trained and very knowledgeable (the female seemed to have actually met Reggie from NOA).

-Following the demo, players were allowed to pick either a foam Luigi hat or a Luigi coin as a gift.

-All four games looked considerably better than their video versions on the eShop (probably a result of the constraints put on internet video-it's also likely the TV at the store is better than the one I have at home).