As computers and games consoles rapidly evolved in the 1990s from literally BASIC (as in the BBC Micro’s programming language) to the ultra-cool Sony PlayStation, so developers created some amazing racing games.
In 1991, Geoff Crammond’s Grand Prix set new standards for an accurate Formula 1 simulator, then in 1997 Gran Turismo’s staggering realism and unprecedented scale changed the genre forever.
TOCA Touring Car Championship and Colin McRae Rally melded simulation with accessible dynamics and there were pure arcade classics such as Sega Rally Challenge, Daytona USA, Ridge Racer and Need for Speed.
But the greatest racing game of the decade – no, actually, the greatest racing game of all time – arrived on the Super Nintendo in 1992, featuring a cartoon plumber racing karts against rivals including a gorilla, a princess and a mushroom.
But underneath that cutesy cartoon froth, Super Mario Kart was a supreme racing title. Clearly, Super Mario Kart isn’t realistic in the style of Gran Turismo, but its faux-3D backdrops (enabled by the Super Nintendo’s parallax scrolling and Mode 7 graphics wizardry) were groundbreaking.
Even the technical limitations, such as the inability of the system to render 3D elevation, meant the track design had a simple purity that fancier, more capable games have since lost.
But it was in gameplay where Mario Kart excelled. The cartoon karts actually handled like karts. You had to hustle them, and unlocking true speed meant mastering the ‘jump drift’ technique to powerslide round corners.
As a result, even Time Trial mode became a huge challenge. I maintain that my still-standing Attwood family lap record on Ghost Valley 1 is the nearest I’ll ever come to Ayrton Senna’s 1988 Monaco pole lap for in-the-zone driving transcendence.
And the racing modes were another area where Super Mario Kart absolutely shone. For starters, the various characters had different characteristics (Bowser had a high top speed but handled badly and was slow to accelerate; Koopa Troopa would zip off the line and round corners but lagged on long straights) that created a real balance.