Unremarkable and odd places in Mario Kart 64

#mariokart64 #mariokart #oddandunremarkable #unremarkable #n64 #liminal

music- the excellent man from minneapolis

[JamousIsFamous]

The empty spaces in this series make me feel a nostalgic kind of loneliness. It's like if you're within the normal bounds of the game, the developers keep you company, but when you step out it's just you and the one guy pulling a late night in the 90s finishing the textures.

[HahnKirby]

I spent an unreasonably long time hanging out at Peach's castle on Royal Raceway, the idea of an area from one game being in another game blew my mind as a child. Sitting at Peach's castle always made me feel so weird, as if I was somewhere I shouldn't be because the area was from a different game.

[hosseruk]

The outlines on the trees are an emulator oddity - I just loaded up MK64 to check because I didn't remember it being that bad, and sure enough on a real N64 those outlines are far less pronounced. You have to get right up close to see them and they're far less aliased. Great video as always, keep 'em coming.

[CPUpt]

My favorite odd and unremarkable fact about Kalimari Desert is that as far as I know, it's one of if not the only track in Mario Kart history where it could be necessary to completely stop and wait, on account of the railroad crossings. That was always charming to me.

[DapperDevNull]

This series is so comforting to me, I love places that are unremarkable and/or odd

[KaijuofSteel]

4:18
I had noticed that Wario's stadium was outdoors in a night sky, but weirdly enough what I never noticed was that big screen showing the race. Those kind of details have an interesting feeling to it, like trying to give a realistic touch to something so cartoony.

[yutuberocks]

I think the first Sonic Adventure game would be PERFECT for a series like this. There's so msny unremarkable and odd places in that game's overworld you could write a whole essay about it.

[ExaltedUriel]

Going back to Mario Kart 64 like this made me realize how "linear" Mario Kart 8's tracks are. Like, no shit, it's a racing game, you're on a track. But it doesn't really have off-track areas like Peach's Castle in Royal Raceway like 64 does.

I think the best way I could put it is that Mario Kart 8 tracks are designed like they're tracks in a racing game, and Mario Kart 64 tracks are designed like they're actual locations that just happen to have a kart track running through them. Kalamari Desert is probably the best example, if it were in Mario Kart 8 instead of the endless expanse of the desert there'd be barriers around the track and the instant you tried to go in the train tunnel Lakitu would pull you out as if you fell off the course. These are certainly "better" for fast-paced races and keeping players from getting lost, but it makes it so they lack the mystique Mario Kart 64's tracks have.

EDIT: Yes, I know Kalimari Desert was just announced as part of the Booster Pass, no need to inform me.

[SpaceFenixYep]

You should take a look at some of the shooter games they had on the N64 - Goldeneye and Shadows of the Empire have some amazingly unremarkable areas worth checking out.

[bottombarrelbudgetfilms]

I was born 93, I love early 3D games, I love the nostalgia I have with them and I love the history and how much they gave to the industry moving forward-

But damn even as a kid I thought MK64 looked crude

[JrIcify]

4:53 I'm surprised he didn't comment on the spikey balls that fly out. I never bothered to wonder where those things came from. It turns out they just pop out of the wall. And now I'm wondering what the spike ball itself is supposed to be in the first place. Maybe monkeys are throwing seeds from fruit they're eating?

[annieoddo]

Driving around peach’s castle in Mario kart 64 has the same weird vibe as when a house gets torn down or destroyed in a hurricane and then the owner tries to rebuild it exactly the same, but it’s also not exactly the same because it’s a different house

[PapaAlec]

Ugh I’m crushing so hard on this guy😭 great video and music as always.

I feel for those that never bothered to explore maps like this, you haven’t truly experienced the game if you didn’t lol. I remember as a kid being fascinated and yet weirded out at the fact that I could go up to the castle but not open the door

[matthewtheobald]

I thought I was the only one that had this fascination with places like this in games. It's sort of serene and peaceful to find a part of a game that is largely empty or seldom seen. It's like a secret little hiding place and there's a kind of comfort that comes with that I think .

[mysticat]

this is a whole series of content i had no idea i related to

[alleypercent]

The thing that gets me most about Wario's Stadium are those inner walls. They just look unreasonably thin for what looks like dirt/mud/rock walls. It's an interesting vibe racing along that and catching a glimpse of how thin they really are. That whole track is kinda eerie now that I think about it lol.

[upstudios]

really interesting that you feel that wario stadium gives off indoor vibes, always felt 100% outdoors to me

[LucasWolfGanondorf]

I never realized Wario Stadium was an open stadium before either.

This series is awesome and I’d love to see more. Maybe something like DK64 or Banjo-Kazooie? Either way keep up the great work.

[dixienormous]

Please never stop this series! Keep up the good work! :)

[Bluefire]

I always wondered as a child if there was some way to free the green thwomp in bowser's castle and see what was in the room behind the cell bars.