Ed the Moogle's Ultimate Mario Kart 64 FAQ
Not official in any way
Final Version
Copyright 1998-2000 Ed the Moogle

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First Version: Date: Sun, 24 May 1998 14:32:05 -0600
Second Version: ????????????????????????????????????
Third Version: Date: Sat, 14 August 1999 4:50 PM 8/13/99
Fourth Version: Date: Friday, 24 December 1999 12:32 PM 12/24/99

You'll love this game if you liked the SNES version. Take out the coins
scattered around the road, throw in a thousand more cool features and 
you
have Mario Kart 64. Koopa Troopa is absent, but Wario fills in for him
(Rumor has it that he stole Koopa's Kart).

Some new features from the SNES version are:

Shortcuts
Jumps
Cool Effects (Ghosts, Jumping fish, Flying bats)
Extra Mode
More Powerups
Two new racers

CHARACTERS

Lightweight: They are very small, speedy, accelerate quickly and have
good cornering. They do not lose much speed if they go offroad. However,
they tend to be bullied around a lot by the Heavyweights and can be
pretty mean foes.

Toad: Toad is a very well-rounded character and can be one of the best 
if
he doesn't get knocked around. He has the best acceleration of the 
Lightweights. He's my personal favorite (because almost everyone else 
likes
Yoshi!)

Peach: Peach is the fastest of the three lightweights and is a favorite
of many drivers.

Yoshi: Everyone's favorite Nintendo Mascot has the best cornering of the
lightweights. He's the most popular character, and one of the best.

Middleweight: They are very well balanced and do not have any definite
advantages or disadvantages. They are probably best for beginners.

Mario: Apparently the star of the game, Mario is one of the best for
beginners and pros alike.

Luigi: While Luigi owns the easiest Raceway of them all, he can be a
tough competitor.

Heavyweights: Pretty much the opposite of the lightweights. They are 
slow
to accelerate, lose lots of speed for going offroad and their cornering
is not very good unless you power slide. However, they usually don't get
slapped around too much and their top speed is unsurpassed. Choose them
if you like to play rough.

Wario: Has the best cornering of the three and is a very agressive 
Karter
when controlled by the CPU.

DK: Very good cornering and a seemingly limitless supply of banana peels
when controlled by the CPU.

Bowser: Very mean and very speedy. Will blow you right off the road 
given
half a chance.

Items: Effectiveness is rated by a star system. One is the least and 
Five
is the most.

Here's a trick: When you're coming up on some item boxes and you have an 
item
like a Red or Green shell (that can be held behind you) hold it behind 
you
and hit an item box. As long as you hold Z, you can keep the old item 
and
get a new one to use when you're done with it! This also works with 
Triple
Shells or Banana Bunches. Just activate them before you hit a box.

Green Shell: Bounces around randomly until it hits a Karter or a trap of
some kind.

Effectiveness: **

Red Shell: Seeks out a nearby Kart and clobbers them. Stops if it hits a
wall or trap. I like using these when I'm in second place, blowing the 
1st 
place character off the road, and then using the other two to defend my 
lead.
I also like to wait until my opponent gets blown into the air, and then 
firing a red shell right under them to greet them when they land.

Effectiveness: ****

Spiky Shell: Follows the road to seek out the Karter in first place and
will rip through
anything in it's way to hit them. The only ways to stop it are if you
fire it straight into a wall or something like that.

Effectiveness: *****

************************************************
hsp@mbox.infomark.it writes:
* there are some ways to avoid being hit by a Spiky Shell:
- holding another Spiky Shell behind the leading kart;
- activating a Ghost just before the Shell arrives;
- letting the Shell collide with massive obstacles on the track, such as
the ramps on Koopa Troopa Beach.
************************************************

Triple Red Shell: Surrounds your Kart with three red shells. These can 
be
used as a shield or fired off as normal red shells. Very useful.

Effectiveness: ****

Triple Green Shell: Surrounds your Kart with three green shells. These
can be fired off as normal green shells or used as a shield.

Effectiveness:  ***

Banana Peel: Drop or throw one of these to slip someone up. Best when
used around corners or planted in places that are difficult to avoid. 
Put
them near obstacles to send an opponent flying right into them.

Effectiveness: **

Banana Bunch: Five bananas trail behind you. These can be dropped or
thrown or used for defense, though it shatters with a single hit into 
the
remaining bananas.

Effectiveness: ***

Mushroom: Gives you a short boost of speed. Good for using up hills.

Effectiveness: **

Triple Mushroom: Surrounds your Kart with three mushrooms (just 
kidding).
Seriously though, you can get three speed boosts before it is used up.
They're also useful for recovering from nasty wipeouts.

Effectiveness: ***

Super Mushroom: A mushroom that can be used infinite times for as long 
as
it lasts (15-20 seconds). Useful for when you need the lead desperately.

Effectiveness: ****

Fake Item Box: This cleverly disguised bomb will blow anyone that hits 
it
sky high. Hide it among real items or put it where it's nearly 
unavoidable
for best results. Just remember where you put it.

Effectiveness: ***

Ghost: Makes you temporarily invisible and invincible to harm and you 
rip
an item off one opponent. You can pass right through other Karters and 
blow 
off their Shells or Bananas if they have any.

Effectiveness: ****

Super Star: Makes you invincible to dangerous items, makes your Kart
handle very well and your speed temporarily increases. You also blow
things out of the way on contact. The effect fades early if you fall in
water or lava. This is useful for blowing off Triple Shell shields.

Effectiveness: *****

Lightning: Shrinks everyone except for the user. When shrunken, the
character's speed decreases, they cannot use items and their Kart 
handles
slightly better. But they can be run over and flattened. Use it before
someone goes off a ramp and he'll lose speed and won't make the jump.

Effectiveness: ****

*********************************************************
hsp@mbox.infomark.it writes:

 I disagree about the four stars you assigned to the 
effectiveness of the "lightning" item: I think that, if used in critical 
moments such as before a big jump, as you noticed, or during a sharp 
turn where the opposite player can even fall off the track, it would be
the most powerful item in the game.
**********************************************************

Ed says: You do realize that four stars is still really good, right? No
offense, but zapping them with lightning isn't as fun as just blowing 
them 
off the track with a Star.

Some items I thought would be cool.
Small shells (stick to your Kart and slow you down for 5-10 seconds)
Yoshi Eggs (Hatch into little Yoshis, which jump onto Karts and
spin them out.)
Poison Mushroom (If you get hit, you shrink. As seen in the original 
Mario 
Kart)
Triple Mushroom Shield (If someone hits it, they get a boost backwards.
If you use it, it boosts forward.)


There are twenty tracks, rated by difficulty. One star is easy and Five
stars is the toughest.

Mushroom Cup

Luigi Raceway*
No hazards on this course. Grab the Item on the hot-air balloon for a
Spiky Shell.

Moo Moo Farm**
The only real hazards are the moles that blow you sky high and the
overpass that you can knock opponents into. Avoid both.

Koopa Beach**
There is a small shortcut if you loop around the rock shaped like a
turtle. There are also two more: Go off the ramp and use a Mushroom to
boost through the tunnel, and boost off the ramp before the big rock and
grab the Item for a Spiky Shell.

Kalimari Desert*
If you can't boost ahead of the train, stop so it can pass. Use this to
your advantage, as the computer opponents always stop at the tracks if
the train is coming (there's actually two trains). Other than that, 
there
are no real hazards. Stay out of the tunnel. It's not a shortcut (there
is a trick to it though. See "tricks" at the bottom of the FAQ). If you
manage to get past the train with a Star, Mushroom or Ghost, there's 
little
chance that you'll lose.

Flower Cup

Toad's Turnpike***
The main danger here is traffic. With a Star or Ghost, you can speed
right through the cars. Pick up powerups on the left-hand side of the
road. This is one of my favorite courses. In Extra mode, the cars are 
actually coming TOWARDS you, which is tough especially since the track 
gets
very narrow towards the end of the lap. Be careful, though, if you get 
hit
by one car, another two or three usually follow up, which will juggle 
you
for even longer.

Frapp'e Snowland ***
Exploding snowmen and slippery roads are a lethal combination. But when
you thought it couldn't get any worse... a field full of exploding
snowmen! Go far to the left or right to avoid them all.

Choco Mountain **

A pretty easy course, with the only major hazards being falling rocks 
and
a section with no guardrail (if you're not racing on 50cc). The bumps 
just
before the finish line may also prove hazardous. Plant items here to
really screw someone up. Don't fall otherwise you'll either lose a lot 
of 
time or have to repeat part of the course and REALLY lose time.

Mario Raceway ***

This course looks easy enough, but it's tight turns make it a 
challenging
race. Plant Peels and Fake Items around the corners so your opponents
will hit them. Take shortcuts across the grass with Mushrooms and Stars 
to
cut some time off your record.

Star Cup

Wario Stadium **

This is a very long course with hazardous bumps and the last turn is a
deadly hairpin. Plant items to blow opponents off the road on both of
these. Also try to pound someone with lightning or shells just before 
they go off the ramp so they miss the jump. Try jumping over the wall
from one of the bumps towards the beginning of the course. It's 
difficult, but can be done.

Sherbet Land ***

Definetely the most dangerous thing here are the baby penguins that hop
into you and spin you out. Make your best effort to avoid them and be
careful of the big penguins in the cave. To the right of the blue rock
just before you enter the cave is an Item Box that usually gives you a
good item like a Triple Green Shell.

Royal Raceway ***

This course is pretty manageable until you go off the HUGE ramp and it 
is
followed up by a wrong route and a deadly S-turn. If you're worried 
about
falling into the water on the S-turn, go onto the grass instead. The 
main
danger are the wide turns on the narrow road.

Bowser's Castle *****
place is a madhouse. Fire-spewing statues, smashing thwomps, lava,
and even bushes that spin you out will make this one hell of a race. 
Just
for the hell of it, Bowser also put in a corkscrew turn that is way too
sharp for even a Power Slide. If you get a Star in this course, consider
yourself very lucky.

Special Cup

DK's Jungle Parkway ***

This place shouldn't be too difficult if you stay on the road. If you go
off, you'll be pelted with coconuts. If you go off the ramp, hold Left 
as
you go off for a small shortcut. But don't go too far or you'll land in
the water. In the cave that leads to the Finish, rocket up the steepest
part of the hill with a Mushroom. If you don't have one, go for the less
steep part. Plant items on the ramp and you'll screw other guys up and 
make
them land in the water or on the little island in the middle. Just don't 
hit
the boat. By the way, this place is INSANE on 150cc! 

Yoshi Valley *****

There are simply too many hazards on this course. The porcupines, narrow
roads with no guardrails, and multiple paths will wreak havoc on even 
the
best Mario Karters. Worst of all, you can't even see what position you
are in until it's too late. The shortest route is to go left at the 
fork,
then take the road with the porcupines at the next fork. But no
matter which route you take, you will have to deal with the giant egg
near the finish. Rocket across the grass soon after you leave the bridge
for a shortcut (be sure you have a Mushroom of some kind first). If you 
go right, left, right, and around the hill, you can pull a quick left 
turn and jump down farther onto the track. Thanks to Bacomeau@aol.com 
for this bit.

Banshee Boardwalk ****

There are several missing guardrails and a big crack in the floor of the
ghost house that will trip you up. Just watch those turns and ignore the
ghosts and you should do fine.

Rainbow Road **

Ironically, the last course of the game is one of the easiest. But it is
also the longest. There is only one real danger and that is the Chomps.
Avoid them and you'll do fine.

Multiplayer Mode

Mario GP is cool with 2 players. One keeps the lead while the other 
blows up
opponents from behind. At least that's how I play.

VS is just like Mario GP, except with only 2-4 players. Whoever finishes 
first wins. Just to make it tough on you, they threw in little bombs
that blow up when you get too close.

The Battle Mode is very cool, but could have used a few more arenas. In 
this
mode, you try to pop all three of your opponent's balloons before they
can pop yours. If you're hit by a shell or other item, trip on a peel,
you lose one. If you lose all three, you're eliminated. In 3 or 4 player
mode, the first (and second in 4-player) player(s) to be eliminated 
become
a little bomb on wheels. They can then go after one of the other 
remaining
characters. The bombs can only be destroyed by a Star or by hitting an
enemy or the other bomb. Shells and Bananas will stun them. Bombs are 
also
invisible on the mini-map.

Big Donut- A big round arena scattered with Items and lava in the 
middle.
Knock in your opponent so they lose a balloon.

Block Fort- A place with four towers, consisting of two levels each and
bridges connecting each one. My friend absolutely LOVES this one. If an
enemy fires a Red shell, drive up the closest ramp. Often, the Red Shell 
will
hit the ramp instead. Throw a bunch of Green Shells on the bottom of the
arena, then dare someone to follow you!

Double Deck- A three- floored hazard zone. Each floor is connected by 
ramps.
Fill the bottom level with Green Shells, then dare someone to chase you 
down 
there! See who lasts longer!

Skyscraper- The top of a big building. Knock someone off the edge or in
the hole down the middle so they lose a balloon. One thing I like to do
is get a Red Shell or Star and chase the other guys around the edge of
the building until I hit them or they fall off.


Tricks

Heavyweights can sometimes cheat in the Battle mode. They can get a 
boost
off the light and ram into a light or middle-weight and cause them to 
lose
a balloon. Cheap but effective. (If you're on the recieving end, jump at 
the
last possible moment to avoid it)

To get a boost off the starting line, hold A as each light comes on, and 
release when each light goes off. If you do it right, you'll do a big
speed boost off the starting line.

When you are in the lead you usually get crappy items (like Bananas and
Green Shells) and when you are farther behind you usually get good items 
(one of my friends once got THREE Spiky Shells in a row, and another 
time 
I got three Ghosts in a row!)

To make a tighter turn, hold R as you turn a corner.

To do a power slide, hold R and wiggle the Control Stick left and 
rightyou turn. Your smoke should turn from white to yellow to orange. 
Let
off when it's orange for a small speed boost. With practice, you'll be 
able
to pull off three or four of these each time a corner comes up. Start 
sliding
early for best results.

Don't tailgate your opponents, because they'll drop items and you'll 
barely
have any time to avoid it, or they'll spin out and then you'll hit them 
and
spin out too. Instead, just knock them out of your way.

All the courses are surrounded by water. If you get blown over a wall or
something, you go into the water.

In Toad's Turnpike, watch for when someone is going after items. Try and 
blow them over the rail with an item. Lakitu will have to pick them up, 
which will REALLY mess them up.

In Kalimari Desert, grab a Star and turn left at the second train
crossing and go onto the train track. Drive up until you come close to
entering the tunnel and activate the Star. You'll automatically skip to
the next lap if you do it correctly.

In DK's Jungle Parkway, you can go backwards into the cave, jump into 
the wall towards the end of the cave (near the entrance leading to the 
bridge) and gain a lap. Thanks to Bacomeau@aol.com for this bit.

In Frapp'e Snowland on the first lap, go backwards to the bridge and
drive up the hill to the right of the bridge, staying off the road. 
Drive
as far right and forward as you can before Lakitu picks you up. If you
cross the Finish Line before he picks you up, you will advance one lap.

In Wario Stadium on the first set of bumps, drive to the right of one of
the bumps, facing the opposite wall. Drive up as quickly as possible and
jump at the last moment. If you did it right, you can jump over the wall
and save some time, while getting a huge lead over the other characters.

In Rainbow Road you can jump down the first dropoff to save some time.
You can also jump sideways from there and land on another section of the
track if you are lucky. Be careful, though. If you're going anything but
perfectly straight, you'll go sailing off the edge and lose tons of 
time.

To race the Course Ghosts in Luigi, Mario, and Peach's levels, beat 
these
times, and then choose "Retry".

Luigi's Raceway 1"52"00"
Mario Raceway 1"30"00 (wow)
Royal Raceway 2"40"00

You'll have to use every trick in the book to beat these guys. Pull off
two or three Power Slides on each corner and boost at trouble spots (the
wide second corner on Royal Raceway, the hill after the tunnel in Luigi 
Raceway, etc.). If you beat them you are the MASTER of Mario Kart!

Cut across the grass whenever possible.

If you get all four Gold Cups on all three engine sizes, the title 
screen
will change and you can now access the EXTRA mode. It is like a 100cc
race, only the courses are reversed. By "reversed" I mean that a right
turn becomes a left turn and vice versa (in Banshee Boardwalk, the fish
even jumps the wrong way!).

You can create a course ghost and save it to a Memory Card (but it takes 
up
121 of the 123 pages!), and then race your ghosts against your friends.

There are no "secret" characters in the game or even any codes 
(besides Gameshark. I don't know any GS codes, so don't ask). 
This nullifies the "Koopa Troopa is a secret Character" rumors.

If you know of anything that I missed, email me at brunerp@juno.com or
edmoogle@hotmail.com
Check out my page at www.angelfire.com/az2/edmoogle
