Filed under: Fun, Games, Windows, Macintosh, Linux, Time-Wasters
Time Waster: SuperTuxKart: Mario Kart clone starring Tux the Penguin
by Jay Hathaway Jun 10th 2008 at 10:00AM
SuperTuxKart is a cross-platform version of the popular Nintendo racing game Super Mario Kart, with a few key differences. Instead of Mario characters, it stars the beloved Linux mascot, Tux the Penguin, and some of his friends. The racing takes place on all-new tracks, either as a one-off race or a series. Up to 4 human players can join in, and up to 10 racers can be on the track at once, including computer drones. SuperTuxKart is almost as fun as Mario Kart, but it has a couple of drawbacks. The multiplayer mode is a little tough to work out without a network play option, the splitscreen view and sharing of the keyboard reduces the fun-factor significantly. There are also some frustrating corners you can get stuck in on some of the tracks, and the game slows down a bit with all 10 racers in play. However, the plusses outweigh the minuses, and SuperTuxKart is actually a lot smoother and more visually appealing than playing Mario Kart on an emulator.
I don't know if this is a labor of love or merely the brainchild of four very gifted games designers, but Level Up is a really weird mash-up of gaming elements that you have probably never seen in a Flash game before.
Let's start with the premise itself: Groundhog Day meets Memento. The game experience revolves around 'days': you explore the world and the clock slowly ticks towards the evening. You bounce around picking up gems and talking to the denizens of 'Level Upland'. Eventually you feel tired and head back to ...
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
yhancik said 3:23PM on 6-10-2008
Actually, even if SuperTuxKart is technically superior to Mario Kart 64 emulated, I find it a bit dull compared its more inventive and colourful inspiration.
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JOSH DYE said 2:49PM on 6-13-2008
3 Major problems with yor review
• MK gad several different versions; we don't like STK to be compared to MK; but if you are going to compare them, tell us what version of MK you are using.
• MK had paid developers to code; STK is maintained by volunteers, who develop so others can enjoy the fruits of their labor.
• Multiplayer in MK wouldn't be much fun either if you had to share a single keyboard, go an buy some USB game-pads for STK
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Jay Hathaway said 2:52PM on 6-13-2008
All valid points, Josh! I obviously wouldn't compare it to Mario Kart Wii, which is its own thing. I'm talking about Super Mario Kart for the SNES. I hope this post didn't come off as negative, because I really liked the game. Particularly impressed with the variety of tracks included.
JOSH DYE said 7:46PM on 6-13-2008
Thanks for clearing that up, I thought you were taking about the SNES version, but wasn't sure when yhancik mentioned MK64. :-)
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