Time Waster: SuperTuxKart: Mario Kart clone starring Tux the Penguin

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

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.

Tags: games, linux, mario kart, MarioKart, supertuxkart, time waster, TimeWaster, tux

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.

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

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. :-)

Featured Time Waster

Civiballs is a beautiful, soothing physics puzzle Time Waster

I have an absolute weakness for physics games, and while Civiballs isn't the strongest physics-based game, what it lacks in the physics department it makes up for a few times over in style and fun.

In Civiballs, you are presented with a few colored balls, and your goal is to get those balls into the same-colored urn on the level. The "civi" part of Civiballs is that there are 3 sets of levels to play, each representing a different civilization. While the civilization doesn't affect gameplay, the artwork for each level is beautifully themed to it's appropriate era.

To play the game, you are given only one tool - a sword with which to cut the chains that are holding the balls. The puzzle part of the game is in figuring out what order, and with what timing to cut each chain. Do it right, and all the right balls end up in the right urns, with no stray balls entering an urn (a no-no). Do it wrong, and you get to start over again.

Civiballs is not terribly deep on gameplay; the entire game can be completed in about 15 minutes. But if you enjoy this type of game, it will be a very enjoyable 15 minutes.

View more Time Wasters