Like, what is going on here? It’s like Kenta Nagata knew he had to bail on the opening and tried to throw a hail mary, when really he should have just saved it for Koopa Troopa Beach. And with no warning, it veers from its annoying petting-zoo twang–complete with a coach’s whistle for some reason–into a contrived Caribbean vibe with steel drums. It’s like a shitty vaudeville version of a western song that I am sure would have made Johnny Cash throw up in his mouth if he ever played Mario Kart during his time on Earth. Some levels share the same music, which is why some are grouped together. So in the spirit of one of the most replayable, competitive games of all time (second only to Smash IMHO), we decided to get super f***ing petty and rank the music from Mario Kart 64 in order of greatness. It is at once the best and worst part of the game and something for which composer Kenta Nagata should be remembered by forever.

But the thing that stuck out most upon my revisiting was the game’s soundtrack. I thought this was a travesty and started Karting it up on my original console, rediscovering what made the game so great in the first place, testing my muscle memory and remembering the intense schadenfruede of hitting someone with a shell right as they were about to hit a big jump.

Weirdly, only one person selected Mario Kart 64, the game that essentially defined the spirit of console before more well developed games ( Super Smash Bros.) homed in on what made the N64 so special. In terms of reliable distractions that aren’t as life-ruiningly immersive as contemporary consoles, but still competitive and community fostering, the N64, its stupid-ass tri-pronged controller and all, is the all-time MVP.Īfter the console turned 20 years old this June, the Nerdist writers banded together to pay tribute to our favorite games, which ranged from Star Foxto GoldenEye to Harvest Moon 64. The Nintendo 64 is easily that best game console of all time.

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