Although Mario Kart 64 can still be enjoyable today, it won't hold your attention for long
Well, first of all, the graphics were great for the time. This was a huge step up from Super Mario Kart because the courses felt lively. They didn't feel flat or that I was only tuning right or left. The graphics breathed life into the game that made it really stand out at the time. Each level looks and feels unique, complimented with some nice track design, although not every track is anything amazing. Some tracks are great but a few tracks are just too long and flat, like rainbow road. Otherwise, the track design wasn't so bad for back then. The gameplay felt smooth as well. The racing isn't really all that fast but each race was fun and exciting, especially with your friends.
For single player, there isn't a whole lot to offer. When playing by yourself, you only get the option of Grand Prix mode or Time Trial. In the Grand Prix, you must first select your difficulty (50ccm, 100ccm or 150ccm). In the harder difficulties, the other racers are far more competitive as they are constantly on your tail, making winning the race much more difficult. Next, you must choose one of 8 characters to play as (Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, Peach, Toad, Donkey Kong, Bowser or Wario). It seems as though there are no differences between the characters as far as stats are concerned so feel free to pick your favorite. After you have your racer, you have the choice to play one of four GP's; 4 tracks each with 16 tracks in all. Competing in the GP can be fun but what annoys me is not being able to choose a single track. Want to play a certain track? Tough, you have to play other courses just to get to it. The only way to choose your track is in time trial, but you're not racing anyone. In time trial, you race alone and have to try and finish the track and get the best time. You also have 3 boosts to help you accomplish this. Other than that, there isn't too much else to say in time trial.
If you're familiar with Mario Kart or any other kart racing games for that matter, you should be familiar with this. You and 7 other opponents must race each other 3 laps around the course and finish first, of course. Like most kart racers, you will also be able to pick up weapons to help you beat your opponents like the turtle shells which can knock them out or use the mushrooms to boost ahead of them. When playing by yourself, you'll probably be playing the Grand Prix mode as mentioned earlier. Each one comes with a set of 4 tracks. To win, you need the highest score by the end of the set, you gain the most as you win. The only thing you get for beating all courses in the GP mode is a mirror mode. Other than that, the single player aspect is a bit shallow and the game will feel boring after about a week as a result. You may find some enjoyment here and there, but other than that, there isn't much in the single player aspect.
The real reason to pick this game up again is the multiplayer. You and up to 4 friends can compete in a race or a battle mode. There is also a Grand Prix mode here too but that is only for 2 players (why not 3 or 4? I don't know). Otherwise, you and your friends can race it out in versus where you can choose your own single track and compete against your friends. There are no AI players in this mode and it probably would have been better if they were an option, but racing with your buddies is more fun than the single player. Battle mode is pretty fun too. Each racer has 3 balloons (representing "hits"). The goal is to race around the track and blast your opponent away with weapons that you must pick up. When you hit someone, they lose a balloon and when all 3 balloons are gone, the player is out and the last surviving player is the winner. All is not totally lost though, for once you die, you become a bomb and have a chance to get a hit one one person (perhaps revenge on the person who finished you off? :P). Not a whole lot to offer, but the multiplayer portion has much more value than the single player.
After almost 15 years, Mario Kart 64 has been outdated by today's standards, especially after superior sequels later in the series. However, that's not to say that this is a bad game. The single player is occasionally enjoyable, spite being so shallow, and the multiplayer portion is still bound to give you and your friends some fun and excitement in both versus and battle. Either way, Mario Kart 64 is a good addition to your Nintendo 64 library.