Whenever a successful formula is found, like Street Fighter II, rival companies clamor to clone it. Ever wonder why Mario Kart didn't have more imitators? Actually, there were quite a few clones... but most of them never made it past Japan. Today we look at five of 'em and see how they fare



ASTRO GO! GO!



More of an F-Zero clone, this game is simply nuts. If you're suspectible to motion sickness you may want to pass. Astro Go Go moves so fast your eyes feel like exploding due to the rapid processing of multi-technic colors and scrolling scenery. The graphics themselves aren't particularly impressive, but the speed makes everything look better than what they really are.

You have a choice of 5 racers, each having their own unique vehicle. SUPER PLAY shows you the way....



Unfortunately it's only 1-Player, and one look it's easy to see why. The SNES trying to handle this game, split-screen, without severe detail being stripped and lack of slowdown? Shyeah, right. Thus, lifespan is shorter. There is a Grand Prix mode where you race the other 4 drivers, and a time trial mode that saves your best lap and overall times. And... that's it.

The trickiest part may be the controls. You see, you can move the vehicle 360 degrees. That means, then, that most of us will spin out accidentally a lot until we get the hang of this. Why the 360 degrees control? In certain parts your guy will go left or right... or even INTO THE SCREEN! Observe the various directions, and keep in mind this all happens at an insane velocity:

The Great Leap Forward... and I'm not talking Mao Zedong



Landing on some lovely tiles you're warned to turn right



Diagonal bit (see the 871 KM!)



Flying left (891 KM! *falls over and twitches*)



Screaming DOWNWARD (at 896 KM!! *croaks*)



So, is it worth getting? Tricky, this. See, I can understand how one might dig this, but for me I never viewed it as a "real" game. It's more of a show-y off-y gimmick racer, that while is cool and fun in 15 minute spurts, doesn't offer much more. The controls get better as you work it out and memorize the layouts of the courses, but it's far too lightweight to be considered a "great racing title."

On a side note, this was scheduled a US release under the HORRIBLE name Freeway Flyboys

Oh and if you're wondering, Super Play slagged it with a 51% mark summarizing it as "Engagingly off-beat, but only for a matter of seconds. Then its true color as a lazy attempt to copy F-Zero will shine through, driving you to despair."

NEXT!




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BATTLE RACERS

Ah, did Banpresto milk these fella's or what? One in a long line of "Battle" SFC games, these titles all feature the same four blokes, namely, Ultraman the Great, Radar RX 'The Masked Rider,' Battle Knight Gundam F-91 and Earth Fighter Roah. They've done dodgeball, they've done soccer, now they're slugging it out in a charge-to-the-finish-line duel.



As you can see, since these are super bad robots they need no stinkin' go-karts or the like. Standard Grand Prix mode, Time Trial (which saves your best lap and overall times of course) and 2P mode. 2 players can battle it out in the Grand Prix mode, or a battle game where the objective is to capture a ball and enter 10 zones, deactivating them, one by one. Meanwhile, your opponent tries his damndest to knock the ball out of your clutches and begin his own 10 zone spree. There are (surprise surprise) four different specific battle courses.

Power sliding feels just great here. There's nothing like turning the corner without slowing down and brushing past a group of pillars -- speeding your way to the finish line


this provides a great rush of adrenaline

In the Grand Prix mode, there are 6 racers. Points are handed out much like Mario Kart


shameless huh

Capsules are strewn about the courses. They change colors every few seconds and range from health refills to projectile-based attacks (yes, you have an energy bar). 5 laps per course... some of which are very short -- 11 to 15 second laps are not uncommon! 4 cups are available, with the 4th having to be unlocked. Four courses 1st cup, five 2nd and six 3rd. (total of 15 initial tracks for the mathematically impaired)


Standard pits and water hazards are present

The game is fun and feels 'right.' I thought coming in, it was going to be a poor clone. It's a lot better than I expected. In fact, in the end I came away liking it a lot. Give it a shot

NEXT!


this sunlight effect is "greatness personified"


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KAT'S RUN

Ugh. What a disappointment. An all-girl racer released in summer '95 by ATLUS. 10 females to select from, and 10 cars. Sounds plenty promising, but ends up being just a dull me-too racer.



Standard 1 and 2 player modes. Courses work oddly here... the screen blacks out as you continue to race, then it lights up and you begin the next course. This means no little breaks in-between, and with the lame CPU AI you find yourself alone driving along the bland scenery. My victory was marked after 18 minutes of non-stop racing. I almost fell asleep.


Looks cool in'it? The real in-game graphics aren't this good nor the tracks, trust me

It's not worthless... but save your money. NEXT!


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RIDER'S SPIRITS
(Bike Daisuki: Hashiriya Damashii)


Here's another blatant Mario Kart clone. Yet, like Battle Racers, it's quite enjoyable and worth getting. You have 8 drivers to select from, each with pros and cons. GP, Time Trial, 2P. If you time it right after the 3, 2, 1 bit you can even get a speed burst.



The 2 Player mode is awesome. Two can play in GP mode, or race against one another just the two of you. You can also opt to include just two extra CPU opponent (total of four for those counting at home). Now that's the kind of customizable power that I love. But what about a 2P battle mode, a la Mario Kart? And Battle Racers?

It's a little different here, and it's pretty damn cool. Ever heard of a game called CHICKEN? Well, allow someone who has played it to explain it to you. This Will Smith bit here explains it all (with a cameo from Robin -- the black lady on the Howard Stern show). Rider's Spirits' Chicken Race mode is like that... closest biker to the edge wins. If you go over, you lose, however, unlike the bloke in the footage who claims he won though he went over... yet he didn't really win, did he? [Stop confusing the masses -Ed.]

Just let it be known, this mode though lasts 5 seconds, is a great little brake-at-the-last-possible-moment bit and works brill.

Here's EGM's take



Well done... NEXT!


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SD F-1 GRAND PRIX

You may remember the regular F-1 Grand Prix games on Super Famicom. Here's their Mario Kart clone version. Pick from 10 different animals each with their own stats


CHUCK E. CHEESE'S rejects...

There are many different camera angles to pick from. The default is Mario Kart style. But one allows you to make SD F-1 look just like their earlier F-1 games, from a bird-eye's view point



1P games include:

-GP Mode: first you race around bare track for 2 laps to be awarded a starting position (1-10). Then you start the race at your designated spot against the 9 rivals. Icons litter the course, collect enough to fill a bar and you can give yourself a temporary speed burst

-Crash Mode: None of this 2 laps positioning nonsense. Start out #10 and instead of speed-bar-filling-up icons you get regular weapon icons (projectiles, etc.) I much preferred this traditional Mario Kart mode over GP

-Time Trial: Duh. Keeps track of best lap and overall times

2P game (besides obvious GP and whatnot):

-Dog Fight: Pick one of (surprise surprise) four specific battle arenas, and it's a dog fight to the death. Goal is to zap other driver's energy to zero by blasting them with any means necessary. Groovy

Like Battle Racers, your guy has a health bar that is reduced any time he falls in a pit, rams into barriers or gets fried by the opposition. Unlike Battle Racers though, instead of finding health refills in capsules, SD F-1 has a healing section along the beginning of each track much like F-Zero


Mario Kart meets F-Zero?! Sure looks guilty...

And now, let us gawk at a flurry of pics


OK they TOOK Mario Kart & replaced it with furry animals


some tracks contain helpful arrows


lovely beach level... with a super jump bit


Northern Lights! Nice detail on the ice as well

Lava track is arguably the best in terms of oooh-factor


prepare for the super jump


over... blue tiles?! Hey, it looks pretty OK?


love how you can see it twist in the distance


avoid the muddy spots


lovely parquet flooring a la old Boston Celtics forum [That's stone -Ed.]



OK, TO SUM IT UP, WHAT'S GOOD?

I really like SD F-1, Rider's Spirits and Battle Racers. These games, as far as I'm concerned, are must-haves if you *love* Super Mario Kart (as I do)

Here's my ranking of today's games:

5. Kat's Run (quite meh, really)
4. Astro Go Go (not bad for what it is, but limited lifespan)
Tie. Rider's Spirits/Battle Racers (love these two)
1. SD F-1 Grand Prix (by a hair)

Of course, these clones are NAGA (not as good as) Mario Kart. But as alternatives, I'm sure you'll find at least one here you'll take a bit of a liking to. I know I did (three, in fact)


MOTION SICKNESS CITY -AKA- Astro Go Go (0:39)
Battle Racers (1:15)
SD F-1 Grand Prix (0:30)