The game was commercially successful and received a Player's Choice edition, being the second-best-selling game on the Nintendo 64, beaten out only by Super Mario 64, and it was generally well-received by critics. Other elements would become series mainstays, such as its racer weight classification, the introduction of Wario and Donkey Kong as playable characters, and several new items such as the Spiny Shell and triple variants of Green Shells and Red Shells. Additionally, the game contains unique track designs rather than multiple variants of the same track, and it introduces various track tropes that would later be reused in later Mario Kart installments, such as Luigi Circuit being the first track. It is also the first Mario Kart game to use three-dimensional graphics for its environment design, such as the addition of elevation, advanced collision physics, expanded camera controls, real walls that can obscure views, and increased aesthetic fidelity however, the characters, the items, and some track obstacles in-game remain as two-dimensional, pre-rendered sprites, which are rendered for game optimization. It is the first game of the Super Mario franchise to let more than two people play simultaneously. Being an upgrade from its predecessor, Super Mario Kart, it features a similar base to that game in which players select cast members of the Super Mario franchise to drive in karts, employing a weapon-based system to benefit the player and hinder opponents, though it has expanded gameplay, such as the introduction of Mini-Turbo boosts from drifting and four-player support. It is the second game in the Mario Kart series. Mario Kart 64 is a racing game that was originally released for the Nintendo 64 in 1996 in Japan and 1997 worldwide. “Welcome to Mario Kart!” - Mario upon the title screen

Super mario kart item sprites