History YMMV / SuperMarioKart

* OnceOriginalNowCommon: With how much the series has evolved, a lot of modern players find trouble in appreciating the game that started it all due to how primitive it can feel when compared to its successors. Between the far simpler track layouts, the reuse of course themes (a grand total of one track has a theme that appears only once, Rainbow Road), the fact the game can only be played with two players in a series so well known for entertaining parties, and the much more finicky controls often all take people by surprise.

* OnceOriginalNowCommon: With how much the series has evolved, a lot of modern players find trouble in appreciating the game that started it all due to how primitive it can feel. Between the far simpler track layouts, the reuse of course themes (a grand total of one track has a theme that appears only once, Rainbow Road), the fact the game can only be played with two players in a series so well known for entertaining parties, and the much more finicky controls often all take people by surprise.

* [[Awesome/VideoGameLevels Awesome Video Game Levels]]: The original Rainbow Road, [[SeinfeldIsUnfunny being an unique level unlike anything that came before it back when the game was released]], inspired by the Star World in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld'' it's an unique level set in the sky with no rails of any kind and a true test of mastery of the game's controls and mechanics, with an [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpSiNeLHjdo awesome theme]] that laid the foundation for all others that would follow and gets your blood pumping while at the same time having an epic final level challenge sort of feel.

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: With how much the series has evolved, a lot of modern players find trouble in appreciating the game that started it all due to how primitive it feels. Between the far simpler track layouts, the heavy reuse of set pieces (a grand total of one track has a theme that appears only once, Rainbow Road), the fact the game can only be played with two players in a series so well known for entertaining parties, and the much more finicky controls often all take people by surprise.

** The Feather often allows racers to jump over walls for huge shortcuts in a game where traditional shortcuts are rare and minimal. Because of this, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ojbpe2ZXxss the TAS]] abuses it to no end.

* SugarWiki/MostWonderfulSound: The loud "BANG! SKIIIIDD!" noise when you crack an opponent with a red shell is still dang satisfying even after a quarter century.

* ScrappyMechanic: The fact that the game is always in split-screen, even in single-player mode, where the map takes up half the screen.
* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: With how much the series has evolved, a lot of modern players find trouble in appreciating the game that started it all due to how primitive it feels. Between the far simpler track layouts, the heavy reuse of set pieces (a grand total of one track has a theme that appears only once, Rainbow Road), the fact the game can only be played with two players in a series so well known for entertaining parties, and the much more touchy controls often all take people by surprise.
* SelfImposedChallenge: By pressing Y+A on the character select, you can shrink your racer. This makes you vulnerable to being crushed if a computer so much as touches you, but does not slow you down like enemy mushrooms do.

* NauseaFuel: It's easy to get motion sickness from all the driving, the moving backgrounds, and the crazy colors of Rainbow Road.

* DemonicSpiders: Heaven help you if Mario or Luigi decide they want to be in first place. With their infinite stars, you will never stop them unless luck is ''really'' on your side ([[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard which it usually isn't]]). Bowser isn't any better since the fireballs (CPU only) he throws do a circular motion at all times, so if he throws that thing near a turn, you're probably screwed.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen:
** The AI opponents were planned to acquire items like the player could, but the SNES didn't have the computing power to calculate the odds of acquiring certain items for human players and AI players at the same time. The team decided to have the AI use their own unique items based on the character.
** The dev team was worried that items would make the races feel too chaotic and luck based and such elements would turn off players, so they came up with an option to enable or disable items. Miyamoto shot down the idea and insisted that the feeling something that could happen at any moment made the races more exciting.
** The game was going to have a speedometer, but the dev team nixed the idea since they felt it would clutter an already cluttered screen. The team opted to have the sound of the kart's engine give the player an audio cue on how fast they were going.

** Lightning is by far the most powerful item in the game: it shrinks down very racer but the user, severely reducing their speed and allowing the user to run them over. It lasts much longer than in any other ''Mario Kart'' game, too--about 30 seconds! You'll typically go straight from 8th place to 1st if you get one.

* GoddamnedBats: Plenty of obstacles, but particularly the Monty Moles that malevolently jump out of their holes just in time to hit your kart, stop your momentum entirely, and slow you down until you press R enough.

** The special neon Thwomps on [[ThatOneLevel Rainbow Road]] count as well because they don't only crush you, but can spin you up like Mario and Luigi =[CPU]=s do.

** The special neon Thwomps on [[ThatOneLevel Rainbow Road]] count as well because they don't only crush you, but can spin you up like Mario and Luigi CPUs do.

** Rainbow Road due to the total lack of guardrails between you and the BottomlessPit, the exceedingly narrow track, and special neon Thwomps that can wipe you out at the slightest touch.
** Donut Plains 3 also fits this trope because of the double hairpin and the narrow broken bridges, plus the aforementioned Monty Moles which can be found here.