Throwback - Gaming with my Brother

Us gamers can be pretty nostalgic people. We all look back wistfully at old gaming memories we still hold dear to us. Look at the reaction on Twitter when the Spyro the Dragon, and Crash Bandicoot remasters were confirmed - people who were playing this the first time around were delighting that a piece of their childhood was making a return. 

So, this got me thinking about my fond gaming memories growing up. A lot of my gaming took place sitting next to my brother, handing the controller back and fourth to one another when either of us died in-game. I've brought my brother Jack on board for this one, so join us as we reminisce about a selection of games we both played through together, and loved!

Couldn't seem to find an old video game pic of us,
so here's me and Jack playing Incy Wincy Spider with our Dad instead!

My Favourite Mario Kart Courses from Each Game!

Super Mario Kart turned 25 yesterday! The now renowned and popular series paved the way for fun item-shooting racing games that we've all come to know and love. Allowing players the chance to race as one of their favourite Mario heroes or enemies, the game offered a bunch of truly fantastic tracks, as well as a multi-player Battle Mode. 

To celebrate the games anniversary, join me as I share my favourite course from each of the games so far. 

Super Mario Kart 

Rainbow Road 

There's no way I could do a list like this without mentioning Rainbow Road somewhere! The track that has no doubt made plenty of people utter profanities as they slipped to their doom, Rainbow Road provided a challenging final course in Super Mario Kart's Special Cup. Pretty simple in design, this multi-coloured road offered sharp bends, angry Thwomps, and holed-up pathways. The simplicity is deceiving, as when you're trying to traverse this with other players, there's no doubt at one point you'll find yourself being nudged off the side. 

Rainbow Road also included some truly memorable music, and has since seen several reiterations throughout the games 25-year history.

My Dad's Favourite Games

It is my Dad's birthday today, so I decided to have a little chat with him about his favourite games he used to love playing when I was growing up. 

I am currently temporarily living with my parents again before a move with my boyfriend in the new year. During this time, I have my PS4 set up, and Dad has been trying out the 2013 Tomb Raider reboot and will be revisiting Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee soon.

Join me as my Dad shares his favourite games, with a comment from myself after. 

Tomb Raider 

Dad: "We all used to sit together to watch me play it. I remember how 'real' everything felt back then-the crunching snow (first time I really felt how far games had come), the locations, gameplay, etc. It got me into the Tomb Raider series."

Kayleigh: I became a huge Tomb Raider fan since I first sat there with the family and watched my Dad play through the old ones. Lara Croft is awesome. Cheers Dad!

LBP Karting Users Create Mario Kart Tracks

LittleBigPlanet Karting opened up a one month beta, where fans have been given the opportunity to create their own race tracks. It comes as no surprise then that several Mario Kart themed tracks have sprung up on the game. 


Those on the beta will be able to try out tracks such as Rainbow Road, DK Mountain and Bowser's Castle. Check out a few of them via the video from Kotaku below.

Retro Review: Super Mario Kart

Lewis Terry has contributed a number of times on 8-Bit Girl, through me interviewing him on a variety of iPod games, to creating the pixel graphics seen throughout this blog. To increase the load on 8-Bit Girl (and to help me out on occasions), Lewis has offered to send me a few posts occasionally.


This post is a retro review, which we originally posted up on Retro Kingdom. As that blog is closing, as sadly we do not have enough time to update it, all of our reviews will be published up here for you all to read. I hope you enjoy his work!


Retro Review: Super Mario Kart
Written by Lewis Terry


The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) was where my childhood gaming addiction started. Before then, I had access to other games platforms, but none grabbed me as much as the SNES.  I had many favourites back in the day but one that stands out strong is the original Super Mario Kart. 

It seems common place now to have game characters star in other spin off games, such as sports or beat-em ups, however back then you would never have dreamed of it.  So imagine you are a six year old boy who loves the Mario games and you suddenly are presented with a game where they are all placed in super fast go-karts, it is a kids dream come true.

This is not saying that the game is only appealing to kids.  While it is presented in bright colours and all of its its protagonists are all cute characters, the game is highly addictive and presents some of the deepest game play and strategy that was offered on the SNES. 

Mario Kart sold over eight million copies worldwide and held the title of Nintendo's highest selling game on the SNES. Some feat, huh?

The game allows you to play one of eight characters from the Mario Brothers universe, each one possessing slightly different abilities.  You can either race against the computer or go head to head with up to three friends via a split screen mode, racing or duking it out in a battle arena, where players fire various objects at each other.

Like most games of it's time, Super Mario Kart is a hard game to master.  In order to pass the 150cc cup against the computer, one must learn all the short cuts, techniques and player attributes.  You have to learn how to powerslide and when to jump, and the best time to use those devastatingly satisfying red shells.  After many hours of investment, you will find yourself skimming water and pulling off feats you thought were impossible, only to still be beaten by the computer.

The graphics in Super Mario Kart are by todays standards dated, however they are probably the best example of Mode-7 on the SNES.  Despite all of the sprites on the screen and the frenetic action the graphics all stay nice and smooth, without flicking or clipping out.  The racers are animated wonderfully and have a nice amount of expression, when dazed or victorious they pull rather amusing faces.  But the main draw of the game graphically is the rich race tracks, their hazards and backgrounds.  From the cactus like enemies, to the Thwomps and the amazing but harsh Rainbow Road, the graphics are simply superb and are some of the best the SNES had to offer.

Like all classic Nintendo games, Mario Kart's sound was amazing and well thought out.  The audio in conjunction with the various sound effects all make the games atmosphere complete.  The background music is in part revamped versions of existing Nintendo music and part new creations, yet they are all distinctive and crisp in their own right.  No matter how relaxing the track may be when the final lap begins the music speeds up, suddenly making the game far more intense. Whether it is the background music, the coin sound effects or hearing the triumphant cries of the characters you can hear the quality of the audio.  So clear is the audio that it is always possible to distinguish one characters yell from another even if they are not on screen.

To most kids nowadays all of this will seem like old hat, yet it was Super Mario Kart was what layed down all of the foundations that modern novelty racers build upon.  Others may see the features offered as mundane or boring, yet still to this day if you pick up a controller and give it a spin, it retains the same addiction and charm as it offered back then.  There is a reason that this game sold eight million copies world wide and that is due to the games innovation and charm.

While there is no need to go out and get a copy immediately, as the newer versions of Mario Kart do the same thing, Super Mario Kart is an important piece of not only Nintendo's history, but of gaming history in general.

Retro Review: Speed Freaks

I love looking back at games I remember enjoying throughout my childhood. For some reason, Speed Freaks always comes back to me as being one of those games. I've always had a slight competitive side when it comes to racing games, and Speed Freaks appealed to that side of me.


Developed by Funcom Dublin Ltd, Speed Freaks (or Speed Punks in America), is a Mario Kart style racing game which was released on the original Playstation. 


Just like Mario Kart, Speed Freaks involves racing around a variety of colourful and fun looking race tracks, with the ability to pick up and use a selection of weapons on opponents, as well as enhance the players own speed. For me, racing games are much more fun when competing against a few friends, and thankfully Speed Freaks allows up to four players at once to compete for the first place position.

There are four ways to play the game, which range from: 
Single player mode is a little on the easy side, and can be completed within a few hours, but the playability for the multi-player side of the game is enough to make this a great purchase. Players can choose from either a single race, or compete in a Tournament for a cup at the end. This mode also allows the player to unlock bonus features which further enhance the game play. Time Attack mode allows players to try and complete a race in the fastest time possible. The multiplayer modes are either Vs (two players) and multiplayer (for up to four players).


What makes me nostalgic about Speed Freaks is the cute and fun style. The characters are a mix of crazy looking characters, each with different abilities, pros and cons. Some of the characters may seem a bit cliché or stereotypical, but for the most part, it is a joy to scroll through each character, read their humorous biography and race away. Also, imagine this game from a child's perspective: racing around a variety of fun courses with a bunch of crazy childish characters, catchy music and bright colours is going to appeal to a lot of kids. Also, the opening track, Travelling Without Moving by Jamiroquai is undenyably catchy.  

As I previously mentioned, the game is rather simple, and this is reflected in the game configuration. The x button is used to accelerate, square to break, the analogue stick to navigate around the course, the L1 and R1 buttons are used to slide easily around corners, and L2 to fire a weapon. Judging by the look and feel of the game though, there is no denying that, for the most part, Speed Freaks is aimed at children, and children will probably take great pleasure in beating each race track in the game.


However, there is no denying that Mario Kart was definitely a significant influence in the creation of Speed Freaks, and in all honesty, the former does this racing formula much better out of the two. There are plenty more options in Mario Kart, and difficulty curve is much harder, meaning that Mario Kart appeals more to a broad audience, rather than a younger one. 


This does not mean that Speed Freaks is not a great game, because it is. The graphics (although very dated nowadays) are bright and colourful, cute and fun looking. The race tracks are enjoyable to race around, and the variety of weapons are fun to try out against opponents. Speed Freaks is a fun game to play with another 3 players especially, and if you fancy a bit of nostalgia from 1999, then try and pick this little gem up. 

Want to recommend a retro game for me to review?

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