Volume 5 - Issue 1

Club Nintendo's first big story of 1993 was the phenomenal Super Mario Kart. At the time, putting the Mario cast into a racing game was an unusual idea. However, it would go on to become one of Nintendo's most successful series, making - and breaking! - friendships with its colourful, weapon-based racing and battle modes. It was also highly influential, almost single-handedly creating and establishing the 'mascot racer' genre.

By this point, it was clear that the NES was winding down, although it did receive sequels to the Castlevania and Probotector series. Possibly the strangest game featured was the Game Boy's Parodius, a crazy, penguin-filled take on the Gradius series. Its mixture of cute visuals with tough-as-nails gameplay would garner a cult following of fans looking for an alternative from the traditional space-themed shooters.