Tonight Yoshi, Peach, Toad and the rest of the Mario Kart crew of racers are only three laps – and a frosty beer – away from victory.
Prove Yourself, a once-a-month competition organized by Funny As Buck Comedy’s Jeff Buck, will hold a “Beer Kart” edition of the challenge at North Gate Tavern tonight. Beer Kart adds a drinking twist on the classic Nintendo 64 Mario Kart game.
“It’s like drowning nostalgia in alcohol,” Buck said.
The University alumnus said he first encountered the game over the summer at a friend’s house. After several popular Beer Kart tournaments at houses, Buck decided the inebriating competition had generated enough interest to be the focus of his latest Prove Yourself competition.
To play Beer Kart, also known as Mario Kart DUI, participants compete to finish a previously unopened beer and the three-lap race in first place. Buck said the bracket of 16 racers will compete in one-on-one elimination races and the difficulty of the course maps will increase with the advancement of tournament rounds. Exploiting glitches in the game is fair play, but competitors are not allowed to drink their beer and drive at the same time. This rule prompts players to put down the controller mid-race to drink.
Shane Fields’ motivation for competing in the tournament is to defend his reputation and redeem himself. Fields reluctantly shared his strategy for emerging victorious from the competition.
“I chug half of the beer at the beginning and finish the rest throughout the race or if I fall off the map,” Fields said.
Fields plans on racing as the diminutive mushroom Toad, but Buck favors the green speed of the Yoshi character.
“It’s all about the drifting,” Buck said, insisting the strategy is pertinent to success.
If grainy Nintendo graphics and alcohol don’t get competitors in a gaming spirit, the musical entertainment for the night may do the trick. Godric Johnson will be on hand playing his brand of “Game-Hop” music, which is basically rapping over video game beats and soundtracks.
Prove Yourself: Beer Kart begins at 9 p.m. tonight with a $5 cover. The host will provide the beers for gaming and there will be a sign-up sheet for those not entered in the tournament who wish to play. The tournament competitor most adept at beer-chugging and video game racing will walk away as champion with a to-be-determined cash prize.
