Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, E=mc^2, Taking the first steps on the moon- What do all of these have in common? Easy- They where huge achievements in their respective fields, so much so that they changed what we thought was achievable.

Garfield Kart definitely belongs in the category of these achievements, as it is easily the best game I have ever played and maybe will ever play. Games like this just seem to change the way I think about video games. I have never ever even seen such an ambitious game with all of the elements mixed together in such a fine blend that it makes you wonder how much polish the developer put into this game. It may have even taken longer to polish the game than to make it, showing the care the developers put into this masterpiece. Every single part of the game makes the game better, nothing subracts from the experience. I have never played a game where both the keyboard and controller were both equivalent in fun, skill requirements, and ability.

Even the best mechanic in the game, the UFO's that automatically put you in second, are purposely crafted to show how well this game was made. The developers could easily have made it just a timer, but instead decided that they would be different, they would be bold enough to automatically put you in second. This mechanic deserves nothing but unbridled praise, as they teach a very true life lesson- it doesn't matter how long you are in first, aliens will always find a way to ♥♥♥♥ it up. This has rang true in my life many times, and I'm glad the developers were bold enough to put this cold but true life lesson into the game. I only aspire to see the other morals that this game may teach me on my journey.

I also not only liked but heartily enjoyed the currency system. The developers obviously put a lot of thought into it and I'm glad it paid off. The cars beyond the two normal ones cost 2,500, mere pennies to the amount you will probably earn sinking thousands of hours into this game. The gap in time from getting all these cars really teaches you the basics and lets you become a skilled driver in the game. Once you have the money though, the game rejoices in your newly aquired skill by improving it with stat upgrades. This type of progression system has been the obvious best in the gaming community for years, and I'm glad the developers didn't shy away from this in order to make their game somehow different.

The difficulty was perfect as well. The 50cc was good for new players, but that is about it. As a hardened veteran, these races bore me, as I only played it twice in order to go to the next stage, the 100cc.

The 100cc was tough, and it is where I met my first rival, Jon. He was incredibly good at racing and obviously way above my skill level. In our first few races, I had no chance. I grinded for hours, days, even weeks at a time, just to get my time improved by mere seconds. I slowly inched towards Jon's speed, and finally beat him. This had to be one of my life's greatest achievements. I felt so rewarded sitting on the gold pedastal staring down at the once complacent Jon only to laugh in his face with my success. The 150cc changed my metric for this achievement however.

The 150cc was the toughest of them all. I could barely get a good footing in the races, and almost always fell into last place. I got extremely depressed and one day I tied a noose for myself if I couldn't finish in fourth. Thankfully, I did it, which made me realize it was possible, just maybe, to get first. I tried for days and days, in a constant hunt for this crowning achievement to my journey. I got better and better, to near perfection, and one day, with a bit of luck and skill, I finally won it all.

I am writing this in the hospital as I haven't eaten in 4 days and am extremely dehydrated. This ranks as my life's best achievement ever. My uncle came to meet me in the hospital, where he said that he climbed to the top of everest and it was the best thing he had ever done. I laughed in his face and said, "That is nothing, have you even beaten 100cc in Garfield Kart?" He said no, and I heard from family members that he cried himself to sleep that night knowing that whatever he did could never match my 150cc win. Anyone who hasn't played this game needs to at least expierence the beautiful design and systems that it brings to the table, as I must whole-heartedly recommend this game.

111/10 Wish I could erase my memory and play it again.