Ranking Mario Kart Wii’s Original Tracks

FUN FACT: Mario Kart Wii sold 37.38 million copies worldwide, making it the best-selling game on the console other than Wii Sports.

Looking back at Mario Kart Wii, it’s apparent that this Mario Kart more than others leaned into the chaotic nature the franchise had a reputation for; the physics were bouncier, the items were crazier (Thunderclouds and more frequent Blue Shells made for some maddening moments), and the courses enabled all kinds of hectic races.

With what I think is one of the best original track selections in the series, it’s time to take a look at which ones I think are the best of the best.

16. Grumble Volcano: Though it may be my least favourite Mario Kart Wii track, I don’t think Grumble Volcano is all that bad. I’m not too keen on the volcano theme because I think it’s a little dull, and the layout of the track just doesn’t interest me all that much. The moving platforms after the cave are cool though, as is the fact that the track slowly crumbles. It makes you think it should be called Crumble Volcano instead.

15. Moo Moo Meadows: This is a really nice track, but a little bit plain. It shares a theme with Moo Moo Farm from Mario Kart 64, and doesn’t do too much different from it. There’s a windmill now, which is kinda neat, but that’s it really. The track is still fun to drive on and using Mushrooms to cut out a lot of the grassy areas can be fun for sure.

14. Luigi Circuit: There’s nothing wrong with Luigi Circuit at all, it’s a very simple track that’s completed very quickly. As the first track in the Mushroom Cup it basically serves as a tutorial on how to play the game, and the simplicity is a bit of a by-product of that. That being said, it’s still a fun layout that’s more interesting than the typical first course figure 8s, which is certainly to its credit.

Sunset is the best time of day, we need more sunset Mario Kart tracks.

13. Daisy Circuit: As far as the circuit tracks go, Daisy Circuit is pretty unique. It’s set in a quaint coastal town at sunset which is really nice, and has the fun staircase shortcut and the little side road in the last part of the map. It’s not the most memorable track out there, but from a roster this solid that is nothing to scoff at. I do wish Daisy got more tracks that harkened back to her debut in Super Mario Land, however.

12. Dry Dry Ruins: Similar to Moo Moo Meadows, Dry Dry Ruins has a lot in common with a previous track; this time, Dry Dry Desert from Mario Kart: Double Dash. Desert tracks never interest me too much, but I do like how this one plays, with the sand pit in the middle of the ruins and the Swoopers flying around at the start of the ruins. There’s a lot of shortcut potential here that makes this track a great one for comebacks and upsets, which is a type of track that’s necessary in every instalment.

11. Toad Factory: What I like about this track is that its theme is something we’ve not really seen in Mario Kart either before or since the Wii instalment. The conveyor belts are a fun little gimmick that doesn’t feel too intrusive, and I especially like the long turn with the two conveyor belts near the end of the track. The mud just before the finish line can be a little tricky to navigate without a boost, but fortunately there are plenty of boost panels to make it easier to traverse without a Mushroom. The music’s also great here as well.

10. Mario Circuit: Mario Circuit tracks are usually fun, if a little predictable as most are set close to Peach’s Castle. This one is a nice one to drive on though, with the more city-like design compared to the previous Mario Circuit tracks. The area with the Chain Chomp always manages to get hectic, especially with the boost ramp to the right letting some people cut across that area. It’s one of my favourite Mario Circuits, which says something considering they’re mostly pretty solid tracks. It’s also the first track that I played in this game, so it has some extra nostalgia points.

Moonview Highway | Wiki | Mario Kart Amino — This track always terrified me when I was younger.

9. Moonview Highway: When I was a kid, this track was the absolute bane of my existence. Perilous cars are around every corner of Moonview Highway, included the dreaded Bob-omb that explode when you hit them. The older I get the more I appreciate this track though, because there’s a learning curve to it and when you know how to weave around the traffic, it makes for some really high stakes races where you’re only a crash away from losing. And the city at night aesthetic is gorgeous, it makes the track stand out nicely.

8. Bowser’s Castle: I’m never normally a huge fan of the Bowser’s Castle tracks, but the one in Mario Kart Wii is amongst my favourites. The bridge over lava into a twisty corridor is a great way to set the scene, and the half-pipe section with the giant Bowser shooting fireballs at you is really cool too. The Giant Bowser was basically a clone of the one in Double Dash’s Bowser Castle though, so it feels a bit unoriginal.

7. DK’s Snowboard Cross: Also known as DK Summit, this track is a mad dash around a bunch of ski slopes and bumps that always makes for a chaotic race. There’s some surprisingly easy shortcuts to shave a bunch of seconds off your time at the end of the lap, and the skiing Shy Guys are both hilarious and some interesting obstacles. Between this and DK Pass in Mario Kart DS, I don’t quite know why there was such an interest in making snow-themed levels for Donkey Kong, but it’s a great track that I’d love to see return in a later Mario Kart.

6. Wario’s Gold Mine: Another great track from the Flower Cup, Wario’s Gold Mine is another fun theme that lends itself really well to a racecourse design. Driving on the minecart track is fun, though crashing into the minecarts can lead to some very costly mistakes, as it takes a while to recover. I always try and take the little side road near the end of the track, but the fact that the minecarts take the same route can make it a little risky at times. This risk was removed in Mario Kart 8 due to the anti-gravity mechanic make it so the minecarts boosted you rather than stopping you in your tracks. That makes it much easier, but still a fun time for sure.

5. Rainbow Road: This is my personal favourite of the Rainbow Road tracks. Not only is the road visually gorgeous, but this track can be brutal when it wants to be. There’s a lot of different routes that reconnect which is always fun, and the roundabout-type turns in the middle can be jumped over if you have a mushroom, which is a dangerous shortcut but can be very rewarding. It definitely feels like the final gauntlet and its difficulty makes it memorable in a way that Mario Kart 8’s Rainbow Road just lacks.

4. Koopa Cape: Koopa Troopa (alongside its undead counterpart, Dry Bones) is one of my favourite characters to play as in Mario Kart, and this is a track that does it justice. Not only are the sections with the moving water great to drive on because of the speed increase, but the already great music changes when you enter the pipe, which I think is the only example of dynamic music in the series until Mario Kart 7’s underwater sections. The pipe section is also fantastic because of the added peril of the spinning electric wheels, which can shrink you if you’re not careful. This is one of those tracks that lends itself to frantic races, which makes it all the more enjoyable.

3. Maple Treeway: The first thing you notice when playing Maple Treeway is how visually appealing it is. There’s a bunch of lovely autumnal colours, it just feels so quaint. And it’s a great track to drive on, especially if you can get onto the shortcut path at the beginning. Getting a Star from the piles of leaves that can drop items is a great feeling as well, especially when you’re in a position where you can’t get a Star. The part where you’re driving on the wooden road always feels risky when you cut corners too tight, but that just adds to the fun of it.

View of Coconut Mall in Mario Kart Wii. — Imagine if a bunch of people actually started driving go-karts around when you were just trying to shop.

2. Coconut Mall: Whenever I play Mario Kart Wii with friends, Coconut Mall is one of the first tracks that gets selected. Everybody always wants to pick this one early into a session, and for good reason. It’s a really fun concept that’s made into such a fun course design. It helps that the music is great too, and really fits the level. Everything about this track is Mario Kart Wii at its best is on display here, from the creativity to the mayhem to the driving feeling great, even when you’re going up an escalator the wrong way.

1. Mushroom Gorge: Without a doubt, Mushroom Gorge is the most memorable track from Mario Kart Wii. Everyone who’s played this game has memories of bouncing on the mushroom platforms and being thrown into the abyss by a poorly timed Red Shell or Lightning. This is the only track that my dad was able to beat me on when I used to play Mario Kart with him, and it’s something he still brings up to this day. It holds a special place in my heart for the nostalgia, but it’s also just a really solidly designed course with a brilliant soundtrack and the concept of bouncy mushrooms on a racecourse fits the Mario universe too well. Absolutely stellar track, and my personal favourite from this game.

Interestingly, all four tracks in my top four were chosen to reappear in Mario Kart 7. Nintendo must have realised just how great they were, as they very much are the cream of an excellent crop. Even the tracks I ranked lowest on this list make for good races, and I believe that this was a tremendous output of quality courses for just one game.

I hope to see more of these tracks get the HD treatment one day, as only 3 of these tracks were in Mario Kart 8 (with Wario’s Gold Mine only appearing as a DLC track that was then included in Deluxe).

Super Mario Galaxy 2: The Best Expansion Pass

Image result for super mario galaxy 2 — FUN FACT: In early stages of development, the game was initially called Super Mario Galaxy 1.5 and was more clearly an expansion of the first game.

DLC isn’t unusual in today’s gaming industry. In fact, most companies have their games shipped off with the intention of adding more content at a later date, sometimes free but usually paid. How did this work for the Wii, a console that didn’t download updates for software? Make a new game of course. And that’s just what happened with Super Mario Galaxy 2, one of my favourite main series Mario games.

Gameplay-wise, most of the basics are taken directly from its predecessor. You’re in space and running around little planetoids. Mario moves the same as he did in the previous game, with the long jump, triple jump and spin jump as you’d expect from a Galaxy sequel. However, there’s lots of new content too. Yoshi makes his return, this time with access to some power-ups of his own. Mario also has some new tools, including the Rock Mushroom and Cloud Flower, both of which are great additions, even if controlling Rock Mario can be a nightmare sometimes. Unlike the first game, you eventually unlock the ability to tag out and play as Luigi whenever you’d like, so obviously we switched to the superior brother as soon as it was possible.

I just recently 100% completed this game for the first time, though I’d attempted to (and failed) years earlier. Having a second player was a godsend, because the P2 Luma can freeze enemies, defeat some of them and collect certain items like Coins and 1-Up Mushrooms for you. We also alternated every now and then, so sometimes I’d be P2 and try my best to stop all the hazards for P1. This definitely makes the game easier, but you can also screw up and hurt the plumbers inadvertently. Or intentionally, if you’re evil. My favourite feature of the P2 Luma is its ability to tickle NPCs though. There’s so many great animations you can find that give the characters more life.

Image result for super mario galaxy 2 tickle lubba — The amount of times we tickled Lubba throughout the playthrough was insane. His animation is adorable and warmed our hearts whenever a level had stressed us out. Get him in Mario Kart.

What’s surprising about this game though is just how difficult it can be when it wants to. Some of the later worlds have really tough challenges that test your skill with some gauntlets so challenging you wouldn’t expect them from a Mario game. Bowser Jr in particular has some tough levels at the ends of worlds, though the odd level can also have a secret Star that really puts you to the test. Combine that with Prankster Comets and there’s a perfect storm of challenge and fun. And then there’s Green Stars. I both love and hate the Green Stars. There is one level that had me ready to rip my hair out when collecting one of its Green Stars; shout-out to Stone Cyclone Galaxy’s first Green Star, by God was that a nightmare.

As you’d expect though, Galaxy 2 is a fantastic game, which is again just what the Mario franchise delivers time after time. It’s got its moments that infuriate you, like Stone Cyclone Galaxy and those nightmarish “break all the boxes” challenges (though P2 Luma helps with them as well), but it also has some of the most fun levels in a Mario game. Cloud Mario’s levels in particular are a favourite of mine, and I’m also a big fan of Bee Mario’s stages. Some of the Yoshi ones are great as well. All three have their fair share of annoying Green Stars though. Still, even when you’re angry about getting a Green Star, it’s fun. You know you can get it if you jump a little higher, and you’ve really got to think carefully in some cases (looking at you, Puzzle Plank Galaxy’s first Green Star). Grandmaster Galaxy is on another level of challenging when you have to complete a Daredevil (1-hit only) run, and my friend did that for us whilst I went out for a walk. Do I want to try it to redeem myself? Not on your life.

There’s also a lot of callbacks to older Mario games, which is sometihng this franchise does in a way that’s not too obnoxious compared to say Sonic’s love of Green Hill Zone or Pokémon’s obsession with Kanto and Charizard. Lots of different games get callbacks, there’s a balance. Of course the first game gets more obvious ones with its music returning (basically a staple of any Mario game at this point), though some tracks also come from Super Mario World. Supermassive Galaxy is adorned with the Brick Blocks, ? Blocks and Pipes we all associate with Mario now, and could be seen as a reference to Giant Land from Super Mario 3. Throwback Galaxy is literally just Thwomp’s Fortress from 64, and bosses from the first game (including the dastardly Bouldergeist) return for Boss Blitz Galaxy in World S. Stone Cyclone Galaxy is also taken from the previous game, but sped up four times out of spite. There’s probably countless more I’ve missed out, but these are the ones that called out to me.

Galaxy 1 was a fantastic game, and all things considered I think 2 is a worthy, maybe even better sequel. Whilst I miss the Comet Observatory and Rosalina, Lubba’s great and there is so much to do. 242 Stars is nothing to scoff at. I’d not played it in around 10 years until this month, but we were so enthralled we were able to complete it in a week, and when a game keeps you that hooked you know it’s a brilliant one.

Mario Party 8: Great With Mates!

FUN FACT: In addition to the regular characters, Mario Party 8 made some enemies (Blooper and Hammer Bro.) playable for the first time!

Mario Party, like Mario Kart, is a staple of games nights and has been for years. People gather round the TV to see who can collect the most Stars and Coins, competing in minigames to help pocket some extra cash to spend on Stars. Sounds great, right? In theory, yes. In actuality, this game – more than Mario Kart, I’d say – is where people’s dark sides come out. Competitiveness and the ability to screw each other over makes Mario Party a wild ride, and 8 was the first instalment of the franchise to appear on the Nintendo Wii.

Technically, I’ve never owned Mario Party 8. I’ve only played other people’s copies, my cousins’ one or one of my friend’s, to be precise. That doesn’t change just how strong my memories of this game are, and the amount of joy it’s given me over the years. It holds up for that alone, and that’s ignoring everything else that makes the game as fun as it is; a zany cast of characters, boards that are as creative as they are infuriating, and minigames that can make you feel like you’re on top of the world or an ant waiting to be crushed, depending on your performance.

Why this Mario Party in particular? Well, there’s the nostalgic factor, and the fact that (other than Super Mario Party) it’s the one I’ve played the most as a multiplayer game (I played a lot of single player Mario Party DS, thank you Kamek’s Library for that). And there’s also the fact that pretty much every game of Mario Party 8 I’ve ever played has been an emotional rollercoaster, to put it lightly. One of my favourite gaming stories comes from this game, in fact.

Last year, I went to a friend’s flat to play Mario Party 8. It started off as normal, with all the trash talking you’d expect, only for me and my teammate to manage an early lead. Obviously we got cocky and amped up our trash talking, but then we had 2 Stars stolen from us, meaning we had 1 and they had 3 or 4. We spent the last couple of turns catching up to them until we both had 5 Stars, though they had more coins then us. Then came the Bonus Stars. We got one, and so did they. Thinking two Bonus Stars was the norm (it never has been, I’m just a fool), I’d resigned myself to defeat for what must have been the third or fourth time this game. And then, with all the grace you could imagine, a final Bonus Star descended onto the screen. It was the Red Star, essentially for being the most unlucky. And you’d better believe we won. I literally jumped out of my seat and screamed, that’s a memory that is burned into my mind and I have Mario Party 8 to thank for that.

Online I’ve seen a lot of whispers saying they believe 8 is one of the weaker entries in the franchise. I’ve not played enough of the games to be able to say anything for sure, but if 8 really is one of the weaker ones, then holy hell the others must be fantastic games. Par for the course for Mario, I suppose, but still. My only gripes really had to do with motion controls, but that’s a problem that plagued the Wii era so much that you can’t really use it as a criticism for a game if it wasn’t excessive. At least there weren’t any joystick spinning minigames like in the first Mario Party. I’ll take tired arms over bleeding palms any day of the week.

I do think that, in retrospect, there’s things that newer entries could take from Mario Party 8. In particular, I’m making comparisons to Super Mario Party, the newest game in the franchise (and a bloody great one at that). Bigger board sizes would be cool, bringing the dice rolls back to 10 (even if it’s nonsensical that a 6-sided dice goes up to 10), bringing back Blooper as a playable character, and ultimately I’d say the main one is bringing the total number of boards back up to 6, or at the very least 5. Variety is the spice of life, after all, and Mario Party 8 certainly has that. Even if 6 isn’t the biggest number of boards, so much is different between each playthrough that it’s a game you can go back to over and over. Never stop the Mario Party (8).