by
Evan Norris
, posted 2 hours ago / 268 Views
This article series is dedicated to Nikena, my Mario Kart rival.
With a new Mario Kart only days away, it’s a perfect time to revisit Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, perhaps for the final time. Mario Kart 8 has been with us, in some form or another, for over a decade, believe it or not. In that time the track count went from 32 to 48, before ballooning to 96 with the Booster Course Pass DLC. It’s doubtful we’ll ever see a game from the series with so many courses again. To celebrate all 96 tracks, and to bid a fond farewell to what I consider the finest Mario Kart (not to mention the best racing game ever made), I’ve ranked each and every course, from 96 to 1. So buckle up; this is going to take a while.
#72
Bone-Dry Dunes
Desert courses, for whatever reason, seem to always be the least interesting in Mario Kart. While Bone-Dry Dunes isn’t an exception, it still boasts several interesting things: a sand-sailing galleon that drops coins on the road; an anti-gravity segment that runs across a giant skeleton; and an elevated section in the dimly-lit cave toward the end of the track.
#71
Snow Land
Snow Land received an extraordinary overhaul when it arrived in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe via the Booster Course Pass. What was once a flat, mostly unremarkable course in Mario Kart: Super Circuit is now, apart from its shape on the map, virtually unrecognizable. The developers at Nintendo gave it a huge visual face-lift, and added a bridge, a forested area, a U-turn area on a frozen lake with a hole in the middle, and a new short-cut. With all that said, it’s too short and mostly uneventful.
#70
Amsterdam Drift
An expanded, combined version of three Tour variants, Amsterdam Drift has a lot going on thematically and structurally. It takes players near the windmills of the Zaanse Schans, past a tram, into the canal waters, and finally through an endless field of tulips. The canal section is definitely the highlight, due to underwater currents and a secret path upward over the topside of a boat. Finally, the track’s music is sneaky good; make sure you listen closely for that twangy jaw harp sound.
#69
Sweet Sweet Canyon
I wish Sweet Sweet Canyon did more with its dessert theme. Don’t get me wrong: the sugary production design is excellent. The entire landscape is filled with pastries, cakes, cookies, ice cream, candies, donuts, macarons, and chocolates; heck, there are even waffle-cone windmills. It’s just too bad the confections don’t alter or interact with the course layout.
#68
Grumble Volcano
For a while, Grumble Volcano was the perfect name for this track, because I would grumble whenever someone picked it. However, I’ve learned to stop worrying and love — or at least like — the course. The background visuals are striking, the menacing music sets the mood perfectly, and the slowly-deteriorating road is a unique feature. I still don’t know if it needs so many branching paths, though.
#67
Shroom Ridge
Consider me a Shroom Ridge convert. I wasn’t all that hot on it when it landed in the first wave of the Booster Course DLC, but it has gradually worn me down. It’s especially good on higher CCs, as racers weave dangerously through busy traffic. Overall, Shroom Ridge is one of those unassuming tracks that looks fairly mediocre but drives surprisingly well.
#66
Daisy Cruiser
Daisy Cruiser is a lot of fun, both in its vacation setting and its track design, which benefits from a dining area with sliding tables and an optional underwater area inhabited by a giant eel. Apart from inner tube Goombas in the opening pool area, which add a welcome wrinkle, the track is mostly unchanged from its glory days on GCN. As much as I love the original, I would have liked to have seen a few surprises.
#65
Cloudtop Cruise
Of all the courses in the vanilla version of Mario Kart 8, Cloudtop Cruise is the one that’s fallen farthest from grace in my estimation. Once upon a time I considered this a top 10 track, but if you remove its excellent production design and theme song, you’re left with a track that’s too short and just a little confused. If it lingered longer in the airship section or perhaps made a smoother transition to its rainy, stormy stretch, then it could rank among the very best.
#64
Mario Kart Stadium
Mario Kart Stadium is my most played track in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Yes, that’s partially because it’s the first course of the entire game. But it’s also because it’s steady and reliable, and accessible to drivers of all skill levels. Moreover, the music and visuals are solid, and that angled hairpin turn at the top of the course is one of the smoothest, most satisfying turns in the entire game.
#63
Super Bell Subway
If Mario Kart Stadium is my most played track, then surely Super Bell Subway is my least played. It just doesn’t seem that popular online or in my friend & family group. After playing it a few times to prepare for this ranking, I feel like it deserves more love. I dig the underground theme, all the Mario Kart Easter eggs, and the fact that subway cars serve as both hazards and driveable platforms.
#62
Boo Lake
If you jumped right from Boo Lake in Super Circuit to the version in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe without watching the transition in Mario Kart Tour, you’d have trouble wrapping your head around the changes. Like Snow Land before it, Boo Lake has undergone a massive transformation while still retaining its original course shape. It now takes place atop an actual lake instead of a bottomless pit, and features a brand new anti-gravity underwater section, which is a highlight. Regrettably, like all the tracks based on Super Circuit designs, it’s over too quickly.
#61
Sunset Wilds
Sunset Wilds is my favorite Game Boy Advance course in the whole Booster Course Pass. The track layout is simple but elegant, with several interesting interruptions to keep you engaged: muddy pools, dash panels, and oblivious Shy Guys wandering across the road. The old west backdrop, with its tents and tall pillars of wispy smoke, elevate the experience, as does its dusky yellow skybox. Weirdly, Sunset Wilds no longer shifts from sunset to night time on the final lap — the major calling card of the track. Nintendo, what gives?
Stay tuned for Part 4!
More Articles
