Mario Kart Wii courses POLL

I can almost do Coconut Mall with my eyes closed.

I always end up going the wrong way up the stairs in Coconut Mall. I know it's right-left, then left-right, then right-right - is that right?

Correct.

So why do I keep going up the wrong way then? Baaaaah!

Whenever I go online I keep getting pwnd by zippy manual drift bikers, and I'm buggered if I can figure out manual drift.

Anyone got any hot tips?

And Delfino Square rocks hard.

A lot of the DS ones are pointless, Peach Gardens in particular. Hate the gold mine one. Love Snowboard Cross. I can't choose!

I've only just got past the "if I can fall off, I will fall off" phase on the gold mine.

Mushroom Gorge is the one most burned into my mind - bouncing off those toadstools, boosting into the corner straight after. I don't actually own this game, but have it on the longest-term loan ever...

Manual drift is really easy - shouldn't take you much more than a couple of goes to get the basics.

Moonview Highway, with Coconut Mall a close second

People who, on the online multiplayer, habitually pick Rainbow Road seriously need to GTFO.

And Delfino Square rocks hard.

― NotEnough, Wednesday, 30 December 2009 09:22 (5 hours ago)

So much this.

People who, on the online multiplayer, habitually pick Rainbow Road seriously need to GTFO

otmfm. RR just makes me angry. I think Bowser's Castle has the right mix of twists and turns to make it interesting without falling into oblivion every five seconds.

Agreed. Though have now realised that in my voting of Delfino Square I have completely overlooked the perfection of N64 Bowser's Castle. A thing of beauty.

I habitually pick luigi circuit I should also gtfo afaic, I think

Tho Luigi circuit is useful online when they make you play mirror, that shit is harsh.

I don't actually own this game, but have it on the longest-term loan ever...

its yours to keep i reckon :)

i found Wario's Gold Mine the hardest - i got pretty good at Rainbow Road in the end and that with Maple Treeway and Snowboard Cross is my top 3

btw if anyone wants my copy of Mario Galaxy its yours for £6 + P&P

preferred the N64 iteration, especially of the Rainbow Road, which was awesome

goin with Bowsers Castle here that's right you heard me

N64 Rainbow Road was terrible unless you were st0ned. It went on too long and looked terrible thanks to the lo-fi graphics that made your eyes hurt on CRT TVs.

man what are you even talkin about, it was like driving from an armchair straight into the damm FUTURE

of the ones that haven't been mentioned I like DK's Jungle Parkway and Moonview Highway. and yeah Delfino Square is pretty sweet (how can you even do that course w/o the drift button tho? all it is is tight turns).

I'm buggered if I can figure out manual drift

you just hit the trigger underneath and hold it down while you lean into the turn really hard, that's all there is really. works best on the small bikes that cut corners.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sIaitixYQ2M/SbAXA60QlGI/AAAAAAAABhU/efUaR8_WvFo/s1600/Mario%2BKart%2BRainbow%2BRoad.jpg

In fairness, I forgot about the spooky flying images thing, that was kinda cool.

http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2008/features/mario_kart/rainbow_001.jpg

Okay, it's less clean, but less future? What, really?

i do <3 rainbow road actually even though it's bonkers

but whoever built rainbow road really have no clue about barriers and where they should be omitted.

you just hit the trigger underneath and hold it down while you lean into the turn really hard, that's all there is really.

I figured out how to do it eg which buttons to press, but it just doesn't come naturally at all. I always lean too much or something and end up overcompensating. Practice practice practice I guess.

Seem to remember the GC version being pretty fun. Original SNES version was pure evil tho. No sides!

All the Bowser's castles are cool, tho I do love the new one with the undulating carpets and lava spouts at the end, even if I am terrible at it.

This thread is making me nostalgic for DoubleDash. "Wazoo! HAI I'M DAISY!"

DoubleDash was an abomination

It wasn't brilliant (if anything, it always felt unfinished to me) but it did have its moments. Like Chompy Chain weapon thing. Fuck a Mini Mario tho.

I've only played mario kart wii a few times but what level is that underwater tube you drive through?

My uncle plays the shit out of this game. His favorite level is Maple Treeway

underwater tube is Koopa Cape

one of the ones I don't like is Yoshi Falls, the course goes by too quick and it's really hard to catch up if you fall behind

Original SNES version was pure evil tho. No sides!

― unpredictable johnny rodz, Wednesday, December 30, 2009 10:47 AM (1 hour ago)

otm! what was the one you could jump across the middle of the course? ghost valley?

Okay, it's less clean, but less future? What, really?

I think it was that the music on the 64 reads more "we're heading toward the bright future" than Wii stuff does - I have half-formed theories about this, but for me, the more fully-rendered the music, the harder it's going to have to work to do that sort of this-sound-is-shorthand-for-this-mood thing. like, on newer systems, the music's just music; it's pretty rare for me to think of in terms other than "soundtrack to game." but that rainbow road 64 music with the high-pitched quena sound and those rolling drums and the longing melody and the driving into the starry neon-character-filled sky...oh man I'm gettin all misty-eyed

I mean take this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5xdue7GFcc

you know? whereas the wii version by comparison is weak generic sauce whose melody just fails to burn itself in completely:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTsdonXl6dE

actually i do still feel giddy and as though nothing in the world can harm me except if i fall off a cliff, when i hear this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6y0NRYqIMc

otm! what was the one you could jump across the middle of the course? ghost valley?

― welcome to gudbergur (harbl), Wednesday, December 30, 2009 5:33 PM (21 minutes ago)

Yeah. IIRC you had to have a feather thing and then still had to time it right.

was snes version 1st game where you could race against "ghost" version of your prev best time?

I think it was that the music on the 64 reads more "we're heading toward the bright future" than Wii stuff does - I have half-formed theories about this, but for me, the more fully-rendered the music, the harder it's going to have to work to do that sort of this-sound-is-shorthand-for-this-mood thing. like, on newer systems, the music's just music; it's pretty rare for me to think of in terms other than "soundtrack to game."

Yeah this is a really good call, there's a bunch of stuff on Best NES/SNES era videogame soundtracks? that's crazily evocative because of the technical limitations and the kind of sonic palette they have, but a lot of newer stuff just feels like low budget movie soundtracks

Rainbow Road is basically the reason I can't play this game without turning into a sulking cunt though

Sulking Cunt is an unlockable character in Soul Caliber II iirc

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fuck bowser's castle

I'm a big maple treeway fan

you know what's not getting enough love here is waluigi stadium but I get when your name is waluigi you kinda come to expect to get the short end of the stick

waluigi was the best in mario tennis

The older (N64?) Waluigi / Wario stadium was great, if you lightninged the other characters when they were driving over the jump they fell down and had to redo half a lap. Some of the weapons on Double Dash were good too and I have a strong affection for the Daisy Cruiser course.

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fucking insanity

is that a hidden course?

ha! that's the one i voted for. it's the one with the indoor fountains and escalators!

it's no Waluigi Pinball DS but still pretty cool

in terms of original wii courses, i find these results to be pretty agreeable

grumble volcano is pretty good for the lols but it's like the #1 example of the problem w/ the mario kart wii in that in the span of three laps you usually go from first to 7th to 12th to third to first to fifth to second

It's all to do with when the blue shell hits you. But some would argue that it is better thanthe perma top 4 like the premiership

grumble volcano is pretty good for the lols but it's like the #1 example of the problem w/ the mario kart wii in that in the span of three laps you usually go from first to 7th to 12th to third to first to fifth to second

well duh the trick is never be in the lead & then take the lead in the last lap