Latest news with #MarioKart8Deluxe
Tom's Guide
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Tom's Guide
I hosted a Mario Kart World tournament at work and lost — and this is the most important thing I learned
Full disclosure: I didn't pre-order the Nintendo Switch 2. I wasn't fully convinced that it was worth upgrading from my OG Switch, which still works just fine. I told myself that if they ported Baldur's Gate 3 to the Switch 2, that would be enough reason to buy it. That hasn't happened yet (and I don't know if it will), but since then, I've had hands-on time with our shared Switch 2 in the office, and I often spend my lunch break playing a Knockout round in Mario Kart World with Harry from TechRadar (we're friendly rivals). Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is one of my favorite games on my OG Switch, so naturally I really enjoy Mario Kart World too. One day, when Harry and I were playing, we came up with the brilliant idea to host a tournament for our office. We pitched the idea to five of our colleagues and they all agreed. Everyone loves Mario Kart, right? So seven of us chose a date and time after work and let it unravel. Luckily, no friendships or work relationships were harmed in the making of this tournament. The rules for our Mario Kart World tournament were simple: one group of four players and another group of three players would compete across 12 races, with the winners from each group battling it out in a best-of-three showdown. We plugged one Switch 2 into one TV and another Switch 2 into another TV next to it. With our Joy-Cons and third-party controllers in hand (the Turtle Beach Rematch included), we battled it out. Despite my high hopes, I finished second in my group which meant I did not progress to the finale. I was bummed, of course, because I really do enjoy winning, and I get very competitive. The only person I'm genuinely happy to lose against is my partner and that's where I draw the line. So no, I was not happy finishing second and that meant I had to now watch the two winners from the groups race it out. As I sat there with my arms crossed and my eyebrows slightly furrowed (no, I am not a sore loser), something dawned on me. I... actually enjoyed watching others play? Gasp. I sat there with my eyes fixed on the TV and I thoroughly enjoyed the two finalists navigate their way around shortcuts and drift into oblivion while NPCs bombarded them with red shells and the occasional blue shell. And I have to say: Mario Kart World makes for a great spectator sport, and a lot of it is down to the NPCs. I've sunk at least 80 hours into Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and never once did I think the NPCs outsmarted me. Sure, once you fall down the pecking order and find yourself in the last 10, things get sticky. But never as bad as in Mario Kart World as having 24 racers on track results in a lot of chaos — so much so that people have often complained about the game's difficulty on r/NintendoSwitch and r/MarioKart. NPCs, for a change, seem intelligent and smart. They'll take shortcuts, grind on rails, target you, so on and so forth, and if you aren't in top form and aren't utilizing shortcuts, the game will punish you. That's what made watching the finale of our tournament so thrilling — the five of us who watched it had no idea what to expect, and I doubt the finalists did either. It was so thrilling to watch, and definitely more fun to watch than Mario Kart 8 Deluxe which, after a while, becomes predictable and you don't even break a sweat playing 150CC+. Our office Mario Kart World tournament has cemented the game as one of the greats for me, which I didn't think earlier. With the plethora of characters and vehicles to choose from and the different types of race tracks, it's a whole lot of fun for people who don't like video games either. I can't wait to host another tournament now.
Metro
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
Nintendo explains why Zelda and Splatoon racers aren't in Mario Kart World
The developers behind Mario Kart World have explained why they chose Cow over Link and Isabella in its character roster. Before Mario Kart World was announced, some fans hoped it would take some cues from Super Smash Bros. and become a crossover of all Nintendo properties. The precedent for this was set in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, where Splatoon Inklings, Link from The Legend Of Zelda, and villagers from Animal Crossing made the roster. This was the first time Nintendo characters outside of the Mushroom Kingdom had made it into Mario Kart, with courses based on F-Zero and Excitebike thrown in too. While it seemed logical that this would continue in Mario Kart World, the sequel doesn't feature any other Nintendo characters – instead opting for an influx of minor Mario freakos like Conkdor, Cataquack, Penguin, and the Cow from Moo Moo Meadows. Mario Kart World producer Kosuke Yabuki has explained why this is the case in an interview with Ouest-France, where he described the potential inclusion of other Nintendo characters in the sequel as 'incongruous'. 'As developers, it would have seemed incongruous to us to add characters from other games into this universe,' he told the outlet (via machine translation). 'And it didn't seem necessary to us, given everything we could already do with Mario.' More Trending Yabuki, who also served as a producer on ARMS, was asked if he ever considered adding characters from that game to the roster. 'Absolutely not!' he replied with a laugh. Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning. Speaking about the slew of new minor Mario characters, he added: 'We were hoping that the addition of these new drivers would be a pleasant surprise for players. But the reception has been so warm that it surprised even us! It definitely exceeded our expectations.' The big question is whether his comments rule out any potential Nintendo crossovers for Mario Kart World in the future. Characters from Zelda and Animal Crossing were added to Mario Kart 8 via DLC packs, and the open structure of Mario Kart World lends itself to extra courses being added as a potentially separate island down the line. Based on the success of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, which sold over 68 million copies and received DLC in the form of the Booster Course Pass, new tracks and characters for Mario Kart World feels inevitable – but then again, Nintendo has a knack for doing the unexpected. Email gamecentral@ leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader's Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. MORE: Xbox VR headset leaks and its release date is a bit of a shock MORE: Games Inbox: Is Mario Kart World better than Mario Kart 8? MORE: Video games are great for my mental and physical wellbeing – Reader's Feature
Metro
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Every Nintendo Switch 2 launch game reviewed - all 25 games so far
Nintendo's new console already has two dozen games available, but reviews have been sparse, as GameCentral gives an overview of everything that's currently available. It's been over two weeks since the Nintendo Switch 2 came out and it's only now that we can bring our coverage of the launch to a conclusion. For no adequately explored reason, Nintendo didn't send out review units until the day before launch, so no outlet was able to prepare reviews beforehand and even now it's only the high-profile ones that have been covered in any detail. This has not pleased third party publishers, who have lost out on coverage they originally expected to help promote their games, and there's some launch titles that we're never going to get around to playing. What we've done though, is to try and draw a line under things and offer links to our full reviews, mini-reviews for ports we have played, and a brief description and Metacritic score for those we haven't. There are only four Nintendo Switch 2 exclusives games so far – two from Nintendo and two from third party publishers – but many of the other games do have some new Switch 2 features, like mouse support or new modes. None of that makes much difference but what is encouraging is that the majority of the third party ports so far have been very high quality, and surprisingly close to the PlayStation 5 versions. Nintendo – £74.99 (physical) or £66.99 (digital) Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning. The most high-profile launch game by such a degree that it has a staggering 95% attach rate in some regions. It's as clear an example of a console killer app as there's ever been but it's not the flawless creation that Mario Kart 8 Deluxe was, with a strangely underutilised open world environment that doesn't spoil the experience but does make you wonder what else Nintendo has planned for the game, in terms of future DLC. Score: 9/10 (Mario Kart World Switch 2 review) Nintendo – £7.99 Not necessarily the worst game Nintendo has ever made but certainly the dullest. This well meaning interactive exhibit describes, in painstaking detail, what the Switch 2 can do and how it works. This can be quite interesting but the minimalist presentation and thoroughly un-entertaining mini-games make it a slog to get through, even if it is very cheap. Score: 3/10 (Welcome Tour Switch 2 review) Konami – £44.99 We're not even going to get into how Konami seems hellbent on rebooting every single franchise it owns except Castlevania, but we were actually quite excited to see the return of Survival Kids (aka Stranded Kids, aka Lost In Blue). The original was one of the very first survival games of any kind but sadly this new game is a highly repetitive co-op puzzle game, that's trying to channel some of the madcap fun of Overcooked! but doesn't really get close. Score: 5/10 (Survival Kids Switch 2 review) Shin'en – £13.49 The original F-Zero was a launch game for the SNES in Europe but while there still isn't a brand new game, the Switch 2 did get GameCube classic F-Zero GX, as well as this: the latest entry in the Fast series from tribute band Shin'en. They've been making F-Zero clones for over a decade now and while they still lack the nuance and finesse of Nintendo's games they're still a lot of fun and the graphics in Fast Fusion are very impressive for a budget-priced game. Score: 7/10 (Fast Fusion Switch 2 review) CD Projekt – £59.99 The most high-profile third party game for the Switch 2 is a port of Cyberpunk 2077 and its expansion Phantom Liberty. CD Projekt Red has taken a lot of care over this one, utilising all the Switch 2's features, including optional motion controls, and putting out a version of the game with a superior performance to the PS4 Pro and in some cases even comparable to the PlayStation 5 edition. Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition un-scored review EA – £44.99 Apart from being one of the best games of the year – and one of the best co-op games of all time – the Switch 2 version of Split Fiction is very instructive in terms of what should be expected of third party ports in general. For a start, it's the only current gen-only game available at launch. And while that's not a particularly good indication of the Switch 2's power, given that Split Fiction isn't a very graphically demanding game, it's still impressive that it works as well as it does. It's capped at 30fps when docked but it looks almost indistinguishable from the PlayStation 5 version. It's also notable for having the same online features as the other versions, including cross-play, and the ability to GameShare with the Switch 1. This is a strange feature, because the game isn't available on Switch 1, but Donkey Kong Bananza seems to have the same option. As you might expect, the Switch 1 version doesn't run nearly as well as on the Switch 2, but it is playable, and this is presumably going to become a relatively common feature for Switch 2 games. Score: 9/10 (Split Fiction PS5 review) Warner Bros. Games – £49.99 If the functional but compromised original Switch port for Hogwarts Legacy was miraculous for simply existing, this Switch 2 version is a notable, welcome upgrade. The improved visual detail and loading times, while naturally not comparable to the PlayStation 5 (here's our full review of that) and Xbox Series X, now look easily in the same league as the last gen versions – if not better. The main advantage of the Switch 2 version, if you casually ignore anyone who has played on a PC this century, is mouse controls. You can jump between the dual analogue setup and mouse functionality by flipping one Joy-Con on its side, and it transitions seamlessly between them whenever you want. There's a mouse sensitivity slider which you can attune to your speed and, after some adjustment in nailing down the spell configurations with the buttons twisted sideways, it quickly became our preferred way to play. The big question is whether that justifies the £49.99 price tag. Considering the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X versions can be picked up relatively cheap these days (around £20), we'd recommend going for those instead, for the most polished wizarding role-playing experience. If Nintendo systems are your only option though, this is a substantial improvement over the original Switch port in every way. Score: 8/10 (Hogwarts Legacy PS5 review) Capcom – £34.99 (Years 1-2 Fighters Edition: £49.99) Since it's also available on PlayStation 4, this isn't quite the miracle port it first seems but it's still hugely impressive. To a casual observer it looks almost identical to the PlayStation 5 version and while careful comparison shows it has less effects and the resolution is clearly being upscaled, the important thing is that multiplayer matches are all 60fps. That's a big achievement for a launch game, especially as it supports rollback netcode and cross-play. The latter is vitally important in terms of ensuring a steady supply of opponents and while Nintendo's online infrastructure won't be put to the test until there are more Switch 2 owners in the world, it seems to work fine right now. Switch 2 still seems the least appropriate console for a fighting game, given the Joy-Cons have no D-pad and we don't think there's a fighting stick for it yet, but beyond that this really has no drawbacks. There's the question of whether Capcom will give it exactly the same support as the other version but it's already got the current DLC available for it, so hopefully that means they're not just going to abandon it after launch. Score: 9/10 (Street Fighter 6 PS5 review) IO Interactive – £54.99 Another third party game that seems like the last thing you'd expect on a Nintendo console, but surprisingly this one runs worse than either Street Fighter 6 or Split Fiction. World Of Assassination is essentially all three modern Hitman games combined into one, so there's a ton of content available, as you try to take out your targets in as inventive a manner as possible. Hitman has long been one of the best examples of sandbox gameplay in a mainstream video game, where you learn to exploit every inch of a level, and the characters within it, to complete your mission in increasingly unlikely ways. There's no question that this is a great game, but the problem is that this is not the ideal way to experience it. The frame rate is uneven and while this isn't a straight action game there's a constant sense that it's only barely managing to work on the Switch 2. The occasionally blurry visuals are also less impressive than other launch ports and while some of that may be fixed with a patch, it's clear this is a fairly compromised port. Score: 7/10 (Hitman 3 PS5 review) Sega – £44.99 The Switch 1 version of Sonic X Shadow Generations is undeniably the worst one, if only for its locked frame rate of 30fps. Fortunately, the Switch 2 version is a solid revision that's almost on par with the PlayStation 5 version, which we reviewed here. Both the Sonic and Shadow portions run at a consistent 60fps and visually the graphics don't seem any worse than the PlayStation 5 version – although some textures, like Shadow's chest fur, look a bit blurry in places. The cut scenes also don't reach 60fps, even on performance mode, but that's the case for the PlayStation 5 version too. This also all applies to handheld mode, but everything looks a little blurrier for some reason, especially when boosting, making it the less ideal option compared to playing the game on the TV while docked. The biggest issue, is the fact that Sega isn't offering any sort of upgrade path for Switch 1 owners, meaning you've no choice but to pay full price for the Switch 2 version. Score: 8/10 (Sonic X Shadow Generations PS5 review) Sega – £44.99 Most of these third party games don't have any extra content, beyond maybe a few extra motion controls, but Yakuza 0 goes further by adding new cut scenes and a brand new online multiplayer mode. That sounds good in theory but it's easy to see why the cut scenes were deleted from the original version and the multiplayer mode adds up to very little. The game itself is still one of the best entries in the series though. Score: 7/10 (Yakuza 0 Director's Cut Switch 2 review) Capcom – £32.99 We were very frustrated by Path Of The Goddess when it was first released last year, as while we loved the unique art style and use of Japanese mythology, the promising mix of action and strategy was not all we hoped. You control a warrior named Soh as you fight demonic monsters emerging from portals all around the game world. To seal the main one in each map you need to escort a priestess to it, while organising villagers to protect her in what could generously be described as a real-time strategy. The problem is that the strategy elements are shallow and underplayed and while the game is fun and interestingly weird, it really doesn't add up to much. We were interested to see how the mouse controls work, but while they're fine on a technical level they're really not necessary, given how little of the map you can see at any one time. Score: 6/10 (Kunitsu-Gami: Path Of The Goddess PS5 review) 8-4 – £20.99 The first two chapters of the follow-up to Undertale had been released before the Switch 2 launch but the third and fourth (out of a total of seven) were kept back until now – although they're also now available on PlayStation and PC. The NES style graphics don't look like much and, to be honest, the role-playing battles do get repetitive, but the storytelling is just as engaging and subversive as Undertale. We'll give the game a full review when all the chapters are out (the current four still only add up to about 14 hours) and we could easily see the score increasing by that point, but don't be put off by chapter 1 as it's easily the worst, especially in terms of repetition. It's not the plot that's important in Deltarune but the bizarre range of characters and the surreal situations you find yourself in. Although at the heart of it all is a very pacifist ideology, that celebrates the power of love and the need for empathy without ever seeming mawkish or patronising. And while also paying homage to old school Japanese role-players and having a cracking soundtrack. Score: 8/10 Sega – £34.99 Sega has been the most prolific supporter of the Switch 2 so far, with three launch titles, all of which have been reasonable efforts. We only reviewed the original crossover between puzzle games Puyo Puyo (better known to Mega Drive owners as Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine) and Tetris but we're not too shocked to find that the sequel is pretty much the same. It's stacked full of options, including a story mode, the chance to play both games individually, and the all-important crossover mode. This mixes the rules from both games and since they're similar enough it works pretty well, as your screen becomes filled with tetriminos and… whatever Puyos are supposed to be. There are lots of other modes beyond just that, including one that adds minor role-playing elements, so it's perhaps no surprise that the only other thing they could think of for the Switch 2 version is a new 2v2 option. Apart from that, a resolution bump, and mouse controls (which don't work at all well) this is the exact same game that's already available on the Switch and, like Sonic X Shadow Generations, there's no upgrade option, if you already own the previous version. Score: 8/10 Hamster – £14.99 A new Ridge Racer used to great every new console release but while that tradition has lapsed in recent years (there hasn't been a proper new Ridge Racer in over a decade) we did get this port of the original arcade game for the Switch 2 launch – although it's also available one Switch 1, Xbox, and PlayStation. As simplistic and shallow as it is, the game is still as much fun as ever, with this version also adding a time attack mode and allowing for rewinds and VRR support. Score: 8/10 Nintendo – £66.99 (upgrade pack: £7.99) One of the best games ever made gets a mild remastering for the Switch 2, which ups the resolution and raises the frame rate to 60fps. There are no other graphical improvements, so some of the texture work is looking a bit long in the tooth, but the smoother gameplay does make a real difference. There's also a free mobile app that can help you locate any Korok or shrines you missed. Score: 10/10 (Breath Of The Wild Switch 2 review) Nintendo – £66.99 (upgrade pack: £7.99) The sequel to Breath Of The Wild gets the same treatment on Switch 2, with improved frame rate and visuals but no other significant changes. That's not a complaint though, especially as the upgrade for both remasters is surprisingly cheap, and completely free if you subscribe to Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack. The mobile app also has an extra function for Tears Of The Kingdom, allowing you to share Ultrahand creations via a QR code. Score: 10/10 (Tears Of The Kingdom Switch 2 review) 2K – £59.99 (upgrade pack: £10.00) Take-Two didn't send out review copies for this game and given there's only two reviews on Metacritic we're guessing that was the same for everyone. It's a shame, because the PC-orientated design is perfect for showing off the Switch 2's mouse controls, but we've no idea how well it does or doesn't work. The Metacritic scores are 60 and 70 though, so that doesn't sound too promising. Mind you, the original PC version wasn't great either and while that will likely change over time here's our launch review. Koei Tecmo – £57.99 To be clear, these last few games we didn't chase up for review copies, because we knew they'd be low priority, and we didn't have time to look properly at them. Nobunaga's Ambition is a long (incredibly long – it started out on PC in 1983) running series of grand strategy games, most of which weren't released in the West until quite recently. We don't know how this one is but it has a Metacritic score of 81. Square Enix – £33.99 While Square Enix has already announced that Final Fantasy 7 Remake is coming to the Switch 2 their only launch game is this considerably lower profile remaster. The original was pretty good, and felt more like old school Final Fantasy games than any of the modern entries in the series, but it was a 3DS game so there's only so much this remaster can do; especially as it also has to battle with a terrible story and voiceovers, which prevented the original from becoming a true classic. The current Metacritic score is 84. Hello Games – £39.99 The frustrating thing about all this is that there's no master list of available titles for the Switch 2 and Nintendo has made no effort to highlight third party titles, so it's been difficult to even draw up a list of titles that were released on June 5. One of the last to be announced was this new version of space exploration game No Man's Sky, which we've not played but has proven very popular, if the eShop charts are anything to go by. There're only three scores on Metacritic so far (it takes four to get an aggregate), of 90, 90, and 100. Marvelous – £59.99 (upgrade pack: £10.00) Although this spin-off from the Harvest Moon/Story Of Seasons franchise was out for the Switch 2's launch it also released the same day on Switch 1 and PC. We haven't played it, but we've never been impressed with the series and its attempts to mix farming with dungeon crawling – so both aspects are usually very shallow and repetitive. Maybe Guardians Of Azuma is different though, as it has four reviews on Metacritic, adding up to a score of 80. Konami – £44.99 If nothing else, this wins the award for the longest game name this year, and the Switch 2 already has a number of contenders for that accolade. We've not played these particular remasters but we imagine they're identical to the ones released last year. Suikoden 2 in particular is an all-time classic and we've reviewed it many times before, as it's one of the best role-playing games of the PS1 era, with some interesting strategy elements. Level-5 – £52.03 More Trending Seriously, what is going on with the length of these game names? We haven't played Fantasy Life I, but it's from another franchise we've never been impressed by. A sort of cross between Final Fantasy and Animal Crossing, the idea is that you lead a relatively mundane life in a fantasy world, taking the role of not just mercenary and mage, but also a cook and woodcutter. Or at least that's how it was in the one we played. There are only three reviews on Metacritic, for 80, 90, and another 90. Epic Games Now this one we have played, for the obvious reason that it's free-to-play. Maybe it's just how the algorithm has us pegged but we've seen more advertising for Fortnite on Switch 2 than anything from Nintendo – and not without reason. The game runs extremely well on Nintendo's new console and the demographic for the two must match up exactly. It's not clear if player numbers will ever be revealed but we expect Fortnite to prove very popular on Nintendo's new format. Email gamecentral@ leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader's Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. MORE: Metroid Prime 4 advert on London tube confuses everyone with 'out now' sticker MORE: Games Inbox: What is the hardest video of modern times? MORE: NetEase game Blood Message may have the best video game graphics ever
Metro
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Mario Kart World's soundtrack is fantastic – here are the best songs
The music soundtrack for Mario Kart World is a masterpiece but these are the very best music tracks to keep an ear out for. The most welcome surprise to come out of Mario Kart World has not been its open world or bizarre new roster of playable racers, but its phenomenal soundtrack. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe was no slouch in that department either, but according to Nintendo itself, Mario Kart World boasts more the 200 different pieces of music. This includes not just wholly original songs made for Mario Kart World, but a mountain of remixes of tracks from older Mario Kart games, as well as the entire Super Mario franchise in general. Ranking all of them, like we did with the tracks, is too much of an undertaking, especially since there's no in-game jukebox or list confirming exactly which songs are included, but we can certainly tell you what our favourites are… Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning. It was a wise decision to open Mario Kart World with one of its best songs. The moment you boot up the game, you are met with this incredible fusion of guitars and harmonica that gets the blood pumping for your upcoming races, but also captures the exciting vibes of a long road trip with friends, which perfectly suits the new Knockout Tours. Madness does Mario is the best way we can describe this surprising ska rendition of the Athletic Theme from Super Mario Bros. 3. This song's been a common nostalgic throwback for years and this lively rendition shows why it keeps being brought back. Despite being a fan favourite song, the theme for Dire Dire Docks has rarely, if ever received new arrangements from Nintendo. Possibly because it took nearly 30 years to make this version so perfect. It's so atmospheric that it has us yearning for an official big band cover of the entire Super Mario 64 entire soundtrack. There is a concerning lack of Donkey Kong related content in Mario Kart World, that'll hopefully be rectified with post-launch updates, but he at least gets his own track and not only is it very unique, being a space station rather than a typical jungle, but it's got one of the best tunes in the game. Since the track itself is based on the original Donkey Kong arcade game, it's only fitting it be inspired by its music. But what was a very repetitive chip tune has been transformed into a big band medley that uses different instruments for each section of the race. As far as we can tell, this is the only other Donkey Kong related piece of music on Mario Kart World's soundtrack. Fortunately, it's a new rendition of arguably the most iconic song in DK's long history. Sometimes known as Jungle Hijinx, this song has been synonymous with Nintendo's great ape since its debut in Donkey Kong Country and this rendition is undoubtedly its jazziest yet. We can only hope more DK music is added in the future. Boo Cinema is one of our favourite new tracks in Mario Kart World, so how appropriate that it has one of the best songs too. Previous melodies for ghost themed Mario Kart tracks tended to prioritise being spooky, but this one manages to achieve that while also being energetic enough that you can bop your head to it. Super Mario Galaxy's full orchestral score remains one of the best video game soundtracks ever and while the original Gusty Garden Galaxy suited the grandeur of a space odyssey, this remix makes perfect use of electric guitars and horn instruments to match the chaotic excitement of Mario Kart. Moo Moo Meadows is already perfect as is, but we're still surprised to hear its fantastic music get even better in Mario Kart World. While it's not so drastically different to be unrecognisable, the enhanced violins breathe new life into the song so it keeps pace with the rest of the soundtrack. Super Mario Odyssey's main theme song was already a banger and, even without the lyrics, this revised version perfectly fits racing down city roads to the finish line or just casually roaming the open world. We've heard this song during the Mushroom Cup's Crown City course in Grand Prix and those introductory notes always leave us grinning. We're including this one almost entirely for how much of a deep cut it is. Flipnote Studio was a free app for the Nintendo DSi that's long since been defunct and let you draw digital flipbook-style animations, with this song made to promote a competition for the Super Mario Bros. franchise's 25th anniversary. More Trending The original's a quaint little ditty with big preschool show energy that only lasts about 30 seconds, but Mario Kart World turns it into a much catchier jazz number that more than justifies its extended length. We're cheating with this once since it's technically not part of the soundtrack, but we'd be remiss not to acknowledge one of Nintendo's longest running Easter eggs that's since been discovered by fans. For those who don't know, Totaka's Song is a short melody by veteran Nintendo composer Kazumi Totaka. This little ditty is typically hidden in games he's worked on, and fans have now found it in Mario Kart World. It can be hard to make out, but if you hang over Yoshi on the character select screen, the dinosaur will start humming the tune. Appropriate considering Totaka has been the voice of Yoshi since the 90s. Email gamecentral@ leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader's Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. MORE: How to unlock everything in Mario Kart World: all characters, costumes and more MORE: All 96 Mario Kart 8 Deluxe tracks ranked from worst to best MORE: I'm going to say it: Mario Kart World is not as good as it should be – Reader's Feature
Metro
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
All 30 Mario Kart World racetracks ranked from worst to best
GameCentral determines which of Mario Kart World's racetracks are its best and worst, in the record-breaking Nintendo Switch 2 launch title. While freely roaming through Mario Kart World's open world can be a little underwhelming, it doesn't change how fun and frantic the actual racing is – something that definitely does make good use of the giant, interconnected map. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has far more tracks to choose from thanks to all its DLC, but World is no slouch in terms of quality, with even courses from older games almost unrecognisable thanks to a graphical glow-up and some major design alterations. Now that the game's been out for over a week, we've decided to make a sequel to our previous Mario Kart track ranking and go through each of World's tracks to determine which are the best of the bunch. This ranking is a lot trickier to do this time round, since tracks can connect to one another in different ways, with multiple iterations possible in multiplayer. So, for the sake of making things easier for ourselves, we're looking at each track based on how it's depicted in the standard Grand Prix mode, as well as how they fare as traditional multi-lap tracks. Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning. The introductory track of the Shell Cup, this is a reimagining of a track from the original Super Mario Kart on the SNES, which means it has an incredibly basic layout. We enjoy the Koopa Troopa DJ atop the finish line gate and the beach party vibes do liven things up, but you are just driving in a circle for five laps and given how wide it is, it lacks the sort of madcap chaos from something like the iconic Baby Park from Mario Kart: Double Dash. We honestly forgot this originally appeared in Mario Kart DS, which probably tells you everything you need to know about this simplistic desert themed track. As the first track in the Flower Cup, this doesn't have a lot going for it outside of the dunes you can jump off. Although the new Super Mario Land theming is appreciated, with the Tokotoko and Batadon maoi head enemies from that game making a very rare appearance as obstacles. We feel bad putting Mario Bros. Circuit this low for its simplicity, since it is designed to be the introductory track and thus needs to ease new players in, offering instances for you to practice rail grinding, wall riding, and gliding. It does have more character than other introductory tracks form previous games though, thanks to its American desert inspirations. Although for a track called Mario Bros. Circuit, it barely feels like it has anything to do with Mario or Luigi. Aesthetically, Whistlestop Summit feels almost too similar to Mario Bros. Circuit, which is all the more noticeable since they're both in the Mushroom Cup. However, we like it a smidge more thanks to the train theme allowing for fun opportunities to jump back and forth between rails. The drive from Crown City in the Mushroom Cup is enjoyable too, as you exit the city and make your way up the desert mountain and go through a train yard. Toad's Factory feels almost unchanged from how it was in Mario Kart Wii, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but a lot more could probably have been done for a track set in a large factory. Its tight design, combined with there now being 24 racers does make for an excitingly hectic time and there are some neat and tricky shortcuts to be found. The drive from Choco Mountain in the Lightning Cup is enjoyably winding too, taking you through the grasslands and over a raised bridge with the factory visible in the distance. This Mario Kart 64 track has been substantially overhauled, becoming more industrialised. While the original was very simplistic (being a literal chocolate mountain), this revision muddies the water a bit, with the chocolate being pumped out through huge pipes and slowing you down if you drive through it. The American football themed Chargin' Chuck enemies feel a bit randomthough and the trek from Moo Moo Meadows in the Lightning Cup, while offering a lot of close quarters chaos, isn't particularly interesting. Faraway Oasis may seem a little basic at first, but it manages to strike that sweet spot between forcing everyone to race close to one another while offering enough branching paths to spread out across. Despite the safari theme, it's a tad disappointing the cute animals are just spectators, though the Shell Cup version lets you surf away from Koopa Troopa Beach and drive alongside the roaming zebras and elephants, making it feel like you've hopped the fence and gone where you're not supposed to. If it weren't for the name, you'd probably never guess this snowy track was themed after Donkey Kong. Although originally from Mario Kart DS, this version incorporates elements from a similar track, DK Summit, from Mario Kart Wii. While we enjoy racing up the mountain before zooming down a ski slope, dodging snowboarding Shy Guys along the way, we wish there were more Donkey Kong elements to help liven things up. We'll give it points for letting you grind across the ski lift during free roam mode though. Shy Guy's Bazaar is another example of an older track being mostly unchanged from its original iteration, but that actually benefits it in World. Racing through the cramped bazaar is more chaotic than ever, given how many players there are, even with the option to race over the stalls. Despite its short length, there are some tricky shortcuts for skilled players to take advantage of. And the transition from Desert Hills in the Flower Cup feels like an adventure across the sands once you reach the open area with the giant sand dragons bursting from the ground. Bowser's Castle is always a highlight, if only for its tense atmosphere and visuals. And though that remains the case in World, the track layout feels oddly tame and less cruel than in previous games. Racing from Toad's Factory in the Lightning Cup though, is incredible, with the air itself growing darker as you climb up towards the traditional castle and then ascend a volcanic mountain, before being blasted into the air towards a mechanical fortress, swooping past a terrifying Bowser statue as you do. Another Mario Kart Wii track, Moo Moo Meadows (a reimagining of the earlier Moo Moo Farm) has always been a fan favourite, and its inclusion makes sense now that you can play as one of the cows. The only problem is that the track was already perfect and, realising this, Nintendo has changed very little in this new version. There aren't even any interesting new shortcuts or rail grinding opportunities beyond the metal fences. So it's great, but it isn't any greater than it already was, which is a shame. The big statue of a cow riding a motorcycle is cute though. We honestly had more fun racing through this lava-themed track than the Bowser Castle one, thanks to its many alternate paths that see racers go high or low, plus its Day of the Dead themed visuals and music. Its presence in the Leaf Cup is also one of the more interesting routes. You start by exiting Boo Cinema (which is thematically appropriate) and enjoy a callback to the Boo themed track from Super Mario Kart, take a detour through a pleasant forest, and are then thrown back into spooky territory with a stony ascent that feels like you're approaching a graveyard, complete with Dry Bones' emerging from the soil. Peach Stadium is one of two tracks to appear twice in Grand Prix, meaning you get to experience it in two different ways. The drive from Crown City in the Shell Cup has you weaving through traffic as well as rival racers, but you get to experience more of Peach Stadium in the Special Cup after a mad, dramatic rally from Mario Circuit that cuts through Moo Moo Meadows. It makes for a fantastic penultimate race in the Special Cup, especially with the confetti and cheering audience adding to the celebratory vibes. Strangely, doing a standard three lap race feels less special, possibly due to the lack of shortcuts and obstacles, besides other racers. The more we played Dandelion Depths, the more we found ourselves liking the almost cylindrical drive down a construction site into a beautiful underground lake with dandelions floating around us, before riding a gushing waterfall upwards back to the start. The Leaf Cup version has a great transition from Cheep Cheep Falls, since it starts with an autumnal feel, with orange and red leaves falling from the trees, before subtly shifting to summer as you drive up the winding road. Had this been the original Double Dash!! track with little alteration, Peach Beach would have ranked much lower, for being a simple loop through a seaside town and a beach. But, even as the introductory track for the Banana Cup, Peach Beach keeps things interesting by taking you through the nearby castle on the second lap, offering a narrow gliding area with multiple ramps before taking you down to the water for the final lap. Starview Peak earns points for its Super Mario Galaxy inspirations alone, but it's also one of the prettiest tracks in the game and manages to capture that sense of racing through space despite being planted on terra firma. We especially like the water section, which feels like you're surfing across a nebula, and the drive from DK Pass in the Star Cup is a treat since you ascend a snowy mountain, crossing into a ski slope on the way, all while Starview Peak hangs tantalisingly in the distance. We love the feudal Japan inspired design and music of this track, with the best part being the jump off the waterfall and rushing rapids section that can see everyone fighting over the parts of the water that help push you forward. There are also a couple of easily missable alternate pathways that experts can make use of. With a well-timed mushroom, you can cut across the final corner and steal first place at the cost of an enraged rival player. At first glance, Acorn Heights looks deceptively pleasant and simple, but it quickly demonstrates why it's your first challenge in the Special Cup. The gliding section offers enough space for everyone to make their own way through, but you can so easily crash and be forced to take the bottom path rather than bounce on the leaves and mushrooms above. There is an easy-to-miss shortcut that can save so much time on the final corner (so long as you have a mushroom) and if you know what you're doing, grinding across the vines on the final stretch can make all the difference. Whereas Koopa Troopa Beach was a too faithful redo of a track from Super Mario Kart, Mario Circuit takes three tracks from that game and combines them into one and it's all the better for it. While nothing overly complicated, its narrow roads demand you get up close and personal with other racers, making for delightfully hectic encounters, and it has some surprisingly tight corners that belie its simple appearance. The drive down from Acorn Heights in the Special Cup is fun too, since you get to see new areas of the forest beforehand. Wario Stadium may not be complex or as long as its original N64 version, but it is perfect for Mario Kart World's specific brand of chaotic racing, with numerous hills and slopes to jump off and everyone scrunched together between the looming metallic walls. Although skilled players can escape the crowd by riding up certain walls to the hard-to-reach railing. We love the grungy feel of this track, with it taking deliberate cues from dirt track motorsports, as well as how the Flower Cup transition from Shy Guy Bazaar takes you out of the quant village to a harsh sandy desert and then the imposing and dramatic entrance of the stadium itself. Another fan favourite, many bemoaned this DS track's absence in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's DLC, but it's back and perhaps better than ever in World. While mostly unchanged, this race across a battleship still holds up thanks to its dangerous obstacles and the intense energy of driving through a warzone. In the Flower Cup, though, you get to enjoy exiting Wario Stadium into the steely backstreets, zip past Bowser's castle as specks of ash fill the air and ascend a broken castle wall to reach the airship in the sky. With its sharp turns, risky shortcuts, and the ever present threat of falling off into the clouds below, Great ? Block Ruins feels like a skill gate that separates newbie players from the Mario Kart veterans. Managing to successfully wall ride to the upper portions is very satisfying and the trek from Dino Dino Jungle in the Banana Cup truly feels like going on a jungle adventure in search of lost ruins, especially when you follow the giant geyser high into the sky. This Venice inspired track wouldn't have been out of place in Mario Kart Tour, but we're glad it's here since we get to surf across the canals rather than drive underwater. Aside from feeling like you're racing through an actual canal town inhabited by excited bystanders, there's some surprising depth to this track, with options to race alongside the paths next to the canals and a tricky but satisfying shortcut to make use of. The Banana Cup version, meanwhile, includes a lovely seaside drive from Peach Beach. In Mario Kart 7, you originally had to drive underwater during this track, but we think the shift to surfing across the bumpy waves is a big improvement. Aside from offering trick jump opportunities, it lends to the overall atmosphere of a dangerous abandoned shipyard, especially at night time. In the Star Cup, it makes for a fantastic juxtaposition to the preceding track, Sky-High Sundae. The cool and colourful ice cream themed landscape makes way for a harsh icy crevice before leading to the bumpy, windswept ocean, with the sun dipping behind the grey rain clouds. Speaking of Sky-High Sundae, this track was already a visual feast in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe but despite being mostly untouched, it looks even more vibrant on Switch 2. Although its layout looks basic enough, things get quickly chaotic with 24 players vying for the different paths and there's a risk versus reward element to attempts at rail grinding and wall driving to bypass your rivals lest you fall off the track. The icy slide down from Starview Peak in the Star Cup is also fun and a thematically fitting follow-up. Easily the most inspired of all the Boo themed tracks in the series, this one has you drive into the cinema screen and enter a sepia tone world where you race across film reels, complete with old timey jazz music. The trip inside the cinema screen doesn't last very long, but it makes for a killer final lap in the Leaf Cup. After descending from the top of Dandelion Depths, you race through the usual mountainside traffic before being funnelled into a spooky foggy forest and needing to cross the ominous swamp towards the cinema itself. It may share a name with a track from Double Dash!!!, but this has seen so many alterations that it might as well be brand new. This time, the dinosaurs are as much as part of the track as they are obstacles, offering opportunities to ride up their backs or bounce off their heads. We also dig the Jurassic Park-esque lab section, as well as the drive from Salty Salty Speedway in the Banana Cup, where the comforting Venetian town is left behind for a dense jungle, complete with an early glimpse at the dinos and a rampaging waterfall to race across. Like Peach Stadium, this track gets two iterations in Grand Prix and is one of the best examples of how well the open world is crafted, with a standard three lap race taking you through the entire city from the traffic laden streets to the half-finished skyscrapers above, offering myriad opportunities to hone your driving techniques. The two Grand Prix versions also have you approach it in very different ways. The Mushroom Cup sees you trawl through the arid desert to reach civilisation, while the Shell Cup has everyone spread out across a stand-in for the Golden Gate bridge. While the bridge is mostly a straight line, it still offers multiple pathways, from the traffic filled road to the side railings and even ramps to glide over the other racers. A fantastic finale to the Mushroom Cup, this track sees you descend from the desert mountains towards a portside space station directly inspired by the original Donkey Kong arcade game's intro level, complete with a jazzy rendition of its theme music. Even though you're just zigzagging up the track, each section has something unique to keep you engaged, be they giant barrels to bounce over or an enclosed space to practice jumping and wall driving on. It all culminates with a giant robotic DK chucking more barrels at you, which is easily one of the most memorable set pieces in the game. As a series tradition and typically one of, if not the best track in each Mario Kart game, it almost feels unfair to stick Rainbow Road at the top. But not only does it feel warranted, it may just be the best version of Rainbow Road ever made. More Trending The journey to it in Grand Prix is already fabulous since, for once, you start on the ground and need to race across the sea towards a golden star that launches you high above the clouds, almost as if you need to prove your worth to see it (fitting since you can't access Rainbow Road in free roam). As for the track itself, aside from being absolutely gorgeous to look at, it's made of unique segments to help justify its long length, with each one feeling like callbacks to previous iterations. For instance, at one point you transition to a satellite, harkening back to the Mario Kart 8 Rainbow Road, but it's now coloured after the old Game & Watch handhelds as a delightful retro throwback. Rainbow Road is meant to evoke a feeling of finality and a celebration of your skills. World's Rainbow Road not only achieves that but somehow goes beyond it, as if the last 33 years of games was building to this moment. How Nintendo will top this for Mario Kart World 2, we have no idea. Email gamecentral@ leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader's Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. MORE: How to unlock everything in Mario Kart World: all characters, costumes and more MORE: Nintendo Switch 2 console review in progress – is it worth it? MORE: Mario Kart World doesn't have 200cc but it is easier to dodge blue shells now
