Lurker > Paratroopa1

5. Squeaky Clean Sprint

In terms of visuals and track theming, this one pretty much can't be beat. I like how pretty much everyone who thought the idea of a bathroom track was silly was completely shut up by how much this track rocks; they used every element of this theming they possibly could to its fullest. Driving into an underwater bathtub section and going down the drain where you can shortcut through a literal ring that someone lost in the drain, driving around on a soapy floor, a toilet bursting and being able to ride the plume of water up to a shelf that serves as a second route. There's just so much to look at here and it's all so creative and awesome. It reminds me a lot of the Micro Machines game for the NES with all its cool track ideas, but taken up to 11 - they spared absolutely no expense on this one. The only reason it's not higher is because the four tracks above this are my four favorite track designs in the game. This one's still really good, but it does have a couple too many straight lines.

Fungal Jungle (Mushroom Caverns)

is my vote for the third match oops

Oops! I had a really busy weekend and forgot to finish five fucking writeups for this list. Please stand by

This is my S tier by the way, the last five tracks are all ones that I have, at least at some point, had at #1 on this ranking before switching them out. Putting them in order was really hard, I don't have a definitive favorite but these five tracks are the closest thing, I basically had to rank them in order of how close I was to really having them #1

The hate I've seen for chapter 3 has legitimately made me wonder if our copies of chapter 3 are all personalized or something

6

It's ok

Giselle
Ultramarine Deep
Fungal Jungle (Mushroom Caverns) / Credits

I'm only voting in this first match because I want to have a perfect record, it does not terribly matter to me

I LOVE GOLF!!!!!! 6.5/10

Oh yeah I remember Ultramarine Deep. For some reason this was a random piece of VGM I really liked as a kid even though I never played the game. Nostalgia for a weird part of my life there. I still like it but it didn't hit *quite* like it used to. 7.5/10

Fungal Jungle sounds awfully similar to something out of 30XX. It's pretty good but I've heard it before. 6.5/10

Ah, I'd know that bare-shoulder, faux-bondage look anywhere - looks like we have an early 90's porn game here, with amusingly high-effort music to match 6/10

Bitto posted...

Date might be the worst protagonist Ive ever dealt with so I cant imagine if its a plus or minus that the AI2 guy is apparently worse.

If you think Date is the worst protagonist you've ever dealt with then you probably would think the AI2 guy is an upgrade

I feel like you can reliably predict which AI game people prefer by whether or not they like Date - I far prefer AI2 and I hate Date

Outdoors at 7 p.m. (Sunny) - Main Street
Glacier Palace (Great Spire)
Self-Defense

This Animal Crossing Smash thing is surprisingly weird and cool - it does remind me of Animal Crossing but not anything specific 6.5/10

Head Scratcher is a pleasing little popn music weirdjazz thing 6.5/10

My SANC-tuary, my SANC-tuary. why is the enunciation so odd. I do not like this track at all, it gets annoying really fast 2/10

Glacier Palace is not one of the highest tier PMD songs but it's really good and I like it 8/10

Self-Defense is my nom, it is not my favorite Cobalt Core song but it's the one I thought would gain the most traction so I picked it 8/10

Team Chaotix is fucking hilarious and I wish I could vote for it 7.5/10

UF8 posted...

i nearly misread that as Gex Tried lol

honest to god I thought it said "Gex Tried 69"

At Tokione
A.D. 1995 Story
Giselle

Well, At Tokione is certainly the best track today at least 6/10

Blow Me Away is a bad pastiche of an already lame genre of music - if it was a Sonic game at least it'd have a kind of tongue-in-cheek panache that makes it fun to listen to and laugh at but this just kinda makes me sad. This gives me anti-nostalgia for the 2000's, a desperate feeling to never return there and remain in the present 1.5/10

I just kind of feel bad for 1995 AD Story - it wants to be a cool, jazzy track but One Night in Neo Kobe City it is not. It's not transcending its own limitations enough to be something I want to be listening to, not with that squeaky shoe dominating the spectrum 4/10

Synthesis is just way too far into music circlejerking territory to me, overly elaborate and yet I feel like I've heard it a million times before 4/10

Everything about the concept of Nikke kind of irritates me and the music doesn't do much to disabuse me of this 2/10

Congrats Giselle, I did not like you at all but you win the 'better than the alternative award' today 3/10

Obtain An Unused Whale In The Abstract Sea
Apotheosis
The Apex of the World (Rain)

Lazy, don't really care about anything today

Now do it with the first game

In the Sea of Fire ~Lydie
TA Level 700-899
Non-Linear Reliance

This Atelier thing is alright 6.5/10

Extol really takes me back to the 90's... in uh, a not great way. I think we can leave this type of music back in the 90's 4/10

Boy is Limbus Company not for me 2.5/10

I like the stupid, manic energy of TGM themes, matches the stupid, manic energy of the games themselves 7/10

Non-Linear Reliance has some interesting sound design choices that keep me in it for long enough 6.5/10

I would have thought this Alice thing was the coolest shit once upon a time but I've grown out of it 4.5/10

6. Music Park

My favorite 3DS track, and still is. The only, the ONLY, bad thing I can say about this track is that for a track called Music Park, the music isn't memorable at all. But, like I said a dozen times already, I'm a sucker for unique level themes, and driving down a spiraling piano or xylophone that plays notes as you go is the kind of shit I'm here for. Bouncing off a big drum also rules. But the real shit here is that section with the big bouncing music notes. First of all, I love those guys, they look so happy! I like that they're not even like, standard Mario things; it's exceedingly rare that you really get anything new to the Mario world in a Kart track. But they also account for my single favorite trick section in the game; tricking off of them bouncing your Kart up into the air, having to time it with their bounces, feels so fucking good. You can glide over this section but why would you ever do that?

7. Rainbow Road (SNES)

Yes, this is my favorite Rainbow Road in the game, despite how weird and borderline sacriligious it is to have this one in the MIDDLE of a random cup instead of at the end. I've always loved the original Rainbow Road and I love that it got paid respect here in MK8 (another Wii U DLC track, of course). I always really vibed with how challenging this track was in SNES and I love the weird, frantic, almost kind of haunting music; it just has a totally different vibe from the other Rainbow Roads, one that's more dangerous and almost alien. Of course, it's a lot more driveable now, and a track not having any rails isn't anything new at this point, but those 90 degree turns are still challenging to hit and it's easy to fall off here. I love how VIBRANT this Rainbow Road is, compared to 3DS or even 8 that feel more washed out. Also the Thwomps here creating shockwaves for you to trick off of is a really cool gimmick; they're probably the most difficult things in the game to trick off of, and also the most dangerous, but it's satisfying when it works!

8. Coconut Mall

Against all odds, this track somehow isn't overrated. It really is that good. The music really is the GOAT. This isn't just a gimmicky track with cool theming but a course that just feels really, really good to race on its own merits. Much like Waluigi Pinball, I can't believe it wasn't in the game until the booster course; it feels like it always had to be here. It's not MK8 without it to me anymore. The escalators, the multiple floors, tricking off the fountain, making the sharp turns down the stairs; it's tight and yet never feels cramped, and everything's racing by so fast that this track really has a good sense of speed. My only complaint is that there aren't Miis out in the cars anymore; that's like one of the few things I actually remember from MKWii. On the other hand, the cars now have Shy Guys in them that do donuts in the parking lot so it's kind of a trade off?

Also it's weird that despite my general 'meh' feelings about MKWii, it lasted longer on this list than 64, DD, or DS lol

9. Tick-Tock Clock

This was my favorite track in MKDS and, judging by my list, it still is my favorite track from MKDS (although again Airship Fortress isn't here so we can't judge that one). First of all it's just really nice to see a Mario track draw from a SM64 theme; for some reason, it just doesn't feel like we get a lot of homages to SM64, strange as that is to say given its position as maybe the most beloved Mario platformer of all time. Maybe part of that is that this is one of the only worlds from that game that's actually memorable or unique, but still, they closed of Peach's castle in Royal Raceway so this is about as good as it gets. Anyway yeah I love every single part of this track, it's gimmicky but it's fun as hell. The pendulum just makes for a perfect obstacles and tricking off the spinning gears rules (or making the choice to fly over them instead but that's not as fun). As you can probably see, I'm just kind of a sucker for unique stage themes and gimmicks and this track has them.

10. Waluigi Pinball

I mean, it's Waluigi Pinball. I don't have to explain this to you. It's one of the GOAT track themes and it's a great track in its own right. Maybe a touch on the overrated side - I admit that I really wish the main pinball 'concourse' at the end was a little more exciting, you're not really incentivized to do much than just drive straight thought it and I kinda wish it was just a bit more chaotic in some way. I don't care enough to nitpick that much. I love this track. It's fucking Waluigi Pinball. Everything except that one section is well designed and I really like it when you do get lined up with one of the rolling balls and you have to avoid it; it kinda doesn't always happen so this track can either be quite exciting or a little uneventful but it's pretty turn heavy so it's fun to drive either way. For me it's just one of those tracks that pops off the track select screen and always makes me want to play it. It's hard to believe it wasn't even in this game until the booster course DLC.

11. Grumble Volcano

Is this track divisive? Every time I'm racing with other people I feel like people groan when this one comes up but I get amped. Grumble Volcano fucking rules. There's just nothing like the feel of the track literally crumbling underneath you as you're driving on it; I don't even know how this track pulls it off but I literally feel like I'm racing to not fall off sometimes and it's like action movie shit. Then each lap having more and more of the track crumbled away so that it gets harder and harder to drive kicks ass. I like that it's a fire/volcano themed track that's not Bowser, we get Podoboos (the most-forgotten SMB1 enemy) and those ones that are like a big vine of them from SMB3 and that's cool and kind of weirdly unique. I can't believe this track was only a Star Cup track in its original game, it genuinely feels more perilous and exciting than any Bowser's Castle.

Time for my top ten, featuring like 6-7 fairly obvious choices and 1-2 tracks that will probably make you go 'huh'

12. Wild Woods

Kind of in the same vein as Dragon Driftway - an original Wii U DLC track, very windy with a lot of antigrav, sick vibes, super underrated. I think? I dunno, is there a huge contigency of Wild Woods fans out there? This track is unassuming but somehow reminds me of Big Blue. I'm always a huge fan of a good water slide portion and unlike Koopa Cape or Piranha Plant Slide, this one actually has water that carries you forward, which is like, the best mechanic a track can possibly have. The music here is great and the theming is great. I love the Shy Guys' weird little gnome village, it's got big theme park ride vibes in a good way. This is another track where I don't have any bad notes - pretty much every part of this track feels perfect.

Maya

Neo Land
October Mermaid
Song that Summons the Water Spirit - BLANCMUTE (8th.BGM)

Going to be the change I want to see in the world and vote for the GBA song 6/10

The other thing isn't for me, we can leave it at that 4.5/10

Silver Lining is cool, it's some kinda shmuppy actiony thing, I like those 7/10

October Mermaid is lovely, it's certainly a Yasunori Mitsuda song 7.5/10

Blancmute is super cool, haven't heard of Gaiapolis before but it seems like an interesting game 7.5/10

I started out liking Starry Night Fever but got a little meh on it as it went 6.5/10

13. Dragon Driftway

Why the hell do I never see anyone talk about this track? It fucking rocks. All of the Wii U DLC tracks are so insanely good it blows my mind, they just really put so much effort into them and it shows. This is another MK8 track that just uses the antigrav concept perfectly by having these impossibly winding paths that create otherwise impossible geometry to normally drive through and they stylized it like you're driving on the back of a fucking dragon. It's a visual and stylistic splendor and driving it just feels awesome. Like maybe I'm misreading this but it feels like a criminally underrated track to me.

14. Rainbow Road (8)

Huh! You know, I've just been sleeping on this one for a while and I don't know why, but I really regained a newfound appreciation for it recently with the new Rainbow Road tracks hitting with the last wave of DLC. 3DS RR doesn't have enough challenge for my tastes; Wii RR doesn't have the secret sauce that makes a top tier track. But this one just kinda has it, for me. The track is super difficult and has some really ambitious turns and feels like a proper challenge, like Wii, but it's just got something about it that excites me more to play and I don't really know why. Hitting every turn on this one just feels exhilarating. Also I used to not be a big fan of how the satellite part breaks up the feel of the track but now I like the variety, and driving on conveyor belts is always fun. I think for some time all the Rainbow Roads blended together but now I'm finally starting to see this one in its own light and appreciate it.

15. Bowser Castle 3

Hell yeah. I just love the classic Bowser Castle theming with its manic energy and the feeling that it's less a race course and more an obstacle course from hell, and this track captures the vibe perfectly while modernizing it. Bowser's Castle 8 has grandeur, but this one has the actual vibe that it's going to kick your ass. I love the way they 'modernized' all of the very 'geometric' features of the SNES Bowser's Castle courses - the way you're driving over ramps over lava and able to drive on the top of walls and stuff makes it feel all very new but it keeps that feel of the old Bowser's Castle, where it feels less like a normal race course and more like a video game level. I really love how much of a glowup the SNES and GBA tracks got in this game.

16. Ice Ice Outpost

I only just now realized that the Toads on the thumbnail pic for this track have the same colors as the colors of the two tracks on this course. Anyway holy hell, maybe it's just the almost comedically sincere violin in this track but it's just got a crazy energy. I feel like I see people divided on this course and I don't know why. I fucking love the whole gimmick of the two dual paths snaking around each other for the entire course where you can keep switching from one to the other. There's just a lot of really interesting 'expression' to this track - you can drive it a hundred times and never drive it the same way twice depending on how you decide to switch off between the two tracks and that gives it a lot of replay value. It's narrow and not knowing which track is more dangerous has you getting kinda item fucked a lot, but being able to switch tracks also lets you shake people off so it's kind of a trade off. I dunno, good as hell track, never gets old for me. I said Rosalina's Ice World was the best ice-themed track but I guess this one is also ice-themed, it's kinda in the name

17. Yoshi Circuit

This is, somehow, my highest rated GCN track! I was gonna say that it's the first game eliminated, but then I realized that actually happened way, waaaaaay back when I put Toad's Turnpike at #46. Mario Kart 64 is my most nostalgic MK game so it's kind of funny that none of its 6 tracks really did anything huge for me in this game - and DD is the MK game I played the second most and yet same thing. Anyway Yoshi Circuit kicks ass, it's just so much more complex and interesting than any other 'Circuit' track. I really like the way that this track being a perfect silhouette of Yoshi makes it 'found art' of a sort - the track isn't even really designed, it just kind of exists the way it does because of Yoshi's shape, but it somehow comes out perfectly. There are just SO MANY turns on this track and that feels great. You're pretty much never driving straight, maybe less in this track than in any other in the game, and that just makes for a good ass track. ALSO, it's the only track that has Double Dash's basic circuit theme, which makes it kind of a big deal, much like how Royal Raceway is the only one with that theme.

I never stated this but my rankings do assume 150cc

18. Neo Bowser City

Hey, it's the Toad's Turnpike theme again sort of. It's nice that Bowser gets a track that isn't a Castle. I can't really think of much to say except that this track is just really, really good from start to finish - every turn feels like a fun, interesting challenge. I'm not sure if this has slippery physics or if I'm just imagining it in the rain but it feels like handling this track is really tricky. I love the rainy city vibe though, I guess that's the Seattleite in me. I have nothing bad to say about this track.

Oh I see. Makes sense!

Grand_Kirby posted...

Oh, I missed a lot of rankings and chances to comment. I'll just drop this:

They're the same course in Japan!

What

The DK Mountain bridge video is still the funniest shit I've ever seen in Mario Kart history

19. DK Mountain

I know I only ranked it 19th, but in a lot of ways it's kind of the perfect track. Get shot up to the top of the mountain, drive around sharp turns over steep cliffs on the way down, cross a rickety bridge, do it over again. There are so many "shoot to the top and then drive down" types of tracks nowadays that it's hard to remember that there was a time, back in Double Dash's day, where this style of track was HIGH CONCEPT. It's one of the most unique tracks in DD! Now it seems almost weirdly quaint - yet I still think it kind of executes its idea perfectly. The turns going down the mountain feel really dangerous and fun and I love that you can kind of shortcut across them but it's really dangerous - it's kind of like Rainbow Road Wii where it's got that feeling of like, having to see how far you can push it, how much can you safely jump over and still clear the jump and make the turn? And the bridge at the end - I mean, it's just iconic. It's an iconic track.

20. Mute City

It is mostly, like, just kind of a pretty simple loop that's mostly just driving over boost pads and doing not much more than that? Yeah, kinda. Does it still kick ass? YES. The F-Zero tracks are like, the biggest centerpieces of the Wii U DLC tracks, and I think the Wii U DLC tracks are the overall strongest set of tracks in the game BY FAR (there are a whopping 9 more of them on the list after this). It's basically the only F-Zero content we've gotten since 2004 aside from F-Zero 99, but damn if it's not a good homage. There's a lot of love in this one. I love that it has the starting music from F-Zero in it. I love the feeling of speed this one has that's unique all to itself; this track feels like it's supposed to be driven on 200cc, which I'm not sure I can say about any other track. It's just one you always want to play because it's fucking Mute City. It's a legend. It's also the worse of the two F-Zero tracks.

Hmm, yeah, I dunno. The MK64 version IS better, but it's not even really nostalgia that drives me since the course basically feels like a totally different course, aside from the music which is basically the same. But I do think the flow of traffic creates interesting decisions here and there and I like jumping off the ones that have boost pads. Doesn't play like a boring track to me personally.

21. Peach Gardens

One of the more low-key faves that slips into my top tier among a lot of more obvious favorites. I've always been a fan of this one in MKDS since I'm a fan of the idea of a Special Cup track that has this type of vibe, and while I think the difficulty is toned down a bit from the original, it makes up for it with my second favorite plot twist in the whole game after the Kalamari Desert one - getting turned around on the third lap and driving through it backwards! They do this in Paris Promenade too, but it's not nearly as cool whereas here it really flips things around quite a bit seeing the whole track from a different angle. I think that really adds an excitement value to this track that would otherwise just kinda be mid-tier. I love how long the third lap feels and I love that it ends with you driving back up to the entrance of the castle. It's just perfectly designed, whoever thought up the third lap concept is a genius. Also there's chain chomps roaming around and that's great

snake_5036 posted...

It's gonna be hard to top this for most disagreeable placement imo. I would rank it the worst out of the original 32 and 48 courses without a second thought.

Really? What do you dislike so much about it?

(This is the start of my A tier btw)

22. Electrodrome

It's one of those courses that just immediately catches your eye every time it's an option in the rotation. It feels like most people pick this one when it's an option. The visual splendor of this one is just really something to behold, it's so colorful and sleek and nothing else in the game really looks like it at all. It's a loud, bombastic rave inside of a concert venue. All of the lighting details really bear mentioning - the way the floor lights up as you drive on it, the audio spectrum lights on the walls, there's just something to look at everywhere. I love how everything in this stage pulses in time with the music - the speakers, the piranha plants, everything. The track itself is sort nondescript, though I do really like the part where you get to pick between two parallel paths and you see them wind around each other - always love a good antigrav segment that you can actually see. The only reason this track isn't higher is that all of the other ones above it are more exciting to actually race.

Girl

23. Bowser's Castle

With as many Mario Circuits and Rainbow Roads as this game has, it strikes me as sort of surprising that it only has two Bowser's Castles - I guess most of them basically hit kind of the same ideas, so they're be a little bit on the redundant end, but still, this game has surprisingly few tracks that 'feel' like this, since it's also missing stuff like Airship Fortress. Anyway, it's a Bowser's Castle. It rocks. The soundtrack owns and it gives that familiar Bowser's Castle vibe of driving through fire rings and around spike balls and shit. I like how, per tradition, the track paths are very 'square' and involve a lot of 90 degree turns. The Bowser statue is obviously the really big gimmicky setpiece here, and I think it's great - it's fun to try to predict which way you have to go to not get punched, especially if you find yourself wanting to go another way to avoid obstacles or other racers. And tricking off the wavy road is awesome. I wish this track had just a LITTLE bit more in the way of exciting Bowser Castle-style features, so I can't quite rank it higher than this, but it's a crowdpleaser nontheless.

24. Rosalina's Ice World

It really surprises me how easy the track feels to overlook, but when I actually look at it I'm like, whoa, this track rules and kind of puts every other ice level in the game to shame. I love that BIG turn at the very start of the course that gives you a natural level 3 miniturbo, not many turns like that one in the entire game, and the way it's just kind of situated over this shelf of ice that's cracking makes it feel exciting. This is one of the few tracks that really has a sense of peril to it that isn't a RR or Bowser Castle, yet it's got such a calm and beautiful atmosphere. I really like the section where you can optionally go underwater, and it kind of forces you to eventually as the ice sheet breaks off. I barely even remember this one existed from MK7 but it made a big impression on me when it returned.

25. Madrid Drive

Did you think we were done with the city courses? There was one left, and it's Madrid Drive, bitch! This is the one city course that just unequivocally kicks ass, in my opinion. It's the only one that's just never content to stay boring for very long, there's always some new gimmick kicking in. The first lap by itself is just breathtaking, with a brief drive through a portrait gallery where a piranha plant tries to eat you and a drive through a lush shopping mall that has a shortcut, and you get to the end of that and it's like, holy hell that was lap one? And then there's a beautiful glide section over fountains and the track ends with the soccer stadium and it's just... great. There are a couple parts of lap 2/3 that are a little bit nondescript, but it's easily the best city track. The spanish guitar music really amps up the excitement level too. This is basically the only Tour track that I'll actively seek out.

26. Mario Circuit (8)

The BEST Mario Circuit in this game, and the best track to ever be called Mario Circuit, bar none. You probably forgot I hadn't even ranked it yet! Mario has way too many circuits and frankly this could have been named or themed something else, but oh well. The fact that this track is an anti-grav moebius strip is UNBELIEVABLY COOL, even if it's not immediately apparent when you drive it, and the fact that it uses the anti-grav mechanic in such a smart way is absolutely peak MK8. Besides that, the track just has some of the coolest visuals in the game imo, and it's surprisingly fun to drive. This one gets WAY overlooked - easy to do because it's easy to forget it in the swamp of all the other Mario Circuits in this game.

27. Cloudtop Cruise

It's like Sky Garden, but better! I love these tracks that have kind of a 'theme park ride' feel to them, where it kind of feels like it tells a story, starting off flying in the clouds, then moving onto an airship, and then finishing off with a death-defying drive through a thunderstorm. The boost pads that periodically get hit by thunderbolts is one of my single favorite track gimmicks in the entire game, having to predict which way to go to dodge them feels thrilling without being unfair. The short little jaunt onto the airship does make me miss Airship Fortress, which I understand has returned in MKW, but I don't have that game yet damnit, I want it in THIS game.

28. Dolphin Shoals

Two reasons why this track is great. One, there's a dolphin, and that's really important - everything is better when there's a dolphin. Two, you drive on the back of a giant eel and you can trick off its spine and that just rocks. My one grip with Dolphin Shoals - where is the lick? Where's the LICK? I thought this music track had the lick but it's a lie! It's not there! It doesn't play in the game! It's so disappointing not hearing the cool sax solo in the game and, indeed, the dynamic music is kinda whatever because I don't really like the underwater version of it. But yeah this track is great. It has a dolphin. It has an eel.

29. Animal Crossing

The ultimate 'vibes' track. Is it a particularly interesting track to race on from a design perspective? No, not really - it's pretty easy and doesn't have any spectacularly interesting features. I don't care. I'm an Isabelle main and this is my track. Unlike Hyrule Circuit, which kinda falls short of representing the Zelda franchise to me, this one really perfectly gets Animal Crossing. I wish it had done a bit more with the idea of Animal Crossing - not really sure what that would look like, but oh well. The gimmick of this track having four different seasons is incredibly cool though and makes this track feel brand new every time, since you so rarely see any given season of this track, and that's a really cool feeling. I like that there's a rock you can hit for coins and it's too bad that there's no real reason do it, it's just an easter egg. Also Mr. Resetti is there and that's great.

30. Rainbow Road (Wii)

It's another case of "Para just doesn't appreciate Mario Kart Wii." This seems like one of the tracks that's held in the highest regard by the community, and I just think it's really good. I actually had it lower at one point but I kind of came to appreciate it a bit more over time - I like that it's the most 'pure' Rainbow Road in this game, no gimmicks or anything, just a rainbow road that weirdly looks like a 90's game show set to me or something. The best part is the part that's kind of 8-shaped with the two holes in the center you can trick off of - there's a really good risk-reward built in of like, how much speed do you have, and how much can you get away with cutting through the middle? How much of it can you cut? This decision is always really interesting to make. I guess I'm just more nostalgic for the GBA/GCN/DS versions of this track, and they're all missing so I'm kinda sad about that. Bring back every Rainbow Road, you cowards!

31. Mario Circuit 3

Damn, I dunno, this course kicks ass, I dunno what you all are on. Is it pretty simple? Yeah, but fuck those SNES aesthetics just hit way better on this track than any other. This track looks PERFECT. The colors just pop and it just looks like a perfect representation of what the course should look like in full 3D. It really makes me think of classic Mario more than any other track. I think it's a cool touch to just leave the original theme from SMK untouched here too, I think it would have seemed lazy if they did it on any other track but here it serves as a wonderful homage (though I might have liked to hear what they would have done with it otherwise). I know that people consider SMK to be like, the bad and outdated game, but I really don't think it got enough respect in the course selection in this game.

32. Maple Treeway

One of the best tracks from Wii for sure and a track that I think is pretty uncontroversial to say is great. I like that this one's got a really peaceful, autumnal vibe while still being a generally very challenging course, I really like the tight, winding turns up the tree branches and I like driving through all the piles of leaves and around the wigglers. I can't think of much to say about this one, it's just good.

33. Piranha Plant Cove

It's a little bit easy to be biased towards this track because it's still kind of got that new-track smell; it's one of the last tracks added to the game and people don't really pick it that often, so I just haven't played it that much. I always like seeing this one though! It doesn't suffer from the generic yet over-complicated track design of Tour as much because the setting's not just a city, but a big aquatic ruins that are just really fun to look at and have a lot of changes in elevation and stuff that are fun to drive over. No part of the track by itself is spectacularly interesting or has a cool gimmick but the whole thing is just a pleasant journey overall, it really feels like the biggest 'adventure' out of any of the tracks. I'm also just kind of biased towards aquatic and water themes in general (foreshadowing?).