History:
After gaining credibility with their Beach Tracks the Koopa Troop set out to carve one of the most ambitious tracks in Mario Kart History out of their cliffside isles. Announcing that they have truly arrived on the Racing Scene, Koopa Cape uses all of their resources, from jumps to pipes and perilous cliffs.
The Piranha Plant Slide was crafted by Lakitu using much of the Koopa Pipe Technology as well as a partnership with Petey Piranha who had been attempting to become King of All Piranha Plants. Both of these Pipe Tracks were able to bring a fresh spin and new eyes to a Grand Prix that had become tired and predictable by the time of their construction.
Wii:
Koopa Cape is the second course in the Star Cup and it's an incredible track. It clearly has origins with something like Koopa Troopa Beach from 64, but much more. It has a little bit of everything. Alongside a gorgeous water vista there are cliffs, forests, rivers, pipes, sheer drops, twists, straightaways and off-road to be had. It's therefore compatible with many kinds of playing styles. There are many jumps, boosts, and half-pipes although generally unless you're desperate for an Item they take longer to get through. Its many different yet linked kinds of terrain makes it one of the most diverse and unique tracks of any Mario Kart game.
More importantly is the subtle multiple pathways to be taken. The river is substantially faster than dry land and it should be taken whenever possible. There are some good Off-Road cut-throughs to be had around the first riverbend if you have a Mushroom or Star. After the waterfall drops you in the pipe over the starting line the most dangerous hazard is the electrical bolts that are tough to avoid and can really ruin your day. Staying on the water to get a boost whenever possible is vital and the turn is also fairly ridiculous. Someone with handy drifting skills and good acceleration out of those turns like Dry Bones or Waluigi would do well here.
The Ghost though, is Koopa Troopa. He goes 03:03.022 using the Cheep Charger, which does have good drift and the Expert uses the Bubble Bike in 02:41.370. It's one of the longest courses in the game, third only to Bowser's Castle and Rainbow Road among Original Tracks and the N64 Bowser's Castle is the only track longer than any of those.
The Course comes back in Mario Kart 7, where there are a few change that significantly affect gameplay, most notably that the long Pipe Section is now completely underwater, necessitating a craft that can sustain a good aquatic speed. The electrical bolts are replaced with Cheep Cheeps, which is somewhat easier to deal with. Tho shorter than Wii, it is again very long, second in the game only to Maple Treeway, which wasn't shortened as much in comparison to its original. The Ghost is again Koopa in 02:49.046 using the Standard, Monster Tires, and Super Glider, which should really suffer underwater. The Expert uses the Cact-X, Standard Tires, and Flower Glider in 02:28.585, which has no real advantages but has moderate submarine capabilities.
7:
Although the locales of these two tracks are very different, they share enough similar game play to group them together here. The Piranha Plant Slide is also in the Star Cup, this time as its first track. It also features long rivers to drive down and significant underwater travel. It's interesting that it's almost as if the Off-Road portions here are the normal driving surfaces that slow racers down.
The big obstacle here are the handful of Giant Piranha Plants that attack nearby racers. Avoid them and stick on the running water. The course is generally flat with some deviations and its core layout isn't nearly as complex as Koopa Cape. Still, there is river travel, land travel, underwater travel, a brief but perilous air travel where making a wrong move around the waterfalls or getting hit by an item can mean doom, as well as a fairly straightforward patch near the end that has some classic Off-Road rough.The turns are sharp here, but the course is wide enough that anyone with plenty of speed and poor handling can deal with it.
The Ghost here is Lakitu for some reason. As it's a course primarily associated with Mario Enemies but not really the dark and evil kind associated with Bowser, it makes sense for an enemy to call this home, and with Koopa and Wiggler attached to more obvious tracks, Lakitu ends up here. The Normal Staff Ghosts uses the Standard Kart, Monster Tires, and Super Glider, actually exactly the same as Koopa did on Koopa Cape, in 02:20.186. The Expert switches to Lakitu's signature Cloud 9, with Sponge Tires, and Paraglider in 02:06.540. While the Cloud 9 is a good Sea Kart, the Sponge Tires negates its usefulness. Either the Wood or Roller Tires are a better choice. With the actual need for Aerial Navigation around the water spouts, the Flower Glider or Peach Parasol may actually be a good choice as well.
After gaining credibility with their Beach Tracks the Koopa Troop set out to carve one of the most ambitious tracks in Mario Kart History out of their cliffside isles. Announcing that they have truly arrived on the Racing Scene, Koopa Cape uses all of their resources, from jumps to pipes and perilous cliffs.
The Piranha Plant Slide was crafted by Lakitu using much of the Koopa Pipe Technology as well as a partnership with Petey Piranha who had been attempting to become King of All Piranha Plants. Both of these Pipe Tracks were able to bring a fresh spin and new eyes to a Grand Prix that had become tired and predictable by the time of their construction.
Wii:
Koopa Cape is the second course in the Star Cup and it's an incredible track. It clearly has origins with something like Koopa Troopa Beach from 64, but much more. It has a little bit of everything. Alongside a gorgeous water vista there are cliffs, forests, rivers, pipes, sheer drops, twists, straightaways and off-road to be had. It's therefore compatible with many kinds of playing styles. There are many jumps, boosts, and half-pipes although generally unless you're desperate for an Item they take longer to get through. Its many different yet linked kinds of terrain makes it one of the most diverse and unique tracks of any Mario Kart game.
The Ghost though, is Koopa Troopa. He goes 03:03.022 using the Cheep Charger, which does have good drift and the Expert uses the Bubble Bike in 02:41.370. It's one of the longest courses in the game, third only to Bowser's Castle and Rainbow Road among Original Tracks and the N64 Bowser's Castle is the only track longer than any of those.
The Course comes back in Mario Kart 7, where there are a few change that significantly affect gameplay, most notably that the long Pipe Section is now completely underwater, necessitating a craft that can sustain a good aquatic speed. The electrical bolts are replaced with Cheep Cheeps, which is somewhat easier to deal with. Tho shorter than Wii, it is again very long, second in the game only to Maple Treeway, which wasn't shortened as much in comparison to its original. The Ghost is again Koopa in 02:49.046 using the Standard, Monster Tires, and Super Glider, which should really suffer underwater. The Expert uses the Cact-X, Standard Tires, and Flower Glider in 02:28.585, which has no real advantages but has moderate submarine capabilities.
7:
Although the locales of these two tracks are very different, they share enough similar game play to group them together here. The Piranha Plant Slide is also in the Star Cup, this time as its first track. It also features long rivers to drive down and significant underwater travel. It's interesting that it's almost as if the Off-Road portions here are the normal driving surfaces that slow racers down.
The big obstacle here are the handful of Giant Piranha Plants that attack nearby racers. Avoid them and stick on the running water. The course is generally flat with some deviations and its core layout isn't nearly as complex as Koopa Cape. Still, there is river travel, land travel, underwater travel, a brief but perilous air travel where making a wrong move around the waterfalls or getting hit by an item can mean doom, as well as a fairly straightforward patch near the end that has some classic Off-Road rough.The turns are sharp here, but the course is wide enough that anyone with plenty of speed and poor handling can deal with it.
The Ghost here is Lakitu for some reason. As it's a course primarily associated with Mario Enemies but not really the dark and evil kind associated with Bowser, it makes sense for an enemy to call this home, and with Koopa and Wiggler attached to more obvious tracks, Lakitu ends up here. The Normal Staff Ghosts uses the Standard Kart, Monster Tires, and Super Glider, actually exactly the same as Koopa did on Koopa Cape, in 02:20.186. The Expert switches to Lakitu's signature Cloud 9, with Sponge Tires, and Paraglider in 02:06.540. While the Cloud 9 is a good Sea Kart, the Sponge Tires negates its usefulness. Either the Wood or Roller Tires are a better choice. With the actual need for Aerial Navigation around the water spouts, the Flower Glider or Peach Parasol may actually be a good choice as well.
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