Bullet Bill / Chain Chomp

History:

Thousands of years ago, a young Rosalina, new in her job as Guardian Mother of the Galaxy, began to experiment with some of her new-found star power. She did not believe that any harm would come from using her star power on meteors to bring them to life, but instead in her inexperience she created a ravenous new species that sought only to consume. Horrified at what she had done, she sent the meteors away throughout the Galaxy. Eventually they wound up in Mushroom Space, where they would continue to devour everything, even Rainbow Road.
Some fell to the Mushroom Kingdom and were worshiped as gods by the early peoples of the Dry Dry Desert. Soon tribute was not enough to satiate their horrendous chomping appetite, and they were chained in tombs. Still, eventually there grew a group of professional Chomp Wranglers who would capture the beasts and train them up as sleepless, ever-vigilant and ever-hungry guard dogs. Mario was just one of these Wranglers, and he installed Chomps to guard his lover, Peach's castle. His younger self from an earlier timeline, though, Baby Mario, eventually found a way to use them in the Grand Prix, but in the rash judgment of youth, the results were imperfect. Still, this experience likely led the present-day Mario to become so familiar with the Chain Chomps.

After the disastrous introduction of Chain Chomps to the Grand Prix it was decided to use an Item that was similar, but far less risky for the activating driver. Bowser submitted his own Grand Stockpile of Bullet Bills, the Mushroom Kingdom equivalent to WMDs. Bullet Bills are created in Massive Factories in the Dark Land, and although sentient, are aware that they exist only for kamikaze missions. This combination of destructive power, spacial awareness, conscious decision-making, and unwavering loyalty makes them one of the most powerful forces in the entire Mushroom World. Being chosen to be an Item in the Grand Prix spares a Bullet Bill from its usually suicide mission, but such is actually against the Code of the Bills, which dictates that they die in battle. Thus, while being picked for life would seem like a huge relief, it is one of the deepest shames a Bill can suffer.

Chain Chomp appears in:

Double Dash!

The Chain Chomp only appears as a Special Item used by Baby Mario and Baby Luigi, as well as King Boo and Petey Piranha, who have access to all Special Items. It is dangerous and unwieldy and awesome and powerful at the same time. The Chomp will pull the racer at a rapid speed while knocking everyone else out of the way. The Driver himself though, is not invulnerable, and still susceptible to dangers on the course. It is also uncontrollable, the Chomp will tug the racer straight into danger, or suddenly leave before a cliff or turn that may pull the racer into oblivion. Still, the Chomp takes up nearly the entire track, and avoiding one coming up from behind is very difficult.

Bullet Bill appears in:

DS
Wii
7

The Bullet Bill in later games is very much a refined version of the Chain Chomp. It pulls the player ahead and destroys all other obstacles in its path. The key difference is that it encapsulates the racer, rendering him or her invulnerable to any disaster on the track. The Bullet Bill can supersede any danger besides a Star. It conquers Mega Mushrooms, and is unaffected by Thunder, POW Blocks, or Bloopers. There is still some danger of it wearing off and leaving racers flying headfirst over a cliff, but the benefits far outweight this mild risk. It's arguably better than a Star, especially on difficult tracks where it will take over the driving and launch the racer ahead. There isn't the danger of screwing up or junking turns because of high speed handling. Bullet Bills are game over, man - they only appear for players who have fallen far behind, but they offer a great advantage.

Blooper

History:

The Bloopers peacefully control large swaths of the Mushroom Seas, only acting out when their waters are intruded upon. Their commander is King Calamari, a giant squid-like creature. As contact grew between the Land and Sea societies, the King brokered a deal to let his denizens take part in the Grand Prix, as items. The Bloopers only contain a rudimentary understanding of their role in the races, though, and are mostly eager to return to their more familiar undersea existence.

Bloopers appear in:

DS
Wii
7

Bloopers function similarly in every game in which they appear. They are typically an item that appears to players towards the back of the pack. Once activated, the blooper soars out to every racer ahead of the one who used it and covers their screens in ink. It's one of the only items that breaks the fourth wall in Mario Kart, not actually affecting the driver, but rather the ability for real-life human players to perceive their video game avatar. It creates a visual disruption between the user and the proxy of game play.

This can be deadly, but again, it doesn't actually affect the potential of the actual avatar, just the ability of the player to see the screen. It can therefore be dealt with by either carefully memorization of the course, errant item placement, and predictable patterns (Thwomps for example); anticipation of incoming objects via auditory cues and the portions of the screen that do remain visible; and finally, prayer. If the Blooper is used while the racer is in first place, it will only attack the Kart that used it, namely, you. So, don't do that.

Any boosting object can get ride of the Bloop Ink. That is, any dash panel, trick, star, bullet bill, cannon, mushroom, or mega mushroom will do the trick. For this reason, Bloopers are actually less deadly on more complex tracks where you'll hit this stuff all the time. Of course, on simpler tracks, the screen obfuscaton is not nearly as terrible with much less danger. Therefore, there are only a couple courses where the Bloopers are actually effective, mostly those with lots of danger, crowded spaces, and a lack of boosting opportunities. It's also really a catch-all item. Unless you can see the racers ahead of you to time it so you ink up their screen right before they hit a tricky part of the course, there's no real timing or strategy involved. Just let the little squid do its thing and hope for the best.

Tart Top

History:

Some said that Princess Peach's obsession with Baking bordered on mania. After she grew bored with her excessive Giant Cookie Stage, she again devoted a great deal of the Mushroom Kingdom's resources into financing the creation of a gigantic Tart for Racers to do battle upon. She set this deep within an enchanted room of her own castle, with the secret intention of eating it later as a "midnight snack." Once her plot to dramatically raise her blood sugar level broke, it became a huge scandal with the media of the Mushroom Kingdom. Eventually her plot fell apart and she was ordered to dismantle the Tart. This task was handled by hired Shy Guys, who had a notorious love of eating Tarts.

DS:

Tart Top is very much a continuation of Double Dash's Cookie Land, which itself was a continuation of 64's Big Donut. It is a basic ring around a centralized, non-drivable area. The center area here is a mountain of dash panels that send Racers to the only Item Boxes in the course, which is also a curious facet of this course. The Giant Pastries can smother your screen if you run into them, and the Giant Strawberries can also cost you a balloon if struck. It is unclear why Peach built into her Giant Tart such hazards. The track itself is much wider than in Cookie Land, which allows for more open mayhem and less obscurity than the dividers. Unlike Big Donut, though, it's not too large that it becomes difficult to seek and destroy opponents. It's in general a solid, if not wacky course that, like many DS Battle Stages is a proper size to both have high interactions with opponents but not be constantly annihilated.

Palm Shore

History:

After years of inactivity, the Koopa Troop successfully fielded another Battle Stage to take place on one of their many islands in the paradise just south of the Dark Land. Like the SMK Battle Course 2, the Palm Shore, although constructed and operated by the Koopa Troop, was exploited by Bowser and much of the profits of its use went back to the Castle.

DS:

This is a notable course in that it is one of very few courses that allow Drivers to race through water (the other being Wii's Delfino Pier), and it's also the second Beach Battle Stage after the aforementioned Battle Course 2 from SNES' Super Mario Kart. It's a relatively small course with a lot of varied terrain, from beach to grass, and water that ebbs and flows over the shallower sections. It thus forms both a shortcut and a nasty trap if you mistime your journey across the great moat. Its borders are also deadly - journey too far and you'll be drowned. It's not unlike the many Beach Tracks that have long been commonplace in Mario Kart Games.

This course returned in Mario Kart 7 almost identical, but with the added underwater gameplay made possible by propellers, a new wrinkle is added. It's the only Battle Stage to have this feature, so when selecting it you may keep in mind the advantages or disadvantages different karts and wheels may give you during the battle. Karts such as the Birthday Girl, Tiny Tug, Cloud 9, and Pipe Frame, along with the Roller and Wood Wheels would be solid choices to truly rule this small Battle Stage.

Nintendo DS

History:

Like the Nintendo GameCube stage, every driver felt some extraneous metaphysical force that compelled them to put forth the joint funds that constructed this massive object floating high in space. In doing so they built it in the same night sky as that Grand Prix's Rainbow Road. No racer individually understood the purpose of the Grand Station, and it was abandoned soon after the completion of the 2005 Grand Prix.

DS:

This is actually a brutal course. The top screen is tilted at a slight angle, giving any Driver on that half a great High Ground Advantage in surveying the rest of the course. There are no guardrails, unlike Double Dash's GameCube stage, and falling off with a mistimed mushroom boost is perilous. It's also very open and expansive, allowing plenty of room for Shell and Bob-omb damage. The only safe areas are the hinges along either side where the flat half bumps up against the tilted half. Racers may hide from both view and slaughter by the merciless killers of the Tilted Half. The trade-off here, of course, is that they may also be cornered more easily. This course can accommodate many forms of gameplay because it's so open and inviting. You can sit atop and pick people off or dart around the whole course planting traps. As far as gimmicky shameless self-promoting stages, this is one of the best.

Bob-omb

History:

The Bob-ombs are an Ancient Race that has inhabited the heart of the Mushroom Kingdom for centuries. Eons ago a Dark Lord sought to create a race of sentient living weapons and so placed his Dark Power into hundreds of his bombs to use against his enemies. They were to be the perfect weapon - a walking, thinking, chasing explosion on legs. They eventually broke free of the Lord's control, though, and settled far away in the Mushroom Kingdom. Eventually though, Bowser gained their Allegiance through his puppet, the Big Bob-omb. Since then, the populace has fractured and battled, with the Pink Bob-omb Buddies continually at strife with the Black Followers of Big Bob-omb. Their Kingdom has turned into a Battlefield, and remains the closest intrusion of Bowser's Dark Influence within the Mushroom Kingdom.

Bob-ombs appear in:

Double Dash
DS
Wii
7

Bob-ombs began as the Special Item for Wario and Waluigi in Double Dash. Their use was equally sinister and retarded enough to suit the Stupid Evil of those two goons. In every game since then, though, Bob-ombs have returned as Items available for everyone's use. And that use is always deadly.

Bob-ombs are extremely volatile. They'll pop with the slightest touch of just about anything. They may be placed behind or thrown forward and thus their use is similar to Bananas or Fake Item Boxes. While those items will either hit players and disappear or remain idle and small on the track, Bob-ombs are far more deadly. They will erupt in an explosion similar to a Blue Shell if struck, or just on their own after a few seconds. The thing is, those seconds tend to be exactly how long it takes to catch up them when thrown forward. Therefore, unless you've got a great clear shot at hitting someone immediately when going forward, I would always toss it behind. The huge size blast radius is extremely difficult to avoid, especially in Double Dash where only the Heavy-Kart Wario or Medium-Kart Waluigi can wield the Item.

They are also dangerous to drop behind, though. If you drop it directly on someone sneaking up from behind or it gets hit with a Shell or something, you're donezo. It's not a bad strategy to try to peg a Bob-omb if you see someone ahead of you drop it and you're lucky enough to be equipped with something that can ignite it. Otherwise, that's not good news for you coming up behind. These things are generally a disaster in every way. They're only good in DS where they may be stolen by someone with a nearby Boo.

Fake Item Box

History:

Races underwent many changes during the Second Grand Prix. For the first time, Item Boxes were created rather than panels. During the first wave of their production though, many proved faulty. Instead of giving an item, they would explode and crash the racer. Soon after the technique for Item Box creation was perfected though, competing companies made knockoffs that were still faulty and sold them to individual courses, much to the danger of competing racers. Eventually the Grand Prix Governing Body reconciled the safety of racers with the concerns of the many new and growing factories that had sprung up to support the Races. The faulty Item Boxes were slapped with an inverse Question Mark and progressively labelled "Fake." They would, however, be accessible by true Item Boxes and used by drivers during the course of a race.

The Fake Item Box appears in:

64
Double Dash
DS
Wii
7

There have been some variations of the Fake Item Box throughout the years, but the purpose has always generally been the same. It is another, more deceptive means than Bananas for Lead Drivers to knock around those racing behind them. Indeed in 64 while running over a Banana was salvageable, Fake Item Boxes meant certain doom. 64 was also the game where the boxes where most similar to genuine Item Boxes, the only difference being the position of the Question Mark. In later games the boxes were red, or as in DS, lack a Question Mark at all. These make the boxes a tad easier to avoid.

Another major progression of the Fake Item Boxes throughout the history of Mario Kart is their physical properties. In 64 they acted very similar to Bananas - they could be dragged behind a Kart in order to prevent a Shell from crashing into the back. They could also be destroyed by shells moments before running into them. Their only real difference from Bananas is again, its greater deception, larger size, and an inability to throw them forward.

Most of this changed in Double Dash. Shells and other character-specific projectiles such as Fireballs and Chain Chomps would now pass through Fake Item Boxes, both when dragged behind a Kart or laid on a track. When Karts are hit while dragging, the Item is not lost, though. The Fake Item Box can be launched forward, however, making it an offensive weapon as well, as tricky as it is to peg a moving Kart from far away.

There are many strategies to both using Fake Item Boxes and avoiding them. Careful racers who can memorize True Item Box locations on courses will not be deceived, even in 64. Still, they can be used effectively to block ramps or shortcuts, or at least narrow track sections where running into one is inevitable. Another good drop spot is in a cluster of True Item Boxes, possibly sitting directly on top of a True One, even though timing this can be difficult. Still, limiting the amount of Item Boxes accessible to the competition is a good thing. Their offensive use can still work in rare circumstances, although it's rare that they will appear in positions deep in the pack. If there is a situation where you receive a Fake Item Box and are then passed, it's best to try to chuck it into a crowd, or a particularly deadly maneuver is to launch it into a True Item Box cluster that another racer is about to pass through. It's tough to react to things falling out of the sky, and the CPU will rarely be able to anyway.

Boo

History:

Throughout the Course of Time there have been many deaths in the Mushroom World. When both Koopas and the Mushroom People fall victim to an unnatural death their souls may be unable to move on. This causes them to anchor to the World of the Living as ethereal Ghosts named Boos. They eventually forget their past lives and exist only to terrorize the living, from some instinctual urge to spread as the fear of moving on that has consumed them. As such they serve no living master and flit in and out of the races as they please. Their Commander, King Boo has taken part in the Grand Prix and many courses have been constructed over their lands. At times they have also found their way into Item Boxes, where their mischief leaks onto the races themselves. Their presence is not sanctioned by any Governing Body of the Grand Prix and they are not welcome, although they tend to be helpful to racers.

Boos appear in:

64
Super Circuit
DS

The Boo notably only appears in games similar to the 64 mold - games with a limited number of core characters but slightly advanced in course selection. It does appear in SMK, but only in multiplayer modes. Once activated, the Boo causes a few things to happen. Offensively it causes the racer and his or her Kart to turn incorporeal, allowing him or her to pass through garbage like Bananas and Shells strewn across the track, as well as to pass through other drivers. While this is happening the racer also vanishes from the course map and the screen of opponents, allowing for some very sneaky play.

In Super Circuit, the Boo also slows down the lead racer and causes him or her to lose coins. This feature vanishes from DS, but it also negates the slowdown caused by Offroad travel, allowing drivers to snip some shortcuts or at least not be hampered by mistakes or sloppy driving.

The other ability that Boos bestow is the theft of another item. Once activated, the Boo will travel to another nearby racer and steal his or her item and then bring it back to the activating racer. This is a handy defensive measure in that it takes away another driver's advantage and gives it to you. There's no telling what this Item may be though, and no real strategy to select it. Still, a free Item is always helpful. If no one around you has an Item, then this function is not activated.

Haunted Mansion Stages

History:

The Boo Woods were once one of the most wealthy sections of the Mushroom Kingdom, filled with lakes, docks, and mansions. It was a heavy wine producing region as well as a tourist destination. As the Woods fell into disarray though, they were abandoned as the Boos, the Restless Souls of the Deceased Inhabitants, took over. After a long period of deception, Luigi came to acquire one of these mansions .Having no real use for the mansion, Luigi thought it easiest to convert it to a Battle Course, and later, a Race Track.

Another Battle Course was converted out of the Twilight House, a large mansion hovering over the Void that surrounds parts of the Twilight Trail, located in the region around Rogueport in an isolated Reach of the Mushroom Kingdom. Dry Bones took charge of the course, although it was clear he was merely acting as a conduit to Bowser's interests in the region controlled mostly by other evil rivals.


Double Dash:

Luigi's Mansion is similar to Double Deck from 64 with its different levels and ability to drop off the third floor back to the starting area. It's a pretty decent stage with some tricky winding hallways and some nefarious corridors on the bottom level. The Central Ballroom also tends to be a Death Zone, where people can lay traps for those careening off the Top Level with little idea of where they're headed.

DS:

The Twilight House appears in DS, which we paired with the equally creepy Dry Bones who made his debut in that game. It's aesthetically similar to Luigi's Mansion, but lacks the different levels and wide spaces. It's a tough course because of the many right turns and isolated rooms, which makes running into other drivers sudden and painful. The time spent in between these terrifying moments, though, is rough.

This course returned in Wii with some minor adjustments. The influx of racers in Wii makes it a crowded track and it's easy to accidentally crash into a Banana or Fake Item Box. There is no real difference between the open areas and the indoor areas. There are lots of dastardly spots to place items and shells zipping around can get nasty real fast. Still, it can be a difficult arena to seek out and target Racers because so much can interrupt a hunt while the prey zips two rooms over.

Pipe Plaza

History:

By 2003 Toad's enterprises had grown strong enough that he was able to secure some land within the lush rural sections of the Mushroom Kingdom owned by Peach. She subsidized the land with the knowledge that Battle Courses had been bringing in nearly as much money as Race Tracks for much less expensive upkeep and land commitment. Toad also used the Mario Brothers' to install the transport pipes, exploiting their expertise. For all this, Toad skimmed off the top tremendously and neither Peach nor Mario and Luigi were really compensated. For this reason when it was chosen to return for the 2005 Games was yet another course administered by Mario, a strain on the plumber's time and energy that resulted in rather shoddy management.

Double Dash:

The course is strong in Double Dash, but not as elegant as Block City. It's almost like Double Dash's equivalent to Double Deck - the solid B stage that's played only when we get bored of Blocks. It also has a few ramps and easily traversed levels. One of the trickiest things to do is to place a Banana Peel or Bob-omb directly outside a pipe exit, leading to certain doom for uncautious players. Only players may traverse the pipes, items like Shells will not.

This stage returned in DS without a tremendous amount of changes. Since it is comparatively one of the smaller courses in DS it becomes a bit more entertaining than the milquetoast treatment in Double Dash. There are a lack of many walls, leading to a more open environment. There is however, the scaffolding and ramps that interrupt conflict a bit by obscuring views of other racers and deflecting projectiles.

Thunderbolt

History:

It was Bowser's Dark Magic that first harnessed the power of Lightning. Lying under the constantly stormy skies of the Dark Land, Bowser was able to capture the daggers from the sky and confine it to an Item Box. Known more often as the Thunderbolt, this item was seen as counter to the Benefits of the Star. It would destroy all other players and allow its user to race ahead.

The Thunderbolt appears in:

64
Super Circuit
Double Dash
DS
Wii
7

The use of the Thunderbolt is similar in every game. Usually players have to be pretty far bac64 and Super Circuit, where the effects lasted longer and players were squished if run over (this returned in 7). From Double Dash on, Players are merely knocked around more easily, and from DS on players in a lower place would be affected for a shorter period of time.
k to get it from an Item Box. Once activated, every other player on the course is struck by Lightning and shrinks down to a miniature size. This makes them much slower, as well as more vulnerable to hazards on the course, including other racers. It was arguably a more fearsome weapon in

The only thing that can counter Thunderbolts are Stars, or in later games, Bullet Bills. If a Racer in Wii is using a Mega Mushroom, he or she will be reduced to normal size. Mistimed Lightning is perhaps the most dangerous - if it strikes when going over a jump players will be punished into the Abyss. The only exception for many years was barrel cannons or other jumps that prevented the ill effects. When these kinds of jumps became conduits for Air Travel in 7 this protection was negated. This makes 7 a much more dangerous game, and indeed, with the squishing effect back in force, the Thunderbolt has some teeth again.

There's no telling when Lightning will strike. It's the number one reason not to hold on to items very long and is a great interrupter of strategy. From DS on, the Thunderbolt can cause players struck to lose their items, which was absent from 64 and Super Circuit. Generally this seems to happen whenever you've been holding a Red Shell for just the perfect moment to strike. It promotes a healthy turnover in gameplay.

Shells

History:

When the first Grand Prix Council got together to determine what Items would be used, Bowser proudly volunteered an offensive options: The Koopa Shell. At first he only supplied standard Green Shells, but eventually his Shell Technology grew more sophisticated. He added homing powers with Red Shells from Paratroopas and finally, the Blue Spiny Shell, one of the most rare and deadly of any of the Mario Kart Items. For the 2003 Tournament he added his own Bowser Shell, the most monstrous and gigantic of all Shells.

The Green Shell Appears in:


SMK
64
Super Circuit
Double Dash
DS
Wii
7

The Green Shell is one of the most basic, stalwart offensive options in Mario Kart. It has hardly changed since its earliest days in Mario Kart History. Once fired it travels in a straight line, bouncing off any solid wall until it crashes into a racer or falls off an edge. It can also be used defensively, being held behind a Kart similar to a Banana, where it will absorb the hit of any other Shell or shell-like item (This option was unavailable in Double Dash). It can be fired behind the racer when held here, which is helpful in some instances, for instance if a player is far ahead and there is a higher danger of firing it forward.

The Triple Green Shell Appears in:

64
Super Circuit
Double Dash*
DS
Wii
7

The Triple Green Shell in practice acts exactly like a Green Shell,  a straightforward projectile. It is also a very able defensive weapon, though, because once activated, all three shells will encircle a player. If drivers run into anyone else, the result will be as if the opponent had hit a Green Shell. Players are still susceptible to damage, though, if an Item penetrates the Shell Guard players will still flail out. This is less an issue when all three are activated but when only one or two shells are circling around players are more vulnerable. Of course, they are no more vulnerable than if they had nothing at all.

*In Double Dash this was a Special Item reserved for Koopa Troopa and Paratroopa. The Shells did not encircle the players, making them less useful defensively, but still a great offensive option.

The Red Shell Appears in:

64
Super Circuit
Double Dash
DS
Wii
7

The Red Shell has been a staple of Mario Kart games from 64 on. It fires forward like a Green Shell, but instead of traveling in a straight line and then bouncing off walls it homes in on the closest player ahead in the race. It will become defunct if it strikes a wall though, necessitating a degree of precision during Battle Matches with many walls, such as SMK's Battle Course 4.




The Triple Red Shell Appears in:

64
Super Circuit
Double Dash*
DS
Wii
7

The Triple Red Shell once activated acts exactly like the Triple Green Shell, encircling and protecting players. Once fired they act exactly like Single Red Shells, homing in on enemy players.

*In Double Dash this was a Special Item that only Koopa Troopa and Paratroopa could use. They did not circle around the Kart, making them less useful defensively, but they are very valuable to use to specifically attack a wide number of opponents.

The Blue Spiny Shell Appears in:

64
Super Circuit
Double Dash
DS
Wii
7

This is another fairly rare and legendary Item. It often comes up while racers are near the back of the herd and is one of the only such weapons that his used offensively from back there. Using the shell's wings, it flies and seeks out whoever is in First Place and messes up their day. From Double Dash on the disaster has become more significant, causing a great Blue Explosion that will also engulf any players driving around the Blue Shell.

It is possible to avoid the Shell, but this is tricky and lucky to do. The key is that the Shell doesn't pick its victim until that final plunge, which is where you can escape. Still, there are dangerous parts of the track where getting hit is not only inescapable, it proves disastrous. This includes over any gap and particularly in Mario Kart 7 in many Air Portions.

The Bowser Shell Appears in:


Double Dash

The Bowser Shell is the Special Item of Bowser and Bowser, Jr. in Double Dash and is a pretty useful item. The enormity of the shell takes up most of any track and it will clobber anyone in its path. There is some caution when throwing it forward though, as the thrower may become a victim as well. It's best on straightaways shot directly behind to annihilate anyone who is considering challenging you. It can be disrupted by Giant Bananas, although it will destroy the Banana, as well as Hearts, which can pick it up to be used by either Peach or Daisy.

The Yoshi Egg Appears in:


Double Dash

The Yoshi Egg has properties very similar to Shells, so it is included here. Technically the Yoshi Egg is the Special Item of Yoshi (as well as Boo and Petey Piranha) and a pink version, the Birdo Egg is the Special Item of Birdo. Both have exactly the same function and operate basically like a Red Shell, seeking out and destroying whoever the next in line is. The key though, is that once struck, the Egg will crack open with Items such as Stars, Mushrooms, Bananas, or Stationary Green Shells. It could also pop open a Bob-Omb. All this means that the Egg could either be very beneficial to the user, or it could be hazardous. It's even possible that the enemy struck will come away with a star. It's not that useful.

Bananas

History:

There is nothing more valuable on the DK Isle than Bananas. In a land rich with currency, Kong holds nothing above his precious Golden Banana Collection. During the Original Grand Prix when the Council deemed that every competing civilisation give up something substantial to contribute to the Item Panels, Kong let go of a few thousand Bananas. Ever since then, they have been a staple of the Tournament.

The Banana Peel Appears in:


SMK
64
Super Circuit
Double Dash
DS
Wii
7

The Banana Peel has appeared in every game since Mario Kart's inception. It is the primary defensive weapon and the most common weapon dropped behind players rather than in front. It can be used offensively by throwing it forward, but this is difficult to pull off with precision. Different games handled the Banana in different ways. In every game besides Double Dash players can hold the banana behind their cart as a defense against Shells and shell-like items, although if the Shell comes in by the Front or Side of the Kart this is useless.

In Mario Kart 64 players could also recover from crossing a banana if they didn't immediately peel out. In other games, Bananas lead to certain doom. It's always an Item more commonly encountered in Higher Places during the race and careful placement on the track will ensure it remains that way.

The Banana Bunch Appears in:


64

Mario Kart 64 also boasts the only appearance of the Banana Bunch. A version would return as the Triple Banana in later games, but 64 is the only one to feature the succession of five peels dragging behind a Kart. Not only did this allow players to leave longer trails of hazards, but they would have more dangers dangling behind their vehicles for players who travel too close to run into.

The Giant Banana Appears in:


Double Dash

This is an Special Item reserved for Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong. The Giant Banana is as it sounds - a monstrous frowny banana that takes up most of the track. it is one of the better defensive options and great for players ahead in Grand Prix because it will come up often and block everyone coming up the rear.

Once players strike the Giant Banana it will break up into Three smaller Bananas. The same effect will happen when a Bowser Shell hits it or a Chain-Chomp munches through it.

The Triple Banana Appears in:


DS
Wii
7

Ever since DS multiple Bananas have come in groups of three, not five like the Banana bunch. Besides limiting the amount of obstacles drivers can leave on the course there is no real difference here.

Mushrooms

History:

While the Mushroom People covet neither coins, nor bananas, nor stars, their main love is Mushrooms. Such huge Mushrooms are plentiful in the Mushroom Kingdom and shared by all. The love of Mushroom Breeding takes the interest of many Mushroom People and there have been developed many different varieties. When deciding the Items to be included in the Initial Grand Prix, the Council argued for hours over what resources the different lands should give up. It was eventually decided that the Dark Land would supply thousands of Green Shells while the Mushroom Kingdom would give up many of their own Mushrooms for the success of the Games.

The Mushroom Appears in:


SMK
64
Super Circuit
Double Dash
DS
Wii
7

The Mushroom works similarly in every game and has made an appearance in everything since SMK. It provides Drivers with a sudden, temporary burst of speed that allows them to cut through offroad patches, knock around other players, or just gain some ground. It does not, however, render players invincible, and as such they are still vulnerable to any hazard the Course has to offer. If during this speed boost, players hit other drivers they will steal an opposing item. In Battle Mode this means that players will steal a balloon.

There are other ways to get Mushrooms on a course. Sometimes they are hidden in boxes or under piles of leaves, and if Goombas are struck by Lightning they will revert to their once-innocent Mushroom status.

The Triple Mushroom Appears In:

64
Super Circuit
Double Dash
DS
Wii
7

This item has is identical to the Mushroom but players receive three at a time. Since it was introduced in 64, it has been included in every game to date.


The Super/Golden Mushroom Appears In:


64
Double Dash*
DS
Wii
7

Known as either the Super Mushroom or the Golden Mushroom, this has appeared in every game since 64 with the exception of Super Circuit. Once activated, it grants players the effect of a Mushroom for an unlimited amount of times within a limited time period. This is another item that players will often receive when they are hanging out towards the back of the pack, and can be dangerous if they are activated on a complex course with many edges leading to the Abyss.

*In Double Dash this item was not available to everyone, but rather it existed as Toad and Toadette's Special Item. It is not that useful because it will not appear if players are in a High Position already. Therefore it is more well-suited for novices.

The Mega Mushroom Appears In:


Wii

The Mega Mushroom gives players the effect of what Mushrooms typically do to Mario in mainstream games: Make Huge. Once huge, players will get a speed boost as well as the ability to crush other players and obstacles. Nigh omnipotent, Mega Mushrooms still fall prey to the Star.

Star

History:

Stars are the source of the most ancient power in the Galaxy. The combined power of the Stars fuels Rosalina's godlike abilities, and when twisted, most of the Dark Lord Bowser's as well. It can sustain entire Galaxies or Kingdoms in power and the limitations of their use are determined solely by the mortals using them. In the hands of someone pure, like Mario, the Stars are used to rejuvenate and replenish decimated Kingdoms and Peoples. In the hands of Bowser they are used only to torment and destroy.

Their use in Mario Kart was controversial. They are so powerful that when setting the Items many racers had reservations, which come up whenever the Council decides what to include in the next Grand Prix. It was determined in the initial Tournament that the effects of a Starman be temporary, but during that time, very substantial indeed.

The Star Appears in:


SMK
64
Super Circuit
Double Dash
DS
Wii
7

The Star is the end-all of all items. It supersedes every other Item and ability. When using it players are invincible, their speed becomes comparable to the use of a continuous Mushroom, and they don't lose anything by traveling over rough terrain. If you are lucky enough to get one, usually when closer to the bottom of the pack, there is nothing better for making your own shortcut.

The Star beats Bowser Shells, Giant Bananas, Chain Chomps, Bob-Ombs, and Fireballs in Double Dash. In Wii it takes precedence over players activating either Bullet Bills or Mega Mushrooms. In all games players will be invulnerable to Lighting as well as Blooper Attacks. The only thing that can halt the Power of the Stars is a plummet into the Abyss.

Block Stages

History:

The First Block Stage was created by Mario for the second installment of the Kart Games. Named Block Fort, it lay in the heart of the Mushroom Kingdom and provided the greatest Battle Spectacle of the time. Within a few years with Mario busy with other properties it came into the hands of Donkey Kong, who heavily renovated the arena, transforming it into Block City. As it fell into disrepair over the years, Mario eventually won back the rights. This time, though, he decided to share it with Luigi, Peach, and Daisy, who issued joint control of the stage. As such they erected massive statues of themselves in the course to demonstrate their wide control over Battling Interests.

64:

Each Console Mario Kart has a Block Stage, although the first is superior to all others. Block Fort is a multi-leveled splatterfest and one of the more popular stages out there. After a few rounds of Triple Green Shells the lower levels become almost undrivable, and the top most tend to have narrow pathways that are easy to get blown off. There are plenty of tight corners to interrupt the paths of Red Shells and clusters of Item Boxes perfect for drops of Fake Item Boxes. Any ramp can also become deadly with a string of Banana Peels. Also because of its straightaways it's one of the easier courses to ram smaller players and rob them of a Balloon.

The Course returned in DS with much brighter hues than the N64 standard Green, Yellow, Red, and Blue. Not a tremendous has changed besides the addition of a few items, most notably the Bob-Omb.

Double Dash:

Block City is one of the simplest courses in Mario Kart History, but that also makes it one of the most effective. It is small and essentially flat, although there is a slight incline leading up from the dead-end corner by the Blue Sector. There isn't really anything fancy about each sector, besides the pathway through the Yellow Blocks and the ability of the Blue Block to shadow some portions of the course. There isn't a safe part of this track, and items like Bowser Shells and Giant Bananas can devastate the narrow corridors. Because of the confined nature of the Stage you may have more success with smaller players, but ultimately a Red Shell will find its target no matter who you are.

Wii:

Block Plaza essentially combines bits from both Block Fort and Block City. Like Block Fort it has multiple levels connected by ramps and boardwalks. The block structure, notably the cut through the yellow path, though, and its low, confined nature is reminiscent of Block City.

Unlike either of these though, after a few minutes of play parts of the stage descend into the abyss, creating dangerous gaps for players to descend to their doom. It also has quadrants of each colour like Block City, but the main ramps lead to big bases with statues of Mario, Daisy, Peach, and Luigi that offset these quadrants, as well as a central purple base in the center. This makes for very different gameplay than the other cutthroat Block Stages. The High ground is essential here, using Shells or even Bananas, one can pick off doomed players. The Center Ring tends to be deadly, while the outer rims are where much of the killing can take place if you corner players one-on-one.

Rainbow Road

History:

The original Grand Prix Racers struggled to come up with a culmination of their collective efforts. They eventually found a solution in the Sky - using their combined powers and the almost unlimited potential of Stars, they created the first Rainbow Road. They continued to operate in tandem for years, creating a truly non-partisan final course. After the turn of the Century though, this became unwieldy. With the growing popularity of Racers' personal tracks and investments it became difficult for them to join together to create the Rainbow Road. Still using Star Power, they decided to delegate its construction to a smaller committee.

SMK Rainbow Road in Mario Kart 7

In 2001 Bowser's presence was felt in Rainbow Road and he oversaw construction closely from his Floating Castle. In 2003 this fell to Mario and Peach who worked together using their formidable resources to construct the track floating over Mushroom City. Other parties, notably Bowser, resented this and in the next Tournament it fell to R.O.B. who had less of a bias. As R.O.B. did not participate in any other Grand Prix, Rosalina used her vast Galactic Powers to construct the next track in the fringes of the Mushroom World's Atmosphere. Finally, the latest track was overseen by the Honey Queen, who stepped in and used her wide sphere of influence to construct a track across the planets themselves. Lakitu, after decades of his species officiating the races also stepped in to revive the Original Rainbow Road course.

SMK:

Rainbow Road has been one of the most consistent conventions of the Mario Kart series. It always concludes the Special Cup and serves as the Final Course in the game and usually one of the more difficult. No Rainbow Road has any Offroad and they are always suspended in space or the sky, which means that there is a constant danger of falling into the abyss. SMK's Rainbow Road doesn't have the most difficult turns in the game and is completely flat, but its trickiness is precisely that: It is full of 90° turns that come right after long straightaways and with exactly zero guardrails the course is perilous indeed. There are also thwomps that smash players and a few narrower portions where it's easy to get knocked around (and off). Its rainbow portions make up a sort of tile on the track.

Like every course from SMK, this was re-made in Super Circuit. The course also returned in Mario Kart 7 to conclude the Lightning Cup, the Final Retro Cup. It is largely similar although now when the thwomps pound the shockwave makes the track bouncy. It is also one of only two courses (the other being N64 Luigi's Raceway) to have no Air or Sea portions. The Ghost is Lakitu. Using the Pipe Frame, Slim Wheels, and Super Glider, the Normal Staff Ghost goes 01:34.459. This could be advantageous, as his Drift, Mini-Turbo, and Handling are top-notch at the expense of speed.The Expert Ghost goes 01:21.994 using the Cloud 9, Roller Wheels, and Paraglider. The Roller Wheels play into both the Cloud 9's strengths and weaknesses. Still, neither Ghost has all that much speed. If you can get going and not fall off, it should be a cinch.

64:

I consider 64's incarnation of Rainbow Road to be the grandest of them all. It is by far the longest course in Mario Kart history, usually taking around six minutes to complete. It is the only Rainbow Road completely surrounded by guardrails but there is danger both from errant shells bouncing around forever on the course as well as from the hungry chain chomps that roll by to ruin a Driver's day. More than that though, with its grand hills, long straightaways, and extremely tight turns, the course offers a bit for every playing style. Without a tremendous amount of interruptions, it allows these playing styles to play out. That is, whoever wins Rainbow Road a true driving champion. It is also so extravagantly long that players have time to catch up if they get the right items, or conversely based on skill, time to create an impressive lead.

The track is in the reaches of space, like the version from SMK. There are neon images hovering above the track of each Racer, as well as some items like Boo and the Mushroom. The track itself is much smoother than SMK, comprised of horizontal bands of every major colour in the Rainbow.

This course returned to close out the Lightning Cup in Mario Kart 8. There are some other major differences, including the presence of air jumps near the start and finish as well as large portions of the track now transformed into anti-gravity sections. It's really a bastardized version, though, because it has been transformed from taking three laps to only one, similar to Mount Wario, the Wuhu Tracks, or the Rainbow Road from 7. This makes the course much easier, although there are now spots lacking guardrails, which makes things slightly tougher. The Chain Chomps also no longer roam like maniacs but merely bounce up and down, shaking up the course. The only other major geographical difference is that it now takes place over a city, similar to Double Dash, instead of in the middle of space. The rainbow itself is also tiled more similar to SMK than the clean strips we saw in 64. All in all, despite the anti-gravity sections being pretty awesome, it's a big step down.

The Ghost this time around is Metal Mario, a signifier of his other-worldly nature, but also very in line with both Mario and ROB being previous Ghosts of these tracks. He uses the Standard ATV for some insane reason, with Monster Tires and Super Glider. There's no reason to need that level of traction and almost anything is going to get you going faster. Handling is an issue here, use lighter weights sparingly.

Super Circuit:

The Super Circuit incarnation combines some elements from both SMK and 64. Its pattern is similar to 64 but with a brighter tone and it shares a large amount of tight turns, but the whole course is flat. There is also a fair amount of both guardrails and gaps to endanger Racers. There are boost panels for the first time, which tend to hinder novices but excite veterans. Some of these, as well as Mushrooms, can provide some significant shortcuts to blast through this course.

For the first time, too, the track is not in space but clearly in the night sky. Players drive by clouds, which can land on players, shrinking them down. Bowser's Castle is also a constant presence in the background.

Double Dash:

Rainbow Road started getting really crazy in Double Dash, living up to its status as the Ultimate Test of a Mario Karter's Mettle. Like Super Circuit it contains both stretches with guardrails and very dangerous unguarded portions that can lead to certain doom. It also brings back Dash Panels, the course is full of them, which can be dangerous or a benefit depending on a Player's skill level. While looking down on the course from above it may not seem like much but there are extreme changes in elevation that can make the course very difficult as it is full of spiral turns that require excellent driving to get through. There is also an enormous vertical boost, the only one of its kind.

The Track itself is suspended over Mushroom City, making it another course that is in the Sky and not Space. The course is almost panel like, and it glistens in faded Rainbow Colours that merge, blend, and reflect with each other. The track is also very bumpy, and green shells are virtually useless. There is the occasional Star that lands, however. Still, items like the Star or Golden Mushroom can prove more fatal than beneficial. Like 64 there are objects suspended across the course, this time each characters' Special Item. They are more three-dimensional than the 2-D Neon Glow of 64, though.

Double Dash only had one set of Staff Ghosts. The pair here are Mario and Peach, the only such Ghost Team of unnatural pairs. Using Mario's Red Fire they pull a 3:16:476. This makes it the longest course in the game. It is again a course that can fit many playing styles and mastering drifting while staying on the middle of the track will lead to success.

DS:

What appears as a simple Figure-8 is much more. The DS version of Rainbow Road features the only full Loop in Mario Kart History, as well as a difficult Spiral Track. In the vein of recent Rainbow Roads this track is full of Dash Panels and mixes guarded sections with difficult sharp turns that offer no protection. The key here though, is both the Loop and the Spiral and players must be cautious about being hit with Blue Shells or Thunderbolts as they'll plummet to their doom.

The Track is back in Space although it has a blue rather than black hue, suggesting it may still be somewhere in the Upper Atmosphere. The course itself has vertical rather than horizontal bands of Rainbow Colours and looks more similar in tone to SMK than the brighter, faded hues of Double Dash or Super Circuit.

The Ghost here is R.O.B. in the R.O.B.-BLS who goes 2:16:246. R.O.B. is a weird robot and so fits the weirdness or the ultimateness of this course. This version requires good drifting ability as most of the straightaways are full of dash panels anyway, and the toughest parts in Time Trials are surely the turns and not the Loop. Many of DK's Karts such as the Wildlife and Rambi Rider have both high speed and drift and may be a good option. It is actually by a good margin not the longest track in the game, that distinction goes to Waluigi Pinball.

Wii:

This perhaps the craziest Rainbow Road, almost an unbelievable judgment. Like the courses from 64 and Double Dash it begins with a steep drop, although in this incarnation the drop is no hill but a sheer cliff. There are Boost Panels everywhere, along with spots to pull some tricks and many unguarded sections besides a few turns and the starting point. Its most distinctive feature may be the wavy section that drops down into a wide section of track punctured by two massive holes that lead to oblivion. Following this is a Star Warp that sends the players high above and across a great distance to the final third. It's similar to the Vertical Boost from Double Dash, but it travels horizontally a great deal as well.

The Course finds a median between Sky and Space and is clearly positioned very high in the Earth's Atmosphere. Players who fall off will begin to burn up in re-entry. Visible though, are moons, planets, bits of debris, and star bits floating around the cosmos. The track itself is similar to Double Dash, a reflective shimmering rainbow, although it is not as opaque or bleached out.

The Ghost here is Rosalina, reflective of her Galactic Status. The Normal Ghost appropriately uses the Shooting Star in 03:05.895 while the Expert switches to the Jetsetter in 02:44.734. Both do well in the hands of Rosalina. Karts are a bit more stable and perform better than Bikes here. Funky's speed applied to the Flame Flyer is a great option, but again, the course has bits to fit any playing style. In terms of length, the course barely beats Bowser's Castle to be the longest Original Track in the game but it is actually still shorter than the N64 version of Bowser's Castle, which closes out the Retro Tracks.

7:

The Final Rainbow Road to date is truly Galactic. 7 introduced the idea that courses could be only one lap, albeit a very long one. After Wuhu Loop and Maka Wuhu the last one-Lap track is this game's installment of Rainbow Road.  There are not as many drastic elevation changes, but there are extended Air Portions, multiple path choices, and a wavy road full of holes reminiscent of the Wii version. This time, however, players drop down to the surface of a Moon. Dash panels abound again, and one of the course's more distinct features may be a long Rainbow Tube that doesn't quite do what the Spiral in DS did.

The Course is truly in space. For the first time Players can drive not only on bits of Rainbow but the rings of a Saturn-like Planet as well as what appears to be the surface of a moon. There a a few places to catch some Air, the longer of which is full of Asteroids to dodge and Star Boosts to hit to keep up Air Travel. Failing to hit these can lead a Driver to either the course below or death. The track itself is a swirl of colours that evokes the vertical pattern of DS but gives it a greater swirl like Wii.

The Ghost here is the Honey Queen, perhaps due to her status as Intergalactic Royalty. The Normal uses the Birthday Girl, Slim Wheels, and Peach Parasol in 02:10.090 . This is a pretty good choice, but the Peach Parasol is egregiously slow in the air. The Expert switches to her own Bumble V, Standard Wheels, and Flower Glider in 01:52.077. This is again solid, although the Glider can definitely be upgraded. There are more turns, gaps, and last-minute decisions to be made her than a need for raw speed. The greatest straightaways are through the air, so pick someone with good handling and drift that maintains velocity in the Air. Something like the Bumble V, Cloud 9, or Pipe Frame, along with the Sponge or Wood Tires ought to do the job.

8:

The Rainbow Road here returns to much of what made the Wii Rainbow Road great - set high in space with the Earth down below, with insane, impossible turns, split sections, and a massive air boost. Like 7, though, there is also some significant sections where no rainbow is traveled on, instead there exists a massive orbiting space station with shifting directional paths. It's also notable for being the only Rainbow Road with a small patch of Off-Road, though. It's completely allergic to barriers, and very easy to fall off when zooming along with anti-gravity. Anti-gravity, by the way, was made for this course, and it employs them perhaps better, or at least more extensively than any other course in 8.

Depending on your comfortability with that, you'll surely want someone with proper handling that won't fall into the abyss. The Ghost here is Pink Gold Peach, who uses the Comet, Slim Tires, and Super Glider. That's a damn fast combination but you can use the Slick Tires to get that anti-gravity speed up and perhaps someone with less weight for better handling during those deadly turns. The use of Peach in her Pink Gold diecast here may be a reference to her Ghost from Double Dash, along with the use of Metal Mario in the 64 Rainbow Road.

In-Depth Course Data

Selecting a racer to fit a track is one of the most important features of any Mario Kart game. Why select someone with great offroad abilities if the track has no offroad portions? In Mario Kart 7 this becomes even more important when courses offer extensive travel by Air and Sea. The following charts distinguish some different course aspects:

For the following post observe this key:

Super Mario Kart

Mario Kart 64

Mario Kart Super Circuit

Mario Kart Double Dash!!

Mario Kart DS

Mario Kart Wii

Mario Kart 7

Terrain:

Terrain doesn't really matter, but it's interesting. The most common kind of Terrain is pavement, followed by Dirt. There are much more Combinations of Terrain, though, more often in the later games such as DS, Wii, and 7. The most varied terrain often come in Beach or Water courses. Cheep Cheep Beach from DS has long stretches of sandy beaches, wooden piers, and a dirt track jungle section. Both Pipe Tracks, Koopa Cape and Piranha Plant Slide have four different varieties of terrain.

Koopa Cape is also the only course with glass sections in its long pipe portions. Other unique terrain include the Keyboards in 7's Music Park and Carpet Sections in that game's version of Mario Circuit and Bowser's Castle, as well as DS's Luigi's Mansion. There are also the three bizarre unique tracks from Super Circuit, Cheese Land, Ribbon Road, and Sky Garden. Of course, in every game there is a Rainbow Road track made out of Rainbow. 7 has the unique feature of splitting its Rainbow Road between Rainbow and a Planet's Surface, though.

Other interesting tidbits include the sand tracks making up Deserts and Beaches, the decline of Ice Tracks and surge of Metal Tracks, as well as Wood. There are many small wooden bridges in different courses (Riverside Park, Peach Gardens, etc), but we tried to include predominant Terrain, mostly material that took up at least a quarter of a track. Every pure Wood course was a Ghost Track until Daisy Cruser in Double Dash.

Edges:

We have four categories for the amount of Edges a course can have. Continuous Edges include tracks that have a constant danger, surrounded by the Abyss, as in Ghost Tracks, Lava, as in Bowser Castles, as well as Sky and Space in the Rainbow Roads and Sky Garden. As noted, Sky Garden lacks edges, although there are plenty of offroad buffers, Rainbow Road 64 is the only Rainbow Road with a continuous guardrail, and Rainbow Road SMK is the only course with no guardrail at all.

Limited Edges are by far the most populous kind of courses. These are courses where racers can fall off at some point. This includes small gaps such as in Coconut Mall or Shy Guy Bazaar, cliff edges for limited sections of track such as Moonview Highway or Wario Colosseum or even long stretches such as Yoshi Valley or DK Mountain. Finally, this also includes tracks that are landlocked but still have kart-destroying hazards such as the water in the SMK Donut Plains Tracks, Toad's Factory, and Desert Hills.

The Shore courses are mostly Beach and Desert Tracks. They involve the gradual destruction of karts tho not a hard edge. The best example is Koopa Troopa Beach, where you can certainly die in the water, but you're not falling off anything. The same goes for Dry Dry Desert, and even Frappe Snowland, where you can drive off into oblivion. These courses do not have walls limiting the driver's exploration.

Finally, we have true Landlocked Tracks, where there is no way without severe glitching that racers can fall off. This includes many of the easier Circuit Courses, but also some surprises like DK Pass, Sunset Wilds, and Cheep Cheep Cape.

Offroad:

This is the most important course feature to understand and memorize. We have developed Five Different Standards of Offroad that are found in Mario Kart. The first is unavoidable sections, Offroad that is Essential to Course. This is whenever you must travel over Offroad with no option to go around. These are the most important to consider when picking a driver. The best examples are Shy Guy Beach and Luigi's Mansion.

The second are All-Encompassing. The tracks on these courses are surrounded or mostly surrounded by Offroad and usually they can be used for shortcuts to skimp across sections of track. Many courses are like this, from Grumble Volcano to most Mario Circuits. Also included are tracks with small but important Offroad portions that are essential for shortcuts, such as Waluigi Stadium and Mushroom Bridge.

Next we have courses where Offroad is existent but cannot really be used for any gain. Basically, while it's there, there's no reason it should be traversed and it's much less important to pick a Driver who has good Offroad. Basically the only advantage of using one of these characters here would to have less catastrophic consequences after a screw-up. These include many Luigi Circuits, but also much more complex courses filled with other dangers, such as Dino Dino Jungle and Mushroom Gorge.

There are also courses that have very limited Offroad sections that could affect gameplay but only in very isolated portions. Unlike Waluigi Stadium, for instance, though, they can't really be used for shortcuts. While the Existent Courses are essentially all-encompasing but do not affect gameplay, the tracks with limited offroad offer only small chunks. A lot of Bowser's Castle are like this, but there's also weird little bits in tracks like Music Park and Toad's Factory.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, there are courses that completely lack any Offroad at all. There are actually more of these courses than any other, which is a substantial fact (although there are certainly more Offroad Tracks combined). These include every Rainbow Road, most Bowser Castles, and most Ghost Tracks. There are also city courses like Toad's Turnpike and Mushroom City as well as some surprises like Sherbert Land 64 and Maple Treeway.

Mario Kart 7:

Mario Kart 7 presents the interesting issue of combining Air and Sea travel with the standard Land Travel. Air and Sea speed and handling significantly change based on Driver, Kart, Wheel, and Glider selection, but that shouldn't matter depending on what course is chosen. Many tracks have some kind of Air Travel (23/32), but sometimes this can be avoided. A smaller number involve Sea travel (8/32), and some have both, especially later courses. Only the retro Luigi's Raceway and Rainbow Road lack any kind of either Air or Sea, so you need to prepare for something in most cases. Also depending on your skills, you may be able to avoid Sea Travel (in Koopa Troopa Beach, Daisy Cruiser, and Rosalina's Ice World), although this may not be the most direct option.

Airship Fortress

History:

While for years Bowser had been cautious with allowing his enemies into the Dark Land, in recent years after seeing the success and positive public relations that courses in the Grand Prix can provide, he has opened up more and more of his turf to new courses. In his most savvy move he convered a dying crumbling fortress in the southwestern corner of his land into a race track. The fortress was centuries old and may have once housed a great ruler of the Dark Land but its non-lava filled location caused it to fall into disfavor among the Koopa King's settlements.

His son, Bowser, Jr., incorporated one of his many Airships of his vast fleet into portions of the track as well, although not bereft of danger. Indeed one of the Bowsers' goals was to make a track dangerous enough and full of his own henchmen such as Rocky Wrenches, Bullet Bills, and even some lasers to hinder as many Drivers as he can. Eventually though, he was bested for the rights of the course by Metal Mario, who made the Fortress the centerpiece of his own small dominion.

DS:

Airship Fortress concludes the Star Cup in DS and it's a difficult course. Besides the Bullet Bills fired directly at Drivers there are wrench-throwing moles to deal with, a series of sharp turns that require near-constant drifting and obstacles in the interior of the Airship including boxes and lasers. There's also a massive cannon reminiscent of DK Mountain, Waluigi Pinball or later, DK Summit and Maple Treeway for Wii, that blasts Drivers across the course.

The Staff Ghost here is Bowser himself in the Hurricane at 2:07:748. With his very high speed and drift this is a tough combination to beat on this level. DK's Wildfire, Peach's Light Tripper or particularly Daisy's Light Dancer all have the capabilites to win over the Hurricane's abysmall acceleration and handling, though.

This course returned in Mario Kart 7 where it is somehow noticeably more difficult. The Bullet Bills have been replaced by bigger, faster, bitchier Banzai Bills off the start. More significantly though, the cannon has been replaced by a Booster Strip with the intention of using 7's new Air Travel Gliding method to reach the broken tower. It not only adds an element of needing a Vehicle with proper Air Speed, but it also makes Drivers much more vulnerable to shells and lightning, which the Cannon had prevented. The Ghost here is Metal Mario, who goes a 02:23.323 using the Gherkin, Slick Tires, and Super Glider, giving him plenty of accessory advantages but the Gherkin base can be improved. Metal Mario is an interesting pick, Airship Fortress is a foreboding and lonely course though, and with his villainous twinge ever since Super Smash Bros, Metal Mario is a good fit. The Expert goes 02:07.704 using the Standard, Monster Tires, and Super Glider, which gives him a good speed advantage but the Off-Road use of the Monsters are inapplicable here. This is a good drifting course, a lighter character in the Soda Jet and Slick Wheels ought to do the job.

Tick Tock Clock

History:

Within Princess Peach's Castle, on the third floor there is a Mystical Clock. The records of its existence go back as far as the construction of the castle itself and it's possible that the structure was built around its time-warping energies rather than the other way around. The Clock is actually a portal to an infinite dimension where time is as manipulable as paint on a brush. It is an extremely dangerous place to explore, but after Mario was able to use the Star Power to conquer its perils he pressured Peach to turn it into a racecourse for profit. Peach never felt great about doing so however, and eventually turned the rights over to Daisy. It remains a dangerous locale for explorers and racers alike, not only because of the deep mysteries surrounding its power and origins.

DS:

This course is actually a relatively simple Figure 8, although there are a good amount of moving parts and gears to throw riders off. Beware of the massive pendulum as well as the spinning clock hands. If you travel in the correct direction of the gears racers can get a bit of a boost but they are hindered by traveling in the opposite direction. It's actually a course more suited for fast Drivers who can haul ass on straightaways with minimal correction (and luck) needed to avoid the pendulum and other hazards. Someone in the ROB-BLS would do nicely here.

The Ghost here is Daisy for some reason who does a 1:54:903 in the Light Dancer. This track has only appeared in DS although it's popular enough to be a likely candidate for a remake someday.