Maple Treeway

History:

Deep in the Gold Leaf Galaxy on one of its largest planets lay the Maple Treeway. The Gold Leaf Galaxy exists in a perpetual Autumn and its people live in tree towns in the giant trees. Diddy Kong, having seen this and felt at home decided to convert it into a Racetrack for the 2008 Grand Prix. Using some of the natural Wiggler Holes in creating a twisting complex natural structure, Diddy really outdid himself. Later the native Wigglers overtook the Young Kong and kicked him out of his own course.

Wii:

Maple Treeway is a thoroughly original course and first appears as the third course in the Star Cup in Wii. It starts with some sloping curves of moderate difficulty, then a Barrel Cannon launches the racers to the main tree where the fun starts. The course loops in and around itself in a complex fashion, going out on bare branches and then across the treetop through some Giant Wigglers, who will not cause Vehicles to spin out but will stop them in their tracks. It goes out on to the branches again, through a tunnel and then one of the longest straightaways in the game, tho it's not that straightforward. There is an enormous net that blows in the wind and multiple paths, all of which can be exploited by bouncing and doing tricks all the way to the bottom.

The Staff Ghost is Diddy Kong, who gets the nod from being a monkey, as well as the conspicuous Barrel Cannon the course that makes it similar to a DK Track. The Normal Ghost uses the Classic Dragster in 02:58.633, while the Expert uses the Sneakster in 02:37.812. The extremely high amount of sharp turns and winding paths, along with a deceptive straightaway make a proper choice here difficult. Something like the Shooting Star is good middle ground, as is the Mach Bike, Dolphin Dasher, or Bullet Bike. I take Bikes over Karts here, their smaller profile allows them to weave a little cleaner.

This track returns in Mario Kart 7 as the longest course in the game for some reason. There are some changes like a connected path between branches leading from the Wiggler Top and into the half-pipe, making for a bit of an easier track. The Barrel Cannon is also now an Air Jump, tho you can't steer. This increases danger, as now lightning or putting away your glider will lead to certain doom. The net bridge has also been replaced with an Air Jump, where you can maneuver around. The Staff Ghost is Wiggler, who goes 02:53.560 using the Standard Kart, Wood Tires, and Super Glider. The Wood Tires are a given here, and tho they help with handling, their underwater advantage is not useful. The Expert goes 02:34.877 in the Egg 1, Sponge Tires, and Flower Glider, which means his drifting becomes decent as well as his Air Handling, but nothing else is spectacular. Stick with Wood Tires but grab the B Dasher, Blue Seven, or Zucchini instead.

Wiggler

History:

As part of the natural Fauna of the Mushroom Kingdom, Wigglers for centuries have milled about in the Woods and Mountains, content to mind their own business, eating leaves until one day becoming a pupae and later a Flutter, and then die. They bear no ill will towards intruders to their habitat such as Mario, but do not wish to be disturbed by anyone, and if mad will turn bright red and attack. Some have been known to grow to enormous sizes and are really big obstacles everywhere.

One Wiggler in particular assembled enough electrical impulses to make a coherent thought and joined the Grand Prix in 2011. It even successfully managed two courses, one in its Mountain Home of Rock Rock, the other in its natural forest home of Maple Treeway. It continues to race with the bare minimum of communication skills, baffling drivers and spectators alike.

7:

All of the unlockable characters in Mario Kart 7 are fairly bizarre, but the inclusion of Wiggler the Caterpillar takes the cake. He's set at the Cruiser weight class, which ties his base stats with Donkey Kong and Rosalina. Yep. Donkey Kong, Wiggler, and Rosalina. You can't get a more random weight class for the sub-heavyweights.

In 7, each class has its own base stats. To this we have assigned a Kart to each racer as best we could. Each Kart modifies stats, as does each set of Wheels and each Glider. There is therefore an incredible amount of combinations, 5600 in all. We'll present one of those combos with our Dear Wiggler in the Bolt Buggy today:

We've put emphasis on three strengths at the complete expense of everything else - Land Speed, Weight, and Off-Road. Even its stability is shot. This combo has a very direct set of uses - going fast, knocking everyone else around, and plowing through any kind of obstacle while avoiding Sea and Air Travel at all costs. Its Mini-Turbo and Air-Handling actually end up decent, but this is a Bulldozer-kind of combination. It would excel on courses like Wuhu Loop, Rock Rock Mountain, Luigi's Mansion, and DK Pass.

There are two Wiggler Staff Ghosts in this game, as there is for every character. He first shows up on Rock Rock Mountain where he does a 02:35.105 using the Standard with Red Monster Wheels and the Super Glider. It's probably an homage to the Wiggler under the mountain in Tiny-Huge Island from Super Mario 64. It's a tough match but other Karts like the B Dasher, Koopa Clown, or even our own Bolt Buggy with Slick Wheels can beat its speed. The expert isn't all that better, but he goes a 02:19.149 using the same combination but with the Flower Glider, which increases his air handling, tho it's less necessary here unless you're after coins. Stick with a Glider that doesn't slow down that big jump and you'll be fine.

The other Ghost is on the Retro Maple Treeway, which makes a lot of sense, considering that there was and still is a pair of Gigantor Wigglers on the course. Somehow this is the longest course in the game, and the Normal Ghost goes 02:53.560 using the Standard Kart, Wood Tires, and Super Glider. The Wood Tires seem all too natural, but they offer no great speed advantage here, although the handling is helfpul. The Expert goes 02:34.877 in the Egg 1, Sponge Tires, and Flower Glider, which means his drifting becomes decent as well as his Air Handling, but nothing else is spectacular. Maple Treeway will fall through a combination of Speed, Acceleration, and Handling, slapping the Wood Tires on the B Dasher or Growlster may prove successful.

Mountain Tracks

History:

In the vast Northwest of the Mushroom Kingdom lay the Tall Tall Mountains, a place rarely traveled by the Mushroom Folk. It is full of dangerous enemies, steep cliffs, and enormous bouncy mushrooms that grow thousands of feet tall. Naturally as the stakes of the Grand Prix increased and more racers vied for their own signature tracks, newcomers were forced to stretch out into this harsh dominion.

Toadette, the power-hungry manipulator that she is, had long hidden in these mountains. It was no surprise then that she owned vast amounts of land to construct the Mushroom Gorge track, which she ran with an evil fungi fist. Lower in the Valley, Daisy established the Daisy Hills track with her own Mitt Romney-like personal wealth. Finally, higher in the mountains Wiggler, piecing together a rudimentary system of nerve impulses he used for a mind, converted his personal home into the Rock Rock Mountain. Along the same chain lay the Shy Guy Metal Mines, which these mysterious people had turned into a profitable business. With anti-gravity technology developed in 2014, the Shy Guys were able to convert this mine into another course, traveling up a previously inaccessible water fall

Wii:

Mushroom Gorge is a fairly simple loop. There are plenty of turns though none of them are that sharp. The greatest hazard here is the boost ramps and Bouncy Mushrooms, which without proper timing can disrupt even experienced drivers. The road also forks into two different paths on two different occasions, although in both cases sticking to the right is a faster option.

The staff ghost is Toadette with a time of 02:16.110 in the Quacker, while her expert goes 02:01.011 in the Mini-Beast. Neither of these vehicles takes advantage of Toadette's greatest strength, her offroad ability, so using just about anyone with good speed and moderate handling like Daisy or Rosalina can beat the pink toadie without a huge issue.

This track returns in 7, where the Ghost this time is Toad. The normal goes a 02:02.292 using the Cloud 9, Mushroom Wheels, and Parafoil, meaning that he'll have a decent mini-turbo and handling, although most of his other stats end up pretty average, especially his speed and acceleration, which is where you can beat him easily on this simple track. The Expert, though, pulls a 01:50.526 using the Pipe Frame, Monster Wheels, and Super Glider. This means Toad will have great offroad (useless here) and above average speed, but terrible handling. Counter that with some Roller or Wood wheels on something fast and you should succeed.

7:

There are two courses in 7 that seem to carry on this Mountain Theme that many Mario Kart Tracks have exhibited, mostly in DK Tracks. Daisy Hills is very reminiscent of Mushroom Gorge, from its steep inclines, wooden dock paths and large gaps.It's also in the Mushroom Cup again and provides the game's first big jump and introduction to the aerial driving that helps to define this game. Other than that, the course is wide, probably with more curves and boosts than a typical Mushroom Cup Track, but nothing intensely difficult.

The Staff Ghost here is Daisy on her eponymous course. She goes a 02:06.351 using the Royal Ribbon, Roller Wheels, and Peach Parasol, which gives her substantial boosts in just about everything except for both land and air speed. Those two crucial components are what can be used to beat her, because there isn't a great need for anything else on this course. The expert uses the same ride with the Sponge Wheels and Super Glider, which means she no longer has a disadvantage in the air and her mini-turbo becomes very good. Sticking with a strong land speed and moderate handling should be fine.

There is also Rock Rock Mountain in 7, which seems to lift directly some parts from Super Mario 64's Tall Tall Mountain. It is actually a relatively simple track with many straightaways, although some tough curves near the start. Rock Rock Mountain is actually the longest original track in the game, which is surprising for a track that closes the Flower Cup. It's also one of the most reliant on air speed. There are multiple big jumps, one of which is deadly - it is greatly beneficial if you survive, but getting hit will lead you to tumble to the path below while others whiz by. There is also a tough vertical track with boosts and rocks that is difficult to avoid, but mostly a straightaway.

The staff ghost is Wiggler at a 02:35.105 using the Standard with Red Monster Wheels and the Super Glider. It's a tough match but the speed can be beat easily by using something like the B Dasher or Bumble V with Wood Wheels and the same Glider. The expert isn't all that better, but he goes a 02:19.149 using the same combination but with the Flower Glider, which increases his air handling at the expense of speed. Stick with a Glider that doesn't slow down that big jump and you'll be fine.

8:

Shy Guy Falls closes out the Flower Cup and contains one of the more relentless vertical sections in the game. There are many tight turns where errors can lead to perilous cliff edges and of course, the eponymous water fall. Going up the falls is difficult if you miss the boost pads, but going down offers a speed increase like the river in Koopa Cape. After that there is an average-sized air section.

The Staff Ghost here is Shy Guy, of course, who goes 2:19.528 using the Flame Rider, Retro Off-Road Wheels, and the Super Glider. The Flame Rider is an excellent choice, but something with more anti-gravity handling such as the Sport Bike may be a good option. Shy Guy may be here because of his strong previous association with desert tracks, and Shy Guy Falls, despite its huge waterfall, seems like it's in some craggy desert canyon.