Metal Mario

History:

Mario discovered a ! Box in the Mushroom Kingdom that could turn his entire body into Metal years ago. He used this to become invulnerable, sinkable, and much heavier. Eventually this essence was seized by the extra-dimensional entity known as Master Hand. Master Hand created a physical representation of this essence and set it as a slave to do his bidding and in the extra-dimensional wars known as Super Smash Bros., Metal Mario was his longest and most faithful servant.

Eventually though, Metal Mario was able to break free from Master Hand's control, in part due to his continued exposure to the origin of his essence, Mario. Master Hand, furious, exiled him to the Mushroom Kingdom where he wandered for years until finally eking out a bitter existence. Metal Mario has no emotions, is invulnerable to all known physical damage. As he is finding himself though, his mental capacities are growing and inside grows a bitterness for the Mario that can feel.

7:

There are an insane amount of play options in Mario Kart 7. There are five different sets of stats based on weight to which are added sixteen different possible Kart stats, ten different wheels, and seven different gliders. This makes for a total of 5600 different combinations. Here we will present just one of those combinations - the one that would best fit a playing style that adheres to Metal Mario's most basic stats. It is possible however, to change his stats so that the character can be used to fit just about anything.

This is the only Mario Kart Game where Metal Mario appears and the only game he has shown up in as a distinct character in a decade. He is a Heavyweight, giving him the same base stats as Bowser, Wario, and the Honey Queen. He therefore possesses great Land Speed and Weight at the expense of Sea Speed, Acceleration, Handling, Off-Road, Mini-Turbo, and Weight. This would seem a large disadvantage if Land Speed and Weight weren't the only things that mattered in some Grand Prix Races. We've taken him in the Pipe Frame Kart then, which fits his metallic nature, along with Gold Accessories to complete a lovely Silver and Gold Theme to come up with a Racer who can dominate on land. His stats are thus:

This combo works when you need Land and Air Speed to be tremendous while not being pushed around at the expense of everything else. This is a pure racer that needs to only go straight, stay on the path with minimal acceleration and mini-turbo capabilities. There are plenty of courses that fit this, including any Circuit Track, Rock Rock Mountain, and Wuhu Loop. The cool, but complex thing about 7 is that Racers can be so customized that if this doesn't suit your love for Metal Mario there are plenty more adaptable ways to fill those needs.

Metal Mario appears as the Staff Ghost in two courses, as do all characters here. He first shows up in Neo Bowser City, which seems bizarre that he is snarking in on someone else's namesake, but it is a cold, unforgiving city befitting of the Metal One's nature. He uses Standard Everything and the Super Glider, essentially racing as a blank slate in 02:11.032. The Expert goes 01:58.996 using the Blue 7, Monster Wheels, and Paraglider, which should be substantially faster and plays to his strengths, and weaknesses. His second ghost is the Retro Airship Fortress, another track supposedly tied by Bowser. He uses the Zucchini, Slick Wheels, and Glider this time in 02:23.323, which is an awful Kart. The Expert transitions to the Standard, Monster Wheels, and Super Glider in 02:07.704, which is almost like the Neo Bowser City Expert but less polarized.

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.