Green Fire

History:

Upon the edict that every racer would submit their own individual Kart into the 2003 Grand Prix, Luigi felt tremendous pressure to emulate the Kart of his brother, Mario. Luigi did so on the surface, but he overemphasized all of the Red Fire's specifications, nearly creating a Heavy Kart in the process. Whether or not this was a subconscious effort to side with the enemies of Mario, who were all heavyweights, is up for speculation.

Double Dash

The Green Fire is a Middle Kart, meaning that it may only be used by Mario, Luigi, Peach, Daisy, Waluigi, Yoshi, or Birdo, or by any Lightweight Driver paired with any of the above.

The Green Fire does act like a Heavy Kart, though. It has very high top speed and low acceleration, although its bounciness lies with other Middle Karts, and is actually a little lower than some like the Waluigi Racer. It has some pretty rough Turn Speed, but actually some moderately good Offroad for either a Middle or Heavy Kart. Its size is about average, meaning that while its profile won't take up the whole track, it's still not in the best shape to dodge incoming objects.

The Kart makes no appearances in any Time Trails, instead Luigi drives the Red Fire with Mario in his appearances. The Green Fire is a decent choice for anyone looking for a Middle Kart with some speed that acts like a Heavy Kart, but in general it has many flaws that prevent it from becoming an outstanding choice.

Fireball / Fire Flower

History:

The Fire Flower was indigenous to the Mushroom Kingdom, and its thorough study by Mushroom Scientists transformed it into one of the more potent weapons of use against the Koopa Hordes. They found, however, that it was a wildly unwieldy weapon, which in untrained hands often led to catastrophic friendly fire incidents. Mario and later, Luigi, were among the first to suitably master the Firebrand, and through their expertise, eventually the power of the Fire Flower was adapted for use as an Item in the Grand Prix.

Double Dash:

Each Racer has his or her own Special Item in Double Dash, and both Mario and Luigi use the Fireball, Mario's being Orange and Luigi's Green. They may be released either forwards or backwards, thus used offensively or defensively, and cover a wide portion of the track. All these racing balls don't last that long, though, and they tend to be bigger, slower, and bouncier than shells, which makes them easy to doge. Still, they are deadly in tight corridors. Since King Boo and Petey Pirhania use every character's Special Item, they too have access to these Fireballs, but they only use the Orange Variety.

7:

The Fireball returns, in a sense, through the Fire Flower in 7. When a Racer activates the Flower, he or she has either ten seconds or ten fireballs to shoot. Again they may be thrown forwards or backwards. While they have the same disadvantages as the Double Dash Fireballs in that they are slow and bouncy, it's the most effective assault weapon in this game, as you may fire off ten rapid shots to make up for any errors, making them a bit more valuable than shells.They also bounce off walls like shells and form an assault most effective in tight corridors with many other hapless Racers around.

Ghost Tracks

History:

The Mushroom Kingdom is full of strange Ghosts called Boos. It is thought that Boos originate from deceased souls who are unwilling to pass on. Once they become Boos though, the souls have no recognition of their past lives and instead form a unique race in itself, with a loose allegiance to their King, who very well may have been some Great Koopa who ruled centuries earlier. The Boos are powerful, as their souls are both Mushrooms and Koopas they have no exact allegiance to either side in the great war between the two races, although due to their naturally creepy appearance they tend to align themselves with the Koopa Hordes.

The Boo Woods are expansive and include many swamps and forests in addition to a few huge mansions that are now faded and decrepit. They were once some of the wealthiest areas of the Mushroom Kingdom but as the Boo Infestation grew and grew the Mansions became virtually unlivable. The wealth of the area is apparent due to the heavy number of lakes, piers and boardwalks that the Boos have converted to Race Tracks. They were once great fleets of Yachts and sailors that now lie in ruin and disrepair.

The Boos have always had an interest in racing though, and as uncontrollable as they are often do not stay in their seats during a race, instead floating around and laughing at the Drivers. They even allowed themselves to become Items before their leader, the King himself entered the Cups. Shortly after this, Luigi came into posession of a series of Derelict Mansions in the area. The Boos didn't take kindly to this, but they delighted in terrifying racers and generally screwing with everything, so King Boo allowed him to proceed.

Super:

The Infamous Ghost Valley 2

SMK featured Haunted Piers in the form of Ghost Valleys 1, 2 and 3. Ghost Tracks only appear in the Mushroom, Flower and Special Cups, and this game features a course in each. The tracks are notoriously difficult due to the sharp turns formed by the wooden planks and the fact that unlike tracks on solid land there is no Offroading - no room for error. It's actually so dark that it's not exactly clear if water exists in the lake bed anymore or if the Boos have just replaced it with an ever-growing darkness. All three of these tracks came back in Super Circuit which recreated the entirely of SMK although re-sorted its 5-Track/4-Cup system into a 4-Track/5-Cup system. Ghost Valley 2 also made a reappearance in Wii as a Retro Track. The Staff Ghost is King Boo, obviously, who raced a 01:06.595 in the Standard Kart L, but the Expert is an impressive 00:58.907 in the Torpedo.

64:

The penultimate track in 64 is Banshee Boardwalk, a course full of razor sharp turns, some long straightaways and a run-down shack full of Bats and graffiti, no doubt from some Mushroom Punk Kids hanging out on the wrong side of the harbour. It also features a giant Cheep Cheep that jumps over players, indicating that life in this part of the lake is actually sustainable. This track came back in the Retro Lightning Cup in DS. The Ghost is Dry Bones in the Dry Bomber with a time of 2:14:403. The Skeletal Koopa here is a bit more appropriate than his association with Donut Plains 1. With a good amount of bats and straightaways I might recommend a heavyweight here who isn't going to spin out as soon as there's a bit of danger. DK.

Super Circuit:

Boo Lake

The Ghost Trend continued in Super Circuit, adding Boo Lake as the second track in the Flower Cup, the same position as Ghost Valley 2, and Broken Pier in the Special Cup, tho not the penultimate track.Boo Lake is very similar to other Ghost Tracks, its got the wooden path, the mysterious Black Lake and a horizon full of twisted trees and run-down mansions, implying that it takes place indeed in the Boo Woods. Broken Pier is a bit more interesting. The track is wooden, but much less straight, full of all these jagged, crumbly turns. It's also clearly not in any woods but seems to be in a lake over some High Creepy Mountains. These definitely aren't the mountains of the DK Jungle, nor do they really look like the ones surrounding Grumble Volcano. It's all part of the mystery and creepiness that pervades these courses.

DS:

There are no original Ghost Tracks in Wii, nor any at all in Double Dash. DS has Luigi's Mansion though, which breaks with the "Haunted Dock" tradition but still features Boos and some swamplands. There isn't doubt that this track was created more from the Boo's Love of Racing rather than Luigi's Intervention. It's a relatively long track, even for being the closer of the Mushroom Cup. There are swampy muddy patches, walking trees, Boos and some long wide patches of raceway. Luigi is the Staff Ghost with the Streamliner at 1:59:357. A good Offroader is necessary, someone light who doesn't falter in the mud. Toad's Mushmellow is up.

This comes back in 7 with some jumps to incorporate the Air travel possibilities of the game along with some dangerous Boos popping our of walls but other than that it's very similar to DS. The Staff Ghost here again is Luigi. The Normal uses the Gherkin, Slim Wheels, and Super Glider in 02:09.982. The Gherkin is pretty awful and this shouldn't be a problem. The Expert, however, uses the Egg 1, Monster Tires, and Parafoil in 01:58.539 , which is much more potent considering both its land speed and off-road capabilities. Stick on the path and cut the corners quicker with anything that has better handling and get the win.

8:

Twisted Mansion is very similar to Luigi's Mansion, although much more of it takes place within the mansion rather than the grounds outside. Its entrace is actually most similar to Wii's Bowser's Castle, with its split carpeted paths that swirl up and down, though naturally here they are actually on the walls and provide the first of many anti-gravity sections here. The turns are brutal from there and involve a good amount of right angles in an ethereal water section where a giant wall of water is prevented from spilling into the rest of the mansion by some unholy force.

After that there is a brief air jump and then some Boos hidden in Statues that smash racers in the one section pretty similar to most of Luigi's Mansion. The Staff Ghost is Luigi, who is really the go-to creepy dude whenever a game doesn't have King Boo. He pulls a 2:16.195 using the Mach 8, Slim Tires, and and Super Glider. That's an exceptional combo, but will falter a little in anti-gravity and especially in water. Something like the Tri-Speeder may give you an edge during those underwater sections without sacrificing too much anti-gravity speed.

Luigi

History:

Luigi has always lived in the Shadow of his Older Brother, Mario. He has continually came in second, an afterthough, the afterbirth slithered out of his mother's filth. He should have been put in a glass jar on the mantlepiece. Instead through adventuring with his portly older brother he amassed an impressive coin collection of his own, eventually allowing him to purchase his own series of Circuits as well as surviving the property tax on the Boo Mansion he won in a rigged contest. He has always been bitter of his more popular brother and yet has always been a loyal partner, if not with a simmering seathy interior.

Super:

Luigi is statistically identical to his brother Mario in SMK. He's ranked as one of The Bros., with medium rankings in handling, acceleration, weight and speed. In the game's admittedly strange Rival System if Luigi finishes first the Rank Order will be Yoshi, Mario, Bowser, Koopa, Peach, DK Jr and Toad. Clearly there's a bit of a fight with Yoshi over Mario's affection. He's prone to getting Stars on the track so watch out for this little dude.

64/Super Circuit:

Characters were basically identical across 64 and Super Circuit with some minor exceptions. Luigi is no different, he's straight in the middle of both of these games, basically identical again to Mario. His Kart is green. That's really the only major difference between him and Mario, to give players a separate but equal choice in the middleweight category. And yet they couldn't make a Mario Game without Luigi right? Right? Oh crap.

Double Dash:

We were starting to wonder, L.

Luigi again ranks in the middle with his brother here and his weapon is only cosmetically different. Luigi wields the Green Fireball, which is actually really only useful if you're very close to an opponent. If you're in the middle of a course with no one around, it's actually a pretty useless item. This differs from something like the Super Mushroom or even a Giant Banana, which can do plenty when used anywhere.

The real highlight of Luigi though is his Kart, the Green Fire which is...pretty terrible. It's actually got one of the best speeds in the game at 58 mph, but loses all this on its turns. It has minimal bounce for a Medium Kart, although it's also one of the lightest Medium Karts. It's most crippling stat though is the acceleration - it's the second worst Accelerating Kart in the game, meaning you'll never see that great Top Speed. So it's basically a Medium Kart with a Light Weight and otherwise typical Heavy Stats, but with good steering. It's a weird combo that really doesn't work that well.

Double Dash had Secret Staff Ghosts for each track. Luigi drives with Mario riding along on the Luigi Circuit in a time of 1:26:277 and they flip-flop for the Mario Circuit in 1:41:384. Since no Secret Characters or Karts are used by the Staff Ghosts he's cruising in the Red Fire for both of these.

DS:

Luigi actually has two of the better Karts in DS, the Streamliner and the Poltergust 4000 (they really can't let that Mansion thing die, can they?). They've both got decent stats in every category except Drift. I might give the edge to the Streamliner, whose great Item stat makes up for its comparatively lower speed. Take a look:

Even his Standard isn't terrible. Luigi adds about 1.8 to the weight of all his Karts, making him tied with Mario as a Middleweight Driver. Luigi's Tracks by Staff Ghost include his eponymous Mansion with the Streamliner in 1:59:357 and two of his Luigi Circuits remade, both in the Poltergust 4000. The Double Dash version is in 1:29:759, the Super Circuit incarnation completes the race in 1:46:581.

Wii:

The Wii statistical categories are crazy. Any size class of the eight Small, Medium or Large Drivers have six Karts and six Bikes to choose from, which presents a staggering amount of possible combinations. Each character also gives each Kart a boost in some particular stats. Luigi, like his brother gives each Medium Vehicle a heavy 6-pt Weight Boost but unlike the added handling, acceleration and drift boosts, Luigi only adds a 2-pt Speed Increase, which again hints that he tends to be the Faster Brother. I wonder if Daisy minds. Anyway, here are Luigi's Stats for Every Vehicle:

Luigi doesn't have any signature vehicles in this game, but his speed and weight bonuses make him great in the Mach Bike or Wild Wing. His only Staff Ghost is for his own Luigi Circuit, the Normal Ghost uses the Bk Dasher Mk. 2 in 01:29.670, the expert uses the Mach Bike in 01:19.419.

Luigi Circuits

History:

There are several tracks named after Luigi, all appearing in the Mushroom Kingdom. The Track was first designed in 1957 to compete with the earlier Mario Circuit. Luigi was able to purchase rights to remodeling the course in 1989 after winning tremendous amounts of coins scattered around the Kingdom's areas as well as from being one of the only humans in a land full of Mushroom People. His political power at its peak yet still subservient to his out-of-shape brother, Mario, Luigi purchased the rights for his namesake track to be the Opener for the Mushroom Cup in almost all incarnations of Mario Kart.

64:

The prototype Luigi course is the first track in the Mushroom Cup of Mario Kart 64, a trend that continued for every Console Mario Kart game. Being the firs track, the composite Luigi Circuit is two wide curves connected by a long straightaway. There are also usually a shallow gradient, here the road dips as the Karts enter a Brick Tunnel. The only other outstanding feature is the hot air balloon that dips down with an additional item box, said to contain a precious Blue Shell. Luigi, being an average, all-around driver, excels at this course, although it would be difficult or anyone not to.

This track comes back as the initial Retro Track for Mart Kart 7. It remains virtually identical though, not incorporating any of the more recent play developments, although it's notable that it leads off the Retro Cups, perhaps providing a reason why the Original Tracks begin with a Toad Circuit. The Staff Ghost here, naturally, is Luigi. The Normal goes 02:04.317 using the Standard Kart, Slick Wheels, and Super Glider. That's a tough combo but with a friendly, straight track like this there are much better speed options. The Expert upgrades to the Pipe Frame and Parafoil while keeping the same wheels at 01:52.206. Again, there are much faster Karts available on such an straightforward course.

Super Circuit:

The Luigi Super Circuit Course really breaks with tradition. Not only is leading off the Lightning Cup instead of the Mushroom Cup (in the only game wherein the Lightning Cup is not a Bonus Cup), but it abandons its familiar shape for a twisty crazy path through an otherwise unremarkable locale. It's also one of the few Mario Kart courses to feature a weather pattern, it's always rainy on this Luigi Circuit. Is this a sign of Luigi's loneliness and discontent? Likely. It's also clearly bordering farmland, perhaps it has more in common with the Moo Moo Regions than it does with the Circuits that take place in the heart of the Mushroom Kingdom. This also came back as a Retro Course in DS, in which the Staff Ghost is Luigi in the Poltergust 4000 doing a 1:46:581.

Double Dash:

You can see that the GCN course preserved the same basic concept as the Original Luigi Raceway, although it has added boosts along the outside of the wide turns and the straightaway is shared by racers flying towards both ends, which may result in some mayhem. There are some sneaky shortcuts worth some double-item boxes, one of which is guarded by a Chain Chomp. You really get a feel for the Mushroom Kingdom here, with its idyllic plains, intriguing shroom-like architecture and pipe motif. Most Karts would do well in this level, but I'd tend to side with Karts that have a high Top Speed due to the straightaway and the fact that no special handling is necessary to take the wide turns. Luigi's NEW Mansion is also visible on the outskirts on this course. Perhaps Luigi builds his courses on his OWN land, a remarkable trait for his family. Double Dash had secret Staff Ghosts to unlock, this track features a Luigi/Mario Combo in the Red Fire cruising a time of 1:26:277. DS also featured this track in the Retro Circuit and Luigi by himself goes 1:29:759 in the Poltergust 4000.

DS:

There is no Luigi Circuit in DS, likely because Luigi took ownership of the much cooler Luigi's Mansion course. The Mushroom Cup leads off with the Figure-8 Circuit though which is in spirit exactly like the other Luigi Courses. It features only long straightaways and wide turns except instead of sharing the central straightaway it forms into the eponymous Figure-8 instead. It's actually surprising not more Luigi Circuits followed this pretty simple design. It has the slight hills as well. Actually this is exactly a Luigi Circuit in all but name and appearance of a Green-Capped Plumber. Still, its Ghost is Mario in the Standard MR pulling a 1:36:481.

Wii:

The Wii edition broke with the exact layout of the typical Luigi Circuit but it has the same idea. Wide Curves and lots of straightaways. It does retain a slight slope as well as plenty of boosters during its widest curve. It really only loses its symmetry. Luigi has erected a giant statue of himself on this course, surely a sign of his increasing jealousy and hostility towards his fatter yet more popular brother. This is again not a horribly difficult course for any particular driver. There's not a whole lot of Offroad action besides the jump shortcut that may be used for a little boost, and even the worst handling Karts should be able to take these turns. The Normal Ghost is Luigi in the B Dasher Mk 2 at 01:29.670 while the Expert goes 01:19.419 in the Mach Bike.