...While the classic courses were named under the banner ‘Retro Grand Prix’, the new tracks form the aptly-titled ‘Nitro Grand Prix’ and are further split into four Cups: Mushroom, Flower, Star and Special.
Mush’room to manoeuvre
We began our tour of the tracks with the Mushroom Cup’s second course, Yoshi Falls. Right away, you know you’re in for something special. Rendered in impressive 3D, this Hawaiian-style course is built at the bottom of a vast waterfall-filled valley where a giant Yoshi egg rests.
Wooden huts and palm trees line the track on one side, but the other side is a sheer drop into a watery abyss. The circuit has two levels: the upper one is flat and is full of dash panels that give you a kick of speed, while the lower level is set at a 45-degree angle and requires a steady hand to drive against the strong flow of gushing water.
Yoshi Falls isn’t the only course that offers multiple paths. With eight players taking part in each race, you’ll need plenty of room to manoeuvre. That’s why Mario Kart DS has some of the best-designed tracks you’ll ever play, with hidden shortcuts and branching paths a-plenty.
Rounding off the Mushroom Cup is a course with a name you might recognise: Luigi’s Mansion. If you’ve played the Nintendo GameCube title of the same name, you’ll be familiar with Luigi’s spooky old haunted house. But in Mario Kart DS, you’ll notice one massive difference - the racetrack running right through it!
After Yoshi Falls’ wide, open-plan course, Luigi’s Mansion’s tight corridors will have you bouncing from pillar to post on your first few tries. Inside the mansion, you’ll have to contend with swinging chandeliers and rickety staircases, while outside in the gloomy grounds, giant gravestones chill your bones while wizened old trees come to life and walk across the track.
Race in the sunshine
After the spooky darkness of Luigi’s Mansion, we took a break in the sunshine of Delfino Square, part of the game’s Flower Cup. Once Mario’s favourite holiday destination, Isle Delfino now plays host to this 'Monaco'-style road-based race.
The track begins in the town square before winding through tight shopping streets, across the harbour littered with kart-stopping crates, before ending at the open drawbridge where you need to make a massive boost-assisted leap and skid to the finish line.
Next up in the Flower Cup comes a course as crazy as the purple-clad weirdo Waluigi himself. Waluigi Pinball is constructed inside a giant pinball table complete with high-speed tunnels, treacherous ramps, twisting turns, bouncing bumpers and tumbling steel balls.
Like a mad rollercoaster ride, the track is tremendous fun and shows off the graphical power of Nintendo DS to its fullest. Chock-full of neon-bright colours, gleaming metal and Waluigi’s wild face looming over the playfield, Waluigi Pinball will become one of your favourites - trust us!...
