8/3/2023 0 Comments Mushroom wars 2 rankI carry a lot of nostalgic fondness for the sandy setting, mostly because I played it so many times with friends in high school, but recognize it's not the most interesting or challenging course. I wasn't particularly excited for Kalimari Desert when it was announced alongside the other wave two tracks. Yet, despite some mechanical shortcomings, it's one of the more thrilling courses it feels like a roller coaster. There are also some things not-so-great about it, including its uninspired oval design, over-use of anti-gravity, and a few too many jumps and tricks. There are some things that are great about it, including its bright colors, food-based art direction, verticality, and sense of speed and height. But for me it falls right in the middle of the curve. Sky-High Sundae, the only brand new track in this second wave, seems to be something you either love or hate. This might not be a crowd favorite, but it's perfect for time trials and no-frills racing. The backgrounds are minimalist, the spectacle is non-existent, and there are zero elevation changes to speak of, but the course layout is excellent, with lots of curves and short-cut opportunities. It's not nearly as unpredictable or as lively as other tracks, but in terms of pure driving joy, it might just be the best. Mario Circuit 3 is one of the happiest surprises of wave two. Towards the end it almost turns into a Mario Kart platformer. The only downsides to this one are its short length and the high volume of bouncy mushrooms. In addition, the early short-cut from the Wii version has returned. I'm glad to confirm the track is as kinetic and chaotic as ever, with multiple branching paths and lots of opportunities for untimely disaster in its end-of-lap crystal cave. I can't tell you how many times I played Mushroom Gorge on Mario Kart Wii. Snow Land is certainly better than its original GBA form, but still lacking the magic of other courses in this second batch. With all that said, it's too short and mostly uneventful. The developers at Nintendo gave it a huge visual face-lift, and added a bridge, a forested area, a U-turn area on a frozen lake with a hole in the middle, and a new short-cut. What was once a flat, mostly unremarkable course in Mario Kart: Super Circuit is now, apart from its shape on the map, virtually unrecognizable. The most significantly overhauled track in the second wave has to be Snow Land. That said, the trappings of the course are stellar: skyscrapers lit up like Christmas trees and the Time Square jumbotron showing the original Donkey Kong game, to name a couple. It would have benefited from additional obstacles - for example, moving cars or more manhole covers, which launch skyward on top of columns of water - and/or short-cuts. It's just a safe, ho-hum sort of course, without many surprises or tension. Last time it was Tokyo Blur this time it's New York Minute. Once again, a city course from Mario Kart Tour is the weakest link. Where the first wave featured some middling courses offset by a single great one - here's looking at you, Ninja Hideaway - the second wave delivers a more consistently good line-up, with only one mediocre track.Īfter playing and replaying the eight DLC tracks over the weekend - including beating both new cups on 100cc, 150cc, and 200cc, and testing each course online with friends and family - I'm ready to rank the second wave, starting with the least impressive track and ending with the strongest. As a reminder, Nintendo will launch a total of 48 DLC tracks in multiple installments from March 2022 until the end of 2023, which will bring the grand total to a staggering 96.įirst, some good news: I'm happy to report that this second batch of eight tracks is noticeably better than the first. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, the gift that keeps giving, has delivered a second round of remastered DLC tracks. By Evan Norris, posted on 08 August 2022 / 2,816 Views
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