So, we all like Mario Kart in some way or form. I mean, who doesn’t? But after the main introduction of Classic levels [or Retro], starting with the DS version, I feel hasn’t been very productive. Don’t get me wrong, blasting around tracks from the past with that new gloss that comes with more graphical power is always welcome. This argument doesn’t follow the graphical capabilities of the console though. Rather, it follows the physics and game mechanics added to each new rendition of Mario Kart.
Let me explain. Double Dash was a marvellous addition to the series, and is basically the odd one out of all the Mario Karts. But some tracks – when racing around on a newer Mario Kart – just don’t feel right. Take DK Mountain – remastered on Mario Kart Wii. With the Gamecube version, as soon as we were out of that cannon, it then became a test to see who could stay on the ground the most to stay at top speed.
With the Wii version, all that disappeared as we had tricks to always boost ourselves over the bumps and the ramps rather than the sudden drops of Double Dash. The sudden withdrawal of speed when in the air became a trick fest, with no challenge in finding the best way through that section. The same can be said for Daisy Cruiser. Also from Double Dash, the course returned on Mario Kart 7, but loses two of its most challenging sections.
The introduction of driving through water now means that the shortcut through the hole has been reduced to a gentle float down to the pipe. The obstacles placed within that water-logged room to make it challenging don’t really do much at all. Then of course, the part before that – the moving tables. Where in Double Dash there were many filling the room with different movement patterns, it has now been reduced to four moving in a predictable fashion from one point to the other over the main path.
But it’s not all Double Dash tracks I feel have been ruined. DS’ Luigi’s Mansion track, for example. Nothing except a graphical update here, unless you count the useless glide points. And also, though some might disagree, Coconut Mall from Wii. The cars on the Wii version went from one side to the other, covering the speed boosts.
With the 3DS version, they move to the middle in a pattern that makes no difference. And the glide points are also useless, where before you’d just fall down after performing a trick to drift around the corner to tackle the cars head on. Now, with the gliding section added, we can use our Golden Mushroom or Triple Mushrooms and skip the car section completely.
But this isn’t me moaning and griping. It’s constructive. As while some are ruined slightly or massively by the new mechanics and physics, other are improved by them. For example, Luigi’s Raceway for the N64 version. We now have those added parts around the 180 degree turns to avoid items and also blast around as close to the edge as we can while not falling off.
All of the Super Mario Kart and Mario Kart: Super Circuit tracks are greatly improved with the added extras, and other Mario Kart 64 and Double Dash tracks are improved as well. DK’s Jungle Parkway, for example, is a lot better with the wider track layout given to us by the Wii version’s design philosophy. The drifting also makes the track a lot better. Yoshi Falls on the DS benefits the wider track, and the trick section added also gives a bit of challenge if not properly aligned for it.
While many other tracks hardly benefit at all from the new features, they still have them anyway where available, even if not fully accessible. Peach Gardens featured ramps on the grass, near the end, that could only be accessed by a Mushroom or Star and allowed for a trick to boost.
Now the point of this. Allowing remasters of older tracks is a good thing, as long as it benefits the track in question. DK Mountain, for example, would have been a better choice than Daisy Cruiser for Mario Kart 7, simply because the physics of the 3DS version are more like the GCN version.
So that’s my say. What do you think?
Images Taken From:
Mario Kart Wii: GCN DK Mountain | GamerJGB
Mario Kart Wii: Coconut Mall | GamerJGB
