Mario Kart 7 Retro Tracks: What's New and What's Changed
By:
Andre Segers
|
November 21, 2011, 9:26 pm

We're pretty big fans of Mario Kart over here at GameXplain, so we decided to take a look at all 16 of the Retro tracks in Mario Kart 7 and figure out what exactly they've changed. While all the courses have received a visual upgrade, some have also had some pretty significant changes to the course design, while others went mostly untouched. We've broken down every change we could find by level. Be warned that we are a little technical in the descriptions, so if you've never played Mario Kart below, some of this may not make much sense.

Let us know what you think of the changes below!

Shell Cup


 N64 Luigi Raceway
  • The hot air balloon with the item box attached is now much easier to get to, as it bops just above the race-track instead of floating way up then down. Furthermore, the item box is now a regular one and no longer is guaranteed to yield a Blue Shell.
  • During the long turn, you can now drive-up onto the bordering walls to access some speed boosts.

 GBA Bowser Castle
  • No major differences that I noticed, though one of the jumps does allow you to glide now.
 Wii Mushroom Gorge
  • The shortcut at the start of each lap (where you boost off the ledge to find a low mushroom to bounce off of) has been removed.
  • In the cavern, if you take the left bouncy-mushroom route, you’ll find a few have been removed, and instead you now glide to the exit.

 DS Luigi’s Mansion
  • Boo paintings now line the corridors, and you’ll even see the Boos trying to escape from the paintings.
  • In the graveyard, you’ll find a newly installed ramp on the left that allows you to glide, as well as a new hole wall on the right through which you can drive through.

Banana Cup


 N64 Koopa Beach
  • Koopa Beach has seen a pretty signifcant overhaul. From the get-go, you’ll discover a large boulder to the right of the starting line, likely to prevent people from blasting through the water to reach the finish outside its normal boundary (as in the original).
  • The two shortcuts from the original game have been merged into one...sort of. So the sandy path that would be revealed as the waves receded is now gone, replaced instead with a small ramp. This ramp leads into the cave shortcut from before, except the cave is now much further to the right than it was previously. In order to reach the ramp, you need to use a mushroom on a small jump in the sand, which will then let you glide into the tunnel. If you miss the ramp, you can cut through the water to continue on the normal course
  • The tall ramp leading to the top of a giant rock has been shortened and now lets you hangglide. The item box on top of the rock that always contained a Blue Shell has been removed.

 SNES Mario Circuit 2
  • A ramp has been installed in the sand that you can use as a shortcut with a mushroom.
  • The large jump (where you pass over a section of track below) now leads into a glide. Although you can no longer cut the corner as sharply as before, you’ll find a newly installed jump platform along the left that’ll give you additional hangtime.

 Wii Coconut Mall
  • The escalators that go up and down are now clearly marked with arrows indicating their direction.
  • Both ramps leading out of the mall now enable the hanggliders.
  • There are only two Mii-driving cars at the finish line (versus 3 before) and now they’re a little more animated, even performing wheelies.
 DS Waluigi Pinball
  • The blast-tube at the start now has you hangglide up and out.
  • The pinball hazards are as brutal as ever. (this isn't a change; just noting it's hard!)

Leaf Cup


 N64 Kalimari Desert
  • New ramp installed along the mountain near the start that leads to a hanggliding section over the first section of railway.
  • Numerous small ramps added throughout the course.
  • One giant ramp has been added between the two railroad crossings. It leads into a hanggliding section, allowing you to sail over the train track.

 DS DK Pass
  • The hidden item box at the top of the snow mounds seems to no longer yield a Star more often than usual as it used to.
  • Final ramp now leads into a hanggliding section.
 GCN Daisy Cruiser
  • The item boxes on the sip's main deck sadly no longer roll back and forth as the ship leans.
  • There’s a new split-path at the start. While the path that branches to the right is still there, it’s now mirrored on the left side as well.
  • You can now drive through the swimming pool, which mitigates the shortcut along the outside rim (which is still there).
  • The engine room you drop into is now flooded with water and contains a couple of clams, one of which has an item box in its mouth.

 Wii Maple Treeway
 
  • The quarter-pipe around some of the turns has been removed, so no more easy-stunts.
  • The bouncing roadway made of rope has been replaced with a hanggliding section.

 

Lightning Cup


 Wii Koopa Cape
  • The quarter-pipes on which you could perform stunts around some corners have been removed.
  • The underwater pipe has had the top-half cut off and is now filled with water.
  • The spinning fire-sticks in that pipe have been replaced with Cheep Cheep.
 GCN Dino Dino Jungle
  • Most of the small bumps in the track at the start have been removed.
  • You no longer need a mushroom or star to reach the shortcut in the cave, and it now leads into a hang-gliding section.
  • Exiting the cave has also been turned into a hanggliding segment.

 DS Airship Fortress
 
  • No significant differences, though the Bullet Bills now make a “whizzing” sound as you dodge them,
 SNES Rainbow Road
  • Unlike in Super Mario Kart, the Thwomps (which now resemble normal Thwomps, instead of the cylindrical originals) now begin dropping on the first lap, instead of waiting for the second.
  • The Thwomps now cause the ground to ripple and distort as they slam down, allowing you to perform stunts if you time it right.
  • Several new ramps have been installed which let you skip portions of the track if you have a mushroom or star.

Battle Mode


 GBA Battle Course 1
  • Monty Moles are now found throughout the track.
 N64 Big Donut
Can now jump the lava center via the four ramps and grab an item box from Bowser’s floating clown mobile in the center.

 DS Palm Shore
No major differences from what I could tell, aside from 3D terrain.
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