Mario Kart 8 (Wii U) - Official Topic

Really looking forward to this - it handles great, bikes are back and it's the graphical leap that people expect from Wii to Wii U. Feels more like Mario Kart Wii than Mario Kart 7, that's for sure.

Hoping for a fair few more tracks this time round though, I don't think 32 can cut it as it stands - definitely needs at least another set of cups, taking the tally up to 48 (or 40 if they 1 retro and 1 new cup, taking the tally to 5 each).

Track maker would be amazing, but I doubt it'll happen this time round.

I felt like doing a little research into which tracks have not been brought back as Retro tracks in the MK series, so we could speculate which ones could potentially still make it into MK8, and discuss which ones you want to see. I've linked some videos to give you quick refreshers of how they looked in their original states. If there are any mistakes, let me know.

Confirmed Retro tracks for MK8:

Tracks not used as Retro courses in past MK games:

SNES
Technically, all SNES tracks were brought back in MKSC on GBA, but these are the ones that have not been brought back for Retro cups in other MK games:

Donut Plains 2
Choco Island 1
Ghost Valley 1
Ghost Valley 3
Bowser Castle 1
Bowser Castle 2
Bowser Castle 3
Koopa Beach 1
Vanilla Lake 1
Vanilla Lake 2
Mario Circuit 4

N64
Wario Stadium

GBA
Riverside Park
Boo Lake
Cheese Land
Snow Land
Ribbon Road
Yoshi Desert
Lakeside Park
Broken Pier
Bowser Castle 4
Cheep-Cheep Island
Sunset Wilds
Rainbow Road

GCN
Mushroom City
Wario Colosseum
Bowser's Castle
Rainbow Road

DS
Figure-8 Circuit
Shroom Ridge
Mario Circuit
Bowser's Castle
Rainbow Road

Wii
Luigi Circuit
Toad's Factory
Mario Circuit
DK Summit
Daisy Circuit
Dry Dry Ruins
Moonview Highway
Bowser's Castle
Rainbow Road

3DS
Toad Circuit
Daisy Hills
Cheep Cheep Cape
Shy Guy Bazaar
Wuhu Island Loop
Mario Circuit
Alpine Pass
Wario's Galleon
Koopa City
Wuhu Mountain Loop
Rosalina's Ice World
Bowser's Castle
Rainbow Road

With 7 Retro tracks confirmed for MK8 so far, there are likely 9 spots left, assuming there are 16 Retro and 16 original.

All I really want are the rest of the unused N64 tracks to make it in, but there's 5 of them, so that's not gonna happen. Yoshi Valley is the main one I want back. I guess Rainbow Road is the one least likely to make it, so they could work the other 4 in across 4 cups. I assume at least 3 N64 tracks will be in, but Yoshi Valley and Wario Stadium would be the ones I most want.

Vanilla Lake tracks from SNES have never been brought back (if you exclude all SNES tracks being in GBA), so I definitely would like to see one of those.

From GCN, Mushroom City would probably be my first choice. We need more night tracks.

I think DS Rainbow Road would be a good fit, as there seems to be some loops and such, which could work for anti-gravity.

GBA has a lot of memorable tracks. I used to love Ribbon Road. Cheese Land has cool music. Riverside, Lakeside, Snow Land, Sunset Wilds - lots of ones I liked the design and music of.

3DS has 3 confirmed tracks for MK8, so I guess 1 more is possible for that. A Wuhu Loop track could be good to mix it up, though I think something like Wario's Galleon, with its underwater stuff, might be an option, since MK8 has the underwater levels, as well.

Finally, Wii. Possibly gonna be 3 more of these after the confirmed Grumble Volcano (which looks really cool in MK8). I guess something like Daisy Circuit, Toad Factory, Moo Moo Meadows are possible, depending on what else they choose from other games. They have 3DS DK Jungle, and if they bring N64 Wario Stadium, I doubt they'd go for more DK and Wario tracks, and opt for other ones for other characters, like Daisy or Toad, or non-character ones like Moo Moo etc. If they bring N64 Toad's Turnpike, they might not do Toad Factory, assuming these characters also have original tracks for the normal cups, too.

Just thinking of the possibilities.

I thought this would be some good info, anyway. Feel free to speculate and share what tracks you want to see come back.

( Edited 16.11.2014 15:17 by Azuardo )

Hm...tracks I'd like the most from the games I've actually played (64/GCN/Wii/3DS) would be Yoshi Circuit, Wario Colosseum, Daisy Circuit and one of the Wuhu Loop tracks.

I quite liked GCN Yoshi Circuit, but that was also brought back in DS.

Donut Plains 1 was used in MKDS.

( Edited 20.03.2014 18:41 by Mush )

Mush said:
Donut Plains 1 was used in MKDS.

Even if my personal choices don't make it into MK8, I can't wait to see how the ones that do make it look like. Tick Tock Clock got a really great makeover and even Grumble Volcano looks a lot better.

I've been wanting Toad's Turnpike to make it back in ever since they started making retro cups on DS, so I really want that one ^^. GBA Ribbon Road and Cheese Land could be interesting redone in glorious HD 3D as well! And they're already bringing back DS Tick Tock Clock whereas Waluigi Pinball was already in MK7, so there's not really any other tracks that I'd like them to bring back left now. None that I think they could make anything interesting out of anyway. I wouldn't mind if they redid Wario's Gold Mine and Moonview Highway from Wii and Mushroom City from GCN, I thought these were cool!

I quite liked Mario Circuit 2 on the SNES but that has already been brought back in MK7 too. Maybe that Bowser Castle track which had a fake shortcut with a big "STOP" written on the ground and which you couldn't even cross with a feather jump. Time to fix that Nintendo ^^.

Maybe the changes to grumble volcano will make me like it more

Toad's Turnpike would be amazing, one of my favourite MK64 levels.

GBA Ribbon Road and Cheese Land could be interesting redone in glorious HD 3D as well!

Totally agree, had some of the best circuits!

Moonview Highway from Wii and Mushroom City from GCN

Definitely - hoping at least one of the two make it, either would be great for me!

Wuhu Loop track could be good to mix it up

This - I definitely enjoyed those on the 3DS, hoping for a few more in MK8 too, or the option for a continuous race, where four tracks meld into each other somehow?

Updated the Retro track list.

Hmm, since SNES, GBA, GCN and DS have all only had 1 track revealed, and there are only 4 spaces left, I think it'll be one more from each of those now. I'd say we're getting a max of 3 for the same version, so looks like N64, 3DS and Wii tracks are done. Guessing, anyway - you never know ofc.

Toad's Turnpike is confirmed ?? That's how behind the news I am !! I want to see that in video now !

EDIT: Nevermind, found what I was looking for :p

I just heard that N64 Rainbow is 1 lap long. I wondered if the fact it was normally a 6 minute race would be affected in some way.

I checked the eShop to see if they put up the trailer there and sure enough, they did. Looks bloody unreal on my TV, tbh. N64 Rainbow Road looks so amazing, you could easily be fooled thinking it was actually the new one.

Less than two months now, mates! So excited! Who's got a stiffy, I have.

Awww you can't get near Peach's castle anymore, that's a shame

Yeah I noticed that. That sucks :L

The awesome Sonic 2 music is back though, and sounds fucking amazing.

Are you sure rainbow road N64 is just 1 lap long?? The video definitely shows a lap counter though...

RudyC3 said:
Are you sure rainbow road N64 is just 1 lap long?? The video definitely shows a lap counter though...

Yeah, Rainbow Road on MK7 had only one lap, but 3 sections. This will be the same, judging by the videos.

O
M
G

Yoshi Valley practically confirmed through a sign in Sunshine Airport stage. Can't believe it. Well happy now.

Full N64 GP is once again a thing in MK8!

Also, I think the pic shows Sherbet Land from MKDD.

( Edited 03.04.2014 15:45 by Azuardo )

Very great news! Only a handful of tracks we haven't seen yet now, including the new Rainbow Road, which is likely to feature lots of crazy anti-gravity and melt everyone's eyes.

From Mario Kart 8 director Kosuke Yabuki to GameSpot on GDC roundtable last month

"One thing I do want to mention is Rainbow Road, that final course. We really want you to look forward to what we've done to it this time because it's something else. It's really spectacular."

Oh snap.

( Edited 03.04.2014 16:59 by SirLink )

Just read that, and saw that track editor in MK8 is a no go, but possible in a future MK game:

http://www.gamespot.com/articles/mario-kart-8-it-s-not-all-about-luck-two-rainbow-roads-confirmed/1100-6418730/

Been listening to Daisy Circuit's music (Wii) again and I'm really hoping it's going to be the third Wii course in MK8. That sunset would be quite a sight, too! The shortcut up the stairs would be a flying section through the fountain statues, which might be modified to allow for a water section, too. The sharp and long turn at the end could be tilted a bit for an anti-gravity section.

26 of 32 tracks have been confirmed so far, split into 13 new and 13 retro. If we assume that the leaks for N64 Yoshi Valley and GCN Sherbet Land are accurate and consider the mandatory new Bowser's Castle and the new Rainbow Road we've yet to see, that would leave one new and one retro track that we don't know about yet. There are only two Wii tracks, so I'm almost certain the missing retro one has to be a Wii one. Daisy has no track in MK8 yet (though she does share Sweet Sweet Canyon with Peach), so it could make it in. Mario Kart 7 even had two Daisy tracks, with Daisy Hills and GCN Daisy Cruiser.

( Edited 14.04.2014 17:34 by SirLink )