Characters | Tracks & Cups | Battle Mode
AboutNintendo's first Mario Kart to appear on a handheld, at last you had karting on the move. The game was 2D and more like SMK than MK64, but thats why many loved it. The graphics were great as they didn't have the disadvantage of needing to be 3D. The controls where a bit slippy but their was one thing that pulled people to his game, the volume of tracks. While MKSC had it's own 5 cups with 4 tracks each, you could also unlock all the tracks and cups from SMK giving you a total of 40 tracks!
Fans loved this new feature since Mario Kart games never really had much to unlock and collecting the 100 coins on the harder difficulties and still winning made for some original unlocking. The tracks were exactly as the old school karters remember them, all fully 2D with 5 laps a go. The item spaces were replaced with item blocks but that didn't matter as 20 retro tracks were available to drive on whenver it took their fancy.
CharactersMario
Average oh average, see Mr. Average. Has better handling than Luigi though.
Luigi
While slightly faster than Mario he does have poorer handling, but he's still middle of the range.
Toad
Always a favourite although he lost a bit in this game. His top speed is no were near as good as previous MK games.
Peach
Few like Peach, although she tends to be my common challanger in GP mode.
Yoshi
Another favourite and the guy I always use. Solid speed and quick off the mark but slippy round the courners.
Bowser
So slow, so slow indeed. I do think that this is his slowest game. Although you will have no fear going round courners or being bashed away in tight packs.
Wario
Few use him. His speed is slow and the handling dosn't make up for it. Plus the only characters he can out muscle is the extreme light weights Toad & Peach.
Donkey Kong
When this guy is going he can be tough, but he takes his time to get there.
Tracks & Cups If you want information on the unlockable SMK tracks then go here. The tracks are the same but the cups are different. For information on the Extra cups in MKSC go here.
Mushroom Cup
Peach Circuit: As it's at the first track it's really quite simple and basic. Just enjoy the drive.
Shy Guy Beach: A nice sunny beach. Their are quite alot of crabs arond that will spin you out though, so watch it.
Riverside Park: Wide roads and a small jump at the end on this river adjactent track makes for peaceful times.
Bowser Castle 1: The shortest of the BC tracks. There are several thwomps and a short path of lava jumping, but coins are easy to come by.
Flower Cup
Mario Circuit: Hey, it's dull. A quite pleasnt ride with nothing too difficult. There is a shortcut towards the end of the lap but it could take more time.
Boo Lake: A good track. There is a clear shortcut which is easy to take even at high speeds. Also watch out for the walls as they vanish if you hit them.
Cheese Land: I once entered a competition where you had to get your best time on this track. Sadly the picture wasn't clear enough (in that the screen turned out completely black).
Bowser Castle 2: Some more lava jumps and some more thwomps, really just an upgrade of the previous BC track.
Lightning Cup
Luigi Circuit: It's quite strange having a Luigi track this late in the game. It is hard though as the rain seriously loosens your grip.
Sky Garden: Despite the lack of walls on this track you won't fall off that often, the track is wide and when you get close you'll slow down.
Cheep-Cheep Island: More crabs will cause you to spin out but don't worry about the white birds, they don't do anything (except fly).
Sunset Wilds: An intresting track. There is a little curve with a path of speed boosts but the tipes have Shy Guys in them that will slow you down. Also after each lap the sun sets a little bit, which is nice.
Star Cup
Snow Land: Similar to Frappe Snowland in MK64. Snowmen to slow you down, water to freeze and snow. Also it has the best line of coins in the game, great for unlcoking the extra tracks.
Ribbon Road: Some thought that this was going to be a replacement for Rainbow Road (the fools). Do little hop when you land on the second jump, so you can get an item.
Yoshi Desert: I don't like this track, which is a shame. I do find it the hardest track in the game and I always get caught in those sand trap things with the pirahnas.
Bowser Castle 3: More straight forward than BC2. Just Thwomps and lava jumps follwed by more thrwomps and lava jumps.
Special Cup
Lakeside Park: Very similar in style Riverside Park, but on the 2nd lap the volcano will errupt spewing fireballs into the track, but they don't give you much trouble.
Broken Pier: Boo Lake+. It has virtually the same shortcut as Boo Lake, except narrower.
Bowser Castle 4: This time it has Mechakoopas, but thats about the only thing thats new.
Rainbow Road: A great reincarnation of Rainbow Road. Walls are few but strangely it has those little jump things in some places which help in making some serious shortcuts.
The tracks are the same as in the original SMK so go here to see the track info. However as there are 5 cups instead of 4, each of the cups now have the following tracks.
Mushroom Cup
Mario Ciruit 1: Well there isn't much to say about this track. It's got turns.
Donut Plains 1: Think Mario Circuit 1 but wobbly.
Ghost Valley 1: Well this one has a shortcut that could only be used with a hop when using a mushroom.
Bowser Castle 1: I quite like the Bowser Castle tracks, although this one is not not favourite. The only real obstacles are some tight turns, the jumps over the lava are too simple.
Flower Cup
Mario Circuit 2: Another Mario Circuit. This one is better and it has one of those sections when you must jump over a previous part of the track.
Choco Island 1: Not a complicated shape but it has loads of shallow turns and quite a bumpy road.
Ghost Valley 2: Quite a wide track really. And many of those right angle turns.
Donut Plains 2: These tracks are based on the Donut Plains in Super Mario World.
Lightning Cup
Bowser Castle 2: Now things are getting better. Shortcuts, a mini-maze and 2 paths that merge causing near fatal accidents.
Mario Circuit 3: A very tight turn that I always fail to make is the only intresting thing here.
Kopoa Beach 1: With the water flooding parts of the track it's hard to know where to go. But in all reality this is just a circle track.
Choco Island 2: A very tight section asks for straight driving and a very wide area is covered with rough ground.
Star Cup
Vanilla Lake 1: You can quite easily got lost on this track despite the simple path.
Bowser Castle 3: Many narrow tight turns and a multitude of small jumps make this my favourite Bowser Castle track in this game.
Mario Circuit 4: Why does Mario have 4 tracks and Luigi have none?
Donut Plains 3: Watch out for the water hazards when crossing the narrow bridges. One slight nudge from a heavy character and your going for a swim.
Special Cup
Koopa Beach 2: Keep turning left and watch out for the dark water.
Ghost Valley 3: God I hate this track. I always fall off at least once (per lap). Just take it steady and don't do anything fancy.
Vaninlla Lake 2: You will have to jump over the ice water at some points, so make sure you do it well.
Rainbow Road: Look Ma, no walls. Slow down or even brake when you get to the turns. This track is not as hard as it looks and is quite simple when your not being bashed off the edge by other drivers.
I have never played MKSC in battle mode so what I'm going on is limited. If you have much experience with the MKSC battle mode than I will appriciate your help. Contact me by the usual methods.
As this is on the GBA the battle mode has some strong advantages and disadvantages. It makes the battles tougher as you can't see your opponents screen so you won't know where they are or what items they have. Sadly though playing multiplayer battle mode does require the extra GBAs, a game cart each and the link cables.
Battle Course 1: A very basic course with just walls and tarmac road surfaces.
Battle Course 2: Based around Bowser's Castle this makes the perfect place for a battle. With jumps and dead ends its easy to both trap and be trapped.
Battle Course 3: A very open course makes for quick battles. Red shells are hard to block and there is nowhere to hide.
Battle Course 4: The water can be jumped partially which helps for dodging shells and luring players into the drink.
by Charzendat