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Super Mario Kart FAQ by Arguro DeXill
Copyright Arguro DeXill 2003-2006
Version 1.1 completed 10-16-05
Version 1.2 completed 11-27-05
Version 1.3 completed 01-07-06
Version 1.5 completed 05-26-07
My e-mail: Arguro@hotmail.com
Please direct all questions and comments as well as any typos or corrections
that need to be made to my e-mail.
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Contents:
1. Game Info
2. Modes of Play
3. Controls
4. Racers
5. Things that may deter you from coming in first
6. Things that will help you come in first
7. Items
8. Cup Classes (cc)
9. Races
9.1 Mushroom Cup
9.2 Flower Cup
9.3 Star Cup
9.4 Special Cup
10. Tricks and secrets
11. Battle Mode
12. Version History
13. Copyright info
1. Game info
Super Mario Kart developed and published by Nintendo for use on the Super
Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). Copyright 1991.
2. Modes of play
In Super Mario Kart there are several different modes of play. The
following is a brief description of each.
One player
GP: You pick your character and you pick your race and you race 5 tracks
per cup attempting to score in the top four places.
Time Trial: In time trial, the objective is to race as fast as you can. It
is good for practice as well as to try and set time records. You can choose
whichever cup and track you like.
Two players
GP: Same as one player but instead of the screen being split to show where
the races are on the track at the bottom and your screen at top, player one
is on top and player two is on bottom.
Match Race: In match race you pick the cup and race you want like in time
trial but instead you race against a friend. All the question blocks are
there.
Battle Mode: There are 4 unique tracks for battle mode. I will explain
them more in the battle mode tactics section. The objective is to make your
opponent lose all their 'balloons' by shooting them with turtle shells,
making them slip on banana peels, or hitting them when you are invincible.
3. Controls
Directional Pad: Moves the racer left and right. Up and Down are used when
shooting Banana peels and Green turtle shells. Pushing up fires them in
front of you, pushing down drops them behind you.
A button: Pressing this uses your weapon that appears in the box next to
the time.
B button: Accelerates your racer.
X button: Slows your racer down.
Y button: In single player mode, switches the screen at the bottom to a
rear-view. Has no affect in two-player mode.
L and R: Jump buttons. They are most effective for avoiding oil slicks as
well as taking sharp corners.
4. Racers
There are 8 racers, divided into 4 groups (2 each). Each group is different
but the racers in the group are pretty much the same (except in appearance).
The small guys
Toad: He is the guy that you continued to rescue in Super Mario Brothers on
the NES instead of the princess. He is the best racer for beginners. He
has the best control although he is the slowest. When computer controlled,
he will leave mushrooms behind that shrink you.
Koopa Troopa: Toad's counter part. He's one of Bowser's annoying turtles
that Mario made quick work of. He looks nicer than Toad but has the same
abilities. When computer controlled, he will shoot Green Shells. He doesn't
do it the same way you do though. His fly out in front like a Banana Peel
will.
The Mario Brothers
Mario: He needs no explanation. He's faster than Toad and Koopa Troopa but
just a tad harder to maneuver. Mario is also great for beginners because of
his control. When computer controlled, he can become invincible at any
time.
Luigi: Mario's brother. Decked out in his traditional green, Luigi's
abilities are the same as his brother's. He also becomes invincible at any
time when computer controlled.
The Middle Weights
Princess: The only female racer in the game. She has taken a break from
always being held by Bowser to hop on the go-cart and win the gold.
Princess is great for speed and acceleration; however she handles a little
worse than the Small Guys or the Mario brothers. She is better for more
experienced racers. She, like Toad, will spit out Shrinking Mushrooms when
under the computer's control.
Yoshi: Mario's dragon from Super Mario World has, like princess, jumped on
a go-cart to win it all. Yoshi and Princess are the same in every aspect.
Yoshi fires Yoshi eggs when the computer is controlling him.
The Big Guys
Donkey Kong Jr.: He may look ugly, but he is perhaps the best racer in the
whole game. His massive body gives him a slow start but his max speed is
faster than all the others with the exception of Bowser who matches him. He
will fire Banana Peels when controlled by the computer.
Bowser: He's the more favored of the two big guys mainly because he isn't
as ugly as Donkey Kong Jr. He is every bit as capable as DKJ, just as slow
at the start and just as fast at top speed. Bowser spits out Fire Balls
when controlled by the computer.
Non-playables
Lakatu: He's the dude that holds the signs for the laps, holds the stop
light at the beginning and is even nice enough to hold a sign with a big X
on it for when you get turned around. He'll even fish you out of the deep
water and will come after you should you fall off of the side in Ghost
Valley.
Cheep-Cheeps: They are the annoying fish that hang out in Koopa Beach.
Most don't provide much trouble for the experienced racer but should you
happen to bump into one, you'll spin out.
Piranha flowers: They appear only in the Chocolate Island races. They sit
along the edges of the track, mostly on the corners, waiting for you to miss
the turn and bump into them. If you happen to hit one you spin out.
Gophers: They are exclusive to Donut Plains. They come out of holes in the
ground looking to block your sight. Should you hit one, it will stick to
your face for the rest of the race slowing you down considerably. You can
get rid of any hitchhiking gophers simply by pressing the L and R buttons
until they fall off.
Thwumps: These guys are mean. They are found in all of Bowser's castles
and in Rainbow road. For the first lap they stay up but once you enter lap
2 they come down in the middle of the track. If you happen to be underneath
one when it comes crashing down, you will get squished flat and lose several
seconds recuperating. If you smash into one while it is down, you just
bounce off as you would another racer or a wall. Be careful in Rainbow Road
because those Thwumps will not only squish you flat, but if you bump into
one you'll spin out for they are invincible for the whole race.
5. Things that may deter you from coming in first
Oil Slicks: They appear in Mario Circuits as little black pools, especially
on the corners that are difficult to turn closely on. Should you hit one,
you'll spin around once and come to a stop.
Pipes: They are green things that stick out from the ground in the Mario
Circuits. They can be a pestilence, especially on those hard turns.
Deep Water: It's easily distinguishable from shallow water. It's a much
darker blue. If you travel out into it, your racer goes under water. While
under water you can drive around at an incredibly slow rate. This is good
because if you happen to fall in, you can pull yourself out faster than
Lakatu can in most cases.
Mud: Found in Chocolate Island, the mud is a dark brown and occurs in the
middle of the track. In most cases, it is un-avoidable so all the racers
are at the disadvantage.
Ice Blocks: Found in Vanilla Lake 1 and 2 they bump you back if you hit
them but once hit they disappear.
Shallow water: Slows you down just the slightest bit.
Snow: Found in both Vanilla Lake's Snow will slow you down quite a bit
should you happen to run into it.
Moss: Found in Koopa Beach, its green and generally a circle. It's always
clumped together and is usually only in one spot. It slows you down when
you drive across it.
Shrinking Mushrooms: These are odd colored mushrooms that you will find
laying on the track. Princess and Toad leave them behind.
Fire Balls: They are a yellowish-orange ball that appear from Bowser's
butt.
6. Things that increase your chances of first place
Zipper: A cart driver's best friend. A zipper is a little yellow arrow,
typically on the edge of the course. Running across one will give you a
boost of speed but makes it very difficult to maneuver until the speed boost
has dissipated.
Jump: A jump is just a simple yellow bar in all tracks except Chocolate
Island where they are dirt mounds. Jumps give you a little air under your
tires. Most of the time the jumps serve no real purpose but in some
instances, like Ghost Valley, they propel you over holes in the track that
you otherwise couldn't clear. Taking a mushroom or hitting a zipper then a
jump will make you fly very far and jump off the screen.
Question Block: This is how you get your items. Every track has them all
collected in one general area with a few hidden off in places in a few
tracks. You just run your cart over one and your item box will start to
spin. Press A to stop it (it'll stop on its own eventually but you can time
it to get exactly what you want, however it takes A LOT of practice) and
press A again to use it.
7. Items
Mushroom: Gives you a burst of speed
Green Shell: Fires out straight in front of you or you can set it behind
you.
Red Shell: Heat seeking shell, goes for the racer closest to you. It takes
the shortest path possible, which leads it into a wall where it dies out.
Best used at close range.
Banana Peel: Fires out in front of you or behind you. It shoots into the
air so it can clear barriers but you cannot control its landing point.
Ghostie: Only available in two player mode. It steals whatever the other
person has in their box and turns you invisible for a brief period of time.
Star: Turns you invincible allowing you to take out anything you run into
except walls. Water, Lava, and falling into the black abyss that is Ghost
Valley terminates your star. You also drive faster when invincible.
Feather: Gives you a spin jump which is higher than the normal L or R jump.
It is excellent for jumping over Thwumps and taking shortcuts in races over
the barriers. Not available in all tracks.
Lightning Bolt: It's the hardest item to obtain but also very good. When
used all the racers except for you shrink, causing them to move slower and
if you hit them, causing them to spin out. Not available in Battlemode.
8. Cup Classes
There are three levels of difficulty in SMK: 50cc 100cc and 150cc.
50cc is the easiest of the three cup classes. You have the basic cups
available to you: Mushroom cup, Flower cup, Star Cup. Mushroom is the
easiest, followed by flower then star. 100cc is the medium cup class; also
it is the standard for time trials, match races, and battle mode. After you
win the gold cup in all three 50cc races and all three 100cc races, you
unlock the special cup. If you win the gold in the special cup, the 150cc
class is open now. Win gold in all 4 in the 150cc and you've beaten the
game.
9. Races
9.1 Mushroom Cup
Mushroom Cup is the easiest of the three cups. It consists of Mario Circuit
1, Donut Plains 1, Ghost Valley 1, Bowser's Castle 1, and Mario Circuit 2.
A note about the difficulty ratings: I base these ratings on my very first
impressions of the track back when I was in second grade and playing this
game as well as my current impressions. You may find a track I give a tough
rating to be easy and vice versa. All the difficulty ratings are meant for
is to help you, the Super Mario Kart player, to understand what someone else
thinks of that particular track and give you an idea on how hard/how easy
the track is.
The Difficulty Rating is a scale from 1-5, 1 being the easiest and 5 being
the hardest.
Mario Circuit 1:
This is your basic and easiest track of the game. The best strategy here is
to drive around the almost elliptical shaped course, staying off the dirt
and avoiding contact with other racers and pipes. The question blocks are
located after two corners. There is a shortcut in this race, but it doesn't
work well unless you have a mushroom. Right after the Q-blocks, there's a
curve of about 110-120 degrees. If you don't take the full curve, you'll go
off into the dirt. If you have a mushroom, you use it as you hit the dirt
so you don't lose speed and go across the dirt and end up back on the track.
Difficulty Rating: 1
Donut Plains 1:
The race here consists of dirt on the track, loose gravel on key curves, and
grass on the sides. There are lots of curves so it's best to take it slow
on your very first few times around so you can familiarize yourself with the
track. There is also water you can fall into so you must be careful and try
to stay on the track. If you go to fast around the 4th 5th or 6th curve you
are likely to spin out so ease up on the gas a little. Watch out for the
gophers as well. If you hit one, press L and R simultaneously and
repeatedly until it falls off.
Difficulty Rating: 2
Ghost Valley 1:
This is one of the best-done tracks in the whole game. If you've played
Super Mario World then this and the other two Ghost Valley tracks will seem
a tad familiar. They are like the Ghost houses of SMW but you are racing.
It's all on a suspended wooden track with the same music in the background.
Around the track, in most places anyway, there are little wooden blocks
protecting you from falling off of the edge. If you hit a block, it falls
but you stay. If you hit where that block was you fall. Lakatu will rescue
you though. Strategy here consists mainly of not hitting the blocks or
falling off. Towards the end of the track, after you go over a jump, turn a
corner and go over another jump instead of taking the corner directly to the
right, if you travel straight ahead there is a little ledge that you can
reach if you have a feather. It's nothing considerable but can and does
make the difference between 2nd and 1st in a tight race. Remember to
decelerate as you make the curve back on to the normal track or you will end
up going off the edge, as there are no blocks to save you there.
Difficulty Rating: 3
Bowser's Castle 1:
Again, another SMW-like track; this time in Bowser's Castle! After the 2nd
turn there will be zippers on the left and right sides of a straight a way.
There are two on the left and one on the right.
| |
| /\ |
| |
| /\|
| |
| |
| /\ |
| |
| |
If you line it up correctly and hit the first one on the left, it'll propel
you and you'll hit the second one as well giving you a super burst of speed.
If you have a mushroom in your inventory, you can really get a blast of
speed. Use the mushroom before you hit the first one or before you hit the
second one. Watch out for the Thwumps in this one, they can squish you and
can block your path.
Difficulty Rating using Zippers: 1
Difficulty Rating avoiding Zippers: 2
Mario Circuit 2:
This track is a lot like the first one in the Mushroom Cup - paved track,
dirt sides, and oil slicks. The major difference is it's obviously a
different track totally. In this one, you double back around and actually
cross where you already went - in the air! After the 7th turn you will
approach something that looks like this:
-------------------
-------------------
/ \ / \ / \ / \ / \
There are zippers in front and jumps behind that. When you have a boost of
speed and hit a jump, you go flying. Hit it straight on and it will take
you directly across the track. If you are feeling daring, take a mushroom
to the zippers and use it just before you hit the zippers, that extra boost
will send you flying above the screen. Come in at an angle from the right
so it looks like
-------------------
-------------------
/ \ / \ / \ / \ / \
\ < -- Use Mushroom here
\ < -- Your path
\
X < -- You
If you line it up right, you will land right at the finish line and it can
be very helpful when you can't pass another cart driver.
Difficulty Rating: 1
Over All Difficulty for Mushroom cup: 1.6
9.2 Flower Cup:
The Flower Cup is probably the hardest of the three cups. It consists of
Choco Island, Ghost Valley 2, Donut Plains 2, Bowser's Castle 2, and Mario
Circuit 3.
Choco Island:
This track consists of three different driving surfaces: dirt, mud and muck.
The dirt is what you want to stay on; it's what the driving part is. There
is mud on the course however and can really slow you down. The Muck is on
the side where the grass and dirt is on the other tracks. Muck slows you
down even more than mud, so don't try to take shortcuts across it. There
are little dirt jumps in this one, especially where the question block area
is. If you jump over them using the L or R buttons, you gain a slight
advantage, as they seem to slow you down just a bit. Near the end, however,
they become useful in avoiding the mud. If you have a mushroom, use it to
propel yourself over the mud, but be careful that you don't go too far out
and end up in the muck.
Difficulty Rating: 2
Ghost Valley 2:
A lot like its predecessor Ghost Valley 1, GV2 is again on the wooden track
with the Ghost House music from Super Mario World. This time it's a whole
new course though. There are fewer blocks along the side to help you stay
on too. Near the end, there is a zipper immediately followed by a jump on
the right side on the last straightaway before the finish line. The other
carts won't hit this so if you do (it takes some timing and practice to get
the corner just right without bumping or falling) you'll go flying ahead.
It's far enough back that it will put you into first if you are in a tight
race.
| |
| |
| __| < -- Jump
| / \| < -- Zipper
\ \
\ \
\ \_______
\
\__________________
You can see why it's a bit difficult to hit it just right. You have to hug
the corner but not fall off at the same time. The corner has blocks so if
you hit them once you are ok but hit that spot the second time and you will
fall.
Difficulty Rating: 1
Donut Planes 2:
This one is MUCH harder than the first Donut Plains. It has all the same
things as the first one, Gophers, loose gravel, water, and grass. It's best
to take it slow here again. The track is narrower that the first one as
well so it's harder to pass without going into the grass. The gophers are
also in crucial turns so watch out for them. The loose gravel is more
frequent around the curves so take it slow around them.
Difficulty Rating: 3
Bowser's Castle 2:
This is probably the least attractive of the three Bowser Castle races in
the game. The best strategy here is to watch out for the Thwumps, take your
time and try not to get lost! There is a wrong way you can take if you
aren't paying attention. There are arrows on the track so follow them.
After the 3rd turn, past all the coins, there will be what looks like a left
turn or the option to go ahead a little more then turn left.
|STOP!| | |
| | | |
| | | |
_______________| |_________| |
|
|
|
_____________________________________|
It'll look a bit like that. If you take the way that says STOP (it says
that on the actual track too), you'll end up in the lava. Keep going past
that to the next left turn. It is indeed possible to take the "STOP" path
and using a feather jump over the lava and back onto the course, giving you
quite a jump ahead but it is very hard to do. Personally, I don't do it nor
do I attempt to unless I am very far ahead. I have only successfully jumped
that a few times out of about 100 tries. It takes precise timing, high
speed and lots of luck.
Difficulty Rating: 2
Mario Circuit 3:
This Mario Circuit has lots of twists and turns. The 5th turn is the
hardest to get around without hitting pipes or going into the dirt. There
is a Zipper just past the last curve on the straightaway before the finish
line. All the cart drivers drive over it but don't seem to get the speed so
if you hit it you can gain some ground. Just take the 5th curve slowly and
watch out for the oil slicks and pipes.
Difficult Rating: 2
Over all difficulty for Flower Cup: 2
9.3 Star Cup
Star Cup consists of Koopa Beach 1, Choco Island 2, Vanilla Lake 1, Bowser's
Castle 3, and Mario Circuit 4.
Koopa Beach 1:
This is a fairly simple track and one of the best in the game. Basically,
you race around little islands that have shallow water between them. The
best strategy is to avoid the shallow water as much as possible since it
slows you down. You have to go through it to get to the next Island though,
but you can make it so you don't touch it as often. The best thing to do is
when you approach the end of the island, use L or R and jump out as far as
you can go since you still have your faster speed from the island you can
maintain it for a portion of the water. Jumping while in the water doesn't
work because once you hit the water you've slowed down and your jumping is
slowed as well. Avoid the darker colored water, as that is the deep water.
Difficulty Rating: 2
Choco Island 2:
The first two curves in this one are hard to grasp for the beginning SMK
player. Just take them slowly and avoid the Muck. There's a HUGE mud puddle
that you'll have to drive through. On the left side, there's a little
clearing with three coins in it. Aim for that since it is the shortest
route through it. You'll then come to a bunch of little jumps that can
cause you to lose control and go off into the muck if you aren't careful.
Difficulty Rating: 3
Vanilla Lake 1:
This is the first introduction to the icy track. You race on the ice and
there is snow on the sides. The snow slows you down a lot; about the same
amount as the grass in the Donut Plains. Just like driving on real ice, the
ice in this game is a bit slick so watch your self when cornering. There
are little breaks in the ice that lead to water, which you can fall into.
Also, there are ice blocks that can slow you down. Once they are hit they
break up and go away. Best strategy is to try and drive through them and let
the other carts hit them so that way they are gone next time around.
Difficulty Rating: 2.5
Bowser's Castle 3:
Just like the first two really. In this one there are different paths you
can take but all lead to the same place. At the question block areas,
especially in 150cc, watch out because the other drivers like to ram you and
make you fall into the lava. Near the end when it splits to three different
paths, the right one has a Jump and a zipper right after. If you hit the
jump you'll miss the zipper so you have to L or R jump to get over the jump
and hit the zipper. The second one has two jumps near the end of it and two
question blocks following. You will get the second block if you take this
path because the second jump makes you land on it. To get the first one
though you either have to jump over the second jump or be going fast enough
that the first jump propels you beyond the second jump. The latter is
really only achievable with Yoshii, Princess, Bowser, or Donkey Kong JR
although it can be done with Mario or Luigi in rare cases.
Difficulty Rating: 2
Mario Circuit 4:
The 4th and final Mario Circuit. They get pretty boring after the second
one. This isn't much different from the 3rd one other than the layout. You
just drive around and take the corners a little slowly and watch out for the
pipes and the oil slicks and what not.
Difficulty Rating: 1.5
Over all Difficulty Rating for Star Cup: 2.2
9.4 Special Cup
Special Cup consists of Donut Plains 2, Koopa Beach 2, Ghost Valley 3,
Vanilla
Lake 2, and Rainbow Road.
Donut Plains 2
This is where the game really gets hard. There are many sharp curves,
gophers, mudslides, broken bridges, and water to fall into. The drivers are
fierce competitors, especially in 150cc mode. You start this race on the
left of the track and will quickly cross a bridge. The bridge will be half
gone near the end. If you fall off, you'll become submerged in water until
you make it back to the bridge. Immediately after the bridge is where the
question blocks appear. Grab one and make a quick right turn, almost a 180-
degree turn, onto another bridge. Here's where it gets tricky. Near the
end of the bridge is just a hole. You have to clear that by pushing L or R
to jump. It isn't big enough to make you fall in if you use L or R. This
is also an excellent spot to place a banana peel or a green turtle shell.
Because of that sharp corner, the computer drivers drive on all parts of the
bridge. However, just right of the center is the best place to place them.
After you make the jump, there will be another sharp turn to the left. It's
a windy stretch but you can just go straight on it as it is basically
straight and the CPU racers do the same thing. Also, this is the best place
to use a mushroom or invincible star should you have one. At the end of
this one, there will be another sharp corner (see a pattern yet?) of roughly
150 degrees and this is where the majority of the gophers appear. Blast
through them on the right and you shouldn't get hit. Up next are two sharp
corners, one 90, the other 180. If you are wise, you will see that you can
blow by the 90 and only take a 90- degree turn on the 180. It looks
something like this:
__________________________
_____________________
|
|
|
| |
| | There's water over in this area so the right barrier
| | differs, I'm using a straight one for the visual.
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
I'm not too good at ASCII art but it looks sort of like that. Your
trajectory will be going north (in the picture's case anyway) then going
east. All the racers make the left turn then a right then a right but if
you hit it correctly all you will have to do is take one right. That will
bring you back to the finish line.
Difficulty Rating: 4
Koopa Beach 2
This course is, regarded by some to be, the best in the game. It's another
keep track. This time, you will move in a counter clockwise direction.
Soon after you start, you'll hit the water. Jump off the beach and into the
water to keep your moment going as much as possible. There will be deep
water all around so watch out and don't go into it. There will be a little
tiny island with a question block on it about 3/4 of the way into the water.
If you have a shell or a peel, place it on the far right side of the
question block, as it will cause racers to spin out the most there. You'll
take about a 90 degree turn back onto the land after that and the course
looks a bit like this.
/\
\___________/ \__________/
/\
\___________/WW\____________/
WW means there is water there. Instead of trying to follow the curve, just
go straight through it but jump over the water. Be careful however because
there is a cheep-cheep there and if you go too far to the right, you'll hit
it. After that, you'll go around another curve and be back at the start.
Watch out because on the left of the part I just described, there is moss to
the left.
Difficulty Rating: 2
Ghost Valley 3
Nothing much can be said about the third Ghost Valley. It is a lot like the
other two. You'll take a 90-degree turn almost immediately after the
starting line where you will then discover the question blocks. You'll take
a 180-degree turn into some zigzags but it is easiest if you just drive
right down the middle and don't zig and zag with it. Next comes another
180-degree turn. Here there is a big hole into which you can fall. If you
find yourself heading straight for it with no time to change direction, jump
at the very last second. It can be cleared, however it is not easy by any
means. You'll then take another 180-degree turn and be met by more holes.
However, on the left there is a zipper followed by a jump so if you hit
that, you will clear the holes. This is the best time to use a mushroom
should you have one. It'll put you well clear of everything. If you happen
to get a feather, there is a little trick you can do. You'll have to wait a
lap however as it is right by the question blocks. If you look closely, on
the right of the blocks, past the abyss, there is a little ledge you can
land on and go straight into the zigzags. It won't save you much time but
it will place you ahead of a fellow racer should he or she be close. It
takes a lot of timing to get down so be patient.
Difficulty Rating: 2
Vanilla Lake 2
This is one tough course if you don't pay attention to everything that goes
on. It's an ice course just like the first one. Snow, water, and ice blocks
included. You travel counter clockwise in a general circle. Right after
you go past the question blocks, there will be a bunch of ice blocks clumped
together. If you are in first place and have a green shell or banana peel,
here is what you should do:
_________________
[][][] |
[][][] |
[][][] X |_________________
Place it where you see the X. If you line up correctly, you can drive right
past the ice blocks without hitting them. The computer racer will hit the
first block on the right (assume that you are going north) and bounce to the
right just a little and hit that item. You just created a backup of cart
drivers. They have to plow through the ice and one another to get by. It's
a great strategy to put some distance between your self and the drivers
behind you. It won't work if the ice has already been broken. You can
still place the item in the same location, you'll just have to do it to the
left a little bit more to get anyone.
Difficulty Rating: 3
Rainbow Road
Finally after an entire cup of sequels to previous tracks, the last one is
all original. The first thing you want to do is not to freak out by all the
exuberant colors of the track. They call it Rainbow Road for a reason.
This course can be best compared to Ghost Valley. You can fall off this one
just like you can on Ghost Valley. However, there are absolutely no
barricades along the sides of the track so if you get to close, you will
fall off. Also, the Thwumps are invincible so smashing into them will make
you spin out. The wide array of colors on the track makes it difficult to
see the coins and the jumps. The best place to place an item comes near the
end of the track. Right after the split, you take a 90 degree turn to the
right and there will be a row of 4 Thwumps right after. It looks something
like this.
| |
|I T T T T |
| | ______________
| |_____/
| _______________
| /
| |
| \________________
|________________
\________________
T = Thwump
I = Place item here
The computer racers will always go off to the far side of the Thwumps (it's
also the best way to get by them yourself) and will hit the Item you place
there. Sometimes, the big racers (DKJ and Bowser)) will fall off that same
side too. Its best if you take everything slow but not so slow that you'll
fall off and lose time. This takes some time to get down.
Difficulty Rating: 4
Over All Difficulty Rating for Star Cup: 3
10. Tricks
This section is designed for more experienced drivers. These are little
tricks and tactics I learned over the years. Most are places where to place
items to assure a spinout by enemy drivers while some are tricks that can be
used to increase your time in the time trial mode.
Tricks that can be used in all courses:
Jumping Trick
The first trick that an experienced Mario Kart racer needs to learn is what
is called the "Jumping Trick." When going around a corner, if you jump
rapidity, you can turn the corner tighter and thus faster. It takes a lot
of practice to get down. What you need to do is ride the side of the course
tightly. At the very instant the corner starts, start turning and at the
same time, start jumping. I find it easier to use the L button to jump but
either one works. It'll take a lot of practice because you can't jump too
fast or too much. I suggest you go into a Time Trial race and practice it
there where it won't matter if you mess it up. Each corner will be
different so you'll need to practice a lot to get it down for all the
courses. However, once you get the basic concept down, it becomes much
easier for all the other corners. It works best for round corners, that is
curves and not ones that are automatically 90 degree turns (however, it does
help you on those too).
Fast Acceleration
This trick is much easier to master than the previous one. When in any race
mode, press the acceleration button right before the second light comes on
and keep holding it 'til the start of the race. If you do it correctly,
you'll have a super burst of speed. The speed burst is the same for all the
racers. If your tires kick up dust at the beginning of the race then you
pressed the button too soon. If you just start normally, you pressed it too
late.
Choosing your item
This trick is probably the hardest of all because there is no constancy for
it between tracks. It takes a lot of time to get down. Basically, it's a
timing thing. When you hit the question block, you will always start off
with the same item as it rapidly goes through them. If you play the game
long enough you can get down the timing to get certain items. For instance,
I can almost always get either a mushroom or a star on all the Mushroom Cup
races. Mushrooms, Bananas and Green Shells are the easiest to get,
Feathers, Red Shells and Stars are a little bit harder (unless you are in
Mario Circuit 4 where you cannot get a Feather), and Lightning and Ghosties
are the hardest.
Jumping Red Shells
You only need to worry about this when playing a two-player game. It's
nearly impossible to do in a Match Race or in 2 player GP. It's easiest
when the shell is coming directly towards you from the front, like in Battle
Mode. It's all a timing thing. You have to jump an instant before the
thing will hit you. It's best if you are by a wall because it will come
around for a second swing from behind so if you are by a wall, it will kill
it. Just time your jump accurately.
Specific Course Tricks
The following tricks are specific for a course. These mostly consist of
places to lay your Green Shell or Banana Peel and the best places to use
Mushrooms or Stars.
Mario Circuit 1:
Place your item on the inner side of the 4th curve. Use your star or
mushroom right after the third curve and short cut across the dirt so you
don't even take the 4th curve.
Donut Plains 1:
Place your item on the first coin the left after crossing the bridge. Use
your Mushroom or Star right after the curve after the bridge and go
straight. There will be a break in the wall.
Ghost Valley 1:
Place your item on the fourth and fifth board from the left (6 and 7 from
the right) right in front of the second full jump (the one that leaps you
over a hole). If placed right, the other racers will jump over it and land
in the hole. Most of the time they will just spin out though. Use your
mushroom in front of the same jump and try to propel yourself across and
land on the little strip. Use your feather to get to that strip.
Bowser's Castle 1:
Place your item in-between the first and second Thwumps from the right after
you go around the first corner. Use your Mushroom or Star on the zippers
for even more speed.
Mario Circuit 2:
Place your item in-between the second and third zipper from the left on the
big jump. This will kill whoever is behind you almost always. They won't
clear the jump and will have to go around again. Use your mushroom in the
same spot.
Choco Island 1
Place your item on the first curve after the question blocks on the right
side (next to the Piranha Plant).
Ghost Valley 2
Place your item in between the 4th and 5th board from the left (6th and 7th
from right) on the stretch right before the finish line. Use your mushroom
on the zipper that was described earlier. Use a feather to leap across the
black abyss that's straight in front of the question blocks. Instead of
taking the turn, go straight and jump with the feather.
Donut Plains 2
After the question blocks, you will go around a curve and hit a straight
stretch. Right after the straight stretch there will be a small curve to
the left and then back to the right. Keep to the right of the track and go
on the grass just barely to go on a straight path through the curve. Also,
when on the grass, place your item there. Be careful of the gopher on the
left of you. Get as close to him as you can without hitting him.
Bowser's Castle 2
There will be a series of jumps over lava near the end of the course. The
big guys will fall into the lava on the final jump almost every time. You
can push other racers in by bumping into them as they go over the jump but
be careful because you can fall in also. Place your item on the far side of
the first jump (there will be two lanes you can take so place your item on
the far side of the lane). The enemy racers won't hit it all the time (as
they take different lanes depending on the racer) but it will hit someone.
Mario Circuit 3
Place your item and use your mushroom on the zipper near the end.
Choco Island 2
Place your item in the little spot in the mud where the three coins are.
Use your mushroom to get through the mud faster.
Bowser's Castle 3
Place your item between the first and second Thwumps from the right after
you go around the corner with the zipper.
Mario Circuit 4
Place your item in between the first and second pipe from the right near the
end of the course.
11. Battle Mode:
Battle Mode is a two-player contest. There are four unique tracks to choose
from. These tracks can only be played in Battle Mode. Think of the tracks
as basically parking lots with a lot of barriers. There are question blocks
littered about and the goal is to make the opponent spin out three times to
pick up a victory. Each player will have three protective balloons
surrounding their respective cart. Each time a player spins out, one
balloon is lost. When all three are lost, that player loses. The Q stands
for question block placement. These are aproximate. They only refelct the
general area where a Q block is found. They are not exact but are very
close. The best way to view the battle courses when printed is to save this
document to your hard drive then open it and add some hard returns so that
they are not broken by pages. I have not done this to save space.
Battle Circuit 1:
Battle Circuit one is a dirt track and has the fewest question blocks on it.
_________________
| Q |
|______ |
| |
_______________________| |______________________________________
| |
| Q Q Q |
| Q _________________ ________________________________ |
| | | |
| | Q Q Q | |
| | | |
| | ___________ _________________________ | |
| | | | Q |Q |
| Q | | Q Q | | |
| | Q | Player 2 Start | | |
| |
| Q |
| Q |
| Q Q Q |
| |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| | Q | Q Player 1 Start Q |Q | |
| | |_______________ _______________________| | |
| | | |
| Q | Q Q Q | Q |
| | | Q |
| |_____________________ _____________________________| |
| |
| Q Q Q Q |
| |
|___________________________ ___ ____________________|
| | | |
| |___| |
| |
| Q |
|________________________|
Basic Offensive strategies are to follow your opponent around and don't let
him or her get behind you. Lay Green shells down on the corners and in the
main path through the middle of the course. Basic Defensive strategies are
to keep moving around corners to prevent Red shells from hitting you and to
make constant U-turns to get behind your opponent.
Battle Circuit 2:
This is a Koopa-Beach like course. While there is no water that you have to
drive on, there are little segments of water blocked off that you can access
using a feather. There is very little point in doing so except for the fact
that in the Green and Red block "L" shape there is a question block in each.
_________________________________________________________________________
| |
| Q Q Q |
| ______ ______ |
| Q | | ____ ___ ___ ____ | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | Q |____| | | | | |____| Q | | |
| | | | |Q | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | |
| | | ____ Q | | Q| | ____ | | |
| | | | | | | | | Q | | Q | | |
| | | |____| |___| |___| |____| | | |
| | Q | Q | | |
| | |__________ __________| | Q |
| | | Q | | |
| | | Player 2 start | | |
| | | Q | | |
| Q |_________________| |_________________| |
| Q |
| |
| Q Q |
| |
| _________________ _________________ |
| | | Player 1 start | | |
| | | Q Q | Q | |
| | | | | |
| | __________| |__________ | |
| | | Q Q | | |
| | | ____ ___ ___ ____ | | Q |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | |____| | | Q | | |____| | | |
| | | | | | | | | |
| | | Q| | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | |
| | | ____ | | | | ____ | | |
| | | Q | | | | | |Q | | Q | | |
| | | |____| |___| |___| |____| | | |
| |______| |______| |
| |
| Q Q Q Q |
|_________________________________________________________________________|
Some Offensive strategies include placing banana peels in the "L" shapes and
in the center of the course. Some basic defensive strategies include hiding
in the "L" shapes with a star or red shell.
Battle Circuit 3:
This is a Vanilla Lake-esque one with no snow but lots of ice blocks. You
can use an invincible star to break the ice blocks very easily. Most of the
bariers are ice blocks so once they are all removed, this becomes a very
open course.
_________________________________________________________________________
| |
| ___Q_______________________ ____________Q_____________ |
| | Q Q | |
| | ______________Q______ ________________Q_____ | |
| |Q | Q Q | Q |Q |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| Q | | Q | | |
| | | ________ ________ | | |
| | | Q | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | Q | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |Q | |
| | | Q | | | | Q | | |
| Player 1 start |
| Q QQ |
| QQ Q |
| Player 2 start |
| | Q | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | Q | |
| | | | | | | | |Q |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| Q | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | |________ ________| | | |
| | | Q | | |
| | | | Q| |
| | |_____________________ Q _____Q________________| | |
| |Q Q Q | |
| |_______Q___________________ _________Q_________________| |
| |
|_____________Q___________________________________________Q_______________|
Offensive strategies include breaking the ice blocks and letting green
shells run wild.
Defensive strategies include hiding behind ice walls with a star or red
shell in queue.
Battle Circuit 4:
This is a pavement course, sort of like the Mario Circuits. Because there
are six cores there is a lot of potential to have green shells hit each
other. Best to push down and leave them still.
_________________________________________________________________________
| |
| _Q_________________________ _________Q________________ |
| | | |
| | ___________Q_________ _______Q______________ | |
| | | | | |
| | | _Q_____________ ______Q________ | | |
| Q | | | | Q | | Q |
| | |Q | ___Q____ ____Q___ | | | |
| | | | | Q | | | | |
| | | | Q | ___ ___ | | | | |
| | | | | | | Q | Q | | | |
| | Q | | | | Player 2 start| | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| |
| dirt |
| |
| | | | | | Player 1 start| | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| Q | | | | | | | | | | Q |
| | | | | Q |___ ___| | | | | |
| | | | | Q | | |Q | |
| | | | Q |________ ________| Q | | | |
| | Q | | | Q | | |
| | | Q |________________ _______________| | | |
| | | Q | | |
| | |_______Q_____________ ______________________| | |
| | | |
| |______________Q____________ ________________Q__________| |
| Q |
|_______________Q_________________________________________________________|
Offensive strategies include picking two color areas and leaving green
shells. Pick two so that way you will have the other two to gain more items
and use as a safe haven of sorts. Only use red shells at close range
Defensive strategies include changing levels multiple times, making it hard
for red shells to hit you from a distance. Don't get caught in the middle
area as there are no question blocks, only dirt to slow you down.
12. Version History
Version 1.1 completed October 12th, 2005 at 8:51 pm Pacific Time
Version included the addition of the Version history section. I decided
to add this to conform to my other guides as well as to let people know what
I update each time. I also added the map for Battle Track 2, fixed some
massive formatting issues where I had hard returns after every line for some
reason, and I fixed some typos. 17 pages when printed.
Version 1.2 completed November 27th, 2005 at 5:03 pm Pacific Time
Version included the addition of the Question blocks in the map of the
battle circuit 2. I also shrunk the margins in by 3 characters to accord
with my other guides to prevent trailing spaces when I upload my guide. 18
total pages when printed.
Version 1.3 completed January 7, 2006 at 1:57 am Pacific Time
Version included a small formatting change to make things look smoother.
I also updated the copyright year for 2006. 18 total pages when printed.
Version 1.5 completed May 26th, 2007 at 2:19 pm Pacific Time
Version included the addition of the final two battle courses in ASCII,
added player starting positions to all four battle courses, fixed a
formatting error in battle course 1 and corrected a typo under Bowser's
info. 18 total pages when printed.
13. Copyright Info
This FAQ is copyright of Sam Skinner, A.K.A. Arguro DeXill 2003-2006.
Thanks to Nintendo for making the game
Thanks to www.gamefaqs.com for posting this
The only place with permission to host this guide is www.gamefaqs.com. If
you want to host this guide on your site, please e-mail me at
Arguro@hotmail.com and specify what FAQ you want to use. If you do not
specify anything, I will ignore your e-mail. Thank you.
