

As Mario Kart 8 is soon to make its debut on Wii U - in what will be the best-looking and most dazzling entry yet - we rank the most franchise-defining and entertaining racing arenas to grace the fan-favourite racer over its 22 year history.

10. Rainbow Road (SNES)

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Rainbow Road is the climax to every Mario Kart campaign; a Technicolour finale that has karts racing among the stars. It's often a hectic rollercoaster ride, but the simplicity of the SNES original makes it the best, ditching the length and complexity of later games with a single short track that has no barriers, making it just as challenging and memorable in its own right.

Has it been re-made? Yes, in Mario Kart 7.



9. Waluigi Pinball (Nintendo DS)

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It's a surprise that one of the most derided Mario characters – Wario's brother, Waluigi – has one of the best tracks in Mario Kart DS. The conceit of racing inside a giant pinball machine is genius, from karts being ejected to the top of the board like a spring-propelled ball, then making their way down to the bottom past giant balls and bumpers.

Has it been re-made? Yes, in Mario Kart 7.

8. Delfino Square (Nintendo DS)

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Delfino Square in many ways showcases the strengths of Mario Kart DS, with its strong sense of identity (this is based on the memorable setting of Super Mario Sunshine) and track-side surroundings that looked incredible on a handheld. The tight turns through the village and wider roads at the end, meanwhile, were also the perfect place to practice the controversial snaking technique.

Has it been re-made? Yes, in Mario Kart Wii.

7. DK Mountain (GameCube)

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Like Waluigi Pinball, DK Mountain is exciting because it's a real journey, thanks to a huge leap near the start of the course that propels you to the top of a mountain so that you can race back again. The latter half is a challenging gauntlet to master, with a set of hairpin turns that cross paths with boulders, and a bridge perfect for sniping foes off the sides.

Has it been re-made? Yes, in Mario Kart Wii.

6. Daisy Cruiser (GameCube) .

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A ship is an unconventional setting for a Mario course, but it's made for one of the best tracks thanks to a mix of long, curving corners on the edge of the ship and a tight, maze-like tour through its middle that passes shifting tables and, if you happened to drop into its belly, a hull filled with lucrative item boxes.

Has it been re-made? Yes, in Mario Kart 7.

5. Bowser's Castle (N64)

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Bowser's Castle joins Rainbow Road as a re-occurring theme in Mario Kart games, but the N64 edition is the best of its type because of its challenge (the moving Thwomps are particularly troublesome), its healthy ebb-and-flow between long straights and tight corners, and the fact that it takes you on a tour of everything a castle has to offer, from painting-lined corridors to courtyard gardens and a thrilling finale up a spiraling turret with a rampart prone to last-minute encounters from other players.

Has it been re-made? Yes, in Mario Kart Wii.

4. Maple Treeway (Wii)

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Maple Treeway feels unlike any other Mario Kart course before or since, thanks to an inviting autumnal theme that has you weave in and around a circuit of Wriggler-infested trees. But with its sloping pathways, piles of leaves hiding hidden surprises and tree roots that are ripe for performing speed-boosting tricks, it's also one of the most tactical and frantic.

Has it been re-made? Yes, in Mario Kart 7.

3. Royal Raceway (N64)

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Mario Kart 64 was ground-breaking because it made the world of Mario feel real, a place you could savor and explore for the first time. With Royal Raceway, featuring the very same Peach's Castle, it was the moment where you could believe a race course could actually exist inside Mushroom Kingdom. It is otherwise a course that opts for simplicity over complexity, and is all the better for it, with basic turns that prioritize sharp racing and clever use of items over tricks and shortcuts.

Has it been re-made? Yes, in Mario Kart 8.

2. Wario Stadium (N64)

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Wario Stadium is infamous for its epic length, making it a marathon rather than a sprint with its seemingly endless series of bumps and turns, and a central jump that, with a well-timed shell or lightning strike, could set a player back half the track. It's also home to the 'no cheating rule', where players debated whether to make use of a sneaky glitch near the start of the course that allowed them to skip half the track. We always decided against it - but someone would always do it anyway!

Has it been re-made? Yes, in Mario Kart DS.

1. Baby Park (GameCube)

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On paper, Baby Park is the least speculator Mario Kart track ever made - it's literally just an oval loop, consisting of two turns and a handful of item boxes - but it is easily the most chaotic and frantic. With players all racing in such close proximity, items fly left and right, and shells could just as easily hit the leaders as they could derail the stragglers.

If you had as simple a track as this in any other racer, it wouldn't be nearly as entertaining or unpredictable. And if that's not a perfect showcase of what makes Mario Kart so special, then what is?

Has it been re-made? Yes, in Mario Kart DS.

Do you agree with our list of top ten best Mario Kart tracks? What are your favourites? Tell us in the comments below!

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