Frappe Snowlandĭon’t let the upbeat soundtrack and charming snowy scenery fool you. Still, very few of Mario Kart 64’s other tracks present you with a choice of route, and it’s fun working out the one that’s best for you. If you know the track well (who doesn’t by now?) then it’s very easy to work out where you are in the race. Yoshi Valleyįeaturing multiple paths for racers to take, while keeping everyone’s position a secret, Yoshi Valley’s novel concept works for the most part. The ups and downs just aren’t very impressive anymore, and the track is also a bit too long. Nevertheless, Wario Stadium’s sheen has rubbed off over 20 years later. Players can screw one another over with a well-timed projectile or lightning bolt power-up, forcing them to then redo a considerable portion of the track. The massive jump that sits about two-thirds of the way round the track presents a great make-it-or-break moment. Wario Stadium is a faithful tribute to real-world dirt bike stadiums, featuring all the bumps and jumps you’d typically expect. It’s a shame because it’s no longer much of a hazard. The biggest issue, however, is that the train loses all of its carriages in multiplayer with three or more players due to hardware limitations. Sadly, the rest of the track isn’t particularly interesting or challenging. Not fussed about racing – or health and safety? Then you can also drive on the tracks and explore the train tunnel. There are two railway crossings that can cause absolute mayhem if get to them as the train does.
And not just any train – a steam train, complete with five carriages! Oddly enough, Kalimari Desert has nothing to do with squid. Miss these and you’ll sink into freezing water and be returned to the track as a block of ice! 9. It’s not the easiest track either, featuring some pretty tight turns. Penguins feature throughout, acting as moving obstacles that are very good at getting in your way. This arctic course looks lovely, especially as you can see your character’s reflection in the ice. But with a tactical mushroom-enabled speed boost or Super Star, you can cut corners and overtake opponents. Sticking to the meandering track is tough. There’s very little in the way of obstacles, but Mario Raceway features a lot of tight, challenging turns. It’s a great way to finish off Flower Cup! Make the jump and you’ll pop out of a waterfall – it’s a great way to climb up the ranks or further cement your lead. One ramp leads to a hidden cave that acts as a shortcut. But otherwise this course is overly reliant on ramps that don’t seem to do anything other than host item boxes. There are palm trees and pesky crabs to slow you down. And yet Koopa Troopa Beach is pretty mediocre. Koopa Troopa BeachĪ tropical beach should inspire all sorts of ideas for track features and obstacles. It’s the first track of the game, so it’s meant to be simple and straightforward.Īt the same time, that means it’s not the most exciting or challenging. The track ultimately delivers what it sets out to do.
Luigi Raceway’s position in this list is a little unfortunate. Here, it’s a lot more challenging and not nearly as long thanks to those super-fast vehicles! 13. It’s possible to skip a lot of the track by making a leap of faith near the starting line.
But otherwise Rainbow Road is too long, relatively featureless and not that visually impressive. It’s super colourful and the music is enchanting. For everyone else, it’s spending most of the race being fished out of the water by Lakitu. The only real challenge is staying on the track due to most of it not having any barriers.įor experienced Mario Kart 64 players, it’s pretty straightforward. There’s just so little in the way of hazards and obstacles. Banshee Boardwalkĭespite delivering an eerie atmosphere, Banshee Boardwalk is far from a thrilling experience. Part of the track doesn’t feature a barrier at 100cc level and above.Īs a result, you can fall off and lose a lot of progress. Choco MountainĬhoco Mountain sits at the bottom of our list because it’s just so dull.Įxcept for a few falling boulders, there’s simply nothing exciting or interesting about this track. Is Mario Kart 64 still fun to play over 20 years later? Find out with my Mario Kart 64 review Mario Kart 64 tracks – ranked worst to best 16. I’ve drawn up a list of all 16 Mario Kart 64 tracks, ranking them from worst to best based on how enjoyable they are today. Mario Kart 64’s 3D tracks impressed gamers the world over back in 1996/97, but how do they hold up over two decades later? Mario Kart 64 tracks ranked from worst to best