GCN Mario Circuit
| Appearance(s): | Mario Kart: Double Dash!! Mario Kart DS (Beta) Mario Kart Wii | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Cup appearance(s): | Flower (GCN) Shell Cup (DS) Leaf Cup (Wii) | ||
| Designer: | Nintendo | ||
| Type: | Circuit | ||
| |||
GCN Mario Circuit is a course that appears in Mario Kart: Double Dash!! as Mario's main race course in the game. It was originally set to appear in Mario Kart DS, but later appears in Mario Kart Wii as a Retro Track.
Layout and Description
Differentiating itself from Mario Circuits in past installments, this version of the track takes place around Princess Peach's Castle. The race starts on paved road, just to the right of the castle. Not too far up the road, a giant sign spelling Mario in big letters can be seen on a hillside. The road eventually leads into a wide 90° turn to the left, followed by a more narrow 90° turn the opposite direction. The road then slowly ascends around grassy field with a Chain Chomp near the side of the road. The path eventually leads to a tunnel, which is located directly across the course from the starting line. The other side of the tunnel reveals a bridge, which becomes a sandy road shortly after. Piranha Plants resting atop pipes are now present, attempting to snap at any players who come near by. The road leads to a 180° turn, followed by several smaller turns and bumps occupied by Goombas. A sharp 90° turn is present shortly after, leading to another bridge. The bridge rises at slight incline, then reveals the finish line on the other side.
Differences between versions
While the track layout did not receives any layout changes in it's Mario Kart Wii appearance, it did in it's beta version found in the Mario Kart DS demo.
Differences in Mario Kart DS demo
The course appears in the demo version of Mario Kart DS as unused course data, and can be accessed through various methods of modding. It features several differences from the version found in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!:
- Due limitations with the Nintendo DS, the number of triangles and texture sizes have been great reduced.
- The course appears to be darker than the original version.
- The Mario sign is now 2D.
- The 'bumpy' section has been flattened.
- All objects and enemies are absent.
- A wall now occupies the area where the Chain Chomp used to be.
Unused content in Mario Kart DS
The course appears again as unused data in the final version of Mario Kart DS. It still features all of the above differences from the original version, with one exception:
- The Mario sign is now in 3D, much like the original version.
Differences in Wii version
The course re-appears as a Retro Track later on in Mario Kart Wii. It appears to be mostly identical to original course, with several mechanical differences:
- The Chain Chomp now causes significantly less damage.
- Piranha Plant now attack periodically in Time Trial mode, rather than any time a player nears the object.
Unused content in Mario Kart Wii
The course appears yet again as unused content in Mario Kart Wii, under the name old_mario_gc_b.szs in the file system. It is believed to be a direct port of the data from Double Dash!!. Its completely identical to it's GameCube counterpart, except for the fact that several objects are missing. It features several differences when compared to the Wii version:
- The Chain Chomp and Goombas are absent.
- Pirahna Plants now attack any time a player nears them in Time Trial mode. The Pipes they rested upon before are missing.
- As with how it worked in Double Dash!, shadows no longer give off a 'shading' effect to anything that passes under it. All surfaces lack special effects, such as grass, and surfaces with sounds such as sand no longer make noise.
Official descriptions[1]
Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
- Instruction booklet: “This is the main circuit in Mario Kart: Double Dash!! Familiar denizens of the Mushroom Kingdom can be spotted here and there. The road’s filled with curves, so this is a good place to practice drifting.”
- Official website: “Mario Circuit features lots of tight corners, a Chain Chomp, Piranha Plants, Peach’s Castle, and several Goombas, not to mention seven other racers trying to upend your kart.”
- Official European website: “Dodge the waddling Goombas and snapping Piranha Plants, and say hi to Peach as you cruise by her castle.”
Mario Kart Wii
- Official European website: “With pipes rising out of the surrounding hills and Goombas and giant Chain Chomps littering the track, this is classic Mario Kart action in all its glory.”
Course Analysis
A full analysis of the course's file system, including information on object settings and collision flags from Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, Mario Kart DS and Mario Kart Wii.
See GCN Mario Circuit/Analysis.
Media
Images
- GCNMarioCircuitLogo.png
The track's logo from Mario Kart: Double Dash!!.
- GCNMarioCircuitDS.png
GCN Mario Circuit as it appears in Mario Kart DS.
- GCNMarioCircuitWii.png
GCN Mario Circuit as it appears in Mario Kart Wii.
Music
GCN Mario Circuit shares it's musical theme with GCN Luigi Circuit and GCN Yoshi Circuit.
It was composed by Asuka Ota and Ryo Nagamatsu.
Trivia
- DS Mario Circuit appears to have been closely based off this version of Mario Circuit.
- This course was originally set to appear in Mario Kart DS, but was removed during some time in development. It is theorized that it was removed due to it's similarities with DS Mario Circuit, although it may have to with GCN Yoshi Circuit and GCN Luigi Circuit also appearing in Mario Kart DS, as they share the same musical theme.