Top Ten Retro Mario Kart Cups

This defines what a Lightning Cup should be and succeeds in every single track included. The weakest track was in my opinion DS Tick-Tock Clock due to the fact that I'm not a fan of technology-themed tracks, but even then this remake of the track is actually really great and cool. It only gets better from there though, as 3DS Piranha Plant Slide is one of the most stunning and original retro tracks in the game with its underground theme. And then we have my favourite retro track in Mario Kart 8 outside of DLC, and one of my favourite retro courses ever made, namely Wii Grumble Volcano. And while N64 Rainbow Road is slightly (emphasis on SLIGHTLY) overrated, I still adore it a lot because of what it accomplishes. Overall the best Lightning Cup and one of the best MK cups of all time.

Actually one of my favourite Mario Kart cups ever as well as my favourite Leaf Cup. I've talked about on some of my lists how revamped the retro tracks in Mario Kart 8 were, and the Leaf Cup's tracks in particular are oozing of quality, and the one track that didn't change much was still a masterpiece! The weakest track is GCN Sherbet Land which even then isn't even bad, in fact it added so much new to the remake while removing the ice physics, making it a good track. The rest of the cup though, is simply amazing. DS Wario Stadium was cool on the original but now it also added new sections which is even better! And then we end with two of the best retro tracks ever, 3DS Melody Motorway and N64 Yoshi Valley, both flawless masterpieces. Easily the best Leaf Cup overall.

On average the really good tracks in this cup are actually more fun than the ones in Wii U's Lightning Cup, with the difference being that the last track in this cup kinda brings it down, namely the anti-climactic SNES Rainbow Road. That track was just very mono and dull. The rest of the cup..., amazing! Wii Koopa Cape, DS Airship Fortess and GCN Dino Dino Jungle are both some of my top ten favourite retro tracks of all time and if only SNES Rainbow Road had more changes to it, this cup might've been at first place.

This Banana Cup DOES play it a little safe I liked the tracks a lot at least. GCN Dry Dry Desert is one of my most nostalgic tracks from Double Dash and while they unfortunately made it a little more barren, I still really like this track. SNES Donut Plains 3 looks STUNNING in HD and the music and setting makes for a nice setting. While N64 Royal Raceway is overrated and not THAT good, I did enjoy it nevertheless. 3DS DK Jungle was a track which on the 3DS I didn't enjoy very much, but here, it's pretty awesome!

This Banana Cup is quite fantastic! I enjoyed every track from this cup at least a little, with the weakest entry being SNES Mario Circuit 2. It's a bit of a basic and bland track, but it does have good music and a cool jump. The rest of the cup is quite great. N64 Koopa Beach is a nice and chill track to open up the cup with its cool shortcuts and design. Then we also have some of the best Mario Kart retro tracks ever, namely Wii Coconut Mall and 3DS Waluigi Pinball. Definitely my favourite Banana Cup.

Aside from having what might actually be my favourite retro track in ALL of Mario Kart..., this Lightning Cup can be stated as slightly underwhelming. Pros first, N64 Bowser Castle is just downright awesome. The ambiance and track design is superb for having been a former N64 stage, and it really feels creepy. The rest of the cup is pretty good but they aren't the typical Lightning Cup-tier. DS Peach Gardens is quite a great track with its many paths and nice atmoshpere and while GCN DK Mountain isn't nearly as good as it was on the Gamecube, it's still a cool track. This cup is ultimately let down by SNES Mario Circuit 3, which has no place in this cup to be completely honest. It's quite barren and I find the track design to be incredibly boring. However I like the music in that track which makes not despise it luckily. But overall this Lightning Cup is pretty good but it's not the best one.

This cup does have one small offender which puts this track below Wii U's Leaf Cup, but not DS Desert Hills actually. To me that small offender is GCN Mario Circuit, which is honestly just so bland and uninteresting. It's not that the setting is bad, the opposite actually but the execution isn't that good. The rest is pretty solid though, with DS Desert Hills, a pretty cool track with awesome shortcuts, GBA Bowser Castle 3, a really stunning GBA remake with cool turns and shortcuts, and then we have the star, N64 DK's Jungle Parkway which is one of my favourite tracks ever with its ambiance and jungle theme. Overall, it's great!

All in all it's the most fun Shell Cup overall with some of the best tracks. Now, it does start off with two of my least favourite Shell Cuo tracks. N64 Luigi Raceway and GBA Bowser Castle 1 are both too simple and bland tracks, but the other two tracks are some of my favourite Shell Cup courses of all time, and favourite tracks in general. Wii Mushroom Gorge is one heck of a good ride, and DS Luigi's Mansion..., gives me so much nostalgia. So overall this is a 50/50 cup. It has two masterpieces, but also two snorefests, but those masterpieces make this overall the best Shell Cup.

I mean yes this cup does have the universally hated N64 Sherbet Land and GBA Shy Guy Beach and while yes the latter isn't fun at all, Sherbet Land was a heavily improved and it gives me nostalgia as it was my first Mario Kart track ever. And really even then, Shy Guy Beach isn't abominational. Following those are some of the best Banana Cup tracks of all time, namely DS Delfino Square and GCN Waluigi Stadium, whch are both amazing tracks.