Worst Mario Kart Wii Cups

We're starting this list off with the Shell Cup. Out of all cups in Mario Kart Wii, this one easily is the weakest. The Shell Cup tends to contain some of the more simple and forgettable retro tracks, as opposed to the more difficult Leaf and Lightning Cups. I don't actually hate any of the tracks in this Shell Cup, but at the same time, I don't particularly like any of them either, as all of them are pretty safe. GCN Peach Beach, the opening track is probably the best one of the bunch. The beach setting is pretty nice as it's inspired by Isle Delfino from Super Mario Sunshine, and the obstacles are fun enough to avoid. Nothing to complain about. DS Yoshi Falls in my opinion, is an underrated track because even though it's just a loop, it's still got a really cozy tropical setting. But while that made it stand out in Mario Kart DS, Mario Kart Wii has a bit of a higher bar when it comes to the track selection. SNES Ghost Valley 2 is..., probably one of the most basic retro tracks of all time. There's really nothing going on in this track, and the very mellow difficulty makes things all the more forgettable. N64 Mario Raceway is..., actually decent. Considering that Mario Kart Wii had way too many Mario Circuits for no good reason, there had to be at least one decent one, and this one's it for me, as the track layout is a bit more unique, and there's more potential for shortcuts and such. Unfortunately, it's still a circuit at its core. Overall as you can see, the Shell Cup is slightly mediocre, however, at least it's not the abomination Mairo Kart DS's Shell Cup was. It's also the only one that's sub-par in my opinion, as we're only getting better from here.

And in 2nd place we have the Banana Cup. This is a steady improvement over the Shell Cup, but with that said, when I was younger this used to be my least favourite because of two reasons: N64 Sherbet Land and GBA Shy Guy Beach. However, not only have I grown up, but so has my perspective on this cup. GBA Shy Guy Beach is definitely the weak spot of this selection. It's a really bland and basic Beach level, with the only point of interest being an irritating Pirate Ship that will constantly shoot exploding cannonballs at you. Not to mention, it's probably the ugliest track in the game visually. Like what it is? I used to hate Sherbet Land as well, but I've grown to enjoy it overtime, as the ice physics are pretty mild, and the music is one of my favourites in Mario Kart. That said, if these two were replaced with better tracks, the Banana Cup might've been much higher, as the last two courses in it, are actually some of the best ones from the game. Delfino Square with the town setting, and multiple attractions makes it one of the liveliest tracks in the game, and Waluigi Stadium is super epic with all the halfpipes you can trick off and epic music. Fun fact, when I first got the game, I thought the Banana Cup was the last one in the game, because you know, I didn't know you could unlock more. And this always seemed like a cool final track due to the night theme and stadium setting. Overall, this is a cup with incredibly high highs, but criminally low lows.

The Mushroom Cup takes 3rd place. Now even though this may seem kind of low to some of you people, in my opinion, Mario Kart Wii probably has one of the best course selections in the series. So even though the Mushroom Cup may seem weak from this placement, it's really not. In fact it's probably the best Mushroom Cup from any Mario Kart game, even better than 8 Deluxe's. Now yes, it does admittedly start off poorly, with Luigi Circuit. Only the most generic circuit of all time. But I digress, it's short enough it doesn't ruin the entire experience. But it already gets better from there on, as while Moo Moo Meadows isn't extra-ordinary, it's a harmless trek through the farrmlands and open plains. Just like I said about the Banana Cup, the real stars of the show are in the second half of the cup. Mushroom Gorge is amazing. The bouncing mushroom gimmick add much needed variety to the gameplay, as you no longer have to think just about driving in the correct direction, but now also make sure you don't send yourself in the pits of hell. But Toad's Factory..., holy frick. I can't believe this is in the Mushroom Cup of this game. Conveyors belts that send you to your doom, very sharp turns, bulldozers that will block the boost pads going over an off-road. All things considered I'm surprised this wasn't in the Special Cup, but the fact that it isn't just makes this cup all the better. There's a reason everyone wants this track remade, because we don't really get tracks as ambitious as this anymore! Overall, what an amazing Mushroom Cup..., and mind you we're at 3rd place only.

The Leaf Cup is next up. For me, the Leaf Cups are probably the most consistent cups throughout all games in terms of quality. They've never been like amazing, but they've never been bad, even in their weakest incarnation. Apparently, this one doesn't sit too well with people, due to the fact that the opening course is DS Desert Hills, which is pretty universally hated. But I actually kind of enjoy this track. It's a bit empty sure, but I personally think it has enough going on. And just like I said in my Mario Kart DS cup ranking video, it has potential for some of the craziest shortcuts in the series, like that ending section where you can just breeze through the big hills. GBA Bowser Castle 3 was in my opinion, the best Bowser Castle in Super Circuit tied with 4, partly because of the difficulty, but mostly because of the soothing blue/purple colour scheme. And it's pretty beautiful in this game too, in addition to having some really fun twists to drift around. N64 DK's Jungle Adventure is the main reason it got up here though. The atmosphere is unlike anything else in Mario Kart, with the quiet jungle ambiance, the yellow sunset reflected in the river..., I absolutely adore it. Alas, this Cup doesn't reach the top half because of GCN Mario Circuit. Yes, the last track of the Leaf Cup, is a frickin' Circuit! I mean it's not bad I guess but it's not really interesting either. Why you gotta ruin this, Mario Circuit? Overall, the Leaf Cup is pretty great, even if let down by one track.

Starting off the top half, we have the Lightning Cup. Obviously, this would be the best retro cup, no questions asked. More often than not, it ends up being the reason to be excited for retro tracks, since they tend to contain the more ambitious and unique remakes in the series, and that's mostly the case with this Lightning Cup as well. The only thing that really holds it back, is SNES Mario Circuit 3. Why, is this track in the Lightning Cup? It's way too basic, not just as a Circuit track, but especially as Lightning Cup course. That 180 degree turn doesn't warrant a place in the difficult cup when the entirity of Toad's Factory, a Mushroom Cup track is easier. With that said, it's not terrible at least, and the other three courses are all really great. DS Peach Gardens is a criminally underrated track and I don't know why. Sure, maybe the atmosphere isn't what you'd expect from the last cup, but it fits very well nevertheless with the chaotic map layout and all chain chomps hopping around. Then there's GCN DK Mountain, one of the most iconic tracsk ever. Everyone knows about the cannon that sends you to the top of a mountain, and then having you drive back down. It's difficult and memorable, and the cup ends off with my favourite retro track in the game, N64 Bowser Castle. This track is perfection. It might be the coolest Bowser Castle track in the entire series, because unlike the other ones, that are cartoonishly evil, this version takes a much more mellow yet ominous approach. You got massive hallways, courtyards, and a spine-chilling opera. Absolutely amazing. Just like with a lot of other cups we've talked about, it's just one track holding it back from being even better.

If I were to show someone who'd never played Mario Kart in his life what this game is all about, I'd show them Mario Kart Wii's Flower Cup. It's probably the most iconic Mario Kart cup ever. It starts off with Mario Circuit..., again. Sigh, how many circuits are there in this game? Six? That's almost as bad as Mario Kart DS! But I digress, because even if this course is kinda lame, the other three tracks are nothing short of amazing. Back when Coconut Mall was an actual mall, and not a shell of its former self, it was one of the most interesting courses ever as a kid. Most of us probably went to a mall as a kid with our parents, so we have it ingrained in our memory, and they perfectly captured the feeling in this track with the escalators..., bazaars, and the colour scheme..., how, did they mess this up so badly in Mario Kart 8? Now DK's Snowboard Cross is a track I've never quite liked as much as other people, but I can still see the magic of it. Yes, I call it Snowboard Cross! Personally, it's a better name personally, because even though it's a bit mouthful, it's much more accurate,. There are tons of snowboarding shy guys on the track, and technically, you drive down the track snowboard-style as well, through the many half-pipes scattered throughout the map. I see no reason to call it DK Summit, especially when you never even reach the summit in the first place. But of course, yet again it is the ending track that gets me. Wario's Gold Mine, might actually be my favourite Mario Kart course, ever made. It's got everything needed. A really unique theming, check. A catchy song, check. A difficulty curve that's steep but still fair? Check. And you see this rail? It leads nowhere. But kid me not, you can actually drive on it for no reason, other than to explore. Things like this makes Mario Kart Wii feel more alive than other games in the series, as there's more to the settings than just racing. If this was remade for Mario Kart 8, they'd probably lift that rail up... more

The Star Cup, believe it or not, used to be my favourite cup in Mario Kart Wii for a long time. In fact, it wasn't until the making of this video that I sat down and considered, maybe it's not aged as well as I thought? Well that wasn't the case. It's still as good as I remember it, the only difference is that another cup is even better than I remember, demoting this one to 2nd place. But the quality of this one, is still ground-breaking. The opening track is Daisy Circuit, but don't let that name fool you. This is by far the best Circuit track in the entire series. Mostly because it doesn't play like one, rather it's a nice stroll through a harbour town bathing in a yellow sunset. It's so soothing, and mind you this is the weak track of the cup. The other three, Koopa Cape, Maple Treeway and Grumble Volcano, are amazing. People usually argue about which of these three is the best of the best. Personally, I've always been a Koopa Cape guy, as the green forests and rushing waterfalls has always caught my attention more than the massive red tree. Maple Treeway is still great with its wonderfully calm music, it's just not Koopa Cape. And Grumble Volcano sets the perfect transition to the Special Cup. By far one of the most difficult courses in the entire game. Really, there's nothing to hate about the Star Cup. Three amazing tracks, and one good one. Well guess what, the best cup, has all four amazing tracks.

The Special Cup, is no doubt my favourite cup in Mario Kart Wii. This, kind of surprised me upon replaying it. The Special Cup always contains the most difficult and ambitious tracks in the series, and most of the time, the best tracks as well. That was the case with the first four games. However, with Mario Kart DS and the introduction of retro tracks, a lot of that specialness was instead transported to the Star and Lightning Cups, thereby rendering the future Special Cups underwhelming..., except for Mario Kart Wii's one. Somehow, this managed one of the best Special Cups in the series, and maybe even one of the best cups ever. It already starts off strong with Dry Dry Ruins. Desert tracks have a reputation for being bland and empty, and while I don't particularly agree with that statement, Dry Dry Ruins blows all previous incarnations out of the water, since there's more to it than just the desert now. Even the music has much more energy than usually. Moonview Highway might be the craziest track of all time, both atmospherically and mechanically. I shouldn't even need to explain why, I mean just look at the footage. And then we get the obligatory Bowser Castle and Rainbow Road. Honestly, they might be some of the best versions of these tracks ever. Bowser's Castle is absolutely crazy with all the things going on, and while it may not have that eery atmosphere the N64 remake has in this game, this one is great in its own right with how creative the developers got with the assets. Not to mention that the music is a slowed down and distorted version of Maple Treeway. Seriously look it up. It adds so much possible lore to the track, which once again, makes the world feel alive. And Rainbow Road needs to introduction. Only the most beautiful and difficult Rainbow Road ever made, challenged only by the GBA version.