Desert Hills
This desert course takes you back and forth through all sorts of classic Mario imagery. The course itself differs from previous ones in that it is very twisty not just left and right, but up and down too with all the hills and such. We're starting to get into the more difficult courses to navigate, but with practice I'm sure you'll do just fine. It's not just static course issues you'll be facing, those tall spikey guys are out in full force and Mr. Sun will start blasting fiery balls of rage down on your head after the first lap has been completed. These unforeseen obstacles mean success on this course is more than just memorization. You will need quick thinking too.Start off the course Drift Boosting around the corner to the right while picking up an item box. If you happen to snag a Mushroom then you're in luck because we're already upon the stage's best shortcut. Notice that beside the next large turn to the left is a large pyramid. Well between the pyramid and the wall itself is a small gap, the perfect size for a kart. Of course that whole area is deep sand that will slow you down to a snail's pace, but with a Mushroom or two you'll be able to speed through it and really cut that corner saving you lots of time. If you don't have a Mushroom then at least be sure to Drift Boost around that corner, and the next corner to the right after that. Coming up after this is a bit of a jump. You can hop before you go airborne to save a very minute amount of time, but I find that if you don't hop you'll have a better chance of gaining control again and picking up one of the item boxes. Coming up after is a very interesting part of the course.
The track weaves back and forth, up and down all over the place. Drifting between these corners should really help you control yourself and take them better. Drift Boosting is a whole other story altogether. While it's obviously the preferable choice it is extremely dangerous. After a decent amount of practice hopefully you'll be able to Drift Boost these corners like a pro, but until then you might want to consider just normal controlled boosting as the less dangerous option. There's still a third option which comes into play if you've got either Mushrooms or a Star, and that option is to circumvent these stupid turns entirely. I mentioned before that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, so to hell with all reason, and blast yourself right down the middle of every corner. Launch yourself over the big hills with a Mushroom and skip the turns entirely. There's a damn good chance you'll fling yourself off-course, but if you don't it will significantly increase your lead. The last thing to keep in mind is that flaming balls of fire will be shot down upon you by Mr. Sun in subsequent laps. There's no special surefire way to avoid these, the best tip that I can give is to simply steer clear and hope they don't land right on top of you.
Defino Square
Every new course you play seems to bring something new to the table. This course offers real down-to-earth shortcuts, difficult maneuvers and branching paths. It's a city level with a number of thin paths (sorry to all the Snakers out there). Not only this there are sections of the level where you can fall right off into the water, a fun boosting rainbow bridge which moves, and more. Overall a very good level which I'll dissect for you below.The first thing to note in this stage is the wacky and fun music playing in the background. Once you get over the odd vocals you can launch yourself from the starting line and attempt to do a Drift Boost around the first right turn. Pick up and item and start Drift Boosting to the left. If you get the boost here you'll almost certainly have to settle for a normal boost around the next 90 degree turn to the right as it comes up so fast. This section of the track is really closed in by the walls so stay as close to the middle as you can. Coming out of here is a branch in the path. To be completely honest with you, neither is really much different from the other at all. I tend to prefer taking the left branch for reasons that will become clear soon (basically because when the paths reconnect you'll be going straight while the other branch turns, that way you maintain more speed for the upcoming shortcut.)
Well as I just explained, right after the paths reconnect there is a pretty big and exceedingly difficult to perform, jump to a shortcut. Coming out of the area closed in my the houses and buildings there is a bridge in front of you, and an opening in the fence on your left. If you go through this opening and drive on a 45 degree angle you can actually hop (with the help of a Mushroom/Star, or if you're really lucky in 150cc) from the edge to a small wooden dock below. For all the work and risk you have to take this shortcut really isn't all that great. It gets you an extra item which helps, but you can actually just drop down from the road above and grab that item box if you really want it anyway. I felt it important to point this shortcut out to you, but in a real race there's something a lot better you'll want to do.
This applies whether you actually have a Mushroom in your inventory or not. Coming out of the area closed off by the houses and buildings, ignore the opening on the left and go straight across the bridge. On the other side turn left and then note the crates on your right. Behind these crates is a hidden shortcut between the houses which takes you across a bunch of muck and guck to the exit on the other side. While it does slow you down immensely, even without the Mushroom this path can serve to save some time. I don't necessarily recommend taking it if you don't have a Mushroom, you'll have to practice and judge for yourself. When you do use a Mushroom make sure to use it early. Using it too late means that you'll speed out of the shortcut and right off the edge of the cliff into the water. You've got to make a hard right when you come out the other side and that's difficult at top speed.
There's another set of item boxes here, grab one and get ready for the bridge. The bridge will be in a random state when you reach it, either down, up, or moving between the two. Either way you'll get a nice speed boost going off of it. If the bridge is all the way up then do NOT hop while launching off of it or you'll land in the slow dirt area. If you have a Mushroom or Star in your inventory then there's another good chance to shave a bit off of your final time. Notice that the path after the bridge turns right, left, left, right ever so gradually in kind of a "]" shape? Well you can skip that whole turning sequence entirely by simply boosting across the dirt. While it may not seem like a big deal, you'll be surprised how much that turning slows you down. Drift Boost to the right after this section and off to the finish line.
Waluigi Pinball
Waluigi Pinball is a fantastically fun course full of all sorts of crazy obstacles out to get you. Part of the course actually mimics a real pinball machine in the way it's designed, you'll probably have a lot of fun with this one. Of course there are a number of dangers as well as thing you need to keep in mind, and that's where I come in. When the race begins you're launched automatically through this crazy vortex and out the other side, flying through the air. Immediately as you land get ready to drift boost around the corner. Now you have to ask yourself which is more important, the item boxes on the left or the Booster Pads on the right. The item boxes have the advantage of being on the inside track and getting you an item, while the Booster Panels has the advantage of well... giving you a boost. Take the best of both worlds by boosting off the first panel into the item boxes, and then nailing the third boost right before you launch off the cliff down the track.At this point a new danger appears, the pinball. Pinballs will roll from behind you at about the same speed (probably slower) that you are moving. This means that the only way they will catch up with you is if you hit an obstacle, or get hit by an item. You're more than likely going to end up catching up to another pinball, and then you'll have to figure out a way to maneuver around it. The pinballs take up a good 40-50% of the track so be careful. Drift around the first corner to the left and then start Drift Boosting as much as you can around the next couple of corners. Don't hop when you hit the jump or you'll fly too far. Drift Boost to the right when you land and pick up one of the item boxes. Continue to Drift Boost around the next couple of corners until you reach the bottom of the hill.
What you have here in front of you is a replica pinball machine, except a hell of a lot bigger. Not only do you have to dodge the moving parts in the machine, but also any pinballs being smacked randomly around in the area. It's a dangerous place. There are a few item boxes in the centre of the road and if you miss those, you'll find a few more just a bit further up near the central obstacle that the other things are spinning around. Avoid the paddles at the end (obviously) and Drift Boost around the corners to reach the finish.
Shroom Ridge
You might remember the stage in Mariokart 64 with all of the traffic (and remember the added difficulty of playing it on Mirror Mode.) Well this time around there's a similar stage with a little bit less traffic, but the additional danger of launching yourself over the edge of the road on the sharper turns. The danger is minimal at the beginning as you boost out of the starting line and Drift Boost around the corner to the left, picking up an item box if you can. The course itself doesn't really offer too many surprises, it's mostly the traffic designed to really get in your way. Continue to Drift Boost around the next couple of corners, remember that this technique is a lot more dangerous here as you're flying blindly around corners unable to see the traffic ahead. Try to use your map as well as the main screen to give yourself a little bit of leeway. As you're coming up the hill with the stone wall on your left and the dirt wall on you're right, you can save a bit of time by using a Mushroom or Star to launch yourself across the grass on your left and skip the corner. Keep in mind as well that in this area there are lone item boxes which aren't fake, they're simply moving along the road waiting to be collected. Fake boxes do not have the question mark icon inside of them, that's how you tell. Proceed forward into the tunnel.Coming out of the tunnel is where it starts to get dangerous. There are no walls on the sides here so when you're Drift Boosting around the corner to the left you have to watch not only that you avoid traffic, but that you avoid skidding off the edge of the course. The rest of the stage is basically a couple of "S" shaped turns which lead you right to the finish line.
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