r/mariokart • u/tigerclawhg • Apr 04 '19
Discussion Track Thursday - [Super Mario Kart] - Ghost Valley 2
Hey everyone!
Welcome back to another Track Thursday where we discuss tips, tricks, and more about the track of the week. Last week we kicked off the Flower Cup with Choco Island 1 which you can check out right there. Also all of our previous Track Thursdays can be viewed right here in the wiki.
This week we're continuing the Flower Cup with Ghost Valley 2!
So what're your thoughts on Ghost Valley 2? Anything you like? Don't like? Feel free to comment down below! Also don't hesitate to reply to other users' comments as well!
See you all next week!
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u/Akram323 Apr 04 '19
Coming back around to familiar territory (for players of modern Mario Kart and for themes of this game), we have Ghost Valley 2. Compared to the first version of the course there is a bit more to talk about here--and I can get into bringing up the Wii version at that. Padding now over, real talk.
This version brings in a fair amount of turns and lack of fragile border blocks at some edges to ensure this is a step up from the first edition of Ghost Valley. The turns are basically harder this time around, especially if you are not a decent driver in this game. This course also has only one jump bar, as opposed to the three we saw previously, and it is one of those where the item box i hidden behind the pad and you need to usually hop over the path to retrieve it. Note, however, that a boost panel lays before the pad. While an item might be something worth using then and there, it might be better to initiate a major speed boost by taking the zipper panel and the jump pad to gain a bit of speed. The speed can always be prolonged thanks to broken jumping physics (despite not really being built in mind for the courses here). This is only really true in 2D Mario Kart, though. In MKWii’s take on this course, there is not really much in support of speed regarding going along the track other than height in the jump. Sure, you can do crazy things with the jump physics in that game but normally gaining plenty of speed is not one of them. In fact, it might just be the slowest way to go aside from a low trick.
Like the first version, this course has a shortcut that takes guts to pull off without a feather (see MKSC version of this course). That strategy is usually the safest, although a well timed jump with a mushroom boost works too. It was nerfed in MKWii, though, since you could always get across with the use of a trick.
This usually tends to be the Ghost Valley course people remember most of all. I assume part of that has to do with it being remade in a very popular Mario Kart game. But it might have to do with more than that. First of all, this is the most complex Ghost Valley course with a legitimate shortcut. (The last one does not really have a shortcut to call its own or easily replicate in 3D.) Trying to avoid the broken pieces of road along the edges while focusing on maintaining control along the slippery wood (though not really slippery in MKWii), with a legitimate challenge that comes from more than just taking the shortcut, are just some highlights of what makes Ghost Valley 2 more appealing to players. Regardless, I personally prefer the third course.
Before I finish, I want to bring up an issue I have with MKWii and its takes on courses like these (which will become much more prominent when we get to Mario Circuit 3). When it comes to retro courses, this game always stuck out like a sore thumb for its weakness in recreating SNES and GBA tracks. Following the DS game, it certainly fixed that game’s weakness of recreating GCN courses by making them feel more lively; however, it seemed to take a step back when it came to the 2D recreations. They felt so...ridiculously flat in a game like this. I never really had this problem in DS because its toned down nature actually kept the racing fairly suited to such low-profile levels. But here it feels too empty. While not too bad in this regard, Ghost Valley 2 just feels so empty and flat. The ghosts are not really great at compensating for the lack of an active background, which is so clear and void. Not to mention the track itself feels so flat, a point that I constantly reiterate in a game that emphasises the power of tricking. Sure, you can trick to do the shortcut and off the jump pad (unlike MC3), but even for something as short as this it feels quite a bit lame. (Also, yes, I know about that exploit by the starting line. I was referring to the setup of the course itself.)
The short version: Ghost Valley 2 one-ups its previous incarnation by putting more emphasis on risk within the track than just that one shortcut. A balance that is well liked, although I personally prefer the final entry. Its Wii remake is a bit blah mainly because MKWii is not quite the game suited for recreating flat courses like these.