As someone who gets paid to have opinions about video games, I have to check myself a fair bit. Do I love a particular game because I'm blinded by nostalgia? Am I kinder to a particular genre because I have a soft spot for it, even if some of the games are a bit pants? Are there developers who I'm willing to forgive for their decisions because my emotions towards them? We all have various biases, it's true.
But when it comes to Baby Park, I know I'm right.
Yes, I'm very attached to Mario Kart: Double Dash!! on the GameCube, because I loved the GameCube, and I played it to death. I think it's got the best gimmicks (two drivers, unique items) and some of the best tracks (DK Mountain, Dino Dino Jungle), but I can be persuaded that I'm wrong on both those counts, because there are plenty of excellent contenders elsewhere in the Mario Kart series. But you absolutely cannot fight me on Baby Park. I will not budge.
Baby Park is brilliant because it's a distillation of everything that makes Mario Kart so good. It's a track that's stripped down to its barest essence; nothing but you, several other drivers, the occasional item, and seven laps in which everything is up for grabs. You have to be not only good, but near-perfect to come in first — or just lucky, which is far more likely in the chaos of shells and bananas that Baby Park causes.
Those hairpin turns require a mastery of the drift-boost, and there's always a chance that someone who's technically in last place, despite only being a couple of seconds behind, can get one of the rubber-banding powerups and kick you into the dirt at any time.
Other Mario Kart courses are marathons — three laps of careful driving, memorising shortcuts but knowing when not to use them, and keeping an eye on who's ahead of and behind you — but Baby Park is something between a sprint, a hurdle race, and an obstacle course. It's a fascinating mix-up of what Mario Kart is all about, and... it's honestly quite weird that we haven't seen its like since.
It's not that we haven't had course innovation. Mount Wario, for instance, is a long, linear, single-track course from start to end with no repetition, and that's sort of the opposite of what Baby Park is all about. Instead of a tight, fast race that's over in a matter of minutes, Mount Wario is a much longer test of skill. There's more course to memorise, and moments where the race can be turned on its head by a single shortcut or collision.
Then, there are the courses that change, like Grumble Volcano, which crumbles and shrinks after every single lap. Suddenly, your wide corners are too dangerous, and you have to be much more concerned with avoiding lava than with finding the perfect line. Hyrule Castle and Thwomp Ruins let you unlock shortcuts via a series of hard-to-pull-off tricks, making the race partly about good driving and partly about hoping you can claw back the lead. And Piranha Plant Slide (known as Piranha Plant Pipeway in British English, which I didn't realise was a regional name) is a masterpiece of "OH GOD THIS IS TOO FAST"-ness that separates the Mario-men from the Baby Mario-boys.
We've even had roughly a billion re-imaginings of Rainbow Road... and while I think they're all fantastic, and I love the iterative nature of Rainbow Roads across the Mario Kart series, I'm wondering... what would it look like if another course had the same treatment? A course like... wait for it... Baby Park?
So, despite years of fantastic innovation (that I'm definitely not just going to write off), we haven't seen too much of the Baby Park genre of courses — the fast, simple, short kind. And I think that those might be my favourites, or at the very least, necessary palate-cleansers in-between the bigger ones. I think the closest we've got is Excitebike Arena, another fantastic track that keeps things pared down to focus on tricks instead of Baby Park's focus on drifting, but that's about it.
(And, for the record, I don't think that the simplistic courses — like the Super Mario Kart ones — are really the same thing. They're just flat courses, not hyper-distillations of driving mechanics like Baby Park.)
I want to see the courses get mixed up a little with this Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass DLC, but so far, they've all been quite safe — or "B-side filler", as Ollie's review of Wave 2 called them.
I understand why Nintendo has decided to play it safe. Doubling the number of courses in a Mario Kart game over two years is an insane undertaking, and if I'm totally honest, one they didn't really need to do. I think the value proposition of 25 or 30 courses over the same period of time, or even just 12 courses over a year, one per month, would have been fine! But no, for reasons we may never really understand, Nintendo has decided to put out 48 courses, and I can't complain too much about it, because it's incredibly generous. I think some of us just would have preferred quality over quantity.
And yes, by "quality", I mean more Baby Park.
But now that we know that some of those courses, like Sky-High Sundae, will be totally new (or... partially new, at least, because it's also coming to Mario Kart Tour), perhaps we can hope for some good ol' fashioned Baby Park-style mayhem.
Is Baby Park the best course? Do you want to see more skill-based tracks? Tell us your Mario Kart thoughts (and your "other" answers to the poll!) in the usual place.
Comments 75
Excuse me?
I really like the chaos of Baby Park. So many items on such a simple track, particularly in Double Dash and 8 Deluxe. We don't talk about the butchered DS version.
Yeah, I agree with you, Kate, that Excitebike Arena is the closest we've gotten to another Baby Park. A relatively simple track where the items can make things chaotic.
I think for all the sighs from fans they've gotten, tracks like Toad Circuit and Mario Circuit tracks at least offer some of that same energy online with their simple layouts making them absolute moshpits until the last second where anyone can win.
If all you want is Baby Park, then can't you just play Baby Park over and over?
I've never wanted to dislike a headline before reading so hard in my life! But I did read it.
I'm all for stripping Mario Kart to it's essentials, but Baby Park has far too much chaos for me.
Baby Park gets away with one because it's a break from the norm and different is usually good. I don't think more like it would be that good. (I find nascar boring)
I am with you on this one. Or at least compared to Rainbow Roads. Was never a fan.
i just want whoever is designing these DLC courses, to remember that the MK8 engine has anti-gravity mechanics.
Please, for the love of goodness, I just want new walls and ceilings to drive on.
I really like Baby Park myself, but I'm not sure whether more tracks like it would be a good thing. The whole reason Baby Park is so memorable (at least to me) is that there's really no other track like it: one loop, items everywhere, SEVEN WHOLE LAPS. If you start adding more tracks like it, the original loses it's magic and they all just feel the exact same. Baby Park is perfect as a once off and I feel like rather than iterating upon it, they should use the creativity brought about from it to create even more insane tracks.
As for the article's question, the thing I personally want the most from future Mario Kart games is actually the structure of the Tour tracks where the course changes each lap. It was an amazing surprise when playing through them for the first time in the Booster Course Pass and I'd love to see that kind of track design incorporated into the detail present in regular Mario Kart tracks.
I love Baby Park and also Mount Wario.
But what we need a LOT more of is interesting risk/reward shortcuts like Koopa Troopa Beach. I hope that Mario Kart 9 is full of interesting split paths and shortcuts.
baby park is fun, but I dunno if we need more of it lol
Hard disagree on everything here, if anything Baby Park is representative of the worst aspects of Mario Kart. The luck based frantic chaos is not something particularly desirable in a racing game, especially in competitive or single player when the results matter, losing a race for something that isn't your fault makes the game frustrating and unfair.
Not a fan of Baby Park myself, but I feel like the title is so people click the article out of outrage
I just want a unique concept and some interesting design/music/visuals that match. It doesn't even need to be particularly "Mario-themed". The basic Mario Kart gameplay adapts to courses well enough.
Yes! Baby Park appreciation. I am not alone. For exactly the reasons above, Baby Park is my favourite Mario Kart track.
It highlights what distinguishes Mario Kart from other racing games: the chaos of items. Other longer tracks don't do that as well.
I feel the special items in Double Dash was a big part of what made Baby Park extremely special like having 4 Bowser shells on the course at the same time because Bowser, Bowser Jr., King Boo and Petey Piranha were on 4 different teams.
My biggest hopes are for more GBA, GCN and Wii tracks. I have a lot of nostalgia for all 3 games.
People also like eating liver sausage. Can’t understand it but there it is
getting concerned some of you play mario kart maybe a bit too seriously
I would love to see a Pokémon inspired track, maybe something like a track from the new Pokémon Snap game.
I just want more levels like Waluigi Pinball, it must have been a great day at the office for Nintendo when they came up with that
This particular view point, leads me to say… speak for yourself.
Edit: after rereading the title of the article. They are speaking for themselves BUT, speak for yourself. I’m doubling down
I was triggered.
Would love to see more courses based on other Nintendo properties with their own unique flavor. Hyrule and the Animal Crossing course in Mk8 are two of my favs ever, because they are so different.
I didnt grow up on the gamecube so I have no nostalgia for double dash but baby park is hands down one of the best mario kart tracks. It has a sense of chaos that no other track has, especially when playing with friends. I would love to see more courses like it
@NinChocolate
@Kategray Have you tried mirror mode? That way, you can only turn left instead of right. It's like a whole new track!
Baby Park was such an average overated track.
Double Dash had a handfuls of tracks superior to it.
I appreciate people's opinions, but the so called greatness of that track is greatly exaggerated.
Baby Park's really only special because it's relatively unique. It and Excitebike are really the only tracks like that we need.
What I want is something they’ve never implemented as far as I can remember.
Custom race lengths.
Give me a 5-lap GP to relive the old days, a 2-lap fast race, all-or-nothing 1-lappers, or 10-lap marathons.
I hate baby park. It’s a stupid waste of time…
something I've wanted since MK8 & its anti-grav first appeared was a course in a warp pipe or bullet bill cannon or something more imaginative. we all know that when it kicks in most times you never really feel like you're on a wall or upside down, but to imagine seeing/passing each other on the walls or ceiling in a tube-like race. maybe attacking would knock you down to the floor?
Double Dash is hands down the greatest MK, so anything from that and I'll be happy.. but especially Daisy Cruiser!
Ew what. No no no. Shame shame 😂 we do not need courses like baby park that look like they took an afternoon to throw together
Looks like the fans are right again though, mount wario is pure fun 🤙
Removed - unconstructive
I like Baby Park for the constant drift-ability.
Baby Park is hella fun as a change of pace, but I absolutely don't want more of it.
I thought that downhill snowboarding one in MK8 was pretty fun in that there are no traditional "laps", it's all one long run down to the bottom.
All I want is every track from Double Dash and unique character items added back in so I can relive my childhood. Or just GameCube games on Expansion Pass so I finally have a reason to pay for it.
You can sing Baby Park to the tune of Baby Shark.
The more you know.
I want a Mario Kart where the race courses change such as Grumble Volcano and give each lap a different intensity, I also love the single course race of just one big course such as Mount Wario. I’d love boss levels and preferably a hub of some sort, basically Diddy Kong Racing but Mario style. Change it up a bit
Baby Park is like life,
you go round and round getting nowhere,
and it all feels very unfair.
@Coffeemonster IIRC there actually was an option to set the number of laps in the Options menu.
And today, in bad Nintendo Life Soapbox takes, we have:
I make liberal use of the ignore function on this site. Going through this comments section and putting all the Baby Park haters on ignore.
(kidding, but seriously, some of you need to chill)
All I've ever wanted is a huge course that takes you through the entire mushroom kingdom, always thought that would make a very good Wario mountain type of course.
Perfect track for the many with analogue drift
Tell Nintendo to make a heavy duty switch
Like the WiiU game pad haven't broke that one bust 3 PS4 pads last couple of years cheap stuff
All I want from the DLC is at least one track that's half-as-good as the worst MK8U track, but that seems unlikely.
„ But no, for reasons we may never really understand, Nintendo has decided to put out 48 courses“
It makes a lot of sense. Yes, MK8 keeps selling well to new owners. But Nintendo hasn’t had anything new to sell to that waiting fan base for years (and MK9 is still years away). It’s untapped business potential. Look at it that way: MK8 has a 4x bigger install base than the Wii U ever had.
I want a long cross-country course a la OutRunners.
Baby Park is a bit too chaotic for my taste. Especially when racing for digital points!
I don't know if the writer wants EVERY track to be like Baby Park, but I'd hope not. Variety is the spice of life. I love pizza, but I couldn't eat it every day, with every meal for very long before I'd get sick of it. I love long, story-driven turn-based RPGs and SRPGs, but if every single release was one of those, not only would I begin to tire of them but would also miss all that other genres have to offer, even though I may not play them as often. There are a total of 48 tracks in the Pass for MK8 Deluxe, meaning there are still 32 yet to be revealed. Personally, I wouldn't mind to see one more short, frenetic track like Baby Park in the mix, but again, to add to the variety rather than to diminish it. You can absolutely have too much of a "good" thing...and as the videogame industry has taught us across its history, that also inevitably comes at the cost of something else, sometimes even never to be seen again. Let's hope the rest of the Booster Course Pass truly offers something special for everyone; that's the best possible outcome.
I want more chaos like Baby Park creates. MK is a chaos party game more than a racing game where anything can happen and I love it.
You can be on on 1st then get blue shelled, red shelled, Lightninged and bombed in 10.seconds and end up in 12th. Why? Because THIS. IS. MARIOOOOKAAAART!
Baby Park is one of the worst tracks in the series. Mario Kart has always had an element of luck to it but Baby Park removes almost all of the driving skill from the equation. It worked somewhat in Double Dash because of the unique item mechanics, but modern games also have more racers on the track adding to the chaos. It’s fine as a one-off novelty, but we definitely don’t need more tracks like it.
I’m so glad someone else feels the same as my wife and I do about Baby Park. We LOVE Baby Park and play it back to back often, but after the four times we always wish there was a figure 8 version of it, or like ten courses that were simple tiny courses that were a chaos intensive fight the entire way.
I’m also a fan of the big all in one race like Wario, but gosh I need more versions of Baby Park.
we need a track thats a straight line, golly that would be so exciting
I'm just happy with more tracks.
There are only two things I would like to see added to Mario Kart in general. A cup editor so I can make my own selection of courses, and some kind of perfect block mechanic.
Mario Kart is fun but once you come to realise it's a game of chance rather than skill, single player can get a bit boring. If you had the potential to block and deflect items thrown I believe it would vastly improve the game. I think it would need a meter and to also be fairly challenging to pull off the perfect timing so it can't be spammed, but the idea of sending a blue shell back where it came from sounds very satisfying to me. Though who's to say I wouldn't be seeing that same shell again when it gets bounced back?
@CharlieGirl Banshee Boardwalk where you can drive under the boardwalk.
I'd suggest Toad Circuit from the 3DS which came across in Wave 1 of the Booster Courses fits the bill, especially on 200CC.
Looking through the options on the poll, and the results, it's pretty clear that Mario Kart's appeal stems from the enormous variety of tracks.
I don't doubt that the tracks will be great on the next Mario Kart... but let's be clear here. Baby Park is a great track in DD because of the unique game mechanics in DD. Baby Park in MK8D is not as good.
So, for me, it's not about what kind of tracks come in the next Mario Kart, it's about innovation and game mechanics.
Let's be honest... for all the joy MK8D brings, the zero gravity sections are really not an innovation... it plays the exact same as being on the track...! Yes it looks cool - but again, when you're actually racing you barely notice (exception perhaps being Mario Circuit where the track twists).
i dont think a baby park sequel itself can really work when its focused on small simplicity, but i think a track that has more that 3 laps could be cool to see again. we've already seen them do 1-2 lap tracks several times already
tho non-mario themed courses would still be my fav thing to see, even if it wont happen with the booster pack's much small scope
as a long time Mario Kart fan, I have to disagree with the quantity over quality…MK8/MK8D is the most balanced and entertaining kart yet! I, for one, am in total favor of Nintendo going for not only above, but beyond!! I’d always post about how much I’d pay money for DLC of MK8D. I’d been happy if the first two waves were the only ones released but to double up on courses is insane!
as for the topic of discussion…I loathe Baby Park. I get your point but as a competitive player, I prefer courses that are less chaotic and simple to a complex course where driving skills are really out to test 😎
I never understood the love for Baby Park. Give me more like Grumble Volcano, koopa Cape, Maple Treeway and DK Summit. And cows, obvs.
Honestly, I just miss Double-Dash's mechanics....two characters, unique items, that sort of thing. I don't know why they won't bring those back.
Ah yes, Baby Park. Remember the frustrating feeling of getting hit by a Blue Shell at the last lap and then going from first place to something like 5th place right at the end of the race? Baby Park is exactly that only that the frustration lasts for 7 laps. I understand that Mario Kart is also a party racer but I personally enjoy the competitive aspects of the series and being rewarded for learning the controls, items and maps. Baby Park being almost completely reliant on RNG just isn't fun to me.
@PoorGeno oh my goodness, YES. I love that idea.
I think people might be misunderstanding the title — I didn't say that every track should be Baby Park. That would be silly. A lot of people are saying they want more tracks like Grumble Volcano, and if you read the article, I pretty much agree with you!
Also, a clickable title is not automatically clickbait! Clickbait is either a straight-up lie, or a title that teases something without saying what it is. This ain't clickbait. It's a headline.
Pediatricians beg parents not to take their babies to this park.
As an Formula 1 fan, I absolutely hated Baby Park. But recently, I've been getting more into Nascar, and I've come to appreciate the oval. It's different. Different strategy completely, and while yes, chaotic, it's got it's own brand of fun.
...me of 2 years ago and beyond would attempt a dropkick on me right now for saying this.
Honestly I quite like Baby Park, I’ve never really understood the hate it gets, and this is from someone who really doesn’t like Double Dash!! at all. I would be interested to see what a completely circular track would be like, I think having to keep turning while also boosting and collecting items might make for an interesting track. Maybe. 😉
That said, of the new tracks we’ve got so far, I actually like the Tour ones the best. 😮 I’ve got no interest in playing the mobile game, but I do love the way the tracks rearrange themselves each lap to keep things interesting, especially when you end up racing towards karts still going the other way!
@CharlieGirl Well why else do we have Sky-High Sundae now? Because the DLC track creators know about anti-gravity.
@KateGray Also, if you’re wondering about who voted the ice course option… that was me. Because I love the ice tracks in Mario Kart (especially Mario Kart: Super Circuit’s Snow Land, which I am HAPPY to see return).
To quote Daffy Duck: I may be a craven little coward, but I'm a greedy craven little coward!
@CharlieGirl i don’t get the anti-gravity mechanic. Just seems like useless novelty that adds nothing to me.
As long as there's a good mix I'm happy.
mario circuit 3 offers lots of this (online), but mainly described as filler....
Maybe good to remember Baby Park wasn't it in Mario Kart 8 (WiiU). It game as one of the DLC there.. .That was one reasons that DLC was such a lovely surprise.. finally baby park! Online! 12 people! MK8 is now perfect!.. (and then it became perfecter again (More dlc, More battle arenas) and then I forgot it again, until now, where the drip feeding means mario kart is constantly on my mind again)
and more cows please.. moo moo meadows is one of my top 5 tracks as well..
that stage was okay for double dash. but it's a nightmare for everything else!
Never have I been so happy to come down to the comments and see so much common sense.
"But when it comes to Baby Park, I know I'm right."
You are so WRONG. Baby Park is exactly what is wrong with Mario Kart, boiled down to it's essence. Who wants to play a race that rewards the lucky and not the skilled? The whole chaotic nature of it, that seems to be what you like, is fun in small doses, but horrible when it happens constantly. Which it does on Baby Park. Constantly. Everything that you've said that makes Baby Park "great" is exactly what makes it bad.
I can understand that having a kind of niche map like Baby Park in the game as a kind of one off for a bit of a random throw it up in the air, but to add more of them would be irresponsible and most would hate it.
The only argument for really truly enjoying baby Park is if you're bad at Mario kart and enjoy getting a free win from rng.
Nah, we need more complex tracks with nice jumps and boost pads like Rainbow Roads. I'm much more of a Crash Team Racing and Sonic All-Stars Racing Transformed fan and that fact won't change unless they make Mario Kart 9 into something truly amazing.
Or they could make a follow-up to my top 10 favourite game ever, F-Zero GX.
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