In preparation for the forthcoming release of âMario Kart: Double Dashâ, Nintendo today told us about the various tracks and characters available for you to choose. In keeping with the series tradition the game will contain three cups to compete in the Grand Prix mode, namely the âMushroom Cupâ, âFlower Cupâ and the âStar Cupâ. Each cup contains four tracks to race on, details of which can be found below. MUSHROOM CUP Luigi Circuit A relatively quiet start to the mayhem, the Luigi Circuit features long straights and speed boosting panels galore. Watch out for the Chain Chomp guarding the short cut! He's noisy and always hungry! Peach Beach Princess Peach's favourite resort is also a sandy racing track with hazards galore! Dodge the Cataquacks and look out for the tide as you seek that elusive shortcut across the sandy bay! Baby Park A deceptively straight-forward oval circuit set in a theme park complete with its own rollercoaster! Youâve got to make sure you take each corner just right and use your power-up items for maximum effect if you plan on winning this race! Dry Dry Desert A wide and open track filled with ancient monuments and temples. Thereâs no time for sight-seeing here as youâll be avoiding whirling tornados and escaping from quicksand in this fun desert-themed track. FLOWER CUP Mushroom Bridge One of Mushroom Kingdom's most famous landmarks! This track has plenty of room to manouver...if you can avoid all the traffic that is. Keep your eyes open for mushroom carrying motors! Mario Circuit A glorious circuit full of famous landmarks and characters. There's plenty of twists and turns on this course so be sure you've mastered your drifting skills! Daisy Cruiser All aboard Daisyâs luxury liner for a manic race above and below decks. Speed around the swimming pool and dining room, just donât hit any of the tables! Waluigi Stadium Waluigi Stadium is an off-road track filled with bumps, mud and big jumps, and as if that isnât enough, youâve also got to watch out for Piranha Plants and fireballs! This is one race that is definitely going to get dirty! STAR CUP Sherbet Land Don't let the ice and snow lull your senses, this is one treacherous course! Careless driving here will end in kart pileups and collisions with all sorts of nasties! Mushroom City Avoid the late night traffic in downtown Mushroom City by choosing your route carefully and you're bound to come up in first place! Don't get lost in there! Yoshi Circuit What could be better than a circuit in the shape of Yoshi? Not much! This circuit will really test your Mario Kart mettle with its tricky corners, bends and straights. Youâre going to have to push your kart to the limit if you want to finish in 1st place! DK Mountain Shoot yourself to the top of DK Mountain using Donkey Cannon and hurtle down the side avoiding large boulders and gaping chasms. But once at the bottom, youâre not safe yet, youâve still got to cross the perilous rope bridge to get to the winning line! Nintendo also confirmed that the 'Battle Mode' would feature three different modes on four different tracks. On the whole we're slightly disappointed at the lack of tracks and were certainly hoping for more in the 'Battle Mode', four simply wasn't enough in 'Mario Kart 64' so we're keeping our fingers crossed that extra stages will be revealed as hidden goodies. One thing that has certainly bugged us every time weâve seen âMario Kart: Double Dashâ in action is the conspicuous absence of Toad as a playable character; this was seemingly confirmed with the confirmation of characters to feature in the game, let's just hope he's there as a secret character: | Mario & Luigi  Everyoneâs favourite plumbers are back and ready for some serious racing action. This time theyâre literally playing with fire. Mario and Luigiâs weapons of choice are red and green fireballs. | | Diddy Kong & Donkey Kong Straight from the jungle with attitude to match! Using their simian strengths to beat the opposition. Fruit is their weapon of choice, so watch out for those huge bananas! | Daisy & Peach Princess Peach is a veteran of the tracks, but new to kart racing is Princess Daisy. Flying hearts surround the royal ladiesâ karts and any item that hits them becomes theirs to use! | Paratroopa & Koopa Armoured and aggravated, the loyal foot soldiers of Bowser are out for themselves this time round. Throwing triple red and green shells from their kart, these two are best avoided! | Baby Mario & Baby Luigi They may be the two youngest competitors, but donât underestimate their desire to win! Watch out for Chain Chomp, their fiercesome and hungry accomplice who pulls them along at breakneck speeds! | Yoshi & Birdo No ones riding them this time, theyâve got their own kart and they mean business. Their rolling eggs home in on opponents, and crack to reveal three more items! | Bowser Jr. & Bowser Marioâs arch-nemesis and his unruly son are spiny shelled and aching to cause trouble on the tracks. An awe-inspiring giant shell is their special item, creating a path of destruction when thrown! | Waluigi & Wario Ever fond of sneaky and underhanded tactics, itâs best to keep your eyes on these two! Armed with exploding bombs that catapult their opponents aside these two are possibly the most determined duo of all the racers! | |