Talk:GCN Dry Dry Desert

Identifier

Is there any reason this page carries an identifier while the article for the level in Paper Mario does not? The racetrack has appeared in three games so far; at the very least, shouldn't they both take identifiers? Hello, I'm Time Turner. 23:25, 30 September 2017 (EDT)

Well, technically two games, as one is a remake that changes like three things, and we don't count separate cartridge numbers or VC rehashes. But I digress. Probably someone just forgot to. Doc von Schmeltwick (talk) 23:38, 30 September 2017 (EDT)

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is a separately released remake; much in the same way Super Mario Advance is separate from Super Mario Bros. 2, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is separate from Mario Kart 8, regardless of how much of its content is different (hence why it gets separate categories and whatnot). Hello, I'm Time Turner. 23:43, 30 September 2017 (EDT)

I personally think the Mario Kart track should take priority, as more people play Mario Kart, and thus, more people will search for the course variation rather than the Paper Mario one. But I also think both should have identifiers. Ray Trace^(T|C) 23:46, 30 September 2017 (EDT)

The Paper Mario location being given priority seems to stem from the common assumption that the Mario Kart track is based on it, and in such cases the source material usually takes priority. However, I'm firmly of the belief that it isn't, for multiple reasons.

• The race track only has superficial similarities to the Paper Mario area, namely Pokeys and tornadoes, neither of which were new to Mario deserts even at the time. The palm trees look more like they're on loan from Isle Delfino than DDD, and there are no Bandits, Dryites, Nomadimice, or anything else that would directly link it to the PM area.
• Having the same name as the Paper Mario area does not mean it's a reference to it, especially since it's just a translation of the Japanese name, which had already been used twice prior, including a previous Mario Kart game. And the MK64 one is nothing like the others, being a Western-styled desert with a train and no Pokeys. This is similar to how there are two completely unrelated MK tracks named "Sherbet Land", neither of which seem to be related to the Wario Land one, despite all of them being ice-themed. Or three completely unrelated Sky Gardens, or the numerous instances of mayoi no mori in Japanese games, which includes Mario.
• The existence of the Dry Dry Ruins track in MKWii seems to support the Paper Mario connection, but unlike Dry Dry Desert, the two DDRs don't even have the same Japanese name, with "Dry Dry Ruins" only being a direct translation of the MKWii track's name, while the PM location has a different one. This means it was never intended as a reference to Paper Mario, but as a "sequel track" to the MKDD course, much like what Moo Moo Meadows was to Moo Moo Farm. And again, only superficial similarities exist between the two, namely the Swoopers and the falling sand, which are not intrinsic to Paper Mario. It has generic Anubis-like statues instead of the more thematic Chomp statues, regular Pokeys instead of Pokey Mummies, and no Buzzy Beetles or references to Tutankoopa.

For those reasons, I suggest not only giving the Paper Mario locations identifiers but also removing any mentions of Paper Mario from the track pages. 18:17, April 22, 2021 (EDT)