Tour London Loop: Difference between revisions

|appears_in=''[[Mario Kart Tour]]'' ([[List of games by date#2019|2019]] <small>(1)</small>, 2020 <small>(2)</small>, 2021 <small>(3)</small>)<br> ''[[Mario Kart 8 Deluxe]]'' ([[Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass|Booster Course Pass]], Wave 3) (2022)

London Loop appears in the [[Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass|''Mario Kart 8 Deluxe'' – Booster Course Pass]] as the first course of the [[Rock Cup]].

The course begins to the right of the [[Big Ben]] on {{wp|Westminster Bridge}}. Players take a slight right to enter {{wp|St James's Park}} in front of {{wp|Buckingham Palace}}. A few [[Chain Chomp]]s are located in the green space, one in the very center and one outside the palace. Racers drive down a long street shortly afterwards, driving past the {{wp|British Museum}}, eventually leading to a ramp with {{wp|The Shard}} visible in the far background. Racers take a right to {{wp|Trafalgar Square}} before eventually driving across {{wp|Waterloo Bridge}}, passing the {{wp|London Eye}}. A U-bend to the right is taken, which leads racers back on to Westminster Bridge before arriving at the finish line.

The course also appears as '''London Loop 2R''' (reversed), '''London Loop 2T''' (with ramps), and '''London Loop 2R/T''' (reversed with ramps).

The course starts on the {{wp|Westminster Bridge}}, though it faces away from [[Big Ben]], the opposite direction of London Loop and London Loop 2. Racers take a left turn and travel past the {{wp|London Eye}} before taking a right by the {{wp|River Thames}}, passing {{wp|20 Fenchurch Street|The Walkie-Talkie}} and the {{wp|City Hall, London (Southwark)|City Hall}}. Two boats can be seen floating on the river. Shortly after, the racers must take a U-bend to the left to cross [[Tower Bridge]]. A wide bend to the left around the green space of the [[Tower of London]] follows, with a [[Chain Chomp]] in the center. Players then drive back to The Walkie-Talkie before taking a right to access a path besides the River Thames. After driving below a bridge, the player takes one last left to reach the finish line, passing Big Ben.

The course also appears as '''London Loop 3R''' (reversed), '''London Loop 3T''' (with ramps), and '''London Loop 3R/T''' (reversed with ramps).

London Loop returns in ''[[Mario Kart 8 Deluxe]]'' as part of the third wave of the [[Booster Course Pass]]. It is the first course of the [[Rock Cup]]. The course has received significant visual upgrades, and is now set in cloudy weather. The {{wp|London Eye}} now moves, unlike in ''Mario Kart Tour''. The various barrels and crates on the course have been removed. The minimap is rotated 90 degrees clockwise and features multiple paths that are unused in ''Mario Kart Tour'', such as one to the right of Leadenhall Market and one going beneath the Admiralty Arch. This makes London Loop the second ''Mario Kart Tour'' city course to include roads that were unused at the time of their appearance in the Booster Course Pass, after [[Tour Sydney Sprint|Sydney Sprint]] and alongside [[Tour Berlin Byways|Berlin Byways]]. Like Berlin Byways, the previously unused roads in this course were never used in ''Tour'' prior to new content for it concluding.

This course being positioned in the Rock Cup may be a reference to the course's music, which is based on British rock music from the 1960s and 1970s. It is also one of two courses in the third wave to utilize rock music for its theme, alongside {{classic-link|3DS|Rock Rock Mountain}}. Both of these courses are in the Rock Cup. During the beginning of this course's music, a second guitar plays a few notes, panned to the left; this guitar is absent in all subsequent loops of the song.<ref>YoshiMr. (December 9, 2022). [https://youtu.be/WZaNsUFBqUA How a Single Guitar (may have) Set a Mario Kart Milestone (I think)]. ''YouTube''. Retrieved December 9, 2022.</ref>

Unlike other courses using arrow fields in the Booster Course Pass aside from {{classic-link|N64|Kalimari Desert}}, London Loop can be driven in reverse from the beginning without [[Lakitu]] picking up the player. However, this loads the third lap layout with the unchained Chain Chomps, meaning that if the player turns back around and resumes following the course normally, the Chain Chomps will rechain themselves, only to be unchained again once Lap 3 is triggered properly.

*'''Nintendo Switch News app (UK)''': '''''Find a roundabout route to victory in London Loop!'''<br>Race through the streets of London and enjoy the mix of historic and modern architecture this charming city course, which debuted in the smart device game Mario Kart Tour, has to offer! How many landmarks can you spot? Thankfully you'll have plenty of opportunities to see the sights from different angles, as one of the highlights of the course is the fact that the route you'll take changes from lap to lap. If you're keen-eyed enough, you might even find some special paths to the top of the podium!''

MK8D Tour London Loop Course Icon.png|Course icon