Opponents of snaking argued that snaking is a cheap exploit that takes away the fun from racing and often turns online matches into 'snake or lose', while proponents argued that snaking is a valid tactic to perform that adds an extra layer of skill to the game and that people who didn't snake did not deserve to play online. This led to a lot of heated debates over the ethics of snaking in online matches, especially non-friend matches. Broken Base: Snaking, the tactic of doing a continuous sequence of mini-turbos in alternating directions, leading to a very sore thumb and possibly broken D-pad.This game's iteration of Rainbow Road is also considered to have been one of the best due to having a loop-the-loop and corkscrew, things that would not appear in Mario Kart 8 (Deluxe)'s anti-gravity mechanics.
Due to their popularity, Waluigi Pinball, Airship Fortress and Luigi's Mansion returned in Mario Kart 7, Delfino Square and Peach Gardens in Mario Kart Wii, Tick Tock Clock in Mario Kart 8, while Waluigi Pinball and Peach Gardens also returned in both Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's Booster Course Pass and Mario Kart Tour. Awesome Video Game Levels: Waluigi Pinball, Luigi's Mansion, Tick Tock Clock, Delfino Square, Peach Gardens, and Airship Fortress have all been solid fan-favorites since they were introduced in this game thanks to their Shoutouts and unique designs.
