10 Most Iconic Levels In Video Game History

5. Rainbow Road - Super Mario Kart

Not all things become iconic in a positive sense, and with the SNES' increased processing power, Nintendo appeared to bend reality to their whim by showcasing 3D to a console gaming industry who didn't know it could be done. Wolfenstein 3D had just dropped on PC a few months prior, and us console fanatics were MORE than happy exploring A Link to the Past or Super Mario World.

Then we saw Super Mario Kart, and nothing would ever be the same again. The delights of playing your siblings, friends or anyone within arm's reach was a rush unlike anything else... until you hit Rainbow Road, arguably the most divisive (and-then-mastered) fictional course in driving game history.

Now, the Rainbow Road that haunted your play sessions will be specific to which version of Mario Kart you played first, as Nintendo went from the threadbare, Mobius strip-looking original, through to the boost-pad and mid-air jumps version of MK 8.

No matter which you pick though, the idea of a course set in space (or extremely high in the sky) accompanied by rainbow-coloured track components and a big ol' difficulty spike is about as iconic as kart racing gets.