Mario Kart is a brilliant series. You could possibly make the argument that some of the iterations haven’t been quite as innovative as they could have been, but even so it’s always remained a lot of fun to play. In fact fun is something that Nintendo does rather well, even if they might not have the most powerful hardware in the world running their games.
Mario Kart 8, to my mind at least, continues this trend, by being both hugely entertaining and just challenging enough to make things tense. Blair said something very similar in his review, noting that while Mario Kart 8 is superficially a “fun and wacky karting game”, there’s really “something far deeper going on here, and mastering each drift, boost, jump, trick or slipstream to get that perfect lap will take some time”. He actually went so far as to call the gameplay “perfect now”.
Focussing in more specifically, Blair noted that lack of features like automatic drifting makes Mario Kart 8 “feel like a more hardcore game from the moment you press down on A”, leading “to an extremely fun and refined experience, which is at the top of its game in multiplayer”. He also highlighted the track design, calling it “simply brilliant”, and praised the way the game managed to make the “sixteen old tracks feel just as new” as the fresh entries, feeling this was due to the addition of “stunning effects, backgrounds and a gorgeously varied colour palette” as well as integrating in new elements like “anti-gravity, gliding and underwater”.
Blair also took the time to praise the game’s karts. More specifically he highlighted the combination system that’s used to create a kart, where you can mix “body, wheels and a glider… with your character’s weight class to create a balance of speed, acceleration, grip and handling”. I’ve got to agree with Blair that it’s a great system, although I do find myself sticking within my comfort zone once I find a combo that works for me.
There were a few things that Blair wasn’t entirely sold on. Firstly, the absence of some notable characters annoyed him, although he did call the overall roster “respectable”, bringing new characters like “Shy Guy, Metal Mario and the Koopalings (Bowser’s minions) into play”. Also on the negative side of things was the inability to allow “a fifth player to join the race on the GamePad”, as did the fact that the GamePad isn’t used in place of split-screen when it is being used in a four player race.
The biggest negative, however, was the game’s battle mode. Blair was annoyed by the way you’re now battling “across existing tracks, rather than tailored arenas”, saying that the new version of the mode “doesn’t have quite the same excitement as fighting on an open battlefield”. Once again, I must agree with Blair. It’s a frustrating omission that leaves the battle mode feeling like a complete after thought, rather than a fully fledged alternative to all out racing.
Even with these negative elements in the mix, Blair score the game at a 9/10, having this to say in conclusion:
Mario Kart 8 doesn’t deviate from the formula set by previous games, and you might not even notice the anti-gravity mechanics until you’re driving up a wall or upside down, but that’s what’s so good about it. They’ve refined every single feature and mechanic – aside from a poor Battle mode – and brought it all together to create an objectively simple, but deceptively deep, racing game which will hold your attention for years to come.
Now it’s time to throw open the comments and see what you had to think about the latest Mario Kart. Was it the best in the series for you, or did it fall short of the high bar that previous entries have set? Can you just not get on board with karting titles, or is it Mario Kart that holds your heart?
If you want to share your thoughts on the game then do please drop a comment below, remembering to include a rating on the Buy It, Sale It, Plus It, Avoid It scale. Then, in Monday’s WeView Verdict article, we’ll pick out a few of your comments, as well as rounding up the community’s overall verdict.
Voolar
We got the WiiU for Christmas and this was, by far, the game of the year for us. Mario Kart 8 just got everything right.
Sadodi
Having played the recent entries in the series, Mario Kart Wii and Mario Kart 7, I can say that Mario Kart 8 is definitely better than those two other than in Battle Mode and worth a buy. And my reason for that is the DLC. I honestly think that the courses in the DLC are way better than those in the real game and that’s what made me keep playing the game. Every time I play with friends, we will usually hold a “Yoshi Kart” theme, where everyone is different colors of Yoshi and that we always choose Yoshi Valley and Yoshi Circuit first. Moreover, every time I start playing MK8, I’ll always choose Mute City or ExciteBike Track or Hyrule CIrcuit first. The DLC also fixes other problems the game has, such as the lack of variety in the character roster. Without the DLC, I don’t really think that I would like the game as much as I do right now and with more coming out this week, Mario Kart 8 will become even better.
Blair Inglis
What more can I say? One year on, I’m still playing it every time I get a group of friends together, and Nintendo’s approach to the DLC has been really great – in terms of what it offers, when it’s coming, and how little it costs – which has given it more longevity (and tracks!) than previous games in the series.
I’ve forgotten about the lame Battle Mode now – who needs it when the rest is this much fun? – and Mario Kart 8 goes down as one of my top 5 games of all-time, easily. So, buy it obviously.
james.warne.jw
BUY IT, certainly, I don’t think I’m going to differ from a lot of people on here with that. It just feels like with MK8 they got almost everything spot on, with the obvious (but ultimately fairly unimportant) exception of Battle mode.
Kennykazey
Let’s just get it out of the way, the battlemode is the second worst in the series (Super Circuit holds that honour) and the worst of the 3D games.
But, the racing is clearly the best. Anti-gravity isn’t just another gimmick, it genuinely changes not only the freedom for track-design but also the way you play the game. Suddenly you’re rewarded for bumbing into other players and can team up with your opponents to move up the field. The return of coins continue to make every part of the track feel like a small optional challenge, and with flying- and underwater-sections you get added variation. It also helps that it’s got some of the best visuals and music of any current-gen game.
Add in two-player (really stable worldwide) online play, various controller support and what can only be described as among the best DLC packs in the industry… And what you get is so close to Kart-racer perfection you can taste it. If only it wasn’t for the battlemode.
So, why should you buy this game? You play as Waluigi in a Mercedes, tearing up Hyrule.
I give it a BUY IT/10
Jag
I only just got a Wii U yesterday so I’ll be very interested in this WeView.
I’ve picked up Windwaker, Bayonetta and Hyrule Warriors so I’m a bit strapped for now but Mario Kart is high up on my list.
So far I’ve been super impressed with the Wii U, mainly this comes down to the Gamepad which is great with it’s off TV play.
If any TSAers want to add me my Nintendo Network ID is SuperJag86.