![]() ![]() This item is okay. I often get it in 3rd or 4th place, where I’d much prefer something like a Red Shell, so I often have to waste the Boomerang to open up my item slots again. The Boomerang Flower can be fired forward three times, and on the third shot, it continues flying until it hits a wall and breaks. The only ones cut from Mario Kart 7 are the Super Leaf and Lucky Seven (which makes perfect sense). Let’s talk about the core of the Mario Kart series: its items. Look at the screen for a split-second, and you know it’s Mario Kart. It’s got a very vibrant aura that I don’t think many other games have been able to capture. This might seem obvious, but Mario Kart 8 feels like Mario Kart in its purest form. I really can’t overstate how cohesive and refined Mario Kart 8’s presentation is. Toad Harbor, Dolphin Shoals, and Mount Wario – in addition to being a few of my favorite courses – are also home to some of my favorite themes. Just about every track in the game has unique background music, and each one sounds fun and upbeat. The entire game looks like it was power-washed, but in a good way! Kind of like those power-washing videos you might see where the end result is really satisfying. I’m not sure if Mario Kart 8 really has an art style, but it doesn’t necessarily need one. ![]() The character models are clean, their animations are full of personality, the courses are detailed and colorful, and even items like the Fire Flower look cool. It was the first HD Mario Kart, but you wouldn’t guess that just by looking. Despite being six years old, Mario Kart 8 looks really good. The gameplay is super polished and refined, though I do believe the game’s excellent presentation plays a large part in this. Driving is smooth, drifting is smooth, performing tricks is smooth… you get the idea. Everything about this game - almost everything about this game feels smooth. That opinion is subject to change, though. Mario Kart 8 features what I believe to be the most balanced gameplay in the series. It didn’t save the Wii U, and it didn’t really carry the Switch, either, but it didn’t have to! At the time of writing, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the best-selling Nintendo Switch game. Everybody was busy playing The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild anyway. Mario Kart 8 was later ported to Nintendo Switch as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. It was almost a launch title for the system, too! But it was about a month late, which is fine. Mario Kart 8 also took kart customization to a whole new level, which isn’t actually as cool as it sounds. If you don’t already know, certain sections of courses zap racers’ wheels sideways, allowing them to zip up walls and even drive upside-down! This is mostly cosmetic, though the only gameplay difference is that you get a brief speed boost if you bump into an opponent. It retained Mario Kart 7’s gliding and underwater sections while adding an entirely new gimmick: anti-gravity! This “gimmick” isn’t really much of a gimmick, though. Regardless, Mario Kart 8 made a number of advances. So they put a ton of effort into making a great Mario Kart to save the system! … Spoiler alert: it didn’t actually save the system. When Mario Kart 8 was released in May 2014, Nintendo was surely aware of the Wii U’s subpar sales. Then you had Mario Kart DS and Mario Kart Wii, which were both incredibly solid entries on super-popular platforms. Even though Super Mario Kart on SNES started it all, they say Mario Kart 64 is what really brought the series into the limelight. Mario Kart’s been huge for a long time now. What it does well, what it doesn’t do well… and believe me, I’ve got an entire section dedicated to dragging its roster through the mud. If you’ve read any of my opinion posts, you know the drill: we’re going to break this game apart. Mario Kart 8 has a lot going for it on both its consoles. Our amiibo training guides tend to overshadow posts like those, so I figure any additional exposure on my lesser-known “work” is helpful. ![]() ![]() I’ve written a number of guides on Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, including how to win 200cc races, farm coins, and unlock everything in the game. Before I start going more in-depth, I’m going to have to plug some other posts. That’s the long and short of my incoming analysis. And I take issue with one particular aspect of the game. Some parts of 8 Deluxe are starting to wear thin. That being said, at the time of writing, it’s been over six years since we’ve received an all-new Mario Kart game. Strong track design, clean graphics, a large roster, and solid online play really help build this title up, both on Wii U and Nintendo Switch. Let’s get this out of the way from the get-go: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is (objectively) the strongest entry in the Mario Kart series. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |