Mario kart 8
Another quarter in the fiscal year and another powerful launch from Nintendo. Last month, Nintendo released Mario Kart 8 for Wii U. With sharp visuals, tight gameplay, and an impressive layer of gloss, could this be the systems vendor Nintendo has been looking for since the system’s launch? Not only a must-have for hardcore gamers, Mario Kart 8 is a must-have title for literally anyone with electricity in their home.
The Mario Kart franchise first appeared on the scene with Super Nintendo in the early 1990s, the gameplay was solid, fast, and most of all, exhilarating for any racing fan. It was easy to play but difficult to master. The sequels came and went and generally added more to the overall package. With Mario Kart 8, there are many new ideas, but the basic kart racing game that we all know and love, still shines.
What Mario Kart 8 adds to the formula are anti-gravity sections scattered throughout the racetrack. When I first tried the game at E3 last year, I wasn’t impressed by the new feature. It just didn’t add anything unique or special to the races. It felt unnecessary. Wow, what a difference a year makes in development time. Now these portions are the most exciting parts of the track. The wheels on your kart will morph into their wall scale counterparts and when you bump into another racer you will both get a blast of speed. It fundamentally changes the gameplay of the classic Mario Kart. You are no longer avoiding other runners but are actively trying to hit them during these sections.
The highlight of every new Mario Kart game is the extra elements they add. With this iteration, they added an element that counters the dreaded Blue Shell; called the Super Horn. If properly timed, the sound wave from the horn will crumble the demonic projectile apart. Of course, the Super Horn is a rare item to get, but it adds more defensive depth. Another new item that is sure to be a holiday favorite is the Piranha Plant. Once you activate it, the plant will automatically try its luck to break other runners and spin them. You can also manually control the plant and use it as a poor man’s mushroom speed boost. They also included a new boomerang weapon, which is extremely powerful and performs as you would expect. Along with the new elements, all the classics are back as well, giving Mario Kart 8 one of the largest arsenals in the franchise.
Of course, you can’t forget about the incredibly detailed tracks you’ll be racing on. With Mario Kart 8, they added some of the best racing tracks since Mario Kart 64. Thanks to the anti-gravity sections, the courses are never short of variety. You’ll run up the side of a candy mountain that looks like something out of Wreck-It-Ralph, as well as family-feeling beach courses that take you underwater. In addition, as in Mario Kart 7, you will also find sections in the route that will launch you into the atmosphere and activate the delta wing of your kart. Of course, the infamous Rainbow Road is back too and it’s as challenging as ever.
This has been the only game that truly showcases the graphical capabilities of the Wii U. There were times during gameplay when the visuals matched something you would see on a PlayStation 4 or Xbox One title. The graphics look this impressive. Obviously, the better your TV is, the more impressive it will look. Do yourself a favor and play games on a 1080p TV. Mario Kart Wii made it difficult to follow your racer during a local four-player splitscreen game, but it seems that Nintendo has fixed this problem. Fortunately, the action is easy for everyone to understand.
If there was a downside to Mario Kart 8, it has to be the online capabilities. Nintendo is light years away from Microsoft and Sony with their online features. Competing in matches with randomly selected players is easy to do, but that’s about it. The game feels too limited in this regard and without a real mic to talk trash, why not play with someone in your own living room? Nintendo needs to stick with the show and hopefully the Wii U version of Super Smash Brothers solves this problem. It’s a shame Nintendo’s brand racing franchise online is so bland. Also, when running with your friends, don’t bother in battle mode. They changed the classic formula and have everyone on too big a track, trying to pop each other’s balloons. The game seems to go on forever and it felt like it just added in at the last second.
With Mario Kart 8, you get a lot of benefits in racing. There’s an incredible amount of characters and karts to unlock, tracks to try, and did I mention it has one of the best theater modes in games? Just look at the stares of Luigi’s death in the middle of the race and try not to laugh. The only negative about the game is again Nintendo’s online features. Mario Kart 8 is another huge hit from the kart racing series and is an absolute must-have for the system. For those of you who haven’t bought a WiiU yet, there’s a bundle available that includes the console, a copy of Mario Kart 8, a stylized Mario Remote Plus, and a steering wheel, all for $ 329.99. Come to your local Slackers and pick it up today.
