Mario Kart 8 i is finally here, but this time with an anti-gravity twist--literally, as
it allows for entirely new track designs--some of which actually twist--the likes of which
have never been seen in a Mario Kart game before.
Like racing up and down a pair of waterfalls!
Or driving up nearly 90-degree hairpin turns.
Or even just taking the scenic route up a nearby wall in case the main racetrack is
too conventional for you.
Now anti-gravity isn't just for show, as it actually changes how the karts handle.
I mean, normally, ramming into your opponents is a bad idea, but it's actually encouraged
during anti-gravity, as it'll award you with a speed-boost.
Of course, this applies to your opponent too, so it actually adds a new strategic element
to the game, including potentially trying to stay away from your opponents to prevent
them from using you as their personal boosting-pad!
But perhaps the most surprising thing about anti-gravity is how much it enhances everything
else.
In Mario Kart 7, I was largely indifferent to the hang-gliding and underwater segments--I
just didn't feel that they actually added that much to the game.
And yet, I found them a joy in Mario Kart 8.
And that's because anti-gravity acts as the glue that really brings all these different
elements together, and allows for all kinds of unique situations.
Take Twisted Mansion for example, where you'll drive on the walls of a winding hallway directly
into the flooded basement of the manor--while still in anti-gravity.
Then there's Sunshine Airport, where you'll take flight in order to wind around a floating
anti-gravity platform, before descending back to the main course.
And then there's perhaps my favorite example in Thwomp Ruins, where you'll reach a courtyard
where every mechanic Mario Kart 8 has to offer is on full-display, presenting a ridiculous
amount of options to get through the area.
I mean, you can take the center path and fly over most of it.
Or, you can take either of the side-paths, which then split into optional anti-gravity
wall sections all their own.
And at any point during any of these, you can drop into the water for some underwater
racing.
The amount of diversity here is thoroughly impressive, and it's a theme permeates the
entire game.
The track selection in truly Mario Kart 8 is among the best of the Mario Kart series.
And that's partly because the game seems even more daring than usual with the settings,
whether it's racing through a bustling airport, on the track of an theme park attraction,
or down an entire mountain, including jaunts through a dam, followed by a forest, and even
off a ski ramp.
Hell, even the game's very first track, Mario Kart Stadium, is a lot of fun, which is a
nice change from the overly simple tracks that most Mario Kart games start off with.
The retro tracks, too, are similarly fantastic, as they too have benefited from the new mechanics.
And few courses showcase this better than Toad's Turnpike, where you can now escape
the traffic flow by taking to the anti-gravity walls, or by launching off of truck-ramps
and hang-gliding over it all.
But not every course is a home-run, as the new Rainbow Road is a bit of a disappointed,
neither offering the challenge nor inventive design of many past games, and it even makes
questionable use of anti-gravity, as it didn't even seem necessary in the segments where
it was used.
I mena, I don't think I'm crazy to expect something a little grander from a game where
anti-gravity is the central mechanic in a track that literally takes place in outer-space,
But again, on the whole, the tracks really are a lot of fun.
Now anti-gravity isn't the only new thing that Mario Kart 8 brings to the table, as
there are several new items too, including a Piranha Plant, Boomerang, Coins, and the
Super Horn, with the boomerang being especially fun.
Now the Super Horn is perhaps the most interesting of the three, on paper at least, as it's the
only weapon that can take out absolutely anything nearby--including Blue Shells!
And it's an item that you can even get while in first-place, albeit rarely!
So it's pretty great, right?
Well, if this were any other Mario Kart game, it'd be the most sought after weapon for sure,
but this time, the item system has been completely re-balanced, to the point well that Blue Shells
are actually a rarity!
I mean, it's now possible to go an entire Grand Prix without seeing a single one, which
is practically unheard of.
*cheers*
Ha, I knew you guys would be excited.
But here's the thing, this change doesn't actually make holding first-place any less
annoying.
And that's for two very specific reasons.
The first is that you can now only hold a single item at a time--even when dragging
it behind your kart.
Which means you're vulnerable the moment it's used or destroyed.
Now on the whole, this is a smart change, as it increases the vulnerability of everyone
on the field, since you no longer have an instant back-up defensive option if your first
one is destroyed.
But this disproportionately affects 1st place for reason #2.
And that's the fact that coins are now an item--which just so happens to be the item
that you'll get the majority of the time while in first place.
And coins are pretty much completely worthless when in that position, particularly as there's
a strong change you've already maxed out at 10.
So if your sole-line of defense is taken out, you're often a sitting duck for the better
part of a lap--which is an eternity in Mario Kart time.
Which effectively makes red shells as dangerous as Blue Shells when in first place--which
means that triple red shells might as well be triple Blue shells...yeah, you can see
the problem.
Even green shells are now something to be feared, and that's not even to mention boomerangs
or fireballs.
Ultimately, the lack of defensive options means you end up getting taken out more often
than ever before.
And when you do get a defensive item, you'll want to hang onto it for dear-life to use
as a shield.
Which ultimately makes holding 1st place a somewhat boring affair, as you're actively
encouraged not to use items in any other way, as it's not worth the risk of firing it only
to find yourself completely vulnerable for a significant chunk of time.
So ultimately, I have mixed feelings on the new item system.
While it's an improvement for most positions, being in first-place might actually be even
more frustrating than before.
If only it weren't for those darn coins...
Thankfully, first-place issues aside, the game on the whole handles fantastic all-around,
with controls that are dead-on accurate, regardless of which control method you use--even including
motion-controls.
But I do have a few slight issues with the interface.
For one, when using the GamePad, the game annoyingly defaults to displaying a giant
horn--which is completely worthless btw--instead of the much more useful map.
It's a baffling design choice, particularly as activating the map mid-race requires an
impressive amount of dexterity if you don't want to take your thumb off the gap.
Secondly, the Parts-system of Mario Kart 7 is also back, allowing you to mix and match
3-different kinds of parts for different stats.
Unfortunately, I just don't care for dealing with process--it adds unnecessary complication
to a game that doesn't need it.
I'd much rather just have to remember which kart to use instead of trying to figure out
which of hundreds of combinations might be best.
That aside, the entire process is slow and cumbersome, forcing you to use slot-machine-like
reels to scroll one-by-one through lists of parts with more than a dozen items each--plus
it's hard to directly compare parts since they might be separated by a dozen others.
It's too bad the game doesn't allow you to save a few different setups, instead of forcing
you to reselect it every time.
Beyond racing, Battle Mode also returns in Mario Kart 8--and it's a mode that's sure
to be divisive.
On the one hand, it's the closest Battle Mode's been to the classic Super Mario Kart-style
in year, in that it's Game Over if all your balloons are popped--which is great.
But on the other hand, because the battles now take place on a selection of racetracks
from the game, as opposed to arenas built specifically for this mode, it brings with
it a whole host of problems, such as often being too large and thereby difficult to find
opponents.
And it's something that I didn't find much fun with...at first.
But after sticking with it, I actually did end up having a lot of goofy fun with it,
though I did find it to be highly dependent on playing with the right people..
Also, the GamePad is pretty much mandatory, as the map is essential for finding opponents
on the oversized tracks.
And make sure you learn how to use the quick-turn, which is exclusive to battle-mode, as it's
the only way to turn around in a reasonable time!
So while Battle Mode isn't optimal, as having custom tracks would be a better solution,
it is something that I found to be fun, under the right circumstances.
I mean, I've never played a Mario Kart game before where you can go on an aerial bombing
raid--and that's kind of awesome.
Now regardless of whether you're playing racing or battling, it's all available online.
And it works extremely well, allowing you to drop in and out of games with ease.
It's actually all very similar to Mario Kart Wii, even supporting 2-players on the same
system.
And smartly, Nintendo tweaked the track selection process, only providing the choice from 3
at a time, which prevents people from constantly choosing the same race the same track over
and over.
The connections also seemed rock-solid for the most part--even when playing with people
halfway around the globe.
The only issue we had was a couple of instance in Bowser's Castle, where we straight-up just
fell through the track and into the lava.
But out of more than 100 races, that's not bad.
Now Mario Kart 8 does introduce another new feature in the form of Mario Kart TV, which
is a service that allows you to create highlight reels from your recent races that can then
be shared with others via Miiverse or even YouTube.
And the creation process couldn't be simpler, as the game actually generates it for you
based on the criteria you set, such as which characters to focus on, and what actions to
highlight such as Drifting, Item Usage, or Bit Hits.
In fact, it might actually be too simply as there's really no room for creativity here,
but it does at least allow you to share videos that look pretty darn good with minimal effort.
Although the sharing features don't hold much personal appeal for me, I will say that I
had a lot of fun playing around with the slow-motion feature, which really makes some of those
split-second moves look amazing.
I mean, look at this!
It's just a shame that you have absolutely no camera control--nor the ability to actually
use slow-motion in any meaningful way in your highlight reels, besides what the game automatically
adds.
Now no matter how you end up playing Mario Kart 8--one thing is a constant.
And that's the fact that Mario Kart 8 is gorgeous, and I don't think that's something I've ever
been able to say about a Mario Kart game before.
Every track has simply been lavished with detail--I mean, you can even see dust blowing
across the track in Moo Moo Meadows.
Hell, some of the Retro tracks are barely recognizable--that's how much better they
look.
And the game runs at a rock-solid 60-frames per second in everything but when playing
with 3 or 4-players.
On the whole, Mario Kart 8 isn't a radical departure from Mario Kart 7, and yet, it betters
it in almost every way.
Anti-gravity is a great addition that helps tie the entire experience together, the track
designs are among the most inventive of the series, online works seamlessly and the entire
thing is beautiful to boot.
Yeah, there are some interface issues, and the item system could still use a bit more
tweaking, but ultimately, I Liked Mario Kart 8 a lot and I have a feeling I'll be playing
it for a long-time to come.
Thanks for watching and make sure to stay-tuned to GameXplain.com for more on Mario Kart 8
and other things gaming too.