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"The Jet Gamer" Game Review: Mario Kart 8
9 years ago
Here is a game I’m sure people recognize.
Mario Kart 8
I wasn’t expecting to be playing the newer Mario Kart game so soon after playing the wii one that I just got a hold of last year, but here we are about to take a look at the newest entry in the Mario Kart series. Mario Kart 8 is here on the WiiU, and we are going to see if this entry in the in the Mario Kart series can live up to the hype that this series often brings to people when you mention it to them. Most people, when you mention Mario Kart, usually think of a very fun time. Is that still the case with this Mario Kart? Let us take a look and see shall we?
Gameplay
The basic gameplay of Mario Kart 8 is unchanged. It is the same gameplay where you are thrown on a nutty track and have to race three times around the track to win. All the while, you are racing eleven other racers as you fight each other for position using the various power ups that are spread around on the track to attack the other racers. The weapons that you are given are mostly the same weapons you expect, such as the turtle shells, the banana’s, stars, lightning bolts, and blue shells for example. Though there are new items that have popped up in the game as well. One isn’t that useful and is the item you are going to get most of the time when in the lead, and that’s the coins. Coins help your overall speed like they did in the original game. While this is nice, it doesn’t help you against the other racers that often. Just be sure when you are out front you are able to race very well, as the chances of you getting other items is slim, and even if you do, it is often just a green shell or banana peel. Now if you are in the other positions, you could end up getting the new 8 item. This item has eight different items all come onto you at once, these usually being the normal items that the game has, but the circle around you and you get to use the item that is front of you when you press the button. It can be very useful, but also it is easy to waste as you will sometimes want specific items from the wheel at certain times. It can be easy to just spam the button and use them trying to get that star or red shell you may be wanting from the list. Besides this, the basic gameplay is pretty much unchanged from what you expect in a Mario Kart game. You are racing to try and get the most points out of four races in a particular cup. That’s how this game has always been, and it still is after all this time. Hey, if it works and is popular then stick with it. There are versus races which are basically the main mode but you can now have custom rules to set your desired playstyle that you want to race in. Want it to be all about racing and no items? You can do that. You want more or fewer tracks and want them randomized, then you can do that as well. It’s a neat way of extending the playtime you will get when you finish or get tired of standard GP mode. There is also battle mode, which sadly has been dumbed down a bit and seems almost like it was thrown in as an afterthought. You only have the balloon battle mode where you attack people to break three balloons to eliminate them. This time though, you are not only trying to be the person after a certain number of matches that has the most points from attacking others, you are doing the battle mode on the race tracks themselves instead of the battle arenas. Yeah, I’m not sure doing the battle arena modes on the race tracks was the best idea as you are now roaming all about the tracks trying to hunt people down or until they pass by the areas you are currently in as they are roaming the track as well. While it is still a neat idea, I can see the maps being better for this mode for sure. There is one other mode though I can talk about before I get into one of the main flaws of the game. I wasn’t even expecting to cover this mode, but there is the online mode of the game as well. Surprisingly this mode actually worked for me. In this mode, you are thrown into lobbies with real life people, after making your character and cart selection and you race to see if you can increase your online points. Doing better in the races increases your points, and not doing so hot, will often times decrease your online points. More points often times shows you have been around for a while, and likely are a better racer than someone with not many points at all. Tracks are selected from a roulette that is thrown out after a bit of people being in a lobby. You can make suggestions, but the computer still chooses the track from the list of suggestions at random. I will say it is a bit odd that you are stuck with your character and kart layout until you decide to leave a lobby, but it does make for easier rematches against people you were just racing before. It’s actually a fun mode, and I can see some nice long lasting gameplay right here if you can get into it of course. Finally, there is still one glaring problem that Nintendo has STILL decided not to fix in this game. That is the cheating rubber banding AI when you are playing single player mode. Unlike some other racing games, characters still like to sort of lock into positions or at least close to the same positions and hang out there to make racing harder for you if you make a mistake. You wouldn’t believe how many second place trophies I have, because I make a few mistakes and a certain character then gets repeated high positions to steal the first place trophy on the last track the tournaments. I wish for goodness sakes that Nintendo would stop doing this in their Mario Kart series. It isn’t fun when the characters just sort of half ass it when they are racing each other and just sometimes want to fight for position instead of racing the entire race. Just because you won the last race, shouldn’t mean you are going to be at the top on every other race. You should be racing each other the entire game, not hovering to set positions. I just wish they would fix this finally. It is the same complaint I have about most Mario Kart games, and it still isn’t fixed. Overall, the gameplay is still very fun, even if the AI is a bit of a cheat at times. It is still very enjoyable, especially if you can race against others in the long run.
Story
This is a racing game. There is no story.
Graphics
I’m sure everyone would agree with me that this game just looks amazing. Everything is so bright and detailed that you really do feel like these are nice tracks to look at, and that they are actually in the Mario world. I say that because not only did they detail the track and what is on the track quite well, but the world around the track and even off in the distance is pretty detailed as well. I’ve seen many racing games that focus only on the track and the tracks just seem like they are a random place in the world with nothing around them. Not here, as the world around you looks just as alive as the track itself. The side of the track characters all look life like and will cheer you on as you are racing past them. You can easily tell they didn’t skimp on the attention to detail here. All the main racers are very detailed, and move and look at each other when you are passing them by as well. They aren’t just stiff cardboard cutouts. They really do recognize they are racing and that there are others around them when racing with the way they will check other racers out while moving along. I really can’t deny this game its charming look. You are going to get some real eye candy here. I know it isn’t the realistic stuff some people crave, but really, I feel this looks just great and I dare anyone to find anything wrong with how this game looks.
Sound
The music is just great as well. You have plenty of new tunes and old tunes that sound great and really do have that lively spirit you need in an active game such as this one. As I said, there are newer songs that are now added to the Mario Kart library to be enjoyed in this and likely some future games, as well as the plenty of old familiar tunes that you will immediately start humming if you have played any of the previous games in the Mario Kart library. The sounds are all great, and each character has their own unique sound bites when things are going good, or bad as you would expect. The only thing that I think keeps this game from being pretty much perfect in the sound department is that the music and the sound effects do sort of compete against each other. What I mean is that this is another one of those games where you want to hear the music sometimes a bit more, but the sounds of the karts, weapons, and characters at times can drown the game’s music out in places. These games need to work on this sometimes, that or give us back the old option of manually adjusting the sound effect and music balance to our liking. Other than this, the game sounds great.
Control
Thank goodness the controls have been thrown back to being simple as the default for Mario Kart 8. The standard controls of the game use the joystick and buttons on the controller to control your racer. Everything is pretty responsive and for the most part does what you want it to do. There were a few times where I would sometimes mix up acceleration and drifting controls, but I do think some of that was more my fault and less the controls of the game. I’m just glad this is the base controls of the game. Still, the motion control version is still there, able to be used with the gamepad or wiimotes, though I’m glad this is this secondary controls, as I didn’t want to have use this version of the controls after trying out the original Wii version. I’ll be sure to tell people to stick with standard controls and to not use motion or the Wii wheel versions, as the standard version that you use normal controls with is just so much better that it isn’t even funny. I’m just surprised they still included them after the last game. I guess some people really enjoy them, but they just aren’t for me.
Replay Value
The replay value of this game is pretty good, especially when you factor in the online mode that would allow you to play just about anyone whenever you want. That’s some pretty high replayability there. Though I do still have to deduct a few points in some places, but more on that in a bit. You have eight grand prix modes to play through with four tracks in each. You have over thirty characters in the game, and you also have to unlock many of them as well, which is some encouragement to keep playing the game if you want to unlock all of them. Versus mode adds in extra replayability as well when you can create your own custom race modes. This all sounds nice and really does add in the replayability that makes it able to be seen why this is often times a pack in game with the system. I can see some replayability being hurt by the rubberbanding AI creating some frustration as it will feel like you are definitely at a disadvantage against them, when they can do that locking into position thing. I can make you mad to the point I bet some people will get very frustrated to where they don’t want to play for a while. I can’t really hit the online mode here at all, since the online mode is real people, and some people are just naturally better than others. However, one thing that I think will frustrate some people is the fact that this game teases you in one very bad way. There are actually more racers and many more tracks to play through in this game. You can see them when you turn the game on as well. You can play them as well, as long as you are willing to pay Nintendo for them. Yes, microtransactions are here and not only that, they are stuck right on the menu to tease the player. I wouldn’t even mention this if not for the fact that these extra characters and tracks are stuck right on the page with the other tracks and characters. That just seems like a downright mean tease. So yes, if you want to get all you can out of this game, you have to be willing to shell out even more money on the game after you already got it. Too bad as well, as I’m sure this stuff is fun.
Overall, I do have to say Mario Kart 8 is another great entry into the Mario Kart series that I’m sure almost everyone would enjoy if they give it a try. Yes, there are still a few problems, such as the still rubberbanding AI, and microtransactions, but for the most part, I can see most people getting plenty of enjoyment here. The online mode extends the enjoyment for quite some time as well if you can access it. I have to say Nintendo does a great job on their main titles such as this one. While there may be a few things I would like to see changed here and there, it is obvious they point some real effort into how this game looks, sounds and plays. I would like to see some older characters such as Diddy Kong and Bowser Jr. are brought back and some characters be taken away, as some seem sort of redundant, but it overall doesn’t block enjoyment of the game at all. I definitely recommend this to all people. Yes, some people won’t like it because it isn’t the most realistic racing game out there, but this game isn’t aimed at those people. This is aimed at people that just want a fun and familiar racing series to play around with. Go ahead and give it a try, if it doesn’t already come bundled with your system if you buy it new.
Overall, in my opinion at least, I give Mario Kart 8 an eight point five out of ten.
Gameplay: 7
Story: N.A.
Graphics: 10
Sound: 9
Control: 9
Replay Value: 8
Overall: 8.5
Mario Kart 8
I wasn’t expecting to be playing the newer Mario Kart game so soon after playing the wii one that I just got a hold of last year, but here we are about to take a look at the newest entry in the Mario Kart series. Mario Kart 8 is here on the WiiU, and we are going to see if this entry in the in the Mario Kart series can live up to the hype that this series often brings to people when you mention it to them. Most people, when you mention Mario Kart, usually think of a very fun time. Is that still the case with this Mario Kart? Let us take a look and see shall we?
Gameplay
The basic gameplay of Mario Kart 8 is unchanged. It is the same gameplay where you are thrown on a nutty track and have to race three times around the track to win. All the while, you are racing eleven other racers as you fight each other for position using the various power ups that are spread around on the track to attack the other racers. The weapons that you are given are mostly the same weapons you expect, such as the turtle shells, the banana’s, stars, lightning bolts, and blue shells for example. Though there are new items that have popped up in the game as well. One isn’t that useful and is the item you are going to get most of the time when in the lead, and that’s the coins. Coins help your overall speed like they did in the original game. While this is nice, it doesn’t help you against the other racers that often. Just be sure when you are out front you are able to race very well, as the chances of you getting other items is slim, and even if you do, it is often just a green shell or banana peel. Now if you are in the other positions, you could end up getting the new 8 item. This item has eight different items all come onto you at once, these usually being the normal items that the game has, but the circle around you and you get to use the item that is front of you when you press the button. It can be very useful, but also it is easy to waste as you will sometimes want specific items from the wheel at certain times. It can be easy to just spam the button and use them trying to get that star or red shell you may be wanting from the list. Besides this, the basic gameplay is pretty much unchanged from what you expect in a Mario Kart game. You are racing to try and get the most points out of four races in a particular cup. That’s how this game has always been, and it still is after all this time. Hey, if it works and is popular then stick with it. There are versus races which are basically the main mode but you can now have custom rules to set your desired playstyle that you want to race in. Want it to be all about racing and no items? You can do that. You want more or fewer tracks and want them randomized, then you can do that as well. It’s a neat way of extending the playtime you will get when you finish or get tired of standard GP mode. There is also battle mode, which sadly has been dumbed down a bit and seems almost like it was thrown in as an afterthought. You only have the balloon battle mode where you attack people to break three balloons to eliminate them. This time though, you are not only trying to be the person after a certain number of matches that has the most points from attacking others, you are doing the battle mode on the race tracks themselves instead of the battle arenas. Yeah, I’m not sure doing the battle arena modes on the race tracks was the best idea as you are now roaming all about the tracks trying to hunt people down or until they pass by the areas you are currently in as they are roaming the track as well. While it is still a neat idea, I can see the maps being better for this mode for sure. There is one other mode though I can talk about before I get into one of the main flaws of the game. I wasn’t even expecting to cover this mode, but there is the online mode of the game as well. Surprisingly this mode actually worked for me. In this mode, you are thrown into lobbies with real life people, after making your character and cart selection and you race to see if you can increase your online points. Doing better in the races increases your points, and not doing so hot, will often times decrease your online points. More points often times shows you have been around for a while, and likely are a better racer than someone with not many points at all. Tracks are selected from a roulette that is thrown out after a bit of people being in a lobby. You can make suggestions, but the computer still chooses the track from the list of suggestions at random. I will say it is a bit odd that you are stuck with your character and kart layout until you decide to leave a lobby, but it does make for easier rematches against people you were just racing before. It’s actually a fun mode, and I can see some nice long lasting gameplay right here if you can get into it of course. Finally, there is still one glaring problem that Nintendo has STILL decided not to fix in this game. That is the cheating rubber banding AI when you are playing single player mode. Unlike some other racing games, characters still like to sort of lock into positions or at least close to the same positions and hang out there to make racing harder for you if you make a mistake. You wouldn’t believe how many second place trophies I have, because I make a few mistakes and a certain character then gets repeated high positions to steal the first place trophy on the last track the tournaments. I wish for goodness sakes that Nintendo would stop doing this in their Mario Kart series. It isn’t fun when the characters just sort of half ass it when they are racing each other and just sometimes want to fight for position instead of racing the entire race. Just because you won the last race, shouldn’t mean you are going to be at the top on every other race. You should be racing each other the entire game, not hovering to set positions. I just wish they would fix this finally. It is the same complaint I have about most Mario Kart games, and it still isn’t fixed. Overall, the gameplay is still very fun, even if the AI is a bit of a cheat at times. It is still very enjoyable, especially if you can race against others in the long run.
Story
This is a racing game. There is no story.
Graphics
I’m sure everyone would agree with me that this game just looks amazing. Everything is so bright and detailed that you really do feel like these are nice tracks to look at, and that they are actually in the Mario world. I say that because not only did they detail the track and what is on the track quite well, but the world around the track and even off in the distance is pretty detailed as well. I’ve seen many racing games that focus only on the track and the tracks just seem like they are a random place in the world with nothing around them. Not here, as the world around you looks just as alive as the track itself. The side of the track characters all look life like and will cheer you on as you are racing past them. You can easily tell they didn’t skimp on the attention to detail here. All the main racers are very detailed, and move and look at each other when you are passing them by as well. They aren’t just stiff cardboard cutouts. They really do recognize they are racing and that there are others around them when racing with the way they will check other racers out while moving along. I really can’t deny this game its charming look. You are going to get some real eye candy here. I know it isn’t the realistic stuff some people crave, but really, I feel this looks just great and I dare anyone to find anything wrong with how this game looks.
Sound
The music is just great as well. You have plenty of new tunes and old tunes that sound great and really do have that lively spirit you need in an active game such as this one. As I said, there are newer songs that are now added to the Mario Kart library to be enjoyed in this and likely some future games, as well as the plenty of old familiar tunes that you will immediately start humming if you have played any of the previous games in the Mario Kart library. The sounds are all great, and each character has their own unique sound bites when things are going good, or bad as you would expect. The only thing that I think keeps this game from being pretty much perfect in the sound department is that the music and the sound effects do sort of compete against each other. What I mean is that this is another one of those games where you want to hear the music sometimes a bit more, but the sounds of the karts, weapons, and characters at times can drown the game’s music out in places. These games need to work on this sometimes, that or give us back the old option of manually adjusting the sound effect and music balance to our liking. Other than this, the game sounds great.
Control
Thank goodness the controls have been thrown back to being simple as the default for Mario Kart 8. The standard controls of the game use the joystick and buttons on the controller to control your racer. Everything is pretty responsive and for the most part does what you want it to do. There were a few times where I would sometimes mix up acceleration and drifting controls, but I do think some of that was more my fault and less the controls of the game. I’m just glad this is the base controls of the game. Still, the motion control version is still there, able to be used with the gamepad or wiimotes, though I’m glad this is this secondary controls, as I didn’t want to have use this version of the controls after trying out the original Wii version. I’ll be sure to tell people to stick with standard controls and to not use motion or the Wii wheel versions, as the standard version that you use normal controls with is just so much better that it isn’t even funny. I’m just surprised they still included them after the last game. I guess some people really enjoy them, but they just aren’t for me.
Replay Value
The replay value of this game is pretty good, especially when you factor in the online mode that would allow you to play just about anyone whenever you want. That’s some pretty high replayability there. Though I do still have to deduct a few points in some places, but more on that in a bit. You have eight grand prix modes to play through with four tracks in each. You have over thirty characters in the game, and you also have to unlock many of them as well, which is some encouragement to keep playing the game if you want to unlock all of them. Versus mode adds in extra replayability as well when you can create your own custom race modes. This all sounds nice and really does add in the replayability that makes it able to be seen why this is often times a pack in game with the system. I can see some replayability being hurt by the rubberbanding AI creating some frustration as it will feel like you are definitely at a disadvantage against them, when they can do that locking into position thing. I can make you mad to the point I bet some people will get very frustrated to where they don’t want to play for a while. I can’t really hit the online mode here at all, since the online mode is real people, and some people are just naturally better than others. However, one thing that I think will frustrate some people is the fact that this game teases you in one very bad way. There are actually more racers and many more tracks to play through in this game. You can see them when you turn the game on as well. You can play them as well, as long as you are willing to pay Nintendo for them. Yes, microtransactions are here and not only that, they are stuck right on the menu to tease the player. I wouldn’t even mention this if not for the fact that these extra characters and tracks are stuck right on the page with the other tracks and characters. That just seems like a downright mean tease. So yes, if you want to get all you can out of this game, you have to be willing to shell out even more money on the game after you already got it. Too bad as well, as I’m sure this stuff is fun.
Overall, I do have to say Mario Kart 8 is another great entry into the Mario Kart series that I’m sure almost everyone would enjoy if they give it a try. Yes, there are still a few problems, such as the still rubberbanding AI, and microtransactions, but for the most part, I can see most people getting plenty of enjoyment here. The online mode extends the enjoyment for quite some time as well if you can access it. I have to say Nintendo does a great job on their main titles such as this one. While there may be a few things I would like to see changed here and there, it is obvious they point some real effort into how this game looks, sounds and plays. I would like to see some older characters such as Diddy Kong and Bowser Jr. are brought back and some characters be taken away, as some seem sort of redundant, but it overall doesn’t block enjoyment of the game at all. I definitely recommend this to all people. Yes, some people won’t like it because it isn’t the most realistic racing game out there, but this game isn’t aimed at those people. This is aimed at people that just want a fun and familiar racing series to play around with. Go ahead and give it a try, if it doesn’t already come bundled with your system if you buy it new.
Overall, in my opinion at least, I give Mario Kart 8 an eight point five out of ten.
Gameplay: 7
Story: N.A.
Graphics: 10
Sound: 9
Control: 9
Replay Value: 8
Overall: 8.5
