RedShell

I thought this at first too, but it actually is possible. You just need to tap (or swipe) the screen with another finger while holding the drift. So much for that one handed play concept.

Interesting. Surely that means this game (or more likely a modified version of it) will come to Switch at some point then. Having spent some more time with it today, I have to say there are some interesting aspects to Tour. The combo system is actually very cool, and building up a massive chain of drift boosts, jump tricks, item hits etc. (each accompanied by a higher pitch of orchestral hit) is really satisfying and something I’d like to see in a console Mario Kart with decent controls. Levelling up vehicle parts and drivers adds a nice form of progression to the game too and although nothing out of the ordinary, it’s still somewhat more compelling than just the online rating thing that the recent games have. Add missions and challenges into the mix as well and it makes playing this game feel a bit more rewarding than previous games in the series as you’re pretty much always working towards some type of achievement/goal. At the very least I hope Nintendo will consider updating MK8DX with some of the content from Tour, although I’m still waiting for that Labo VR update too and so far that hasn’t gone very well.

To those just starting this, make sure you check out the settings at some point. There’s some bizarre stuff enabled by default, including an option which automatically uses any items you currently have when driving over an item box. That’s right, it’s possible to pick up a Super Horn... use it pointlessly just by driving into an item box... and then get hit by a Blue Shell, if you leave that option enabled.

I kinda want it.

I hope they add Pauline to MK8DX at some point. Her singing would be a hilarious mess in an all Pauline N-E League GP.

Yeah, it’s insane. Going to be very interesting to see how that works out for Nintendo. I imagine not very well at all, but you never know when it comes to the mobile games market, there’s blatantly (not to mention worryingly) some people out there who will subscribe to it.

Yeah, it took me a few tries to even get past the title screen. The servers are clearly getting bombarded. Anyway, just did a couple more races and it appears I’ve hit the daily limit for earning coins/exp. I imagine if you purchase the “Gold Pass” it removes the limitation, but yeah... that ain’t gonna happen. Seriously, good luck with that, Nintendo. A £4.99 monthly subscription to play a bit more of one game, when Apple have an entire catalog of games already available at the same price! Absolutely crazy! On a positive note, it’s cool getting to race on retro courses in this, and the MKDS style missions are a nice touch too.

Well, it looks like Mario Kart. It sounds like Mario Kart too. But it sure as hell don’t play like Mario Kart! Controls are pretty horrendous actually. Why the hell didn’t they just go with the standard landscape setup, would’ve improved this immensely. Sonic Racing on Apple Arcade is set to portrait mode by default, but you can switch to landscape in the settings and it makes it sooo much better. That game is way more playable than Mario Kart Tour! I’ll stick with this, hopefully I can get used to the way it plays over time, but yeah, it’s just disappointing knowing that a very simple change could improve it so much.

Started playing this the other day: It is amazing! Has to be the funniest game I’ve ever played on mobile. Been making some good progress on Cat Quest II as well (fantastic game) but it’s just so easy to get distracted by other stuff when there’s so much available! Do we know how they plan to go about adding games to this service going forward, is it going to be a monthly thing, like PS+ and Switch Online? When is that happening then? I might be tempted to get Apple TV for this.

This game is bonkers! Great fun! Kudos to these devs for coming up with such an entertaining concept and also executing it so well.

Been checking this out on the free trial and you know what? It’s actually not terrible. In fact, it’s pretty bloody good! While I’m not a fan of the direction the video game industry is taking with digital/streaming/subscriptions etc., it’s almost certainly the way everything is going to end up, so yeah... might as well just go with it. Anyway, so far I’ve tried Frogger in Toy Town which is probably one of the more mobile-esque games on the service, but it looks incredible. Q-Games really know how to deliver in that department. Cat Quest II which as I expected is more of the same, but the first one (which I played through on Switch) was great so it’s all good, touch controls seem ok too. Sonic Racing which looks good and runs very smoothly, can be played online as well I believe. And last but definitely not least, The Pinball Wizard which I have to say might just be my favourite of the lot so far. It’s like a little pinball adventure game, complete with enemies, levelling up and upgradable skills, super cool. Very briefly tried Oceanhorn 2 and Sayonara Wild Hearts but wasn’t really feeling either of those. Have also downloaded but am yet to try ChuChu Rocket! Universe, What the Golf?, Explottens, Spidersaurs, Shantae and the Seven Sirens and Exit the Gungeon. Soooo many games! There are loads more available in the first set too, hopefully I’ll be able to try ‘em all before the trial ends. Now given how most people on here view mobile gaming this is probably a very silly question, but anyone else checking out Apple Arcade? With so many games on there it’d be nice to get some recommendations going to help identify the better titles.

Yeah, our games were super smooth, was just like local multiplayer! Shame that wasn’t the case for everyone then.

I've been playing this today (ended up going for a physical copy) and yeah, unfortunately the game doesn't run so well overall. It's incredibly strange though because of how random the issues are. I spent some time revisiting certain areas to cut grass/break pots etc. and the stutters are completely random! It makes me think it'll be smoothed out via a patch though as there seems to be something weird going on rather than the Switch not being able to handle the game. Also, some indoor areas seem to run quite poorly as well, which didn't appear to be the case in any of the footage I'd seen previously. Anyway, erratic frame rate aside, the game is absolutely wonderful. It looks so good, and the nostalgia is off the charts!

Man, that is nasty. I've not played it very much in portable mode, but it appeared to run more or less the same as Docked. Doesn't look quite as nice though (it removes all the antialiasing) and it's definitely not as comfortable to play with the handheld configuration. I consider it to be one of Platinum's best games though and prefer it to both Nier Automata and Bayonetta.

Oh man @Dcubed, that last highlight... I’m actually in tears.

Thanks for the games everyone! OK!

Have to admit, that also made me laugh. Best bit of the whole demo. It’ll have to be a pretty spectacular discount to get me onboard, they want £40 for this, right?

@Dcubed, a demo for Contra Rogue Corps is now up on the eShop. It actually doesn’t play as bad as it looks. It really does look terrible though, especially in portable mode. By far the worst image quality I’ve ever seen on Switch, the resolution seems insanely low! Like 240p low. The Digital Foundry vid should be interesting for this one.

I’ll go with Geoffrey.

Published by Nintendo though, so I’m not too sure about that. Those games rarely hit the bargain bin. The last one I remember was probably Code Name: S.T.E.A.M., which they literally couldn’t give away and I still never got it.

Hopefully. Some kind of online features would be good for motivation too, a competitive mode or at the very least a leaderboard.

I love it! Will definitely be picking this up.

Ah! Of course! Had completely forgotten about those. Thanks.

Maths has never been a strongpoint for me but I’m pretty sure that I now have under 100 spirits left to level up to 99, meaning I won’t get anywhere near to that 1346 total. Is the records section lying to me, or am I just being thick?

I don't think you can get any more breathtaking than that particular screenshot either. Yeah... that was probably my first Switch screenshot too.