Mario Kart 8

[EEVILMURRAY]

I don't get the negativity either. I think the game is utterly incredible, some of the best new tracks, great old ones, love the anti gravity mechanic.

I like some of the tracks, mainly Thwomp's Ruin, Bowser's Castle and Grumble Volcano, but they alone don't make this an essential keep for me. To be honest the anti-gravity is just a massive gimmick which you only really notice when you can sneak a glance at the landscape and find it upside down.

 

What I'm not a fan of the weird bump boost thing, it just makes no sense.

 

Yeah, last night I was sitting at 10th on Rainbow Road (I know, right). Got a Gold Mushroom, it took me up to third. Job done

Tried that once, didn't do a bloody thing.

 

Wouldn't mind trying a league night with no items at all.

[RedShell]

@lostmario, something weird happened when you left the game earlier, your Mii jumped off the globe only to reappear instantaneously from the other side as if you'd just joined the group!

I'm guessing that wasn't you in control during that race on Piranha Plant Pipeway, due to the fact that you came last and weren't trying to annihilate me every 2 seconds.

So it must have just been some strange glitch.

 

Also, how some players are at 7000+ on this already I'll never know.

[bob]

I can understand bitching about the single player, but everyone online is playing the same game with the same randomised item system. If you're doing shit, it's because other people are better than you.

 

I think playing online is kind of like when you go to uni for the first time. At school you may have been the best at this or the cleverest at that, but when you get out into the big wide world you find that you are just plain average.

[Kav]

I can understand bitching about the single player, but everyone online is playing the same game with the same randomised item system. If you're doing shit, it's because other people are better than you.

 

I think playing online is kind of like when you go to uni for the first time. At school you may have been the best at this or the cleverest at that, but when you get out into the big wide world you find that you are just plain average.

 

People bitch about very different aspects of the online. I bitch about voice-chat, not being able to set up a party that you can invite friends to and then jump in worldwide matches. Not the game itself online per se.

My gripe with both the single player and online is that I don't rate the courses and I think they've nerfed the star and mushroom a little too much.

[Zechs Merquise]

I can understand bitching about the single player, but everyone online is playing the same game with the same randomised item system. If you're doing shit, it's because other people are better than you.

 

I think playing online is kind of like when you go to uni for the first time. At school you may have been the best at this or the cleverest at that, but when you get out into the big wide world you find that you are just plain average.

 

It sucks the fun out of the game. I still win loads of races. I played the other night with @kav82 described it perfectly. I've sat behind players who are getting red shells and got sweet FA time and again. You know you can't pass them and you are stuck praying no one shells you from behind. And if you do drop back and get a star, so what? It won't help.

 

It's taken the core of Mario Kart and ruined it. Which is a shame as it's such a lovely looking game and when you're playing single player you realise how good the handling is and how well it could play online.

[Phube]

I find now I've found my racing style combination - Mii, Shoe kart + Green tiny wheels, I've gone from permanent 8th-12th place finishes to 1st-8th place finishes!

 

Finally getting somewhere! Now for the league!!! *serious face*

[bob]

It sucks the fun out of the game. I still win loads of races. I played the other night with @kav82 described it perfectly. I've sat behind players who are getting red shells and got sweet FA time and again. You know you can't pass them and you are stuck praying no one shells you from behind. And if you do drop back and get a star, so what? It won't help.

 

It's taken the core of Mario Kart and ruined it. Which is a shame as it's such a lovely looking game and when you're playing single player you realise how good the handling is and how well it could play online.

I understand where you're coming from, but surely everyone is getting crappy nerfed mushrooms etc and getting hit by red shells. If you're falling back to 9th, some people must be rising up to 8th, 7th etc?

 

If you're winning some, and losing others, is that not balanced?

[Zechs Merquise]

I understand where you're coming from, but surely everyone is getting crappy nerfed mushrooms etc and getting hit by red shells. If you're falling back to 9th, some people must be rising up to 8th, 7th etc?

 

If you're winning some, and losing others, is that not balanced?

 

It's not Mario Kart, that's the point. It's not that crazy fun where if you're in 12th at the beginning of the third lap a well used star followed by a single red shell and you can win it.

 

It hinges too much on a good lead at the start and the 'catch up' items are useless.

 

That's how a real racing game should. Get a good start, build on it and win the race. But this is Mario Kart, it's a crazy fun Kart game where anything can happen. I think it feel wrong and clearly so do others, I've never seen people ready to trade in a Mario Kart so quickly.

[bob]

Ah, I see what you mean now about the good start. Fair enough.

[lostmario]

@lostmario, something weird happened when you left the game earlier, your Mii jumped off the globe only to reappear instantaneously from the other side as if you'd just joined the group!

I'm guessing that wasn't you in control during that race on Piranha Plant Pipeway, due to the fact that you came last and weren't trying to annihilate me every 2 seconds.

So it must have just been some strange glitch.

 

Nah, I went to get something for my dinner.

 

Those were some good races we had.

[RedShell]

But it's not just about the races you win.

 

It is also about the races you don't win.

 

[Serebii]

Somehow a friend and I invaded a Regional match with some Germans from Saxony. They appear to all be friends and nobody else is joining the match.

Edited June 14, 2014 by Serebii

[Kav]

Jesus Christ, how long does it take to upload a clip to youtube..?!

[Fused King]

Right, so first impressions time.

 

The game is a visual spectacle.

I kept falling off some tracks because I was so busy looking at the environment.

I need to get used to the handling of the karts and bikes, but the bikes seem to have really changed this time 'round.

Some drift quite awkwardly.

Speaking of drifting, I also need to get re-acquainted with this mechanic because I seem to go in too early a lot of times. Looking for that perfect combo of Wheels, Body and Glider I guess.

 

Music, phenomenal!

 

Now I must say that the game is, indeed, rather bare bones.

Clearly all of the effort has gone into the tracks and Mario Kart TV, and the core of Mario Kart 8 is definitely the racing aspect of it and that gets a 10 out of 10 from me.

However, similar to Mario Kart 7, the core is pretty much perfect, but there isn't a lot of content supporting this perfect core.

 

I can really see NINTENDO throwing some DLC at this game in the form of tracks, characters and even different modes, perhaps even for free.

 

The Upad not being utilised for a Double Dash-ish mode is a crime.

During a race I had it all figured out in my head.

It could be an incredible kind of multiplayer co-op game in which one drives and the other is in the back using items, shooting ink, taking pictures, doing all kinds of quirky NINTENDO stuff either in a dedicated mode or during the core of the game.

Imagine a mini-game in which the player sitting in the back has to take a photograph of the head of its opponents! Would make for some great fun in arenas.

Or a mode in which the dude in the back has to shoot at Nabbit or something...

 

NINTENDO could do so much more with this franchise to add to its value and they know it, so I really REALLY hope there will be some extra content coming.

 

For now, that extra content for me is the N-Europe League and, unlike some, I have yet to lose hope in the online aspect of the game.

The few races I did parttake in online were alright and didn't really suggest a gimped item experience.

 

BUT HOLY SHIT IF THIS IS HD NINTENDO THEN I AM ON BOARD!

MOUNT WARIO IS IT!

Edited June 14, 2014 by Fused King

[Sheikah]

I know I'm never gonna change your mind, but I just don't see this.

Almost every time I get a Mushroom, I go up a place, I've had races that have started god awful for me, but ended up in a respectable position in the end.

 

Someone who has raced with me in the league must have seen this. There were a few races on Wednesday where I've been in 10th-12th place and by the end, I was in the top three thanks solely to Mushrooms and Stars.

This might be a slightly long-winded response, but particularly the problem I see is thus:

 

If you are much better than the competition online, you will likely often win anyway. By that, I mean that if you get trounced by a couple of items in the starting furore, you can likely pull it back to a 3rd or above finish.

 

My problem is that you can essentially be walloped into the bottom positions at the very beginning through chance and the items are so disproportionately weak that if there are at least 3-4 players of the same skill levels as you, or even not too far below you in skill, it will be incredibly hard to catch up or overtake them under most circumstances.

 

The way the game has always been is that lower positions afford ridiculously powerful items, with the objective of that setup being to get you back to the higher positions you were unfortunately knocked from. They have to be powerful, because the bottom positions are incredibly dangerous to remain in in due to the increased numbers of damaging items floating about in those positions. Advancing maybe one position or so with a star (which is even a challenge without a shortcut) just doesn't cut it.

 

It has never mattered that items get you back up to say 3rd from 9th, since once you get to that position it then is mostly about skill due to the weakening of items.

 

So to summarise, If you're playing against people who are around your level or not too far below, you can be brutally pegged at the start but there are no similar items to pull you back out of the mess. That's what my issue is, really.

 

I understand where you're coming from, but surely everyone is getting crappy nerfed mushrooms etc and getting hit by red shells. If you're falling back to 9th, some people must be rising up to 8th, 7th etc?

 

The people at the back should be getting awesomesauce items. Everyone shouldn't be getting crappy stuff. :p

[Pestneb]

Think of F1, DRS is unavailable for the first lap. Basically if that wasn't the case it would be carnage from the start. I'm not going to suggest items ought to be unavailable, certainly not for the entire first lap, but I do think removing select items, such as the triple items for example, from the first set of item boxes would "fix" a large amount of the problems people seem to have.

 

I agree with the counter point that everyone has the same set of tools, but it comes down to the turbo start. Those who hit the sweet spot perfectly get far ahead enough of the pack not to experience the mayhem, but those who get a more average boost end up in the middle of the pack, where it can be completely down to luck.

 

Fighting your way back up requires far more skill than in previous MK8's. The problem is, in the fighting your way back up, average players are disproportionately affected, as not only are they more likely to be held back in the first box carnage, they are less likely to have the skill required to fight through the walls of death aka the pack of average players all trying to crab crawl out of the barrel.

 

Having said that, I do enjoy the game a lot, with perseverance I think those average players would learn the sweet spots where it is slightly safer to attempt passing the wall of death, once that has been learnt the first corner item box issue is resolved to a large extent.

[Phube]

Wooo I actually won an on-line race against two 3k opponents!! It's all about the right driver, car wheel combo... and an insane amount of luck.

 

One thing I have noticed online is that if you even make one mistake you're buggered. To win you have to race perfectly!

[Serebii]

Wooo I actually won an on-line race against two 3k opponents!! It's all about the right driver, car wheel combo... and an insane amount of luck.

 

One thing I have noticed online is that if you even make one mistake you're buggered. To win you have to race perfectly!

Not always. I've made many a recovery. However, like has been said, don't try to focus on getting in first and having that as the absolute goal

[Fierce_LiNk]

Think of F1, DRS is unavailable for the first lap. Basically if that wasn't the case it would be carnage from the start. I'm not going to suggest items ought to be unavailable, certainly not for the entire first lap, but I do think removing select items, such as the triple items for example, from the first set of item boxes would "fix" a large amount of the problems people seem to have.

 

 

That wouldn't necessarily be a bad idea. F ZERO doesn't give you BOOST POWER until lap 2 and 3. Why not do the same for Mario Kart? No items until laps 2 and 3?

[Zechs Merquise]

That wouldn't necessarily be a bad idea. F ZERO doesn't give you BOOST POWER until lap 2 and 3. Why not do the same for Mario Kart? No items until laps 2 and 3?

 

Or how about.... PROPER ITEM BALANCE!!!

 

I've have gone for entire laps with just coins! I have had bananas in last place. I get three mushrooms in 10th, but 9th and 8th got the same, so we're all sitting in the same situation.

 

All that needs to be done, is just rebalance things.

 

Any other company would just apply a small patch and tweak it over time. There's loads of adjustments in games like COD and Battlefield to even things out. Nintendo need to do the same thing.

[Aneres11]

Has anyone mentioned that the item balance feels off in this game yet?

 

In other news, regarding DLC, do you lot think this will happen?

 

And if so what would you like to see?

 

I'm all for new tracks but I dunno whether they will actually do that? I think there's probably more chance of new / additional characters and a new / fleshed out battle mode maybe?

I'd be really surprised to get a new cup. Although, the fact they've missed the 3 stars out from online racing from those who have obtained it in all tracks suggests they may possibly add more.

 

There are so many character omissions here it would seem silly not to add more at the very least.

[somme]

If we get new cup(s) I'd much rather have retro courses. Need me some more N64 goodness.

[Aneres11]

If we get new cup(s) I'd much rather have retro courses. Need me some more N64 goodness.

 

I completely echo this.

And DS goodness too.

[Guy]

Retro courses would make a lot of sense. Happy for them all to be remastered or rebuild in MK8 style.

 

Block Fort for Battle Mode would also be very welcome.

[dazzybee]

We'd blatantly get one of each, and I'd prefer that, I love the new courses and they can really go apeshit with the anti-grav. But retro courses would be great, Yoshi Circuit and Baby park would be absolutely glorious! And any SNES or GBA courses too... The last game that I think should get retro courses are Mario Kart 7 Never understand why the most recent ones get retro courses, they're so fresh it's pointless!