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Mario Kart 8

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I kinda agree to an extent about the items not really helping you very much, but I felt the same about Mario Kart 7.

 

On a race in the league last night, I was dead last in lap 1 (after spectacularly throwing myself into the lava... :heh: ) and I got the '8' item, a trio of mushrooms and 2 golden mushrooms. I couldn't catch up at all. I ended up last in the race.

 

But then the same thing happened to me on another track, and I did manage to catch up, but it was only because the mushrooms / star that I got allowed me to cut the course up and drive over the terrain areas.

 

I think that's all their use is now to be honest. At the back of the pack it's only really the lightning bolt that can give you a good opportunity to catch up, that and bullet bill which as someone else says, is extremely rare!

 

It doesn't make me dislike the game though, as Mario Kart is generally about luck, unless you've hacked it so your kart is faster than everyone else's ala RedShell, Fused, Foohad, Glen-i etc etc. (Love y'all really :laughing: )

 

I need to get my ass into gear and 3 star 150cc but I've hardly had chance to play it this week. Tis top of my weekend to do list!! : peace:

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Oh dear, I'm getting a bit put off this game now.

 

Is this largely online against people you guys are talking about having trouble catching up etc... or against the AI as well in Grand Prix mode?

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Congratulations! You beat Mirror Mode!

There's 2 Mario's, Luigi, Bowser and Rosalina.

 

(Although I've never heard the Rosalina one on opening the game)

 

I beat it ages ago haha

 

Just my first time getting Luigi :) Back to getting cheated out of stars by the CPU tonight! Done a few races online too, felt like an utter thief after some first places I got :P

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Oh dear, I'm getting a bit put off this game now.

 

Is this largely online against people you guys are talking about having trouble catching up etc... or against the AI as well in Grand Prix mode?

 

I really wouldn't let it put you off the game tbh. In Grand Prix I have had no trouble catching the pack up. Online is a different story, but the way to combat it is to just be good at the game. :heh:

 

Ha just kiddin, but it helps!

 

Regardless it's still massively enjoyable and for me it's the best home console MK since MK64. : peace:

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Oh that's alright then, so long as local Grand Prix multiplayer isn't really affected.

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It sounds more like a return to skill based racing rather than the free for all power-up lottery that made MKWii such a flukey mess.

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It sounds more like a return to skill based racing rather than the free for all power-up lottery that made MKWii such a flukey mess.

 

It isn't, because like Zechs said, items put you in a low position, but don't get you out so well. In that respect, it makes it more of an item fest than before. Especially in terms of red shells anyway. I was in first place before and got the coin 5 times in a row, and red shelled twice in that time. A bit mental really.

 

Items below like 5th place should be powerful anyway. Once you get to 5th/4h, that's when skill comes into play, since there aren't really many good items around there.

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If you want a skill based Mario Kart, play Double Dash or SMK. Tight controls, super tight circuit layouts and they both require mastery of the power slide.

 

Like others have said, there's not much you can do if you fall behind in this game. It's the trade off they've had to make in order to make the game accessible.

 

I do hope one day we get a mode 7 MK again...too good. Or a game based on the Double Dash engine.

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Mario kart has always been a bit weird in that it tries to make races even by giving players at the back the best weapons but then contradicts itself by putting the winner at the front of the grid. For the handicap system to work the winner should start at the back. In this version it really makes a difference, if you come last in an online race you are screwed as you will then start at the back probably miss the first set of items and then you are doomed.

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Oh dear, I'm getting a bit put off this game now.

 

Is this largely online against people you guys are talking about having trouble catching up etc... or against the AI as well in Grand Prix mode?

 

Online is more the catching up issue (as people of the same skill level of you can be really hard to catch up to if you get randomly punted in the first 20 secs or so). And being red shelled while frantically trying to grab anything other than a coin, sometimes.

 

Offline, I can catch up again on 150 CC providing I'm not near the finish. Of course, if you're like half a lap from the finish on some courses and get smacked, the rubber banded NPCs will scoot past you fairly often and take the win. Pretty frustrating in either experience, although if you're reasonably more skilled at driving than the other players online then you can win it back, if you have time.

 

Mario kart has always been a bit weird in that it tries to make races even by giving players at the back the best weapons but then contradicts itself by putting the winner at the front of the grid. For the handicap system to work the winner should start at the back. In this version it really makes a difference, if you come last in an online race you are screwed as you will then start at the back probably miss the first set of items and then you are doomed.

 

Agreed, I never understood why winners start at the front. It should be random.

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The N64 Rainbow Road is simply stunning, if waaay too short. I haven't played the MK8 Rainbow Road yet but I get the impression it won't be anywhere near as good.

 

Sherbert Land was the most forgettable, nothing course ever. As if the courses weren't wide enough in the game already, that track just took the piss.

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The more I play this the more I dislike it.

 

The item balance is so broken it's unreal. The offensive items do so much damage, but the catch up and defensive items are useless. You can thus get hit by a shell at the beginning of the first lap and literally just be stuck in 9th for an entire race. You can race well, not fall off, hit every corner perfectly, but all you get is nerfed mushrooms and stars which don't really advance you. It's very easy to fall down the pack, but hard to get back up it. If you get a good start, you can easily maintain it, but get a bad one and you're screwed.

 

It just feels so lame.

 

On Mario Kart Wii, if you get screwed over, there was a chance for redemption. You could get a golden mushroom and it would compensate for the two red shells that hit you earlier. Now, you get a golden mushroom and you don't pass a single person. I played N64 Yoshi earlier with Hero Of Time, and I get two mushrooms in a row and never moved up a single spot. They're useless.

 

It's a decent enough game, but it's far from what I hoped for. This is a massive disappointment for me. On the Wii I put in 380 hours and had two 9999 accounts, I just can't see me doing that with this, it's so boring.

 

 

I dunno about that. It depends how you use the items. A single mushroom gives you access to offroad shortcuts, which is when it's used best for catch up. A star allows the same and as long as you're not nightmarishly far behind and then you can plough through the people ahead. A golden mushroom only is really useless when you just continually slam the button because then you just ram walls.

 

I would probably agree that it's not quite as easy to go from last to first in this game as it was in MKWii (going by memory) but that's probably a good thing if it is true. :confused:

 

I do wish Mario Kart could overcome the dreaded scenario though where you get shelled, then banged into by another racer, then shelled again, then fall off the track. I don't know why Nintendo don't do temporary invincibility. I don't think that's any worse in this game though than in MKWii.

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Skip to 00:41 to see some guy use the golden mushroom in MK Wii.

 

I'm not saying the golden mushroom should still be this powerful by any means, but you can definitely see it has been nerfed to kingdom come. Whereas offensive items have pretty much stayed the same/got more powerful (owing to weaker defence from having 1 item/coins).

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I think this game needs a few patches to correct item probability but other than that I'm enjoying it. I was first in a race and got the coin item four times in a row... that really shouldn't happen as it leaves you completely defenceless.

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If I'm in first I tend to keep a banana or shell on me to defend anything those behind send my way. Although I usually will then get hit by lightning, lose my weapon, have it replaced by a coin and get completely raped by the computer in the last half a lap. It makes me wonder whether it is worth keeping hold of weapons or not, but if all you're gonna get is coins, of course you're gonna hold onto anything good you get until you need it'll.

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Oh dear, I'm getting a bit put off this game now.

 

Is this largely online against people you guys are talking about having trouble catching up etc... or against the AI as well in Grand Prix mode?

 

Don't be put off the game. It's still good. It's the online that's the problem, I've actually enjoyed the single player more in this Mario Kart than I have some of it's predecessors. The new tracks are great and Grand Prix mode is fun.

 

It sounds more like a return to skill based racing rather than the free for all power-up lottery that made MKWii such a flukey mess.

 

No. Quite the opposite.

 

Mario Kart Wii would screw you over. But it would also give you the tools to get back in the race. If you got battered by three red shells and pushed back to tenth, you would get a star or a golden mushroom which if used right would get you back in the game.

 

Mario Kart 8 screws you over and doesn't give you the chance to get back in the running. You can miss an item box at the beginning, get pushed off in the initial madness or just get a good shelling and just be stuck in tenth for the whole race.

 

You will get stars or golden mushrooms and it does nothing. You'll be lucky to go past the guy in front of you.

 

I've raced tracks perfectly, but a bad start and you'll still wind up at the back of the pack. It's borderline broken - and with the piss poor amount of disconnections and other niggles it makes for a boring and frustrating experience.

 

@Sheikah posted some great footage of how power-ups used to get you back in the game. Now you can use a golden mushroom and it won't advance you a single place.

 

I played with @Blade and we were chatting on the phone. He was just laughing as he spectated because I kept getting in the golden mushroom but ended up going nowhere. It's pointless.

 

Also, I never get it when people talk about 'skill based racing'. If you're looking for that, play a racing a game, this is a kart game with power ups, anti-gravity vehicles and a system where bumping one another gives you speed boost!

 

Like others have said, there's not much you can do if you fall behind in this game. It's the trade off they've had to make in order to make the game accessible.

 

I think it's made it less accessible though. Before, everyone had a chance of winning the odd race and races could be real nail biters up to the end. On this they're often bore fests where the people at the back are stuck there and one or two guys dominate and are unbeatable due to a good start.

 

I honestly feel the online is off putting and has sucked the fun out of Mario Kart.

 

The N64 Rainbow Road is simply stunning, if waaay too short. I haven't played the MK8 Rainbow Road yet but I get the impression it won't be anywhere near as good.

 

Sherbert Land was the most forgettable, nothing course ever. As if the courses weren't wide enough in the game already, that track just took the piss.

 

The retro track choices here are odd. When I heard Rainbow Road N64 had made the cut I was over the moon - but it's been butchered. It's over in no time and just takes the piss. It's literally a pale shadow of its former self. I can't believe they cut it so brutally, I remember that track taking forever, it felt like the endurance race of Mario Kart, now it's over too quickly and just a waste of a retro track.

 

I dunno about that. It depends how you use the items. A single mushroom gives you access to offroad shortcuts, which is when it's used best for catch up. A star allows the same and as long as you're not nightmarishly far behind and then you can plough through the people ahead. A golden mushroom only is really useless when you just continually slam the button because then you just ram walls.

 

I would probably agree that it's not quite as easy to go from last to first in this game as it was in MKWii (going by memory) but that's probably a good thing if it is true. :confused:

 

I do wish Mario Kart could overcome the dreaded scenario though where you get shelled, then banged into by another racer, then shelled again, then fall off the track. I don't know why Nintendo don't do temporary invincibility. I don't think that's any worse in this game though than in MKWii.

 

You can use the mushrooms wisely, but that's more for if you're in contention for the top spot. If you need to get back in the race you can ill afford to hold onto a mushroom for the right time.

 

This game punishes you far more if you get the 'dreaded' scenario.

 

Overall, it's sucked the fun out of Mario Kart for me. I doubt Nintendo will patch it and it's been a week already and the connection problems are still plaguing the online. I don't know whether they have addressed the issue or not, but I think a week or a game of this magnitude and still terrible issues is a bad state of affairs.

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Seriously? I have played a lot of online and I have only had one disconnection and that's with my router which seems to hate Nintendo devices.

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Seriously? I have played a lot of online and I have only had one disconnection and that's with my router which seems to hate Nintendo devices.

 

I very rarely have any issues with online gaming connections but I've have loads of disconnections on this. It's never in the race though, it's always in the lobby. I've tried to join friends races as well and sometimes I get a message saying cannot connect try later. It's not a deal breaker but the issues are there and can be frustrating.

 

This morning I did a 32 race marathon vs the AI. All courses, in a random order, back to back, while listening to Twilight Symphony ( cheers @Fused King ). It was glorious! :D

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Agreed, I never understood why winners start at the front. It should be random.

 

 

It may be that the balance is so off that Nintendo realised by placing the winners at the back it would become even more obvious:

start at the back, lose the race, start at the front, win the race.

 

Alternatively they could be trying to emulate real the F1 Grand Prix, at least in part, as the fastest qualifiers start at the front of the grid there.

In fact, much as in MK8, often the start of F1 races results in some hairy moments heading into the first couple of turns.

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Agreed, I never understood why winners start at the front. It should be random.

 

Because that's the way races work in real life.

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Seriously? I have played a lot of online and I have only had one disconnection and that's with my router which seems to hate Nintendo devices.

 

You're either bullshitting, had the best luck in the world or you've got a magical connection that Nintendo are monitoring to ensure zero disconnects.

 

The game is a total joke. It's the worst home console Mario Kart yet. The online is broken, the item balance is screwed and things barely work.

 

I just played a game where the following happened - I went the whole first lap with only coins, yep the boxes gave me nothing but coins. The next game I get a fucking banana to project myself, red shell goes in front of me and COMES BACK to take me out, what use is the banana? Then I get three mushrooms, which fail to let me catch up with the guy in front who is trailing a banana. In fact, the gap doesn't even close. But even worse, when I get three green shells some fucker manages to drive through my swirling shells and bump me out of the way!!!

 

It would be laughable if it wasn't so frustrating and disappointing.

 

I love Nintendo, and I've had some harsh words with people on here as I've tried to defend them. But this shit, it's actually pushed me to breaking point with them. Sometimes I think they deserve to be in the mess they are in.

 

I defended the lack of voice chat, I was willing to use Skype.

I defended the lack of unified online accounts and party chat.

I defended the their online services as they were 'free' and I believed they were making progress.

I told everyone who was thinking of buying another console that they shouldn't and I would be sticking with my Wii U.

 

BUT THIS FUCKING GARBAGE HAS PUSHED ME TO THE EDGE.

 

I look forward to Mario Kart. Every generation we get one. I love it. Apart from Mario, it's probably the only game I've had every generation and literally sunk hours into. And this is what I get? FUCK YOU NINTENDO!!!

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Are you sure it's not your router disconnecting you?

 

Also, I don't find the item balance screwed at all. Yes, it sometimes gives me coins, but I don't mind that. Coins do give you a short burst of speed, afterall. And yes, it's more likely for you not to get the amazing weapons when in the Top 3. That is how it has ALWAYS been.

 

You have turned so bitter and I honestly don't get how... It saddens me :(

Edited by Serebii

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For those people put off by the item balance, I found Frantic Mode was a lot closer to the past Mario Kart titles.

 

The trick in this game is to use a speed kart and know the track to get well out in first. If you don't get too unlucky and make few mistakes, a good start will often result in a good finish.

 

Heck, most races start out with someone clearly out in the front and the rest of the players duking it out behind them while they cruise along contentedly.

 

I think I can race okay and usually get up to around 2/3/4 for a while, then everyone behind unleashes their arsenal and I'm decimated. This usually results in a bad placing at the end.

 

I also make a lot of mistakes, so there's also that.

 

On a semi-related note, has anyone experienced their bike just drifting off randomly in the wrong direction sometimes? Feels almost like the controls stop responding. I go into a drift which will be ignored and the bike will continue forward, usually into a wall or off an edge.

Edited by Guy

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Are you sure it's not your router disconnecting you?

 

Also, I don't find the item balance screwed at all. Yes, it sometimes gives me coins, but I don't mind that. Coins do give you a short burst of speed, afterall. And yes, it's more likely for you not to get the amazing weapons when in the Top 3. That is how it has ALWAYS been.

 

It is FUCKED. It is not my router, my router is fine. It's the shitty game. It's happening with loads of people. It happens with @Blade and Hero of Time.

 

And don't tell me how it's always been. Has it fuck! I've never had a red shell go past me and COME BACK. I've never had a guy drive through my three green shells. I've never gone an entire bloody lap (it was actually a lap and the first box of the next lap) with just coins and nothing to defend myself despite not being in first. I've never fired off three mushrooms or a star to remain in 9th despite the guys in front being within touching distance.

 

The people at Nintendo are so out of touch with what is happening in gaming they have lost the plot. Over a week and no word of a patch for the connection problems?

 

This is an image of inside Nintendo HQ, taken yesterday:

 

ostrich.jpg

 

Ah fuck it, that could have been taken anytime since the release of the Wii U!

 

On a semi-related note, has anyone experienced their bike just drifting off randomly in the wrong direction sometimes? Feels almost like the controls stop responding. I go into a drift which will be ignored and the bike will continue forward, usually into a wall or off an edge.

 

YES. I. HAVE.

 

I didn't mention this, as I was expecting someone to tell me I was doing it wrong!

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