I was floored in 2014, and I'm floored again today: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is one good-looking game.
There's just something irresistible about its Pixar-esque art direction and attention to detail. The world-building here is among the best in the biz. And while it's difficult to capture the full glory of a 1080p/60fps game in screens, I think we can still admire the imagination and artistry on display.
I'd like to share some of the screens I've taken, all in docked mode (so native 1080p downsampled to 720p) using the Capture Button. Feel free to share your own! Also, feel free to check out my Zelda BOTW screens posted throughout my thread on the Gerudo region. Let's share and discuss the world-building of MK8!
The above screenshots of Inkling Girl at Baby Park, riding the standard kart with monster tires in anti-gravity mode, makes me dream of Universal's upcoming Super Nintendo World. Just looking at an amusement park in the Mushroom Kingdom makes me smile!
Like every remade course in the game, they took a backdrop that was rather empty in the original (Mario Kart Double Dash, on GameCube) and stuffed it the point of bursting with world-building detail. There's a rollercoaster carrying Toads, a swinging ship, an egg-cup ride, a ferris wheel, a gift shop, a haunted house, a castle, etc. Not to mention other touches like the the gears and wind-up keys on the pillars, the p-wings lining the roof, the striped Mario World-style hills in the background, and the hot air balloons meandering across the sky. Another nice touch: The way the railings flash lights during the seventh and final lap, as seen in the topmost screenshot.
Baby Park is the simplest track layout in the game a humble oval, short in length, carefully calculated for max chaos yet they rendered the surrounding landscape dense with detail for us Mario fan to pick apart.
I wish this bike (The Duke) was available in red with the monster tires equipped, it'd look similar to Kaneda's bike in AKIRA! These shots are taken from Wario's Gold Mine another remade course, originally from Mario Kart Wii set during a spectacular sunset that lights up the rickety scaffoldings in what feels like the Gemini at Cedar Point. But the focus of my screens here is on Peach's elegant form, gliding around corners and tricking off her bike, as she hurtles deep into the mines. There's a great sense of scale, with the wooden crossbeams stretching infinitely in all directions.
I'd like to nominate Wario's Gold Mine for a rollercoaster ride at Super Nintendo World. Although I'm intrigued by the Donkey Kong mine-cart ride we already know we're getting. Hey, speaking of Donkey Kong...
DK Jungle is another spectacular example of a remake done right. This one is originally from Mario Kart 7 on the 3DS. I know I'm focusing a lot on the retro courses at the moment, but only because I'm so impressed by how fleshed out they've become.
Everything about DK Jungle is pleasing to the eye: The lush foliage, the sun-dappled floor, the leafy canopies, the bright red flowers, the waterfalls with their rainbows, the fallen columns and shining golden temple. Other touches like the tikis and frogs and screaming pillars add a lot of personality to the place. You also have DKs iconic treehouse, the barrels and vines, and the tiki blimp flying off with the banana horde.
It makes me long for a new 3D Donkey Kong a DK64-II, if you would, but with less bloat and more balance than the N64 original. It would be a wonderful world to explore in greater detail, as evident from its sumptuous depiction in MK8.
Really, each course is marvelous. Each is its own world with its own distinct feel and flavor and Id love to hear which worlds you like best, and why. Which details really resonated with you and made you feel happy and at home in that place? What details captured your imagination and made you want to explore the world more in-depth?
As a refresher, here are the course intros for all 48 race courses in the game. (The eight battle maps are NOT included.) This was trickier to capture than it looks I had to take many shots to frame the elements I wanted most clearly (curse those panning shots!). I hope someone likes having these. :-D
And yeah, I know: There are four seasons for Animal Crossing, and only autumn is pictured above. I didnt take pics of the intros for spring and summer, but I did take winter. Its a Christmas wonderland so magical that it really deserves its own highlight:
I always associate Mario Kart with Christmas. Maybe its the colorful darkness I associate with Christmas trees, embodied in courses like Rainbow Road or maybe its the fact I was fortunate to have a blessed childhood, with an N64 and MK64 waiting for me as a gift under the tree. Booting up MK64 on Christmas morning of 97 and seeing the golden NINTENDO logo spin around onscreen remains one of my fondest childhood memories.
But its not simply nostalgia at work here. Winter in Animal Crossing is legitimately gorgeous. You have the gentle snowfall, the cold dark landscape lit up with warm lanterns and twinkling Christmas lights, the aurora borealis shimmering in the sky, the tree sparkling with lights, etc. I always smile when I find myself racing on the winter version of this track
...and boy, am I STOKED for the next mainline Animal Crossing to arrive on Switch. Heres hoping they show it at E3!
Well, I think that will suffice for now. Please share your own screens, and take about the world-building details that you really enjoy.
There's just something irresistible about its Pixar-esque art direction and attention to detail. The world-building here is among the best in the biz. And while it's difficult to capture the full glory of a 1080p/60fps game in screens, I think we can still admire the imagination and artistry on display.
I'd like to share some of the screens I've taken, all in docked mode (so native 1080p downsampled to 720p) using the Capture Button. Feel free to share your own! Also, feel free to check out my Zelda BOTW screens posted throughout my thread on the Gerudo region. Let's share and discuss the world-building of MK8!
The above screenshots of Inkling Girl at Baby Park, riding the standard kart with monster tires in anti-gravity mode, makes me dream of Universal's upcoming Super Nintendo World. Just looking at an amusement park in the Mushroom Kingdom makes me smile!
Like every remade course in the game, they took a backdrop that was rather empty in the original (Mario Kart Double Dash, on GameCube) and stuffed it the point of bursting with world-building detail. There's a rollercoaster carrying Toads, a swinging ship, an egg-cup ride, a ferris wheel, a gift shop, a haunted house, a castle, etc. Not to mention other touches like the the gears and wind-up keys on the pillars, the p-wings lining the roof, the striped Mario World-style hills in the background, and the hot air balloons meandering across the sky. Another nice touch: The way the railings flash lights during the seventh and final lap, as seen in the topmost screenshot.
Baby Park is the simplest track layout in the game a humble oval, short in length, carefully calculated for max chaos yet they rendered the surrounding landscape dense with detail for us Mario fan to pick apart.
I wish this bike (The Duke) was available in red with the monster tires equipped, it'd look similar to Kaneda's bike in AKIRA! These shots are taken from Wario's Gold Mine another remade course, originally from Mario Kart Wii set during a spectacular sunset that lights up the rickety scaffoldings in what feels like the Gemini at Cedar Point. But the focus of my screens here is on Peach's elegant form, gliding around corners and tricking off her bike, as she hurtles deep into the mines. There's a great sense of scale, with the wooden crossbeams stretching infinitely in all directions.
I'd like to nominate Wario's Gold Mine for a rollercoaster ride at Super Nintendo World. Although I'm intrigued by the Donkey Kong mine-cart ride we already know we're getting. Hey, speaking of Donkey Kong...
DK Jungle is another spectacular example of a remake done right. This one is originally from Mario Kart 7 on the 3DS. I know I'm focusing a lot on the retro courses at the moment, but only because I'm so impressed by how fleshed out they've become.
Everything about DK Jungle is pleasing to the eye: The lush foliage, the sun-dappled floor, the leafy canopies, the bright red flowers, the waterfalls with their rainbows, the fallen columns and shining golden temple. Other touches like the tikis and frogs and screaming pillars add a lot of personality to the place. You also have DKs iconic treehouse, the barrels and vines, and the tiki blimp flying off with the banana horde.
It makes me long for a new 3D Donkey Kong a DK64-II, if you would, but with less bloat and more balance than the N64 original. It would be a wonderful world to explore in greater detail, as evident from its sumptuous depiction in MK8.
Really, each course is marvelous. Each is its own world with its own distinct feel and flavor and Id love to hear which worlds you like best, and why. Which details really resonated with you and made you feel happy and at home in that place? What details captured your imagination and made you want to explore the world more in-depth?
As a refresher, here are the course intros for all 48 race courses in the game. (The eight battle maps are NOT included.) This was trickier to capture than it looks I had to take many shots to frame the elements I wanted most clearly (curse those panning shots!). I hope someone likes having these. :-D
And yeah, I know: There are four seasons for Animal Crossing, and only autumn is pictured above. I didnt take pics of the intros for spring and summer, but I did take winter. Its a Christmas wonderland so magical that it really deserves its own highlight:
I always associate Mario Kart with Christmas. Maybe its the colorful darkness I associate with Christmas trees, embodied in courses like Rainbow Road or maybe its the fact I was fortunate to have a blessed childhood, with an N64 and MK64 waiting for me as a gift under the tree. Booting up MK64 on Christmas morning of 97 and seeing the golden NINTENDO logo spin around onscreen remains one of my fondest childhood memories.
But its not simply nostalgia at work here. Winter in Animal Crossing is legitimately gorgeous. You have the gentle snowfall, the cold dark landscape lit up with warm lanterns and twinkling Christmas lights, the aurora borealis shimmering in the sky, the tree sparkling with lights, etc. I always smile when I find myself racing on the winter version of this track
...and boy, am I STOKED for the next mainline Animal Crossing to arrive on Switch. Heres hoping they show it at E3!
Well, I think that will suffice for now. Please share your own screens, and take about the world-building details that you really enjoy.
