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[MrBadger]

I do prefer just selecting a themed kart for a character. Plus it's incredibly tedious when you're in MP and everyone who's new to the game spends ages changing around parts, checking stats and asking if their kart is any good. It's fine when I'm just playing online by myself, though. But I'm not a huge fan.

 

[Jaded Alyx]

You used to be able to change stats by changing character.

And you still can.

I agree with the rest of what you're saying though.

 

[Werewolf Jones]

Characters still have their own custom vehicles though don't they? It's an okay feature I guess, gives you a reason to play for a while to unlock them all in MK8 at least.

 

[Makai]

Yes. They found the Goldilocks zone between too few options and too much selection time.

 

[Crab Milk Mickey]

If it was strictly a cosmetic feature, then the customisation in place (limited as it may be) would've been fine.

Instead it's an inelegant solution to working around the weight class and base stats of one's character of choice, a system that blatantly favors some while others (anyone who isn't a heavy or close to being one) are unable to compete no matter what set-up they use. It also makes for some combinations that heavily clash in aesthetics to make matters worse. Sonic Racing: Transformed's mod system is a vastly superior solution to equalizing the playing field no matter which character you pick... provided you 'grinded' beforehand.

 

[Yoshi]

No, I don't like it, as I don't like costumization at all. I'm happy it has just a minor effect overall though and that there is not much depth to it. It'd be nice if every character just had an individual car, but you could choose the car independent of the character anyway (so, for instance, I can play Yoshi, because I like Yoshi, but drive Baby Mario's car, because I like its handling).

 

[Currygan]

I never cared about it, and I still don't. Just give me a whole lot of different vehicles and that's it

 

[LonelyGreyWolf]

Characters still have their own custom vehicles though don't they?

Nope, no custom-themed, personal vehicles.

 

[Neiteio]

I'd rather they just have a well-balanced selection of pre-made karts and bikes. I hosted a party recently that had many non-gamers attending, and it kind of tripped them up and slowed everyone to a crawl trying to recommend combos that are easy to control.

 

[QuixoticNeutral]

I can see the appeal of the MK7/8 customization system, but there isn't enough variation in stats between the different parts to really push the potential for granularity that this scheme provides.

I'm still partial to the Double Dash system above everything that has come since, where initial choices (your character and weight class) impose constraints on the choices that follow, making the characters a bit more distinct and each decision a trade-off, or opening the door to giving some characters exclusive vehicles that aren't available to others. I think this could easily be integrated with part-by-part customization. Right now selecting characters really just amounts to selecting skins for the weight classes because they have next to no impact on any of the other choices.

I am also not fond of the new system of unlocks in MK7/8 which is based on grinding for coins instead of achieving specific skill-based accomplishments, but I can see why things were set up this way for games primarily designed around online multiplayer, as it provides an incentive to populate the matchmaking lobbies over a long period of time.

What the present system needs most is a way to save a handful of favourite configurations.