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LTTP: Mario Kart 8 (+DLC)

N

Nightbird

Member
So a buddy lend me his copy of Mario Kart 8 two weeks ago, and I've been playing this non-stop since then. I even went so far to purchase the DLC although I basically don't own the game yet.

Mario Kart 8 just feels right. Everything works perfectly, the menus are responding quickly, and everything is bright and colourful. The Graphics in this game are really, really good. As I said before, it's bright and colourful, but even little things like water on the screen after you emerge from the water, or tire marks on the road from previous laps make the experience really great. And the music, oh my God, the music! The OST is godlike, but my favorite tracks are:

Electrodrome: http://youtu.be/IG76TYOQ_08

Moo Moo Meadows: http://youtu.be/O_o3UFRlaRI

Shy Guy Falls: http://youtu.be/J0isN9bFA7k

Excite Bike Arena: https://youtube.com/watch?v=KIw_5vaSPRs

Mute City: http://youtu.be/ixRUMwm43cA

The controls and overall design are leaps and bounds over Mario Kart Wii, and the online mode works so well that even I, who doesn't like to play online that much, finds a ton of excitement in it. In fact I would almost say that the online mode is even more enjoyable then offline races!

The only thing I dislike is the choice of characters you have. It really wasn't necessary to make every single Koopaling an own character, but then ignore characters like Bowser Jr and Dry Bones.

In that Aspect the DLC didn't helped much either since we just got another Mario, another Peach, and another Bowser from that (+ Shy Guy)
However, thankfully it wasn't everything we've gotten from the DLC Packs, as we have gotten some awesome Guest characters and courses.

Existe Bike Arena and Big Blue are among my all time favorite Mario Kart arenas, and I really hope they continue with the idea of guest arenas/characters in the future. By that I'm not asking to make Mario Kart a Nintendo all star racer, but to switch it up from game to game.
In Mario Kart 8 we have gotten Animal Crossing and Zelda as popular guest franchises. How about Mario Kart 9 has Splatoon and Tomodachi Life as popular guest courses then? And Mario Kart 10 has Kirby and Pokémon?
The possibilities are endless!

So yeah, Mario Kart 8 is an amazing game. After spending some time with it it's easy to understand why more than every second WiiU owner has this game.
 
T

theaface

Member
Pretty much agree with everything you've said, OP. The game absolutely oozes polish (visuals, controls, soundtrack, presentation) and is a joy to pick up and play, whether solo or with a group.

Nintendo's approach on the DLC for MK8 has rightly been discussed and praised a lot on here - both packs add a hefty amount of extra content which, crucially, is of a very high standard.

Unfortunately it still has the classic unfair weapons bullshit that Mario Kart is famous for, but in every other regard it represents the pinnacle of the series. It's going to be a tough act to follow!
 
N

Neiteio

Member
I got flack for saying this in the past, but I maintain MK8 is one of the most visually pleasing games I've ever seen.

Like, it doesn't look good in screens where the lack of AA becomes evident, but something about the way the art direction, animation, lighting, etc, all come together in motion is just amazing.

It's also one of the best-controlling and best-playing games ever. Everything just feels so right. Everything. Laser-focused, silky smooth and play-tested to perfection.

MK8 is the game I keep coming back to after each flavor of the month. It's the game I'm hankering to replay coming off of my Resident Evil and Evil Within marathon.
 
E

EhoaVash

Member
Characters from tomadachi life ??? Aren't those just.. Miis,?? >.>

Anyway mk8 is great but the lack of AA in some tracks kinda ruins the game for me. Bring on mk9 with iq so goood
 
B

Burny

Member
theaface said:
Unfortunately it still has the classic unfair weapons bullshit that Mario Kart is famous for, but in every other regard it represents the pinnacle of the series.
Click to expand...

Balloon Battle on regular race tracks?

We spend hours playing that mode of the N64 MK and mere minutes in MK8. As we still love the mode in MK N64, I'd say it could be an ever so subtle hint that that's the one aspect where they srewed up MK 8. ;)
 
T

theaface

Member
Burny said:
Balloon Battle on regular race tracks?

We spend hours playing that mode of the N64 MK and mere minutes in MK8. As we still love the mode in MK N64, I'd say it could be an ever so subtle hint that that's the one aspect where they srewed up MK 8. ;)
Click to expand...

Fair point. I'd almost completely forgotten about the battle aspect as it's not very good and the core racing is so much fun.
 
E

E_Darkness

Member
I want to say MK8 is the best Mario Kart game. Actually I still think that. But I wish there was an option for me to lower the SFX and increase the BGM as the BGM is amazing and the SFX are loud.
 
N

NEO0MJ

Member
Game is amazing. Plus it has two F-zero tracks, the Blue Falcon, and a Captain Falcon costume. With the above and how fast the vehicles move and how twisted the stages are it's just like playing F-zero!

I'm kidding!
 
Ulysses 31

Ulysses 31

Member
E_Darkness said:
I want to say MK8 is the best Mario Kart game. Actually I still think that. But I wish there was an option for me to lower the SFX and increase the BGM as the BGM is amazing and the SFX are loud.
Click to expand...

The official soundtrack has been released by Ninty and even then there are ways of listening to the songs without the SFX.
 
-shadow-

-shadow-

Member
It's by far the best game in the series track design and balance wise. Though the rubber banding can be a bit ridiculous. Especially at 200CC. Wish that they added a decent multiplayer mode with the patches. It does feel a bit lacking compared to the previous couple of games however. I really wish they'd bring Mission Mode back.

Also it's: Electrodrome. Just putting it out there (really is the best track of the game).
 
N

Neiteio

Member
If they released an NX version with 1080p, a true 60 fps (instead of 59 fps, lol), and tons of AA, it'd be pretty much the best-looking game ever

Hey, toss in 16 extra tracks (the equivalent of DLC) and bring the track total to 64, and I won't need a new Mario Kart anytime soon
 
woopWOOP

woopWOOP

Member
I kind of left this game collecting dust for a long while, but I have been booting it up again lately. Still fun! Tho I was secretly hoping for more DLC, I'm happy with the support the game's been getting. Some of those DLC courses are pretty dang neat.
What's also surprisingly fun is 2P co-op battle mode. I never even touched that mode until a few weeks ago. It's certainly not flawless, but having these big free for alls on these huge tracks was still pretty entertaining in the end. Again, 2P co-op, I imagine 1P battle mode is mostly just frustrating, ha.

You're right about the music too. I only played the console Mario Karts, but Double Dash and Wii had such bland, awful soundtracks. Glad MK8 got the quality back up, way up.
 
N

Neiteio

Member
I actually find Battle Mode pretty fun. The tracks they chose have plenty of cover and alternate paths to lose pursuers, and enough space to turn around comfortably.

Man, this game is so good. It's also hype as hell having the Koopalings on the roster, and the visual expression of the Mario world has never been more detailed.

Can you imagine a SM64-style platformer set in worlds as detailed as MK8? The dream!
 
D

DownGrader

Member
I remember how Mario Kart 8 Direct alone made lots of people to do a 180 on their perception of Wii U. Like, it was definitely the most impactful Direct ever. Then some folks were upset by battle mode, no on-screen map and some UI quirks (remember when "Show replay" was the first in the mid-race menu?) only to be impressed by godlike DLC, 200cc and other improvements made by patches.
 
D

Dagobert Duck

Member
Godlike game, I think its my mostplayed game on Wii U and my mostplayed Mario Kart ever, its almost perfect (classic N64 battle mode missing) otherwise its the best Mario Kart to date!
 
D

doop_

Banned
This is the first game me and my sister both played every day, it is so damn good. Definitely the best looking game on Wii U
 
N

Neiteio

Member
I just noticed the OP said it wasn't necessary to have every Koopaling. Yes, it actually was. They're a group. They should always come as a package deal. :)

The Koopalings were the first characters to get me excited about the roster in a MK game. Such a nice change of pace from the usual suspects. Relevant from both a nostalgia standpoint and a modern standpoint.

And each one is unique. Roy is very different from Wendy, who is very different from Iggy, who is very different from Morton, etc, etc.

Koopalings = Da Best
 
T

Tregard

Soothsayer
Fantastic game, barely a bad track in the bunch, and some of the non-lap tracks are incredible (Mount Wario & Big Blue, most definitely). The DLC pack direction also makes me very excited at the prospect of Mario Kart 9 being "Nintendo Kart".
 
N

Neiteio

Member
It's kind of funny how the only track that has weak music... is Music Park.

And even that makes up for it with the xylophone/piano slides.
 
B

BGBW

Maturity, bitches.
I agree with you on how they should approach guest racers/courses. MK8 struck a good balance and they shouldn't overstep it. The Mario universe allows the creators to come up with interesting locations since the Mario universe is pretty flexible. (though one should note technically MK7 was the first since it featured two Wuhu tracks from the Wii/Resort series)

Also of note, it brought back previously done retro tracks. With the way MK8 completely re-imagined some tracks, making them almost completely new, it's nice to know that some tracks that have already been done could be up for consideration with 9 rather than being limited by the remaining pool of unused tracks.
 
B

balladofwindfishes

Member
The only real issue I have with MK8 is the junk roster.

Especially coming off of Mario Kart Wii's excellent roster. They should have started with MKWii's selection as a base line and add from there.
 
N

Neiteio

Member
I wish it was a lap longer, but the first drop and final ascent in N64 Rainbow Road is godly with the music

SNES Rainbow Road, with the mind-melting neon colors and incredible music, is my favorite RR, though
 
T

The12thGripper

Member
I remember hearing someone shit on MK8 when I was in line for the Greninja amiibo at Toys R Us last year, they said it felt terrible to play.

I was about to slap them because that game has the best controls in a MK game ever.
 
cormack12

cormack12

Gold Member
I never really 'clicked' with MK8. Looks great and controls are tight and responsive, but I honestly had more fun playing F1 race stars even though it was panned. And I don't think it is the actual game, I just don't like the track characteristics. They're all really wide. It's not a bad game, it's very good. I just don't think it's 'excellent' I guess.

Disclaimer: I haven't really played any MK religiously beyond SNES and MK64.

If you asked me what was missing from the tracks, it's hard for me to pinpoint. If I tried to describe them it would probably be 'choke points' where the track narrowed or had some obstacle and one well placed weapon could cause a lot of chaos and actually buy you a winning lead. It feels more individually focused in MK8 - like a battle mode against the closest driver. The challenge seems to be in keeping your thrusts on all the time rather than actually navigating soem fo the track or corners. There's nothing more exhilirating in these type of games than nailing a hop-skid round a corner, skimming an obstruction then boosting out of it - it just doesn't seem to be there in this game.

The shortcuts are generally a bit bland as well, usually just an off ramp here and there. But that might be just because I haven discovered like 10% of them.

Are my expectations just wrong for what MK is as its core?
 
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