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Mario Kart 8 Info Thread

Probably won't happen, but I would love it there was a 4-track hidden cup full of popular tracks that have already been retro tracks like Baby Park, Waluigi Pinball, etc.
 
Probably won't happen, but I would love it there was a 4-track hidden cup full of popular tracks that have already been retro tracks like Baby Park, Waluigi Pinball, etc.

That's interesting.
But then I can already hear people complaining about rehashes of rehashes.
 
I'm completely floored by the new info they revealed. Surprised they did this through a press event. Glad I was wrong. :)

In other words, Pirhanna Plant item looks broken. (Every Mario Kart 8 related post I made has that so far since I saw the trailer.)
 
Okay Gaf members we're going to need to start adding each other to our friend list. I can't wait to play this game with you guys!
 
Lets add yoshi valley to the list of confirmed things :P

Good news yoshi valley fans. Sunshine airport confirms it like it did previous courses in one of gamexplains videos. Thanks to mariokartwii.com for noticing.

http://youtu.be/aLfLbxmtr9A?t=5m37s It's hard to make out but it's there near the bottom of the display screen.

O62oHkD.png


OMG
 
I'm totally floored by the reveals. I'm pretty hyped for Mario Kart 8 even more than I was. I'm going to buy Mario Kart 7 this weekend and playing shit out of this game.

Probably won't happen, but I would love it there was a 4-track hidden cup full of popular tracks that have already been retro tracks like Baby Park, Waluigi Pinball, etc.

Same here. I truly do want to see that happening. Dino Dino Jungle with Anti-Gravity. :o
 
I'm totally floored by the reveals. I'm pretty hyped for Mario Kart 8 even more than I was. I'm going to buy Mario Kart 7 this weekend and playing shit out of this game.



Same here. I truly do want to see that happening. Dino Dino Jungle with Anti-Gravity. :o

Heath, when you get it let's exchange friend codes. I've been MK7 a lot the past few months and love it!
 
I haven't had a chance to read through all the previews, but did they confirm any other modes besides racing and battle mode? I have this huge fear that MK8 is gonna be just as barebones as MK7 in terms of modes. Bring back optional missions from MK DS! D:
 
Okay Gaf members we're going to need to start adding each other to our friend list. I can't wait to play this game with you guys!

BeOneWithTheGun Miiverse
BeOneWithTheGun PSN

Will be playing MK8 long and hard at end of May and sitting on the fence about Elder Scrolls Online. If someone feels, ESO is a must buy please add me as friend on PSN and let me know why! Got the money burning a hole in my pocket.
 
BeOneWithTheGun Miiverse
BeOneWithTheGun PSN

Will be playing MK8 long and hard at end of May and sitting on the fence about Elder Scrolls Online. If someone feels, ESO is a must buy please add me as friend on PSN and let me know why! Got the money burning a hole in my pocket.

Enop123 on Wii U. I'll send you a request today.
 
Has anyone seen any proof of single-player Versus? So I can pick a single track and play against a full field of CPUs with items on, without having to go through a full GP?

I would like to know this as well, I would like to create a custom gp using my favourite tracks.
 
Here's a list of characters that appeared in either Kart Wii or Kart 7 that haven't been confirmed yet:

Dry Bones
Birdo
Diddy Kong
Bowser Jr.
King Boo
Funky Kong
Dry Bowser
Honey Queen
Wiggler
Mii
 
Here's a list of characters that appeared in either Kart Wii or Kart 7 that haven't been confirmed yet:

Dry Bones
Birdo
Diddy Kong
Bowser Jr.
King Boo
Funky Kong
Dry Bowser
Honey Queen
Wiggler
Mii

The only one I really care about.
 
Has anyone seen any proof of single-player Versus? So I can pick a single track and play against a full field of CPUs with items on, without having to go through a full GP?
Nu such thing was available since vs mode was greyed out. We were also prohibited from taking shots or footage of the menus.
 

lol, no way! I thought they were just going to have Rainbow Road 64 and not have a new one!

"Also during the roundtable interview, Mario Kart 8 director Kosuke Yabuki revealed that the game will feature not one, but two Rainbow Road courses."

I like how they emphasize the two like it's a big deal. Mario Kart Super Circuit and Mario Kart 7 had a new and retro Rainbow Road.

I'm surprised they went with Rainbow Road 64, though. It was the longest and most boring Rainbow Road in the series, but they've fixed it by adding some new gimmicks to it and getting rid of some of the fences and they made it a 1-lap track like Maka Wuhu. I thought they would have gone with Rainbow Road DS because the shuttle loop and corkscrew just scream antigravity.
 
lol, no way! I thought they were just going to have Rainbow Road 64 and not have a new one!

"Also during the roundtable interview, Mario Kart 8 director Kosuke Yabuki revealed that the game will feature not one, but two Rainbow Road courses."

I like how they emphasize the two like it's a big deal. Mario Kart Super Circuit, Mario Kart Wii, and Mario Kart 7 all had a new and retro Rainbow Road.

I'm surprised they went with Rainbow Road 64, though. It was the longest and most boring Rainbow Road in the series, but they've fixed it by adding some new gimmicks to it and getting rid of some of the fences and they made it a 1-lap track like Maka Wuhu. I thought they would have gone with Rainbow Road DS because the shuttle loop and corkscrew just scream antigravity.

Eh... nope.
 
Agreed. The way they turned N64 RR into something that looks genuinely fun to play for reasons that don't involve a giant SC is awesome so I'm anticipating this game's RR to be more awesome.
 
Finally got around to watching the vids. It looks gorgeous, and is probably the most aesthetically pleasing game I've laid eyes on in a very long time. And this is over YouTube. I can only imagine what it will actually look like on TV / monitors. A few thoughts (about the game in general I guess, as not everything I'm commenting on is new info, I've just never really got around to talking about the game til now):

Anti-grav collision boost:
I noticed this in the trailer a few months back that it was happening on that disco ball stage and the super circuit level. This is going to be an interesting one. Depending on the item-selection in play, I can't see players online collaborating to catch up to the leader unless there are some people playing locally together. It would be a very risky tactic when you consider the item selection the mid-field tend to get (orbiting items etc), heck even when you're in the top 4 you don't want to get close to others. I don't think it'll cause too much of a rubber banding issue, as I'm sure there'll be a fair balance of anti-grav / grav sections. It's a very neat mechanic though, and I love the idea that if you're going around a sharp bend you can tactically force someone off the road by making them boost and disrupt their racing line, and make sure you're at the right angle to benefit from that same boost. That could provide some lulz xD In a "no-items" or "boosts only" race online I think it could create a minor rubber banding issue, but again, it's not as if all the track is anti-grav. Even if it does end up happening, it will be interesting to see how the tactic evolves. It will take some getting used to, but I think it could be a nice addition to gameplay overall.

You might also have noticed at around 0:58 in this video: http://youtu.be/W4wxCtCvXO4?t=59s Mario intentionally collides with an anti-grav machine to get a boost, so they're really trying to emphasize this trick.
Retro tracks in general, I get the feeling that they're all going to feel distinct from their original counterparts because of things like this, and that's great for the players, as it means beautiful visuals combined with the new mechanics, and what feel overall like fresh tracks.

Rainbow Road 64:
I was actually worried they were going to choose this initially, because we were running out of retro options for RR! But I have to eat crow, because (and tbh I should have expected this) they've really revamped it, it seems. Both visually and in terms of the mechanics for the new game. The musical arrangement of the stage music is beautiful as well. You'll notice at the start line there's a really nice moonlight, quickly followed by that descent where you get a gob smacking view of this nighttime city that you're racing over. Couple those with the fireworks show. Jaw dropping stuff. In fact, I think this level may end up being one of the most aesthetically impressive in the game. Watch the video again, but instead of looking at the track, just look out for the environmental backgrounds instead, it really is amazing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6TksRNqzDk&feature=youtu.be

Toad's Turnpike:
Looks brilliant. Traffic going both ways I noticed, and now you can actually take advantage of things like ramps on trucks, and also the anti-grav sides. I think the latter feature especially will make this feel like a completely new track, even if it is in the retro section.

Royal Raceway / Moo Moo Meadows / Shy Guy Falls:
Stunning visuals. Moo Moo Meadows especially. Great idea to change the time of day to sunrise, as it really captures the scene. Royal Raceway has brilliant use of colour, as does the game in general it would seem.

That part in Shy Guy Falls where you use a combination of Anti-Grav and Hand-glider to boost off the ramp, and then fly out over the chasm and onto the landing, is so damn nice to watch xD I think like gamerXplain pointed out also, the mixture of underwater / hand-gliding / anti grav is all going to gel and make the gameplay a lot more fluid, even more so than MK7. I think Sonic Transformed really benefited from this style of mix-up, and I believe MK8 will also.

Multiple paths:
In this game especially, it seems to be a strong emphasis of having multiple routes. And I think the new mechanics are going to strengthen this a lot. Yes, there's always going to be an ideal path, and people will find those out pretty quick, but this adds replay-ability, not to mention the fact that you can start out on one route and effectively change your mind, or take advantage of something by going back to the original route. Having a plan B is always a smart idea. I predict that at the high end of Mario Kart 8 time trial / online, you're going to see a *lot* of route switching to take advantage of mechanics / boosts. Character awareness is going to be a big thing, as you'll suddenly see a kart fly into view from nowhere. Which brings me onto a point.. I can't see a skeleton map on the big screen. I hope there's a button toggle to put one on. It might be a good idea to play with the pro controller on the telly / monitor, and have the gamepad propped up on a stand right next to it so you can see a mini map in your peripheral vision if there isn't an option to put a map directly onto the TV. (Can you even use the gamepad as a course map if you're using the pro controller primarily? I do hope so.) Because info like that is going to be vital in competitive MK8. I appreciate that it would be very difficult to pull off though in a manner that looked coherent, as there are so many routes / anti grav sections etc that must intersect that it might come off as a garbled mess.

Item Holding Mechanics:
Was not expecting this. Now, even when you hold an item behind or revolving around you, it still takes up the item slot, so you can't keep one in reserve. It'll take me some getting used to, as I like hopping between Mario Kart games and I'm likely to forget every time I come back to this one xD

Boomerang:
Very cool. Seems like a back-marker / mid position item (In the trailer, Baby Mario gets a Boomerang in 6th and 7th place, Wendy O. Koopa has one in 3rd, but we don't get to see what position she obtained it in. I suspect it wasn't 3rd, as there are other karts bunched near her). Going to assume it has no defensive properties, and has optimal use if there's a few karts in front of you in a straight line.

Piranha Plant:
Again, very cool, and creative. A tactical weapon that combines both offense and speed for multiple uses. We see Mario get it in 6th place, so I imagine again this is a back marker / low mid item designed to get you back in the race, but you'll probably want to save it for when you're close to the other back markers I assume, might not be the best throw of the dice if you're way out in the back.

Bananas:
I notice that triple bananas slow orbit you instead of trailing behind you, and they're also quite spaced apart. I wonder what kind of defensive implications this has compared to its original design.

Coin Item:
A nice throwback, I like that this is returning from MK7, as it ties nicely in with the unlock / upgrade system that the games now have. Probably fair to assume that the coins will give a very incremental speed upgrade from 1-10 again, like in the previous game.

It's good that gyro controls don't force you into 1st person mode, that was an awful idea to restrict people into that. I never use gyro, but I know some that like it, and being forced into 1st person is bleh.
Probably not new news, but freeze framing YouTube I noticed other returning items like bob-oms, fire flower, and jellyfish. Also the "8".

Mario Kart TV / Community:
On a separate note, do we think Mario Kart 8 has the potential to catch on as an eSport at a big community level? Now we apparently are going to have even more customization in online mode, and with Mario Kart TV allowing us to instantly upload races to miiverse, I kind of wish there was a spectator mode that would be suited to something like twitch / streaming. Think along the lines of DoTA where you can customize how the camera operates in spectator mode, or even have a custom caster in game with commentary / viewpoints. I'm getting ahead of myself I guess, but I would really like to see this game become popular from a spectator viewpoint as well as a player. I also wonder if the miiverse footage will be embeddable from the web version to display on other sites, like you can with pictures. That would be fantastic, as it would make a relatively easy means of showing other people footage without having to capture / record / edit / upload, especially if it's in HTML5 video or something. Also, those slow-mo's during collisions in the replays are hilarious! Especially with the slowed down sound for dramatic effect haha xD

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Sorry for blabbing on. Just wanted to "pen" some thoughts.
 
Mario Kart TV / Community:
On a separate note, do we think Mario Kart 8 has the potential to catch on as an eSport at a big community level? Now we apparently are going to have even more customization in online mode, and with Mario Kart TV allowing us to instantly upload races to miiverse, I kind of wish there was a spectator mode that would be suited to something like twitch / streaming. Think along the lines of DoTA where you can customize how the camera operates in spectator mode, or even have a custom caster in game with commentary / viewpoints. I'm getting ahead of myself I guess, but I would really like to see this game become popular from a spectator viewpoint as well as a player. I also wonder if the miiverse footage will be embeddable from the web version to display on other sites, like you can with pictures. That would be fantastic, as it would make a relatively easy means of showing other people footage without having to capture / record / edit / upload, especially if it's in HTML5 video or something. Also, those slow-mo's during collisions in the replays are hilarious! Especially with the slowed down sound for dramatic effect haha xD

It is highly likely that those highlight “videos” won't be actual videos but rather data recordings (player X was at position Y at ZZ:ZZ.ZZZ time etc.) hence you won't be able to share them on YouTube / Facebook etc. The Wii U doesn't have a dedicated encoding system anyway. And that's how ghost replays have always worked – they're not videos but just a small data file with inputs of the player that is replayed live by the console.
 
It is highly likely that those highlight “videos” won't be actual videos but rather data recordings (player X was at position Y at ZZ:ZZ.ZZZ time etc.) hence you won't be able to share them on YouTube / Facebook etc. The Wii U doesn't have a dedicated encoding system anyway. And that's how ghost replays have always worked – they're not videos but just a small data file with inputs of the player that is replayed live by the console.

Yeah I thought this may be the case, as with my DoTA example of live casting in-game. But I also thought perhaps that at some point in "post-upload" to miiverse they might get converted somehow. I mean, would they also take data form on miiverse? That would effectively rule out using the web miiverse to look in at any of the races going on in the MK miiverse community, which would be a bit of a shame.
 
Yeah I thought this may be the case, as with my DoTA example of live casting in-game. But I also thought perhaps that at some point in "post-upload" to miiverse they might get converted somehow. I mean, would they also take data form on miiverse? That would effectively rule out using the web miiverse to look in at any of the races going on in the MK miiverse community, which would be a bit of a shame.

I believe they stressed that the Mario Kart TV feature was integrated into Mario Kart 8 and thus you didn't need to pause the game and access Miiverse. I suppose you're still able to upload drawings/text messages/screenshots the normal way, but replay data can only be sent and read from the game's MKTV mode. I believe the Google Street View app on Wii U does something similar.
 
Rainbow Road 64:
I was actually worried they were going to choose this initially, because we were running out of retro options for RR! But I have to eat crow, because (and tbh I should have expected this) they've really revamped it, it seems. Both visually and in terms of the mechanics for the new game. The musical arrangement of the stage music is beautiful as well. You'll notice at the start line there's a really nice moonlight, quickly followed by that descent where you get a gob smacking view of this nighttime city that you're racing over. Couple those with the fireworks show. Jaw dropping stuff. In fact, I think this level may end up being one of the most aesthetically impressive in the game. Watch the video again, but instead of looking at the track, just look out for the environmental backgrounds instead, it really is amazing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6TksRNqzDk&feature=youtu.be

We were? Before this trailer the Rainbow Roads that had yet to be remade were:
Rainbow Road (N64)
Rainbow Road (GBA)
Rainbow Road (GCN)
Rainbow Road (DS)
Rainbow Road (Wii)
Rainbow Road (3DS)

Plenty of options. The only Rainbow Road to feature in more than one game prior was (SNES).
 
We were? Before this trailer the Rainbow Roads that had yet to be remade were:
Rainbow Road (N64)
Rainbow Road (GBA)
Rainbow Road (GCN)
Rainbow Road (DS)
Rainbow Road (Wii)
Rainbow Road (3DS)

Plenty of options. The only Rainbow Road to feature in more than one game prior was (SNES).

True yeah, I guess I wasn't taking into account some of the more recent ones, which was silly considering MK regularly features retro tracks from as recent as even the previous game in the series. I'm glad they've chosen it now though, as it looks stunning.
 
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