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Mario Kart 8, what no one seems to be discussing.

OP has very good points and the OT obviously isn't the right forum to discuss these. For the reasons that were mentioned.

I don't understand this "shut down all criticism" mentality that some people (like you apparently) seem too have.

I think it's more the fact that OP said that people were outright ignoring them when that obviously isn't the case. People in the OT have been enjoying it regardless of the faults but have still brought them up.

I personally don't care about single player content in racing games but if they had a Mission mode, I wouldn't complain. Battle mode is a mess even though I don't really like it.
 
I'm not okay with the lack of a good Battle mode with lots of features, but the rest of the single player content is roughly around the amount of content I've usually played in a Mario Kart game in the past. It's basically beat the Grand Prix and then play Time Trials until I'm ready for online.

I see why others feel like there's not enough content, but I don't think it's a dramatic drop in stuff to do. And I certainly have seen people discussing this topic.
 

valouris

Member
We discussed this already. We all know the faults. Is there anything more to discuss? We are all hoping for dlc.

Mario Kart has traditionally been a series in which Nintendo pioneers (as far as Nintendo games are concerned) with online features etc.

I believe we will see a big push from them for DLC in MK8, more than Pikmin(hell, they even have that Mercedes kart coming), maybe some Mario Kart Wii kinda challenges that they had through the Mario Kart Channel? I even think there will be a couple of patches coming.
 

Brandon F

Well congratulations! You got yourself caught!
It's really the same problems for two decades and eight releases. Nintendo is tone deaf to criticism and expanding the formulaic design doc of these games beyond the bare minimum. DS at least delivered a bit more for solo play and online is functional but lacking in sustainable user tracking features and modes.

Shame there is no course variation either. Time changes, extreme versions with less predictability from obstacle placement, etc... Just very basic easily avoidable threats that rarely concern the player on repeat plays. Without more variables, it's crazy to imagine people can maintain sanity playing the exact same tracks beyond the honeymoon phase.
 
D

Deleted member 125677

Unconfirmed Member
we've discussed it quite a bit in the OT too, and I agree on most of the criticism here. Either the game has been rushed, or they're saving/postponing stuff for dlc would be my guess as well
 

Sendou

Member
I think it's more the fact that OP said that people were outright ignoring them when that obviously isn't the case. People in the OT have been enjoying it regardless of the faults but have still brought them up.

Well I think some of the shortcomings of Mario Kart 8 have definitely gone with little notice just because the other aspects of the game are indeed very good. Like for example lacking singleplayer content (mission mode? They even made staff ghosts extremely easy for whatever reason), sloppy internet code (communications errors), Nintendo's usual subpar internet architecture that makes shit so hard compared to leading online games on other platforms, lack of customizing with Mario Kart TV clips, being a leader is too overpowered still (makes the game boring the moment you hit that comfortable 1st place), bullshit AI, very average character roster, butchered Mission Mode (well this is the main complain everyone has to say about the game) and no friend leaderboards.
 

HCgamer

Junior Member
I do not like the limited track selection during online play I hoped it would be like mario kart 7 online players can choose from any track in the game. Online track selection in mario kart 8 much more limited than mario kart ds it is a step back.
 

Sendou

Member
I do not like the limited track selection during online play I hoped it would be like mario kart 7 online players can choose from any track in the game. Online track selection in mario kart 8 much more limited than mario kart ds it is a step back.

At least playing with friends you can select any track you want. I don't think allowing users to select from all tracks everywhere is a good idea. I would like to play other tracks too than the 5 most popular.
 

leng jai

Member
If your visuals have jaggies, fix your TV. The game is smooth as claymation.

It alway amuses when people claim changing the settings on your team can completely eliminate aliasing.

The implication that your TV is broken because you have jaggies in MK8 is an incredibly daft thing to say.
 
Needs this...
BlockFort.jpg
 

Kyzer

Banned
The characters suck too. 30 odd characters and how many are koopalings? The hell? This is the Mario kart you bring out for your struggling system? Smh.

Fuckin fun though. Finally feels perfect
 

Griss

Member
All OP's criticisms are pretty spot on with the exception of item balancing, which is as close to perfect as I think it could ever be. But the problem is that what's there is still a 10/10 to me, it's the most fun I've had in months with a game. So do I bitch about what's not there when I'm so delighted with what is? See what I'm saying?

I don't think it was rushed, either. Nintendo hates adding new content if it doesn't think it's necessary. Look at Wild World for the Wii.
 

daydream

Banned
You're not wrong, OP, but saying that "no one is discussing that" is crazy. Plenty if not most people have raised the same points in the OT.
 
I barely notice the jaggies on my tv when im playing, its only when i upload a static image to my computer that they become apparent.

Maybe its because I sit further away from my TV than I do my monitor? I dunno, the jaggies are really hard to notice on it but I can easily notice them on PC games.
 

Leathersoup

Neo Member
What also nobody seems to be discussing is the lack of Ghost Item in latest mario kart. Kan you believe the salt if you could steal somebodies star when in first.

I was thinking there should have been an alternate coloured boomerang that would steal an item from whoever it hit and return it to you.
 

Prototype

Member
It'd be nice if the map wasn't only on the gamepad... it's useless there as it's next to impossible to look down at it during a race. Would have been nice to have the option to move HUD elements around as we see fit.
 

marc^o^

Nintendo's Pro Bono PR Firm
I can't think of a game in recent years that was as fun in multiplayer. I'm a lucky guy who spent 3 nights with friends on MK8, it's simply phenomenal :)

And single player will just be the obligatory thing I need to go through to unlock things, because online is just too good too.
 

leng jai

Member
I read the title and expected some out of the box observation. Read the OP and found criticisms that have been discussed to tedium already. Not sure how this really required a new thread.
 

Jeels

Member
I completely agree. As much fun as im having mk8 is one of my biggest disappointments of the year. It is severely lacking.
 
Nintendo seems to be so incessantly beholden to tradition that it's severely limiting their potential.

I really don't think it would have been hard at all to add a Mission Mode, or add a greater diversity of Mario characters (no, Pink Gold Peach is NOT a good character choice), or implement a much more robust Battle mode, or include more than 16 new tracks, or give us some added customisation, etc.

But on the other hand, the focus on barebones minimalism allows Nintendo to very closely fine-tune the core experience with a relatively small staff.

So for the content that MK8 actually does offer, it knocks it right out of the park. An incredibly seamless, super-fun racing experience, fantastic courses and an absolutely killer soundtrack.

But yes, it does leave me wanting more. A lot more.
 

GolazoDan

Member
I really wish the game tracked the stats (unless they are coming to the website I guess) but to be honest I wish all games gave me as many stats as possible. I'm a mathematician, I need dem figures.
 

Exile20

Member
It's really the same problems for two decades and eight releases. Nintendo is tone deaf to criticism and expanding the formulaic design doc of these games beyond the bare minimum. DS at least delivered a bit more for solo play and online is functional but lacking in sustainable user tracking features and modes.

Shame there is no course variation either. Time changes, extreme versions with less predictability from obstacle placement, etc... Just very basic easily avoidable threats that rarely concern the player on repeat plays. Without more variables, it's crazy to imagine people can maintain sanity playing the exact same tracks beyond the honeymoon phase.
Honest question do you have mk8?
 
Battle mode is shocking and it really is a shame that they couldn't at least include some maps that actually suit the mode instead of fobbing it off with the simplest circuits.

Main player mode I can kind of live with, I still haven't finished 150cc, let alone unlocked mirror mode. Mission Mode seems like the perfect free DLC release for E3 or for whenever Nintendo feels like MK8 needs a secondary boost. But I'ld really like a proper battle mode before any of that.

That said, Nintendo makes it hard to stay mad about what MK8 lacks, because what's there is one of the best Mario Kart's since Double Dash (and is only short of MK64 greatness due to the above issues)
 

Jisgsaw

Member
Features:
The game doesn't track any of your stats. Nothing. Item use? % of times an item was picked up? How many 1st place finishes? Most used character? ect... Nothing at all. it's kind of a bummer and a missed opportunity. Which is strange coming off past titles.

I'd love to also have a chart where I see what item I got in what position.
I don't know if the RNG hates me or anything, but I get better items when I'm 6-8th than 9-12th...
(But seriously better item, I get a lousy single green shell, or a single toad, quite often as last in the race)
 

Exile20

Member
Battle mode is shocking and it really is a shame that they couldn't at least include some maps that actually suit the mode instead of fobbing it off with the simplest circuits.

Main player mode I can kind of live with, I still haven't finished 150cc, let alone unlocked mirror mode. Mission Mode seems like the perfect free DLC release for E3 or for whenever Nintendo feels like MK8 needs a secondary boost. But I'ld really like a proper battle mode before any of that.

That said, Nintendo makes it hard to stay mad about what MK8 lacks, because what's there is one of the best Mario Kart's since Double Dash (and is only short of MK64 greatness due to the above issues)
I would bet it came down to time. Nintendo was forced to release mk8 because of the holes in their schedule. They couldnt add all of the features they wanted. Hopefully they add dlc.
Imagine if Mk 8 was to release 3 months later or more later. Wii u would be so dead since nothing has been released since dk.
 
All OP's criticisms are pretty spot on with the exception of item balancing, which is as close to perfect as I think it could ever be. But the problem is that what's there is still a 10/10 to me, it's the most fun I've had in months with a game. So do I bitch about what's not there when I'm so delighted with what is? See what I'm saying?

I don't think it was rushed, either. Nintendo hates adding new content if it doesn't think it's necessary. Look at Wild World for the Wii.

That's very true, I think people are too quick to call things rushed without any substantial evidence.
:/
Even if the game was rushed, most people don't find it to be very detrimental to the overall experience.
The game kind of reminds me of Super Smash Brothers Melee.
Melee was obviously rushed for launch, but people loved what was there.
They didn't really give a crap that Ganon played like Captain falcon.
No one really harped on the fact that they weren't able to put cutscenes and a cohesive story in the Adventure Mode(The CGI scenes in the intro are such obvious "cut" content that it's painful).
The game was so mechanically sound that all of it's highs outweighed it's lows. No one really cared about what could have been until the next entry came around.
 
Really hard to remember all the issues

Off the top of my head:

Items:
  • Red shells often give up on a target
  • Red shells have a broken lockon time window, they often will go straight past someone infront of you
  • It will warn you of a red shell even if it isn't locked onto you
  • Boomerang often goes over characters, even on flat land
  • Chain chomp speed boost is really no benefit and often messes up drifting for myself
  • 8 item is nearly always gained by myself when it the middle of the pack, its not a last place item which it should be.
  • When hit by lightning, sometimes it makes u unable to pick up item boxes for a few secs

UI:
  • No options screen
  • No way of viewing Timetrials on 1 page
  • No way of tracking stamps/kart unlocks
  • No onscreen map options for tv

Online
  • Regional Online is not regional locked, its just worldwide. (annoying if u wish to avoid lag)
  • No way to change your kart between races online.

AI:
150cc they become mortal kombat arcade racers, boosts are done in 1/2 possible, boosts seem maxed out.

*edit: piranha not chain chomp
 

domlolz

Banned
sonic all star racing transformed was good but i dont think it was ever a serious mario kart contender, the pickups always felt a bit crap and uninspired and racing never 'felt' as good as mario kart, ehhhhhh.
 

Exile20

Member
All OP's criticisms are pretty spot on with the exception of item balancing, which is as close to perfect as I think it could ever be. But the problem is that what's there is still a 10/10 to me, it's the most fun I've had in months with a game. So do I bitch about what's not there when I'm so delighted with what is? See what I'm saying?

I don't think it was rushed, either. Nintendo hates adding new content if it doesn't think it's necessary. Look at Wild World for the Wii.
Lack of dlc was more due to the lack of space on the Wii.

We have dlc for pikmin 3 which was excellent. Fire emblem , steel driver, merc for mk8, etc.
 
I dunno why they can't have as complete a game as Mario Kart DS. Circuit, Versus, Mission mode, awesome battle mode etc. I mean tbh, the core racing in MK8 is still the best in the series imo and the item balance is about as good as its gonna get so now they just need to flesh it out imo.
 

solomon

Member
I sort of created a single player for myself, I can only do 150cc, afterwards mirror and unlock all parts (except 10,000 gold item, that takes too long) before I even bothered with online.
 
Really hard to remember all the issues

Off the top of my head:

Items:
  • Red shells often give up on a target
  • Red shells have a broken lockon time window, they often will go straight past someone infront of you
  • It will warn you of a red shell even if it isn't locked onto you
  • Boomerang often goes over characters, even on flat land
  • Chain chomp speed boost is really no benefit and often messes up drifting for myself
  • 8 item is nearly always gained by myself when it the middle of the pack, its not a last place item which it should be.
  • When hit by lightning, sometimes it makes u unable to pick up item boxes for a few secs

UI:
  • No options screen
  • No way of viewing Timetrials on 1 page
  • No way of tracking stamps/kart unlocks
  • No onscreen map options for tv

Online
  • Regional Online is not regional locked, its just worldwide. (annoying if u wish to avoid lag)
  • No way to change your kart between races online.

AI:
150cc they become mortal kombat arcade racers, boosts are done in 1/2 possible, boosts seem maxed out.

There is a Chain Chomp item in 8?! I've played a ton of hours... never seen it!

I TOTALLY agree with you on all your points... esp there being no map/player position listing on screen. I don't want to look at the pad... and i use the pro controller like many. It should really be an option. And different control schemes as well.

The game is unbelievably fun... but really feels rushed and uber bare-bones.
 
There is a Chain Chomp item in 8?! I've played a ton of hours... never seen it!

I TOTALLY agree with you on all your points... esp there being no map/player position listing on screen. I don't want to look at the pad... and i use the pro controller like many. It should really be an option. And different control schemes as well.

The game is unbelievably fun... but really feels rushed and uber bare-bones.

Ooops sorry I meant the piranha
I was dwelling on older games as I wrote it
 

kirby_fox

Banned
I mentioned before my disappointment in the single player. I have a handful of characters to unlock still and once I do, I feel as though it'll be playing just to play due to the said addictive nature. I've been tempted a few times to start some of my backlog and just wait until I can play with friends locally to get the last few unlocked.

I do hope for DLC that is more than just characters or vehicles. Some actual battle arenas or modes for a few bucks? I'd probably buy in.
 

LaNaranja

Member
I mentioned before my disappointment in the single player. I have a handful of characters to unlock still and once I do, I feel as though it'll be playing just to play due to the said addictive nature. I've been tempted a few times to start some of my backlog and just wait until I can play with friends locally to get the last few unlocked.

I do hope for DLC that is more than just characters or vehicles. Some actual battle arenas or modes for a few bucks? I'd probably buy in.

Why else would you play if not to play?
 
I dunno why they can't have as complete a game as Mario Kart DS. Circuit, Versus, Mission mode, awesome battle mode etc. I mean tbh, the core racing in MK8 is still the best in the series imo and the item balance is about as good as its gonna get so now they just need to flesh it out imo.

Here is your reason:

p6Ig0ai.png


Ib7u4E3.png


Different directors prioritising different elements.

Clearly, Mr. Yabuki / Mario Kart 8 project leads are emphasising finely-crafted minimalism above lots of content.
 

Kai Dracon

Writing a dinosaur space opera symphony
I think there's a lack of UI polish and attention to detail, and it's very strange that there's no stat tracking of any kind at all.

My biggest complaint is that the super addictive sequential ghost mode is gone from Mario Kart Wii. For no conceivable reason. MK7 and 8 allow you to manually load a ghost, but it's nothing like being able to load a track and just keep racing, always presented with a ghost that's slightly ahead of your current best time. It was a great way to master each track.

Problem in these cases seems to be Nintendo often removes features as much as they add them, for no good reason.
 

Jonboy

Member
Considering the insanely high quality multiplayer, I'm totally fine with the basic Grand Prix and the ghosts time trials available. The unlockables keep me returning to single player every now and then.
 

bon

Member
It has as much single player content as I expect from Mario Kart. It would be awesome if it had a bigger single player mode with missions and stuff like SASRT, but it's obvious that multiplayer was the focus.
 

Nyoro SF

Member
Really hard to remember all the issues

Off the top of my head:

Items:
  • Red shells often give up on a target
  • Red shells have a broken lockon time window, they often will go straight past someone infront of you
  • It will warn you of a red shell even if it isn't locked onto you
  • Boomerang often goes over characters, even on flat land
  • Chain chomp speed boost is really no benefit and often messes up drifting for myself
  • 8 item is nearly always gained by myself when it the middle of the pack, its not a last place item which it should be.
  • When hit by lightning, sometimes it makes u unable to pick up item boxes for a few secs

UI:
  • No options screen
  • No way of viewing Timetrials on 1 page
  • No way of tracking stamps/kart unlocks
  • No onscreen map options for tv

Online
  • Regional Online is not regional locked, its just worldwide. (annoying if u wish to avoid lag)
  • No way to change your kart between races online.

AI:
150cc they become mortal kombat arcade racers, boosts are done in 1/2 possible, boosts seem maxed out.

This is a good list. Other issues I feel are:

All Stuff:
  • Multi-boost top speed is heavily limited for no real reason. If you do a ramp boost, then land on a boost pad while releasing a drift boost, your top speed is HEAVILY capped, even with high speed karts. Not as fun
  • On the gamepad the horn takes up way too much space. More priority should've been given to increasing the size of the player and item list. And why the hell is the secondary view not rear-view? No speedometer? Why isn't the map on the main screen showing you how far you are from first place like previous MKs?
  • Colors for karts isn't customizable like every racer released in the past 20 years.
  • For some reason after a GP race it defaults the selection to "Race Highlight". Why on earth would you not default this to "Next Race"?
  • The character select and kart piece select might be the most barebones looking screen in history.
  • Off-road terrain causes massive slowdown, by far the highest in the series that I can remember. It's really not fun to go to a complete dead stop because of a turning mistake or someone bumps into you
  • Heavily nerfed starman for no reason? Speed is way less than usual and time limit is shorter
 
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