Mario Kart 8 discussion

[Yoshi648]

Haven't seen a thread for Mario Kart 8 yet, and with all the details released recently, figured should start one.

As mentioned, a ton of information was released recently. Highlights include new items Piranha Plant and boomerang, you can't hold items in reserve and in kart (so you can't hold a banana behind you and keep a shell ready in reserve), coins, bikes (no wheelies), stunts, and kart customization return, game will be in 720p 60fps, and some tracks will even feature live recorded music.

You can check out a quick glimpse of half of the tracks:

I love how they didn't just port all the retro tracks, they fully re-built them. No holding two items at once should be interesting for those of us normally in the lead will have a more difficult time keeping off pesky tailgaters. Holy Arceus those graphics are beautiful, Mario Kart in high-def.

Game will be released May 30th in North America. I better pre-order this ASAP, this is going to be a Wii U system seller.

[Dragonite]

I noticed they didn't lose the item on being hit by a Bullet Bill at about 9:14?

Also, I really like what they did with SMK Donut Plains. Wonder what someone from twenty years ago would have thought if they saw that.

[RotomGuy]

They revealed Lakitu, Shy Guy and Metal Mario today too, which I'm assuming since nothing else connects these characters, was a reveal for MK7 newcomers. This therefore means I doubt Honey Queen and Wiggler return.

But holy moly, the graphics are stunning.

[Yoshi648]

A Nintendo Direct aired this morning all about Mario Kart 8

Details:

• By going into anti-gravity mode, hitting other players gives you a boost, thus changing strategies for inverted places.
• New characters Baby Rosalina and Metal Peach (mmm, more clones...)
• New items Piranha Plant (attacks other racers in front of you, and can remove obstacles like bananas), Boomerang (thrown forward and comes back hitting anyone in path, can be used 3 times), super horn (hits everything near you, including pesky blue shells), and crazy 8 (gives 8 items at once, like lucky 7 from Mario Kart 7)
• Bikes are more balanced compared to karts. Karts are better on straightaways, but bikes are quicker at turns.
• Wi-fi now has a tournament mode where you can set certain conditions and race at certain times (hint hint, Victory Road MK8 tournament month after launch hint hint)
• Replay clips can be edited and even uploaded directly to YouTube.
• A Wii U bundle will be released on launch day. This will include deluxe Wii U, Mario Kart 8, and Mario themed Wiimote Plus and Wii Steering Wheel.
• As an added bonus, any copy of Mario Kart 8 (both disk and digital) registered on Club Nintendo before the end of July will receive a download code for your choice between: New Super Mario Brothers U, Pikmin 3, Legend of Zelda Wind Waker HD or Wii Party U. Two games for the price of one!

[TurtwigX]

Okay, time for first impressions now that I just beat 50cc. This will likely be spoiler heavy:

Mario Kart Madness    

It kind of feels like a super HD Mario Kart 7. The physics are mostly similar and the controls are exactly the same for the gamepad (Don't think I'll try the Wii Wheel ever again ) The most off putting thing is the lack of wheelies for bikes and the camera in some zero-grav sections. Other than that, it feels just like every other Mario Kart, but super smooth. The bump boost mechanic didn't take long to understand, just a while more to remember when you're really heated unless you're a large character. 



Now I'm not one to go on about graphics, and generally I put them aside for gameplay, but this is Mario Kart. It plays like Mario Kart. Some of my first names for this were MK Infinity AMD Zero Gravity. It should be Mario Kart Aesthetic. If there's one thing that makes this game it's the incredible scenery , especially when you're upside down, it's one of the only things you can use to even tell you are. I feel like the whole game is on par with any Sonic game, the looks combined with the twisty turning paths make for a great experience.



The retro tracks have been super sized. It's gonna be real tough going back to the originals unless you have been breeding some hardcore nostalgia value. Toad's Turnpike and Tick-Tock Clock are barely recognizable from the overhaul done to them. However, it was much needed to fit the pace and style of the game, and I'd love to see some DLC for more retro tracks, maybe some that were featured in previous Mario Karts.



At first I was disappointed with the 3 choice track selection in worldwide online, I couldn't start off with my Piranha Plant Slide. But the I grew to like it more, that way there's less of a lean towards popular courses being spammed, and you're practically forced to have balance in the choices. Want to try your favorite course? Stick around a few more races in the lobby, it just might show up. 



All in all, this is a truly solid Mario Kart. I expect to see some love in the form of random events and many tournaments here to keep the thrill alive. It might've been 50cc today but it'll be 100 tomorrow and Mirror Mode by Tuesday. I'm going to the top, I won't be satisfied till I have it all! But for now, I'd love some rest. 

Long story short, once you go on the Crazy 8 you don't come back again. Yee-haw!

[Yoshi648]

I've completed 3-star gold ratings on all 50 and 100cc cups, so I think that's enough for a review.

A few minor spoilers in here, but nothing major if you've been watching a lot of gameplay trailers    

As a long time Mario Kart fan playing since the Nintendo 64 days, it's been interesting to see what this basic kart racer has become. From gimmicks that only last one game (two players per kart from Double Dash) to now permanent main-stays (kart customization and going off-road) Nintendo has been coming up with interesting ideas to re-invent their most popular racing series. How does Mario Kart 8 compare though?



Like TurtwigX mentioned, for the most part it is Mario Kart 7 HD. However, that's not necessarily a bad thing as I loved Mairo Kart 7 and is one of my favorites in the series.



In addition to features we have started to come to expect (kart customization,  driving underwater/gliding through air) we've been given a page from the F-Zero book with the addition of anti-gravity. Tracks can now go in any direction, not just horizontally. This provides some interesting new experiences such as Mario Circuit where you drive on both the top and bottom sides of the track and Shy Guy Falls where you can literally race up a waterfall! If the main track tilts, the camera will stay behind you as normal so it won't look much different to you. However on some tracks where you can ride up the wall to avoid main track obstacles, the camera stays level with the main track so this will give the allusion of driving sideways. Tracks are hit-and-miss in this area. Some tracks do make it feel like you are driving upside down (Mario Circuit where you can see the Princess's castle fly by upsidedown) but others the only way you would know you are in anti-gravity is by your wheels being in hoverpod mode.



Next we got the tracks. Tracks themes are more varied, we don't have clones (like multiple raceways, or multiple snow levels, etc). All sorts of wacky tracks from an airport, a haunted mansion, a funky dance party, a large mountain of various terrains, and even a land made of sugary sweets (Sugar Rush from Wreck-it-Ralph anyone?) As for retro tracks, I'm glad to see some of my favorites made it here such as Nintendo 64's Yoshi's Valley and Rainbow Road and the DS's Tick Tock Clock. Some tracks were merely updated to MK8's graphical level with minor anti-gravity bits shoehorned in (such as GBA Mario Circuit and N64 Toad's Turnpike), but other ones were completely re-built ( such as N64 Rainbow Road) and they are fantastic.



Kart wise it's the same scheme from Mario Kart 7 where you can pick your kart body, tires, and glider to change how your ride performs. The combination of parts and character determines your acceleration, top speed, weight, traction, and grip. There are a few clones (parts with exact same specs but different appearance), but for the most part pretty varied so you can customize your ride to your driving preference. Karts are now more balanced then bikes with karts being faster on straightaways with bikes being quicker to turn. We also now have an addition of ATVs which can handle better on off-roading portions.



Character roster has both improved and taken some steps back. For the cool new addition, we've been given the entire Koopaling line to play as. However, there are too many copy and pasted clones such as all the babies and Metal Mario/Peach. As a result some favorites such as Diddy Kong, Wiggler, and Bowser Jr (seriously, how is he not in there if all the other Koopalings are?) are missing from the action.



Item-wise yeah you got your cool new Piranha Plant and Boomerang, but if you are always near the front of the pack you aren't going to be seeing them often (which is why I can't talk about them much ).



As for the gameplay, it retains the Mario Kart formula of simple to pick up and fun to play. Like the recent games, prepare to be bombarded with blue shells if you even think about winning and get "cheating" items like Bullet Bill if you are straggling behind. I'm glad the character/kart combinations have been more balanced, it gets tiresome to go online and all you see is Funky Kong/Flame Runner (MK equivalent of Fox only, no items, Final Destination from Smash Brothers). That being said I haven't gone online yet (I'll try it later today), but for the most part seems to be similar to Mario Kart Wii where you get tossed in a room with other people and race. Winning gives you points to your score, losing takes away from it.



Speaking of multiplayer, I do have one major gripe: they killed battle mode. While it still retains the "pop everyone else's balloons method" it's now been changed to a timed event on regular racing tracks. Yes regular linear racing tracks not large arenas. Want to throw that lovely green shell at your opponent? Well they are at the other side of the course, waste time doing half a lap first if you even want a chance to hit them. Sorry, but Mario Circuit is for RACING, I can't use it as a battle arena. They give a selection of 8 tracks that have been slightly modified, but even then only two of them I would consider decent for battle (Toad's Turnpike and Yoshi Valley). And again, this is now a timed event. This isn't just "be last man standing", this is now "how many hits can you get before time runs out". Where's Bob-omb blast on a giant GameCube from Double Dash?



Now for OMG GRAPHICS ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF A VIDEO GAME!!!!!11 Wow, it's beautiful! Finally Mario Kart in HD. Nintendo really put a lot of effort into it especially all the details. All the track names listed on the departure board in the airport, sun rays reflecting off chrome on your karts, skidmarks on the track from where you were drifting, and your character appearing wet after driving out of water are some of the many details you can see that really make it a great visual trip. Of course it still retains the Nintendo nice and colorful world aspect, but it's just beautiful.



Finally the music. Again it's like previous games where the music goes nicely with the theme of the track. Many of the songs are orchestrated and sound pretty awesome as you are throwing shells at your opponents (even get bits of Super Mario Galaxy's Gusty Garden on the Cloudtop Cruise track). As for the retro tracks, some are pretty cool remakes (N64 Rainbow Road), but others I think I prefer the original (N64 Toad's Turnpike).



Overall though, a very solid entry to the Mario Kart line. Retains many of the features from 7 while giving an awesome HD makeover with some new twists and turns. However too many copy-pasted characters and those of you into battle mode, forget about it. I give it a 9/10, if you even slightly like Mario Kart, get this.

[ThePokeMan]

I've gotten 3-star ratings on every cc except Mirror (apparently, getting 3 stars on a 150cc cup spills over into the lower 2 classes). I also earned my gold wheel this morning

Thoughts/Review    

I can't really add much to what Yoshi and Turt already said, but I love this game. The new antigravity mechanic has launched the series in a new direction that nobody saw coming! The new tracks Nintendo made are incredibly unique, from Sunshine Airport to Electrodrome to Dolphin Shoals (and those are only the ones in the Star Cup!), and antigravity has its great moments too, like in Mario Circuit, where the track and scenery end up completely upside-down!



The graphics are amazing, but I don't know how much I can talk about those. My poor 1990s-era TV doesn't give them justice. It doesn't even have an HDMI port or anything. However, the game still looks amazing, even through the smaller resolution the Gamepad offers, and that's all that matters to me.



The online racing is interesting since you no longer pick from all 32 tracks or Random, but instead pick from a selection of 3 tracks or Random. Everyone's selections go through a roulette of sorts, and the winning track gets played (like the last 2 installments). I've had some good luck racing online so far, winning about 60% of my races. Probably has to do with my kart combinations...



...which speaking of, is another great thing in this game! You get full control over what you get to race in, deciding what vehicle, wheels, and glider you want to race with! There are still a few decisions to make (bike/kart/ATV, inside/hybrid drifting), but everyone can find a combination they like. You start off with a few parts, and unlock a new one for every 50 coins you collect (until 1000 coins, at which point unlocks happen every 100 coins). Like Mario Kart 7, parts are unlocked in a random order, varying from copy to copy of the game. Every part has its advantages and disadvantages, providing boosts to some stats and hindering others. Every part impacts your final vehicle stat total, including the character you're racing with. All 30 characters are grouped into weight classes that offer different stat distributions. Heavy characters offer spped and weight, which lighter one offer more acceleration and handling.



Bit of a personal point here: drifting. In MKWii, drifting was inside or outside. Outside drift gave a ton of a "resistance" feeling to your vehicle, making it curve around turns. Inside drifting took out that feeling, letting you cut right through turns. In MK7, every kart had outside drift, equaling the playing field. Now, there are two types of drift again: outside and hybrid drift. Outside drift feels the same as it always has, pulling your vehicle away from the turn you're drifting through, looping you around it. Hybrid drifting, on the other hand, has a weird feel to it. It starts by giving you a half-second of that "resistance" feel, pulling you away from your turn. Then, it goes full-on inside drift, cutting through the turn. It takes a while to learn to use it just because of how it initially feels compared to outside drift and MKW inside drift. Also, only four bikes in the game can use hybrid drifting (Sport, Jet, Yoshi, Comet). However, I like the hybrid drifting better, since it allows you to take most turns tighter than most vehicles ever could. Looking at other forums, I'm apparently a part of a large minority in favoring the hybrid drift. I agree with most people that it feels quite weird using it, but once you get used to it, it can take any turn. Maybe it helps that I'm a gyro racer, since I can turn the Gamepad more to take a harsher turn. If not, then I don't know why I can use it so well. Either way, that's the end of my drifting monologue.



Final score: 8.5/10



Great new mechanic, used well in practice

Great graphics

Online racing still amazing



Character roster could've been better (DLC maybe?)

A hollowed-out battle mode that also could've been so much better

Also, I have an MK8 license in my signature. If you're curious where I got it, you can make your own here. They look much better than the one in my signature, that one had to be scaled down to fit the sigpic restrictions.

[Reuniclus]

Here's the ID I made. :3


I haven't seen the tracks in the special cup yet, but my favorite track in the game has got to be the Electrodome; it's similar to Music Park, but better in my opinion.

Zero gravity is interesting. Sometimes the camera angle makes me dizzy when the course loops, and I find it weird that you speed up a little when you bump into stuff.

One little detail that I love in this game is how you make tire marks when you do power slides; even when in zero gravity.

As for new items...I've only completed some of 50 CC as of now and I've been in 1st for the most part of all the races. In first place, the coin item seems to be just as common as the banana. There's also a strange megaphone item that blocks projectiles; it can even block blue shells! I could've sworn I saw an '8' item while the item slot was still rolling, so I'm curious to find out what that does.

I don't know why I wasn't excited for this game before, I'm all hyped up now. ^^

[TurtwigX]

Originally Posted by Reuniclus

I haven't seen the tracks in the special cup yet, but my favorite track in the game has got to be the Electrodome; it's similar to Music Park, but better in my opinion.

Zero gravity is interesting. Sometimes the camera angle makes me dizzy when the course loops, and I find it weird that you speed up a little when you bump into stuff.

One little detail that I love in this game is how you make tire marks when you do power slides; even when in zero gravity.

As for new items...I've only completed some of 50 CC as of now and I've been in 1st for the most part of all the races. In first place, the coin item seems to be just as common as the banana. There's also a strange megaphone item that blocks projectiles; it can even block blue shells! I could've sworn I saw an '8' item while the item slot was still rolling, so I'm curious to find out what that does.

I don't know why I wasn't excited for this game before, I'm all hyped up now. ^^

In order:

Special Cup will blow your mind, but I enjoyed Lightning Cup more.

Corkscrew effect.

This game loves to cherish the simple aesthetics. The amount of detail put in to bring this simple karting game to life... we've come a long, long way from Super Mario Kart.

WAAH! Super Horn! (That's actually what it's called.) You're right, there's nothing that can beat it but it can only be used once. The "8" you saw is called the Crazy Eight. It's the exact same thing as the Lucky 7 but with a coin.

You didn't know quality entertainment before you started playing this

[RotomGuy]

Oh, so you guys do care about this game!

Anyway, Star Cup is my favourite, but Leaf Cup is a close second. Sherbet Land, Piranha Plant Slide and Mount Wario are my favourite courses.

I play as Baby Rosalina and Iggy.

[RotomGuy]

By the way, I made a tournament for us all.

Here's the code:

3652-8264-7280

[blueumbreon]

I played through all the new courses last night, and I gotta say

Spoiler Alert:    

Holy s***. This is probably the prettiest, most appealing game I've ever seen. All the tracks are so nice to look at. I love it all. I really like the antigravity sections. The online is soooo smooth, even on my horrible internet. I wish that there was a bit more variety in the character unlocks. Did we really need a whole row of babies? Come on, Nintendo. Anyway, I love everything I've experienced so far.





AND OMG THE ELECTRODOME



It was love at first sight. Dat music, dat colors, iss so great

[Nytz]

They remixed my favorite Mario kart track of all time: N64 Rainbow Road. for me, they didn't even have to add any more courses... Just that course alone would have made the game. Probably because I've been waiting for that course to be remixed since Mario Kart Wii. And naturally, I play that course more than the... hold on. I think I forgot there are other courses on this game...

ok, bad joking aside, This game tops all the Mario Kart games I've played. The surreal, head spinning tracks... that I literally find myself tilting my head as the sky swaps position with the ground. Loathe as I am to say, this game was what I was expecting from Sonic All Stars Racing transformed. Seeing such a game that should have been Sega's forte taken and done beyond my expectations, Makes me even more furious at Sega. I wanted to hate this game... only because I was so hoping it wouldn't surpass transformed... though I already knew it was a done deal for sonic from the first track I've played of MK8. I literally deleted Transformed from my Wii U, to add room for The free downloadable game that came with MK8.

The Koopa kids... I thought they were space wasters... but that was until I played as one of them... I think Lemmy, he's the littlest one with the colorful hair, right? Instantly, I began to respect Nintendo's decision. He may be a clone of the lightweights, but for some reason, I just loved him. Needless to say, he became a favorite. Then came baby Rosalina. Now, I adore Rosalina's concept since her first appearance in Mario galaxy. She's become my favorite Mario character, and her popularity is growing. Now they crossed the line with the chibi princess of the cosmos... who instantly became another character I use often on MK8.

There's really nothing I can say... I'm upset. not with this incredible game... but with sega's sorry excuses when they could have done this... and I believe they could have done it better. I will never let up the fact that their reasoning for not adding Billy Hatcher on Transformed was because they couldn't think of a concept for his vehicle... if you can't think of such a simple concept, then honestly, you don't deserve to create video games... but from playing MK8, I now know... sega was after the quick money... not the creativity. It blew up in their faces...

I like how unlike the buggy Transformed, there were no glitches that I at least detected in MK8, and how fast item boxes reappeared and how fast you recover from a fall or from getting hit by an item. If anything, the gameplay improved tremendously... surpassing MKWii with flying colors. It's easy to see that Nintendo carefully studied every variable and detail in the mechanics as well as the beautiful graphics, how a game should be. You take pride in your art... it's not always about the money... it's about how you deliver it to your audience and consumers. And Mario Kart 8 is truly a masterpiece.

... once again. Nintendo's done it again. Obviously, they learned from their mistakes from the last MKs... and improved it. Now, if only Sega....

[Yoshi648]

Ah geez, just when it looked like MK8 was going to be a Wii U saver...

Just a heads up, a few people have reported that Mario Kart has been locking up their Wii U systems causing them to freeze and upon resetting the system causes it to just stay on the Wii U logo (not booting). Only a handful of people reported this so it may not be major deal, but something to keep in mind. No details yet on exactly what causes it.

Funny, when I opened the Miiverse thing to check my stamp collection yesterday, the system froze on the main menu (except background music) of the game for a minute before it worked.

EDIT: Alright so it seems it might be due to the Wii U losing internet connection while trying to upload a time or something and it doesn't have the previous data to fall back on. Similar events have been reported on other games before.

[kakashidragon]

I thought it was for the Wii-U and the 3DS? I remeber hearing about it.

[Dragonite]

Lumoise City all over again, aye?

[TurtwigX]

Well then, hopefully Nintendo goes on and sends out an update for this fast. They really don't need this kind of fear to spread around.

Originally Posted by kakashidragon

I thought it was for the Wii-U and the 3DS? I remeber hearing about it.

That's Smash Bros. Mario Kart is a one per system series, and there was already a 3DS version.

[isbragg]

Originally Posted by kakashidragon

I thought it was for the Wii-U and the 3DS? I remeber hearing about it.

Where have people heard this? It was never intended to be on the 3DS and was always considered a Wii U exclusive throughout developement. You are actually the third person I've heard mention a non-existent 3DS version. The first was, amusingly, the GameStop employee that was working the counter when I pre-ordered the game. He seriously asked me if I was getting it for Wii u or 3DS. I just looked at him funny and said that it's a Wii U exclusive. If you have a link to an article that states something about a 3DS version, I'd love to see it.

[Cat333Pokémon]

Originally Posted by kakashidragon

I thought it was for the Wii-U and the 3DS? I remeber hearing about it.

The 3DS already has Mario Kart 7. As the folks above have mentioned, perhaps you were thinking of Super Smash Bros.?

[kakashidragon]

IDK maybe i read it somewhere and they were probably considering it to be on the 3ds too. They probably changed there mind. Plus i watch the video on the 3ds and i thought one of them guys say something about a 3ds version in the future or something?

[TurtwigX]

I'm pretty sure they were never thinking of putting a game of this size on a portable system, even if it is the 3DS. You have a link to this video? I'd be more than happy to decipher it for you.

[kakashidragon]

Originally Posted by TurtwigX

I'm pretty sure they were never thinking of putting a game of this size on a portable system, even if it is the 3DS. You have a link to this video? I'd be more than happy to decipher it for you.

I forgot i watched this vid on the 3ds E-shop at one point. They must have mention a 3ds version, this was before they announced it for just the Wii-U. So i must have thought it for both system before it being finalized.

[Yoshi648]

Sheesh, what's going on with this game? First bricking Wii U systems, and now more people are reporting that their save files have been randomly erased (this includes trophies, time trial records, and stamp collections. Mario Kart TV clips seem to stay in tact though).

[Dragonite]

Originally Posted by TurtwigX

I'm pretty sure they were never thinking of putting a game of this size on a portable system, even if it is the 3DS. You have a link to this video? I'd be more than happy to decipher it for you.

I don't know exactly how big MK8 is, but they can store a lot on 3DS-sized cartridges these days, and probably with just a little less texture detail it wouldn't lag very much, either.

There is the fact that in the twenty years of Mario Kart there have so far been only one version per console, though, and it would appear as if they don't have any intention of changing that. They could easily have made some 3DS--Wii U compatibility if they wanted to.

[Cat333Pokémon]

I haven't bought a single Mario Kart game new, and especially not when it hit the market. I was considering making that change with this game, but two game-breaking disasters keep me clear.

Even the problem in Pokémon X/Y could be averted by simply not saving outside in Lumiose City, and even then you could still do it as long as you avoided the taxis.

[ThePokeMan]

Originally Posted by Yoshi648

Sheesh, what's going on with this game? First bricking Wii U systems, and now more people are reporting that their save files have been randomly erased (this includes trophies, time trial records, and stamp collections. Mario Kart TV clips seem to stay in tact though).

A couple of comments on that article point out that Wii U games will create save data on an external hard drive if one is present when the data is created. One person even had this happen and had their data restored when they reset the system with their external hard drive connected. So, it could just be a Wii U flaw, not a game flaw.

[TurtwigX]

Originally Posted by Dragonite

I don't know exactly how big MK8 is, but they can store a lot on 3DS-sized cartridges these days, and probably with just a little less texture detail it wouldn't lag very much, either.

There is the fact that in the twenty years of Mario Kart there have so far been only one version per console, though, and it would appear as if they don't have any intention of changing that. They could easily have made some 3DS--Wii U compatibility if they wanted to.

With Mario Kart 8 being Mario Kart 7 HD that would feel a little redundant, wouldn't it? So much emphasis is put on the graphics I feel like it'd be a waste of a port (Is it just me, or does Music Park feel pretty much exactly the same?)
You're definitely right. I'm still waiting for the day I can use the 3DS as an optional controller.

Both of those issues seem incredibly coincidental, and I doubt they'd happen to me. The only disaster I ever see is getting 2nd place on the last race in 150cc. :I

[Dragonite]

Originally Posted by TurtwigX

I'm still waiting for the day I can use the 3DS as an optional controller.

Both of those issues seem incredibly coincidental, and I doubt they'd happen to me. The only disaster I ever see is getting 2nd place on the last race in 150cc. :I

Off topic, but if they released a peripheral that let you use your 3DS as a controller to the computer or something I'd buy one before they even finished announcing it.