Games I Beat: Mario Kart 8

Mario Kart 8
Kart Racing
1-2 Players (Local) 1-12 (Online)
 System: Wii U
Developer: Nintendo EAD
Year of Release: 2014
Beaten: July 20th, 2014

You can probably tell by the difference in the beaten date and the posted date that I've been sitting on this one a while. I found myself struggling to talk about Mario Kart 8. It's a really good game, typical of the series. Though Nintendo would like you to believe otherwise nothing really new was added in this game. Sure there's the anti-gravitational thing that I liked, but it doesn't change anything in a really big way. It plays exactly the same as being on the normal race track, but with a lot more boosting opportunity. Which is great. I really really love Mario Kart 8, I just also happen to simultaneously hate it. There's one major issue (at least in my eyes) that has a really simple solution, but I'm going to go over why I enjoy it so much first.

I really enjoyed the majority of the tracks. This game is so beautiful, especially in motion. Sure there are better looking games, but style beats out pure technological superiority for me. Knowing how to design the aesthetic is key, and they nailed this perfectly. If you've seen this game in motion you know this to be fact. The new stages almost all feel fresh and really utilize the anti-gravity feature well for the most part. Again, that sense of speed when you hit that sweet spot of non-stop boosting is bliss and it doesn't take long to figure out the best routes on these tracks to pull that off. The retro tracks are mostly good as well, I especially enjoyed the HD-ization of some of the SNES and GBA tracks. However some of the tracks from the later retro cups feel really lacking in my opinion. Maybe they're just scrapping the bottom of the barrel though?

I mentioned the anti-gravity bits above, and I really do enjoy them even if they aren't revolutionary. It forces you to play a bit different, switching from a regular go kart mentality to that of bumper karts. Once you've gotten good at most tracks you can just non-stop boost through them and it feels so rewarding. Especially if you're expertly handling items, hitting opponents or just guarding your back as well managing to keep that momentum up. Speaking of items the new horn is an awesome and sorely needed addition. I don't think the blue shell is cheap, especially with this defensive measure in place, but I'm not exactly a fan of the item.

Finally I have to mention that online play is actually really good. I've had a couple of connection problems, but overall I've been able to consistently play games and quickly find them. There's no noticeable lag either. I'm shocked Nintendo is finally figuring out online play, though I still wish they'd get over it and make adding friends as well as chat (be it voice or text) easier and more accessible. Sometimes it might be cool to add the really talented racer you met and you want to maybe rematch sometime. I don't know, call me crazy I guess.

I can feel my blood boiling just thinking about this, but here we go. The cheating fucking AI (hyperbole). I play in 150cc so maybe it's not so bad in the easier speeds, but I swear these fuckers just cheat sometimes (again hyperbole). The goal is not only to place 1st overall, but to earn three-stars per cup in Grand Prix mode. You do this by playing nigh perfectly on all four races. My major problem with this is that Mario Kart is almost based more on chance than skill. There has been far too many occasions where I have three perfect runs. I'm feeling good about myself, not cocky just proud, but invariably during that last race I get screwed over by some unfortunate item tosses by my opponents. So I just wasted all that time playing through the other races.

Sure it acts as practice, and I do enjoy just racing around. But when you're just trying to finish up the last couple of cups and you just aren't making progress due to unforeseeable accidents, being forced to replay the same track ad nauseam it is bound to get to you. You know what they could do to fix this? Something they've implemented in prior games if I remember correctly (going strictly off memory. What's Google?). Retries. Why the hell can I not retry at least once per race. This wouldn't be cheap, if I get less than 1st I'm guaranteed to not place. This isn't due to lack of skill, but just due to the rape train that is a blue shell, red shell, banana, lighting and then natural obstacle placed in the track itself. So why not even just one retry? It would give you a chance of renewed hope, because the feeling after what I described above is nothing short of heart wrenching frustration.

Most of my other criticism's are minor, bickering at best really. Why is Next Race not the first option after beating a race? Why are so many character slots wasted on repeat or just pointless characters? Why did they choose some of the retro courses they chose? Seriously? Mii is a character? Ew, what is with this red box? You could even argue that my main gripe is bickering, and I'm probably lose the argument in all honestly. But it really does add a level of frustration that brings down the overall experience. I don't mind losing, but it feels downright unfair at times. Having that come up multiple times just wears on a player eventually.

That one complaint aside, I love this game, dearly even. I'm playing it (yeah, still in my daily rotation) and having so much fun playing with friends, playing online, and even losing my Grand Prix. It's just pure joy, the visual spectacle along with the spot on controls and not to mention the smooth game play both off and online means this really deserves a spot in any Wii U owner's library. Just know it can get annoying if you're attempting to complete it entirely, but luckily you can always walk away.