Mario Kart 8 Review
By: RJ (@rga_02)
- Mario Kart 8
- Developer - Nintendo EAD
- Publisher - Nintendo
- Nintendo Wii U
- Rating - E
As I write this review, I started to remember the days when I would go to my cousin’s house to play Mario Kart 64. I believe I was the only Nintendo 64 owner who didn’t own a copy of that game. I had another kart racer. It was Diddy Kong Racing, which in my mind was the objectively superior kart racer - and still is. I’ve never thought much of the Mario Kart franchise. But I’d still play them because they present fun that only Nintendo can deliver. And several years later from the moment I first won against my cousin in Toad’s Turnpike, that magic is still in present in the tracks of Mario Kart 8.
Gameplay
Mario Kart 8 still maintains the tried and true formula its predecessors, but with some minor additions. New items such as the boomerang flower and a new antigravity gimmick gives a small breath of fresh air into something we hold familiar to our minds. My favorite minor addition would be the antigravity segments of each tracks. While it’s mostly just there for visual appeal, it actually adds in something that could make or break your race. Should you bump into the kart next to you, they will get a boost and vice versa. Nintendo may get a lot of flack for playing it safe and I certainly do agree that a lot of their IPs need a major shakeup, but I feel the Mario Kart series is an exception to that criticism. This franchise has withstood the test of time (22 years to be exact) sticking to the same basic gameplay with just minor additions. This game ain’t broken, and Nintendo knows it.
Multiplayer & Connectivity
Online mode is a very mixed bag. You can easily set up your own tournaments up to twelve people. And heck, one of the most surprising feature of them all, you can upload the race highlighs directly to YouTube. So you can show the whole world that you just got #rekt. Sadly, this is where things go downhill. Unlike other online services, Nintendo still has a long way to go and it shows in Mario Kart 8. I was very disappointed that you can’t invite your friends into a game. And for some it also might be a disappointment that chat is only restricted to your friends. But personally, I find that a godsend. Damn me if I have to hear a bunch of screaming children. Hopefully Nintendo will push an update to fix these minor grievances in the near future.
Art & Music
Music in this game is simply delightful. With jazzy vibes being upfront and center the OST brings an upbeat joy to every intense race you have. Heck, the OST feels more alive than any other Mario Kart title.
Art direction in this game is outstanding. Even the most blandest of tracks such as Toad’s Turnpike is still a stunner to look at. And it’s expected - this game is Mario Kart’s first foray into HD territory and it handled that transition well.
Mario Kart 8 is such a blast to play. By the time this review hits out, I have spent nearly 23 hours with the game - 19 of those hours just racing with friends and family. Whether it will place the Wii U into its stride is still up in the air, but for now, lets not worry about sales numbers, let’s just focus on finishing that last lap without getting hit by that red shell.