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Mario Kart 8 Deluxe: So nice we bought it twice.
Sterica
YesRegistered User, Moderator mod
YesRegistered User, Moderator mod
April 28th
Mario 8 Deluxe is a port of, you know, Mario Kart 8 to the Nintendo Switch. If you want a rundown of older Mario Karts, you can search for other threads.
Mario Kart 8 takes the setup from Mario Kart 7, where karts can go in water and the air, and adds anti-gravity to the mix. While largely a gimmick that doesn't change gameplay all that much (you can boost off special objects and other players while in antigrav mode) it did make for incredible setpieces in the tracks. Besides that, we got new characters ranging from Cool (the Koopalings) to Why (every baby character). There's also a bunch of new items that, in my opinion, makes it one of the best Mario Karts ever. The only weakness of the game was battle mode, which was so poor that it effectively didn't exist. But more on that later. Honestly, it's easier to just rip my micro-review of the game from the old OP I wrote three years ago:
People have more or less unanimously agreed that 8 was one of the best games the series had seen in a long time. As I said earlier, the game was both the best and fastest selling game on the Wii U. Plenty of people have absolutely not problem shelling out another $60 to play this game. It's that good.So Mario Kart 8 is numbered for good reason, as it really builds on 7's air/land/sea stuff and throws anti-gravity into the mix. So there are plenty of opportunities for you to get a lot of air and glide for a short period, and likewise there are underwater sections in several tracks (and it seems like retro courses have been modified even more than in 7 to allow for this). The anti-gravity segments you've probably seen: going upside, sideways and all over. At first blush this seems like a gimmicky thing that doesn't really add much to the game. However, there are subtle mechanics at play that really change things up. Besides the BIG OBVIOUS anti-gravity set pieces on each track, there are subtle, optional areas where anti-gravity makes the track less linear than before. Sometimes you can ride on a wall to avoid a player with dangerous orbitals, go underwater for extra coins, or just take the obvious straightaway for speed. In other words, anti-gravity has had a major impact on track design, and people who had played it are really digging it.
There's smaller, but still relevant, things like bumping into another player during anti-gravity to earn a speed boost. Older features like tricks, mini-turbos, slipstream, coins and so on have been included to allow for maximum speed. Kart customization is back, with about 52 parts divvied up over three areas of your kart: body, wheels, and glider. These offer flexibility in how your kart/bike performs, and there are a few more parts available via various DLC. There's also the return of bikes, which are faster on turns but slower than karts on straightaways.
The game also is the first to dive into DLC, offering four cups' worth of tracks, a handful of new characters, new kart pieces, and the introduction of the WAY TOO FAST 200cc engine class. The game also incorporates tracks and characters from outside the Mario franchise, a series first unless you count ROB and Pac-Man, but we don't. Basically, Mario Kart 8 got a lot of stuff added to it.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is more than just Nintendo double-dipping on Wii U games (although it is). For starters, the game will run in 1080p at 60fps (obvious going down to 720p at 60fps in handheld), compared to the Wii U version's 720p at a curious 59fps. It'll also be on the Switch, so you can play on the go and there's split-screen support for local multiplayer. Even when playing handheld, you can go up to four players split-screen, although the framerate will go down to 30fps with more than two players, regardless of whether the Switch is docked or not. Deluxe also includes ALL of the original DLC, except maybe the weird Mercedes promo stuff. As a bonus to veterans, most of the game's content will be unlocked from the get-go.
The largest addition is a revamped battle mode, which eliminates the half-assed version that launched with the Wii U. Deluxe will have eight courses specifically designed for battle mode, along with several modes to boot. These include the standard balloon mode (but not elimination, boo), shine sprite, coin runners, and new modes like a cops and robbers battle. And the whole thing is entirely playable online! Of the eight maps, five are brand new, and the remaining three are retro courses: Luigi's Mansion (Double Dash), Battle Course 1 (Super Mario Kart), and Wuhu Town (Mario Kart 7).
And new racers! New characters include:
Dry Bones
King Boo
Bowser Jr.
Inkling Girl
Inkling Boy
Gold Mario (unlockable)
There are also smaller changes, like the addition of the Boo and Feather items, although Feather is limited to battle mode to prevent breaking some tracks. There's a third level of boosting, for those extra long turns, but this comes at the loss of some technique called "fire hopping" so feel free to argue over that. Features for newer/younger players have been added, such as auto-accelerate and steering assistance, the latter of which will keep you on the track but takes turns very wide so watch out. Also the new level of turbo is disabled if those features are turned on, but it's nice for beginners.
FAQ
What's the battery life?
Early reports suggest three hours.
Are motion controls back?
Just about every control option allows for this, although if you want to spend money on a wheel that seems to be single joycon only. You should be able to also steer using the Switch itself when in handheld mode, but I can't confirm.
Is Mario Kart TV back?
It seems to be, although I have no idea what the uploading functionality will be like for clips.
Is online free?
Online play is free until Nintendo rolls out the paid service later this fall. From what I've seen, it is almost exactly like the Wii U but with minor quality of life improvements (changing character/kart without leaving the lobby).
Sterica on
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One of those cars had great engine noises
Fucking hell i need this so bad.
WELP, I fold.
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Little kids playing with older folks.
Same reason a bowling alley has gutter bumpers.
I can't fault that logic. Just seems so random and out of place given the nature of Mario Kart. I don't recall this ever being a feature in previous Karts but maybe someone can correct me if I am mistaken.
Nintendo ID: Incindium
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However, the whole concept of "luigi wins by doing nothing" is getting a few lucky breaks
Hell, I'll need it for Neo Bowser City in 200cc.
Or at least, they will TRY.
Or maybe there will just be a speedrun category of "auto mario kart only"
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I saw someone mention that it's sort of nice since you can't map acceleration to a shoulder trigger like --if I'm not mistaken-- just about every other modern racing/driving game today.
The downside, of course, being the general lack of control.
Like Mega Man Legends? Then check out my story, Legends of the Halcyon Era - An Adventure in the World of Mega Man Legends on TMMN and AO3!
Am...am I terrible for thinking of this?
Problem 2: In the above video, Luigi got a whopping ONE coin. It would probably take months at best.
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With the new item system, I hope that changes. I missed laying bananas and throwing back shells with the careful consideration of a super villain.
I've been playing Fast RMX in 4 player splitscreen. It's not ideal, but it works and if it works for that game it will work for mario kart.
Granted everyone had to basically compete to stick their faces in front of the screen, but still.
This is probably more suited for the Switch thread, but I wouldn't mind if they made a Switch + that sacrificed its portability/docking capability for a larger screen and better tabletop mode features.
Resident 8bitdo expert.
Resident hybrid/flap cover expert.
I mean obviously the purpose is to go back to the oldschool way, but I figure if its an option it would not be a completely unlikely scenario.
I'm so happy I'm getting to play it again, seeing as I sold my U on ebay a while back in preperation for the Switch.
It's also in 1080p instead of 720 this time. Good thing I upgraded my TV.
The very first TV I had, the one which I hooked my SNES up to, wasn't a whole lot bigger than the Switch. I could probably deal with this.
It's pretty annoying when a nephew wants to "play" and decides to constantly turn around and go backwards when he isn't winning until Lakitu says nope, which inevitably results in him throwing a tantrum. Or a niece that always wants to play but then decides to just go do other shit (usually in less time than it takes to finish one course).
And for some reason MK8 doesn't just end the race after a certain amount of time has elapsed, the players who were actually racing have to grab the controllers (by force if necessary) and finish the course to proceed to the next one.
I'm the exact same spot! haven't been able to play Kart with my buddy since the day the switch launched and I traded in my wii u. it's been awful! haha. we played it together at least once a week even up to the days before the switch dropped so needless to say we are VERY excited.
only thing I still need to do is I want to buy a second dock for his house so I don't have to move mine and I should get a second controller asap. I know we can split the joycon but ultimately that's not what I want to be doing.
Doesn't seem that drastic of a boost to me, but wondering how the online will shake out with this and fire hopping gone.
Oh that's huge for online. When you start mixing in jumps, drafting, mushrooms, etc. That's quite a bit of extra boost that can really make a difference.
I suspect we'll be seeing a few new areas we can get through without mushrooms now as well.