Without wanting to come across as Mr Negative but this just sounds like Mario Kart HD edition with only incremental improvements kinda like the latest COD or FIFA, Madden, etc.
I know you guys love it, but from the outside it just seems same old, same old.
Mario Kart 8 (Wii U)
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Segatarious1
- Posts: 1110
- Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm
Mario Kart 8 (Wii U)
[QUOTE=Sut]Without wanting to come across as Mr Negative but this just sounds like Mario Kart HD edition with only incremental improvements kinda like the latest COD or FIFA, Madden, etc. I know you guys love it, but from the outside it just seems same old, same old. [/QUOTE]
I would not agree with that, from playing the game.
-16 new course, some really top notch designs - too early for me to 'rank' it though.
-16 retro course, retooled fro modern Mario Kart elements like jumps, flying, diving, anti grav, etc. They look pretty nice.
-karts, bikes, and no ATV's - game has a TON of control options.
-Game controls unique to itself. Feels most like Double Dash to me, so far, very fluid power boosting. These course are a joy to fly around.
-new items, really fun ideas, and the staples as well. Fire Flower is really awesome in this game.
-loaded with online features, I have not even tried online yet.
It does not feel reiterative at all, to me.
I would not agree with that, from playing the game.
-16 new course, some really top notch designs - too early for me to 'rank' it though.
-16 retro course, retooled fro modern Mario Kart elements like jumps, flying, diving, anti grav, etc. They look pretty nice.
-karts, bikes, and no ATV's - game has a TON of control options.
-Game controls unique to itself. Feels most like Double Dash to me, so far, very fluid power boosting. These course are a joy to fly around.
-new items, really fun ideas, and the staples as well. Fire Flower is really awesome in this game.
-loaded with online features, I have not even tried online yet.
It does not feel reiterative at all, to me.
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bronZfonZ1
- Posts: 58
- Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm
Mario Kart 8 (Wii U)
No doubt great care needed to be put in the game, but IMO, MarioKart.TV was probably the most important new feature that EAD Group 1 developed for MK8. The ease at which one can share a race's highlights through social media could help the viral marketing aspect for the game.
I agree with pretty much all the praises from the previous posters. I will say, though, that if it weren't for the bikes, I probably wouldn't have enjoyed the game as much as I have. The precision at which one can hit curves at their apex (like in "real" racing) when power sliding on a bike is incredibly satisfying to me.
I also really like the little touches, from the sponsor decals on the vehicles, to how the characters with either kick their feet out when cornering on a dual sport bike or drag their knees when on a sport bike, to how the racers give the "look of disdain" to opponents they pass up, to how one can manipulate the highlight reels to sound like a scratch DJ, to how the female racers' ponytails dangle when they're on a upside down part of an anti-gravity track. I can keep going on and on about how much character has been put in the game, but I think you get my point. They all make Sonic All-Stars Racing Transformed look sterile and lifeless in comparison -- as much as I thoroughly enjoyed that game.
I agree with pretty much all the praises from the previous posters. I will say, though, that if it weren't for the bikes, I probably wouldn't have enjoyed the game as much as I have. The precision at which one can hit curves at their apex (like in "real" racing) when power sliding on a bike is incredibly satisfying to me.
I also really like the little touches, from the sponsor decals on the vehicles, to how the characters with either kick their feet out when cornering on a dual sport bike or drag their knees when on a sport bike, to how the racers give the "look of disdain" to opponents they pass up, to how one can manipulate the highlight reels to sound like a scratch DJ, to how the female racers' ponytails dangle when they're on a upside down part of an anti-gravity track. I can keep going on and on about how much character has been put in the game, but I think you get my point. They all make Sonic All-Stars Racing Transformed look sterile and lifeless in comparison -- as much as I thoroughly enjoyed that game.
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Atarifever1
- Posts: 3892
- Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm
Mario Kart 8 (Wii U)
[QUOTE=Sut]Without wanting to come across as Mr Negative but this just sounds like Mario Kart HD edition with only incremental improvements kinda like the latest COD or FIFA, Madden, etc. I know you guys love it, but from the outside it just seems same old, same old. [/QUOTE]
Nope. The options they have included make this an entirely different game. You can set rules, like no Blue Shells, or no items at all. Essentially, if you play with items off, you can still drift and draft the racers ahead of you, and suddenly it is an incredibly precise, incredibly tight racing game. You can change the items up and play an entirely different game depending on the tracks. You can share your highlights out and watch other people's. You can upload to youtube. You can set up tournaments with other players. I think people are missing that the options suite here is not the difference between COD MW2 and MW3. It is the difference between Urban Champion and Street Fighter 2. This is a game where Nintendo took everything fans asked for in one of its best franchises for 2 decades and said "sure, here, have all of it now."
It is, in my opinion, the single biggest change to one of their existing series since Prime. They have turned it into a series that will live online for years, that will have viral hooks for years, that still works offline just fine, and that will allow for strict, skill based competitions at the highest level as well as simple party gaming. They've essentially crafted a skill based racer onto a party game without either suffering. That is amazing. Between this and Smash, I am not sure anymore which is the most versatile game.
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ActRaiser1
- Posts: 2726
- Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm
Mario Kart 8 (Wii U)
[QUOTE=Sut]Without wanting to come across as Mr Negative but this just sounds like Mario Kart HD edition with only incremental improvements kinda like the latest COD or FIFA, Madden, etc. I know you guys love it, but from the outside it just seems same old, same old. [/QUOTE]
I haven't played a Mario Kart game since the N64 days. As a result, a good 15 years sounds about right.
The graphics are really, really good. The online play when it works is great.
Between this and Sega's All Star Racing Transformed in my humble opinion I'd probably give the nod to Sega's game. The unlockables are more interesting with Sega's wide cadre of characters to choose from across a ton of games. While on Mario Kart the unlockables are solely within the venue of Mario. I kept hoping to see Link or Samus or even Slippy's "Do a barrel roll." But, no such luck.
The online portion is tight and the game play is tight but for more creative levels it felt like Sega's offered more variety.
Don't get me wrong it's a great game and you get another game for free which totally makes paying $60 worth it.
You won't go wrong with the game either, but I'd suggest Sega's game for the Wii U as an alternative if you were never all that enamored with Mario Kart.
Of course, if you have friends over, you'll enjoy dropping a red shell on a friend right before he crosses the finish line. However, when it's the computer doing the same to you, well, that's another story.
I haven't played a Mario Kart game since the N64 days. As a result, a good 15 years sounds about right.
The graphics are really, really good. The online play when it works is great.
Between this and Sega's All Star Racing Transformed in my humble opinion I'd probably give the nod to Sega's game. The unlockables are more interesting with Sega's wide cadre of characters to choose from across a ton of games. While on Mario Kart the unlockables are solely within the venue of Mario. I kept hoping to see Link or Samus or even Slippy's "Do a barrel roll." But, no such luck.
The online portion is tight and the game play is tight but for more creative levels it felt like Sega's offered more variety.
Don't get me wrong it's a great game and you get another game for free which totally makes paying $60 worth it.
You won't go wrong with the game either, but I'd suggest Sega's game for the Wii U as an alternative if you were never all that enamored with Mario Kart.
Of course, if you have friends over, you'll enjoy dropping a red shell on a friend right before he crosses the finish line. However, when it's the computer doing the same to you, well, that's another story.
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bronZfonZ1
- Posts: 58
- Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm
Mario Kart 8 (Wii U)
[QUOTE=ActRaiser]
I haven't played a Mario Kart game since the N64 days. As a result, a good 15 years sounds about right.
The graphics are really, really good. The online play when it works is great.
Between this and Sega's All Star Racing Transformed in my humble opinion I'd probably give the nod to Sega's game. The unlockables are more interesting with Sega's wide cadre of characters to choose from across a ton of games. While on Mario Kart the unlockables are solely within the venue of Mario. I kept hoping to see Link or Samus or even Slippy's "Do a barrel roll." But, no such luck.
The online portion is tight and the game play is tight but for more creative levels it felt like Sega's offered more variety.
Don't get me wrong it's a great game and you get another game for free which totally makes paying $60 worth it.
You won't go wrong with the game either, but I'd suggest Sega's game for the Wii U as an alternative if you were never all that enamored with Mario Kart.
Of course, if you have friends over, you'll enjoy dropping a red shell on a friend right before he crosses the finish line. However, when it's the computer doing the same to you, well, that's another story.[/QUOTE]
I think that, while Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed has more breadth -- on-paper content -- Mario Kart 8 has more depth. The subtleties and nuances of the driving system, item system, and course design (What other non-MK racing game can let one drive over piano keys that actually play music when you run over them?), in addition to the sample of little details I listed in my previous post, the online and couch multiplayer, the social media aspect of Mario Kart TV, etc., make Mario Kart 8 much, much deeper than Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed is broader.
Nintendo managed to create an entire franchise with the entirety of its content from the Super Mario Bros. universe, Donkey Kong notwithstanding, while Sega had to reach with Danica Patrick, Wreck-It-Ralph, and a Roman general to fill the content of their game. While the kitchen sink approach served Sega well on variety, I think it did more to tarnish the legacy of Sonic the Hedgehog -- if most of his recent games haven't done so already -- by showing just how shallow the Sonic universe is compared to the Super Mario Bros. universe.
There's no doubt I really enjoyed playing Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, but Mario Kart 8 is just another example showing that the amount of care and nurturing that Nintendo gives to its IPs is virtually unmatched, with Blizzard coming in a distant second.
I haven't played a Mario Kart game since the N64 days. As a result, a good 15 years sounds about right.
The graphics are really, really good. The online play when it works is great.
Between this and Sega's All Star Racing Transformed in my humble opinion I'd probably give the nod to Sega's game. The unlockables are more interesting with Sega's wide cadre of characters to choose from across a ton of games. While on Mario Kart the unlockables are solely within the venue of Mario. I kept hoping to see Link or Samus or even Slippy's "Do a barrel roll." But, no such luck.
The online portion is tight and the game play is tight but for more creative levels it felt like Sega's offered more variety.
Don't get me wrong it's a great game and you get another game for free which totally makes paying $60 worth it.
You won't go wrong with the game either, but I'd suggest Sega's game for the Wii U as an alternative if you were never all that enamored with Mario Kart.
Of course, if you have friends over, you'll enjoy dropping a red shell on a friend right before he crosses the finish line. However, when it's the computer doing the same to you, well, that's another story.[/QUOTE]
I think that, while Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed has more breadth -- on-paper content -- Mario Kart 8 has more depth. The subtleties and nuances of the driving system, item system, and course design (What other non-MK racing game can let one drive over piano keys that actually play music when you run over them?), in addition to the sample of little details I listed in my previous post, the online and couch multiplayer, the social media aspect of Mario Kart TV, etc., make Mario Kart 8 much, much deeper than Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed is broader.
Nintendo managed to create an entire franchise with the entirety of its content from the Super Mario Bros. universe, Donkey Kong notwithstanding, while Sega had to reach with Danica Patrick, Wreck-It-Ralph, and a Roman general to fill the content of their game. While the kitchen sink approach served Sega well on variety, I think it did more to tarnish the legacy of Sonic the Hedgehog -- if most of his recent games haven't done so already -- by showing just how shallow the Sonic universe is compared to the Super Mario Bros. universe.
There's no doubt I really enjoyed playing Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, but Mario Kart 8 is just another example showing that the amount of care and nurturing that Nintendo gives to its IPs is virtually unmatched, with Blizzard coming in a distant second.
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ptdebate1
- Posts: 909
- Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm
Mario Kart 8 (Wii U)
There's a particular feature that I loved in Sonic and All Stars Racing Transformed which is curiously missing from MK8. Can anyone guess what it is?
5-players!
You can't use the Gamepad as an independent screen like you could with S&ASRT. I'm really hoping that they patch this feature in later.
5-players!
You can't use the Gamepad as an independent screen like you could with S&ASRT. I'm really hoping that they patch this feature in later.
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VideoGameCritic
- Site Admin
- Posts: 18181
- Joined: April 1st, 2015, 7:23 pm
Mario Kart 8 (Wii U)
[QUOTE=ptdebate]There's a particular feature that I loved in Sonic and All Stars Racing Transformed which is curiously missing from MK8. Can anyone guess what it is?
5-players!
You can't use the Gamepad as an independent screen like you could with S&ASRT. I'm really hoping that they patch this feature in later.[/QUOTE]
I noticed this also, but there's no way they would "patch in" a feature like this. The only thing they "patch in" are bug fixes. Substantial patches are usually made into DLC, and you don't want to get me started on that.
5-players!
You can't use the Gamepad as an independent screen like you could with S&ASRT. I'm really hoping that they patch this feature in later.[/QUOTE]
I noticed this also, but there's no way they would "patch in" a feature like this. The only thing they "patch in" are bug fixes. Substantial patches are usually made into DLC, and you don't want to get me started on that.
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ptdebate1
- Posts: 909
- Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm
Mario Kart 8 (Wii U)
[QUOTE=videogamecritic][QUOTE=ptdebate]There's a particular feature that I loved in Sonic and All Stars Racing Transformed which is curiously missing from MK8. Can anyone guess what it is?
5-players!
You can't use the Gamepad as an independent screen like you could with S&ASRT. I'm really hoping that they patch this feature in later.[/QUOTE]
I noticed this also, but there's no way they would "patch in" a feature like this. The only thing they "patch in" are bug fixes. Substantial patches are usually made into DLC, and you don't want to get me started on that.[/QUOTE]
I have to disagree with you, Critic. Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate received a patch a few months after release allowing off-screen play and the ability to join up with international players. Pikmin 3 recently received an entirely new control scheme via patch (you can now use the stylus as a pointing device for the target where you throw pikmin). The Wii U's Wii system software was patched to allow off-screen play for original Wii and Wii Virtual Console games. Patches on the Wii U are by no means limited to bug fixes. Heck, an entire suite of functionality was "patched in" when the console was launched (lest we forget that the console had virtually no networking features out of the box).
5-players!
You can't use the Gamepad as an independent screen like you could with S&ASRT. I'm really hoping that they patch this feature in later.[/QUOTE]
I noticed this also, but there's no way they would "patch in" a feature like this. The only thing they "patch in" are bug fixes. Substantial patches are usually made into DLC, and you don't want to get me started on that.[/QUOTE]
I have to disagree with you, Critic. Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate received a patch a few months after release allowing off-screen play and the ability to join up with international players. Pikmin 3 recently received an entirely new control scheme via patch (you can now use the stylus as a pointing device for the target where you throw pikmin). The Wii U's Wii system software was patched to allow off-screen play for original Wii and Wii Virtual Console games. Patches on the Wii U are by no means limited to bug fixes. Heck, an entire suite of functionality was "patched in" when the console was launched (lest we forget that the console had virtually no networking features out of the box).
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ptdebate1
- Posts: 909
- Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm
Mario Kart 8 (Wii U)
[QUOTE=videogamecritic][QUOTE=ptdebate]There's a particular feature that I loved in Sonic and All Stars Racing Transformed which is curiously missing from MK8. Can anyone guess what it is?
5-players!
You can't use the Gamepad as an independent screen like you could with S&ASRT. I'm really hoping that they patch this feature in later.[/QUOTE]
I noticed this also, but there's no way they would "patch in" a feature like this. The only thing they "patch in" are bug fixes. Substantial patches are usually made into DLC, and you don't want to get me started on that.[/QUOTE]
Sorry for the double post!
I just realized that we may be disagreeing on the basis of my misuse of the word "patch." You're right--"patch" from a software engineering standpoint implies that something was broken and in need of fixing.
What I meant was that I hope Nintendo releases an update including this feature, like they did with Pikmin 3's stylus controls or the Wii off-screen play.
5-players!
You can't use the Gamepad as an independent screen like you could with S&ASRT. I'm really hoping that they patch this feature in later.[/QUOTE]
I noticed this also, but there's no way they would "patch in" a feature like this. The only thing they "patch in" are bug fixes. Substantial patches are usually made into DLC, and you don't want to get me started on that.[/QUOTE]
Sorry for the double post!
I just realized that we may be disagreeing on the basis of my misuse of the word "patch." You're right--"patch" from a software engineering standpoint implies that something was broken and in need of fixing.
What I meant was that I hope Nintendo releases an update including this feature, like they did with Pikmin 3's stylus controls or the Wii off-screen play.