Mario Kart 8 (Wii U)

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VideoGameCritic
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Mario Kart 8 (Wii U)

Postby VideoGameCritic » June 3rd, 2014, 7:20 pm

I stand corrected!  Thanks for the info.

a1
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Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

Mario Kart 8 (Wii U)

Postby a1 » June 3rd, 2014, 7:50 pm

I've been wishing since the travesty that was mario kart wii (sorry fans, just how I felt) that Nintendo would go back to the drawing board and do a super smash kart with characters from their other franchises. That said, this is a fantastic game that is in the running for second best mario kart (64 always wins because girls love playing mk64 in college). Id still like to see them make that leap, but this is a great game. I'm going back to double dash to compare and I thin I like mk wii u more.

Segatarious1
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Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

Mario Kart 8 (Wii U)

Postby Segatarious1 » June 7th, 2014, 5:23 am

Item Review :

Most Useless - Coins - there are already plenty of coins on the track and being spilled! Comes up WAY too often when you are in the front of the pack, leaving you wishing you could get a shell or banana to block!
Most Over Rated - Horn -  Sure, it can blow up Blue Shells, but how often do you have it when in first? Not often. Weak defensive weapon overall.
Most Fun - Piranha Plant - he is a monster!
Most improved - Fireball - fast and furious, great distance


bronZfonZ1
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Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

Mario Kart 8 (Wii U)

Postby bronZfonZ1 » June 8th, 2014, 3:12 pm

Here are few more things I'm picking up after playing the game a ton.

I've heard from some that "fire-hopping" technique is the new "snaking", but so far, I'm only seeing it affecting time trials significantly.  The opportunities to use the technique are so few that I don't see Nintendo nerfing this.

Having a setup that gives you the highest top-speed possible (a heavy character on a cart with slick tires) and obviously good technique will get you the best times.  However, in regular races, when you're getting bombarded by items, that setup's low acceleration is its downfall. 

This is the first game I've experienced in which the Gamepad's considerable dead zone on its analog sticks can affect your handling.  The best way to prove it is by driving in the new Rainbow Road course in 150cc/Mirror.  The parts of the course that have spiral curves (after the first group of item blocks and before the finish line) force you to push the stick all the way to the left or right when power sliding.  When using the best handling setup -- baby character, sport bike, and roller tires -- I found out that while I had no problem on the Nyko Pro Commander or Wii Classic Controller, I was consistently falling off the edge of the track on the Gamepad.  This means that the Gamepad's sticks aren't reaching the minimum/maximum values on either axis.

I've found coins to be a very important item, and they easily make the difference between being able to pull away from the pack with a comfortable lead and being one blue shell away from going from first to seventh, especially if you're using a light/baby character with a low top speed.

I feel that the lack of item-hoarding balances out the game more and promotes aggressive but careful item usage for those in the middle of the pack, while it also makes the leader more vulnerable since he can't pull out another defensive item immediately after using up the previous one.

I find green shell ricochet physics to be both random and deterministic.  In some cases, I feel like that as I get closer to a bouncing green shell the game calculates a vector directed at my projected position no matter how unrealistic the bounce would be in real life.  In many ways, the green shell ricochet physics is comparable to a onside kick in American football.

I find it ironic that, how kid-friendly Mario Kart 8 looks on the surface, the race is pretty much a microcosm of the United States economic system.  

Rev1
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Mario Kart 8 (Wii U)

Postby Rev1 » June 14th, 2014, 11:57 pm

I finally got the gold wheels and gold kart but I was pretty disappointed. Despite being pretty and shiny the pieces are pretty average and I actually had a better setup with my other kart pieces.

Did anyone notice that the developer times were really easy this game? I beat most of them on my first try.

Herschie1
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Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

Mario Kart 8 (Wii U)

Postby Herschie1 » September 8th, 2014, 9:07 pm

I don't like how under-powered stars are in this game. I do like some of the DLC with Link though. I'm excited to see what some of the new tracks will be. 

Leo1
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Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

Mario Kart 8 (Wii U)

Postby Leo1 » November 5th, 2014, 6:59 pm

DLC Pack 1 slated for November 13th. [smile]

Here are some track videos showing off the slate of new tracks for it. 

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmakPVhPUH4[/video]

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQ7yVvxk8Q4&feature=youtu.be[/video]

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9Qm6iV8G_8[/video]

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcDnxthRzFM[/video]

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyQiK6urJ7g[/video]

Confirmed but not yet shown off are Wario's Gold Mine (MKWii), Rainbow Road (SNES), and Ice Ice Outpost (Original).

Segatarious1
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Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

Mario Kart 8 (Wii U)

Postby Segatarious1 » November 5th, 2014, 8:51 pm

If this DLC is wrong, then I do not want to be right.


Den1
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Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

Mario Kart 8 (Wii U)

Postby Den1 » November 13th, 2014, 11:47 am

The DLC is out today.  There are no stinkers among the new tracks (five new ones, three returning), though none of them blew me away, either.  The Hyrule and F-Zero tracks are my favorite, just for nostalgia's sake.  The Yoshi track from Double Dash is not as fun as I remember it being.  But overall, for $8, this is an amazing deal.


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