Topic: Mario Kart 8 Review

[Stratos]

I wish they would bring back the Double Dash mechanics. I loved teaming up in that game. I was one of the best racers in my group of friends and my buddy was an excellent gunner and we had the group power slide down to a science. Only problem was he loved throwing his weight around and would slam us off a ledge in an attempt to push opponents off the course. DS had a good battle mode. Don't know why everyone is hating on it. I liked the Shine Get mode.


Double Dash
DS
N64
Wii
SMK

{Not played so can't comment}
7, 8, Super Circuit

[Darkurai the Oracle Pony]

1. Wii
2. 64
3. DS
4. 7
5. Double Dash
6. Super Circuit
7. Super Mario Kart


Wii is above and beyond the best with the tightest controls. 64 had a very unique control system compared to modern Mario Karts and is both unique and wonderful.


Double Dash I find to be highly overrated, with the drifting being horrendous and the controls being overall pretty mediocre. Super Circuit is just bad, and the original Super Mario Kart is almost unplayable.

[Darkurai the Oracle Pony]

I forgot to include the 20 minutes I played of Mario Kart 8 at Best Buy a year ago. I'd place it just above Double Dash.

[Khushrenada]

Double Dash I find to be highly overrated, with the drifting being horrendous and the controls being overall pretty mediocre.

Woah! I have entered the rabbit hole with this one. I mean, I get that games and controls can connect differently with people and what is intuitive to one person can be completely foreign to another but I'm stunned by that statement. Double Dash is what has established how all Mario Kart games drift and Mario Kart DS just followed it. Maybe that's why I like those two so much. Drifting clicked a lot easier with me on those games.

[Wah]

DS for the WIN!! we have good taste Pokepal
 

[UncleBob]

Curious that *no* one has ranked the arcade games.  Has no one played them, or does everyone who's played them just not consider them to be part of the series?

[Adrock]

I know the arcade games exist, but I haven't played them so I left them off.

[NWR_insanolord]

Curious that *no* one has ranked the arcade games.  Has no one played them, or does everyone who's played them just not consider them to be part of the series?

I haven't played them myself, but I don't think I've ever heard anyone say anything good about them.

[Khushrenada]

I won't rank what I haven't played unlike the Mario Kart 8 experts who only need a brief demo or other people's opinions to know how to rate something.

[Traveller]

Wowzers. I did not expect to see so many different rankings. What's high for some is low for others and vice versa. No wonder this series is starting to get so many mixed reactions. But the one that completely surprises me is this one:

Aw Neal.. Super Circuit is awesome!


Alright, gonna list mine now.


1. MK64
2. MK:SC
3. MK:DD
4. MK:DS
5. MKWii
6. SMK
7. MK7


The bottom end of the list is tricky to place. I liked 7 but didn't end up playing it all that much, and MKWii got frustrating with the A.I. on the higher difficulties. I've played more SMK than 7 and Wii probably.

Ok, I got to know, what is the trick to Super Circuit? I got the game as part of the ambassador program and I put some time into it to try and beat it and get 3 star rankings before Mario Kart 7. But I could never seem to get a handle on the controls and drift or turn well at high speeds. What am I missing that you are getting to like the game this much? I finally gave up on the game.

Well you don't try and play it like other MK's with the power slide, although on some wide turns you can hold it to get a mini boost.

I use a combination of tapping the slide/jump and taking my finger off the accelerator. If I go into a corner with the slide, I usually let go as I begin to drift to the outside of the track, this will let me tighten my turn.

I like the game because it can feel very fast paced and its really satisfying to fly through a course tapping and turning your way through and not messing up. I am a fan of outrunning red and spiny shells too, that can feel pretty tense and its really cool to pull off.

Heres a rough example of me playing two tracks from the game. I haven't played it for quite some time and I was sitting at a strange angle, so its not ideal. I used a Micro to try and show what I do, I can't really notice when Im not using the A button though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MR_EwTTlxg&feature=youtu.be

And of course my old Extra Life. http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/extralife/26314/mario-kart-super-circuit

[Phil]

1) Mario Kart DS
2) Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
3) Mario Kart 7
4) Mario Kart Wii
5) Mario Kart: Super Circuit
6) Mario Kart 64
7) Super Mario Kart
8. Mario Kart 8

[nickmitch]

I didn't like Double Dash at first (would've preferred 64 at the time), but the more I think about it, the core mechanic was really awesome.  There was just so much more to strategy than just picking your favorite characters.  Your character combo decided what kind of cars you could drive and what the special item you get was.  Plus you could get a sweet item and hold on to it for the entire race.  That level of strategy hasn't reappeared since.

[Khushrenada]

Well you don't try and play it like other MK's with the power slide, although on some wide turns you can hold it to get a mini boost.

I use a combination of tapping the slide/jump and taking my finger off the accelerator. If I go into a corner with the slide, I usually let go as I begin to drift to the outside of the track, this will let me tighten my turn.

I like the game because it can feel very fast paced and its really satisfying to fly through a course tapping and turning your way through and not messing up. I am a fan of outrunning red and spiny shells too, that can feel pretty tense and its really cool to pull off.

Heres a rough example of me playing two tracks from the game. I haven't played it for quite some time and I was sitting at a strange angle, so its not ideal. I used a Micro to try and show what I do, I can't really notice when Im not using the A button though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MR_EwTTlxg&feature=youtu.be

And of course my old Extra Life. http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/extralife/26314/mario-kart-super-circuit

Hmm. Now see that seems so unnatural to me. In a Mario Kart, I usually just hold the A button down from start to finish unless there is some sort of incident where I need to let go like in MK64 where you could press the brakes to avoid a banana wipeout. The idea of letting go and tapping the accelerator is probably what's throwing me off. I think I was starting to get to that point because I was just having trouble with turns and it seemed to be the only way I could navigate but I just felt I must be doing it wrong or missing something.

The other thing that threw me off is the speed burst from power sliding or turning. From GC and on, when you started powersliding, you could then get a blue flame and a red flame so that when letting go of the power slide, you'd get a speed burst. With Super Circuit, there were a couple times I got that power slide burst but I couldn't figure out how to get it consistantly. That's what caused me to leave it in frustration. Being able to pull off a consistant power slide burst is how you get a lead and hold onto it in current MK games and get faster times to pull of 3 star ranks and beat Time Trail ghosts. It seems from what you are saying is that it is more a bonus occurance that happens once in awhile as you race.

I was watching the video to see if I could notice your thumb tapping the a button or lifting from it but it didn't seem like it however it's not like that would require a big motion. You seem to be able to get around the tracks pretty smoothly though so congrats on master the game.

------
Alright Phil! Our rankings are pretty much the same aside from your placement of Super Circuit. This man knows what he's doing.
------

I didn't like Double Dash at first (would've preferred 64 at the time), but the more I think about it, the core mechanic was really awesome.  There was just so much more to strategy than just picking your favorite characters.  Your character combo decided what kind of cars you could drive and what the special item you get was.  Plus you could get a sweet item and hold on to it for the entire race.  That level of strategy hasn't reappeared since.

Yes, yes, yes! It took me awhile to figure this out. What I like about that mechanic is that it is almost a blending of Battle Mode with racing. Besides just the usual business of racing around tracks and doing some tight cornering, you then had to be aware of your item management also, swapping out characters to maybe get a character specific item or hold onto items.

Honestly, while I was disappointed with the less than stellar battle mode courses, once I started doing this more careful character selection and item management, it really helped that mode to take off and I did come to love it like previous entries. And one of the most tense and mind-warping things for me was the GameCube course. When first playing it, I hated it because this isn't battle mode. There's nowhere to hide or outwit your opponent and item boxes galore. But much like my opinion of Baby Park changed from it being a lazy oval course to a white knuckle ride from the carnage that could be unleashed on it, my opinion changed on the Gamecube course as well. You had to make every item count in that course and be aware of your surroundings. If you saw on player 2's screen that he just acquired a red shell, you are pressing the item button like mad to stop the roulette wheel and hope you've got an item to quickly counter the shell before he lines you up in his sights. With practice, my brother and I started to have some longer battles on the Gamecube map. It can really get the heart pumping.

[nickmitch]

I think I always liked the Baby Park course.  It looks lazy, but that thing can be a real fight.  Items matter a lot in multiplayer, and single player lets you lap opponents, which is funny.

[UncleBob]

Baby Park is an amazing example of "Less is More" design.

[Phil]

^

[Phil]

High five, Khush! (I was trying to type "^5" in the prior post, but I must have hit some key that made it post "^"!
Anyway, to better explain my picks (I was lazy at the time of writing the list):

Mario Kart DS - I really liked the tracks, the mission mode (especially), I loved many of the tracks (Delfino Square is my favorite from the game, along with Airship Fortress, Luigi's Mansion, and Bowser's Castle-- though I didn't care for Yoshi's track, the desert track, or the figure 8 circuit) and the online, penis emblems and all! Oh, and the implementation of regular retro tracks-- Super Circuit notwithstanding.

Mario Kart: Double Dash!! - I adore the soundtrack, I love the tracks (Mushroom Bridge, Baby Park, Bowser's Castle, Rainbow Road, Peach Beach, Daisy Cruiser, Dino Dino Jungle, etc.), I enjoyed the novelty of two racer karts, and I have a lot of nostalgia towards this game.

Mario Kart 7 - Features some really great tracks; the online was great; item balance was a little bit of a problem; I didn't like how kart pieces were unlocked randomly and with so much grinding;

Mario Kart Wii - Loved a great many of the tracks, loved how many characters there were and how varied they were, online was fun, but battle mode was nerfed, and the item balance was way too poor; oh, and I didn't like how I couldn't play the grand prix with my brother to unlock stuff like every console MK prior

Mario Kart: Super Circuit - I love the art direction of this game, watercolor/pastel-like; great amount of tracks; I'm not really big on the 2D Mario Karts, despite growing up on Super Mario Kart! Also, driving was a little slippery to me.

Mario Kart 64 - Loved, loved, LOVED this game growing up. Still contains my favorite soundtrack from the series (with Double Dash being second). Features my favorite Bowser's Castle track iteration. Battle mode was great. Some tracks were just "there," but I did enjoy the majority of them. My real problem with this game now is just how blatant the rubber-band AI is. It makes grand prix runs a chore.

Super Mario Kart - AI was cheap, driving was slippery, many tracks are just boring now to me (but that's obviously because of what's available now), but it's still a fun game. I'm looking forward to an eventual NA Virtual Console release.

[Stratos]

I got to play the Mario Kart arcade title in Disney World a few years ago. It was fun but not nearly enough time to get a solid feel for it in comparison to the other titles.


I'll have to remember to look for it again when we go soon.

[Traveller]

Well you don't try and play it like other MK's with the power slide, although on some wide turns you can hold it to get a mini boost.

I use a combination of tapping the slide/jump and taking my finger off the accelerator. If I go into a corner with the slide, I usually let go as I begin to drift to the outside of the track, this will let me tighten my turn.

I like the game because it can feel very fast paced and its really satisfying to fly through a course tapping and turning your way through and not messing up. I am a fan of outrunning red and spiny shells too, that can feel pretty tense and its really cool to pull off.

Heres a rough example of me playing two tracks from the game. I haven't played it for quite some time and I was sitting at a strange angle, so its not ideal. I used a Micro to try and show what I do, I can't really notice when Im not using the A button though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MR_EwTTlxg&feature=youtu.be

And of course my old Extra Life. http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/extralife/26314/mario-kart-super-circuit

Hmm. Now see that seems so unnatural to me. In a Mario Kart, I usually just hold the A button down from start to finish unless there is some sort of incident where I need to let go like in MK64 where you could press the brakes to avoid a banana wipeout. The idea of letting go and tapping the accelerator is probably what's throwing me off. I think I was starting to get to that point because I was just having trouble with turns and it seemed to be the only way I could navigate but I just felt I must be doing it wrong or missing something.

The other thing that threw me off is the speed burst from power sliding or turning. From GC and on, when you started powersliding, you could then get a blue flame and a red flame so that when letting go of the power slide, you'd get a speed burst. With Super Circuit, there were a couple times I got that power slide burst but I couldn't figure out how to get it consistantly. That's what caused me to leave it in frustration. Being able to pull off a consistant power slide burst is how you get a lead and hold onto it in current MK games and get faster times to pull of 3 star ranks and beat Time Trail ghosts. It seems from what you are saying is that it is more a bonus occurance that happens once in awhile as you race.

I was watching the video to see if I could notice your thumb tapping the a button or lifting from it but it didn't seem like it however it's not like that would require a big motion. You seem to be able to get around the tracks pretty smoothly though so congrats on master the game.

------
Alright Phil! Our rankings are pretty much the same aside from your placement of Super Circuit. This man knows what he's doing.
------

I didn't like Double Dash at first (would've preferred 64 at the time), but the more I think about it, the core mechanic was really awesome.  There was just so much more to strategy than just picking your favorite characters.  Your character combo decided what kind of cars you could drive and what the special item you get was.  Plus you could get a sweet item and hold on to it for the entire race.  That level of strategy hasn't reappeared since.

Yes, yes, yes! It took me awhile to figure this out. What I like about that mechanic is that it is almost a blending of Battle Mode with racing. Besides just the usual business of racing around tracks and doing some tight cornering, you then had to be aware of your item management also, swapping out characters to maybe get a character specific item or hold onto items.

Honestly, while I was disappointed with the less than stellar battle mode courses, once I started doing this more careful character selection and item management, it really helped that mode to take off and I did come to love it like previous entries. And one of the most tense and mind-warping things for me was the GameCube course. When first playing it, I hated it because this isn't battle mode. There's nowhere to hide or outwit your opponent and item boxes galore. But much like my opinion of Baby Park changed from it being a lazy oval course to a white knuckle ride from the carnage that could be unleashed on it, my opinion changed on the Gamecube course as well. You had to make every item count in that course and be aware of your surroundings. If you saw on player 2's screen that he just acquired a red shell, you are pressing the item button like mad to stop the roulette wheel and hope you've got an item to quickly counter the shell before he lines you up in his sights. With practice, my brother and I started to have some longer battles on the Gamecube map. It can really get the heart pumping.

I actually don't need to tap A all that much, just sometimes it's helpful to correct or stay on course. Tapping and holding the jump is much more important.

Also, like I said, the power slide isn't really much like other Karts. To get it you have to hold a drift for an extended period, you will only be able to get it on the long wide turns as it needs a bit of time.

[Mop it up]

I guess I might as well join in on this.

1. Mario Kart Wii.
The first - and still the only - game in the series to get things just about right. Good selection of characters and vehicles, fun and dynamic new tracks, cool new items and good mixture of racing and items, great online, neat new tweaks to the formula like tricking, and a better drift system. But most importantly, the control felt responsive, smooth, and intuitive, which is more than I can say for the other games in the series, except maybe MK VII. I like Mario Kart Wii way more than all other games in the series.

2. Mario Kart VII
A real step down from Mario Kart Wii, but still a decent game. Track design varies wildy, with some good and some downright terrible ones. Control feels a little slippery but is still good enough. Gliding was neat, the propeller felt a little pointless though. Going back to 8 racers though makes it less exciting, as well as other removed features.

3. Mario Kart Double Dash!!
The double kart thing was a nice shakeup and should come back as an optional way to play. Character-specific items were a neat idea but too imbalanced. Feels a little light on content with just 16 tracks, but there are some good ones. Where it really loses me though is the awful control, just feels so loose and slippery, and flicking the stick back and forth to get drift boosts is just plain annoying.

4. Mario Kart DS
This game seems to have introduced the same style of track design still used today, so it's an important evolutionary step. It still has some good tracks as well and introduced some nice items. Mission mode and emblems should come back. The control is still pretty terrible though, made worse with the D-pad; I need analogue control for my racers.

5. Mario Kart 64
Since this is one of the few games we had growing up, I have played it a decent amount back then. I was never too into it though since the controls are downright terrible, and I can't stand to play the game today. It also has some of the most ridiculous item balance in the series, as even powerful items like lightning and stars can be received in second place.

6. Super Mario Kart
Obviously it was good for a start, but I didn't have an SNES during its time so I never played this in its day. It doesn't hold up and isn't worth playing today.

7. Mario Kart Super Circuit
I got this very shortly after getting a GBA in 2001. One of the biggest mistake buys I've ever made. Terrible controls, bad tracks, and busted mechanics make for a miserable game.

[Traveller]

What mechanics are broken in SC?

[NWR_Neal]

Curious that *no* one has ranked the arcade games.  Has no one played them, or does everyone who's played them just not consider them to be part of the series?

I've played them, but not nearly enough to give a final assessment on them. Tough to do that for arcade games you play maybe 8 times over the course of 3 years.

[Mop it up]

I forgot to mention that I have not played Mario Kart 8 or the arcade games, which is why I didn't rank them. I know there's a demo at GameStop, but at this point I can wait for the release.

What mechanics are broken in SC?

For me, I felt like the drifting and the boost mechanics were designed for a different game and didn't work well with the tracks, especially the SNES tracks which were designed using different control. They also removed the feather item which again screws up some of the SNES tracks. There was some other stuff too but after so long, I have forgotten it.

[marvel_moviefan_2012]

full disclosure I have only played SNES, GBA, N64, GC, and DS MK so here are my rankings for what its worth.


1. DS
2. N64
3. GBA
4. SNES (nostlagia mostly plus the awesome battle mode)
5. Double Dash ( would rather rank it a 10 and just make up that I played the rest because I hated it so much but whatever)

[Wah]

DS certaintly had the best balloon battle, Block fort, blow up your own balloons,Waluigi,Boo's,Waluigi and only one bad thing... PALM FRICKEN SHORE. Did i talk about Waluigi?