Updated video review:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_TIxmicilg&feature=youtu.beAs Jared said, we tried something different with the original video review (more stream of conscious following an outline) and as those who saw it can attest, it didn't really work. The new video review is a slightly modified version of the written review.
In general, we'll be experimenting with video reviews (and other video content, like Curt's weekly news show) over the coming months. In retrospect, maybe this review wasn't the best one to mess around with. But honestly, despite allegations otherwise, I didn't think this review would be as much of an outlier as it was.
As I've said before in this thread and other places, I'm sorry if you are upset by the review. It wasn't done maliciously. It wasn't done to be different.
I wrote and scored the review this way because Mario Kart 8 felt formulaic to me in a way no other Mario Kart has felt like before, even with the zero-g stuff, MKTV, online, etc. I enjoyed it, and likely, if all you want is more Mario Kart, you'll enjoy it even more than I did.
The single-player is a major component to me, and I even played some of Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed and Crash Team Racing this week to reaffirm how I felt. Those single-player modes are engaging to me. MK8's isn't. Multiplayer is fun and all, but to me, that's not the entire game.
Also, for real, new battle mode is rough. I tried so hard to try to get into it, but like 1 out of every 10 matches was fun.