3rd June 2017, 8:54 PM
So MK8... well I've been playing it, because MK is as much fun as it is annoying, and I finally unlocked all the characters now, and beat the cups up to 150cc. It's frustratingly random as MK always has been, but it is a good game... usually. The randomness is cruel more often than it is helpful, but skill matters somewhat. I'm not sure, though; so, in a recent interview, one of Nintendo's developers working on Arms said that if MK has a 50:50 balance between skill and luck, Arms is more 80 skill to 20 luck. Okay... but is MK actually 50% skill-based? I'm not so sure... yes, there is stuff to learn, strategies that will help you do better (mostly involving getting better at using the jump/powerslide), but luck always matters at least as much.
I also need to mention the frustrating unlock system. So, MK8 apparently unlocks characters at random. Each time you beat a cup in first place that you haven't gotten first in before, you unlock one of the 14 unlockable characters. Okay... but all I wanted was Rosalina, and the game was so incredibly cruel that she was the LAST character unlocked. I got all 13 others first. If that really was just luck, leaving which character you get to chance is kind of mean... "well just keep winning things, you never know... oh wait no, the one you want will be dead last" is annoying. MKWii's system, which requires you to do various things to get the various unlockable characters, has issues too because it requires you to play (and win) a lot more to unlock everything than MK8 does, but at least you know how to get each one.
On another note, the tracks. The new tracks are often pretty good, but looking at the classic tracks is interesting. In some cases they just brought over the old tracks, but in others they made significant changes, usually to make the tracks easier. MK8 is a hard game, but they are pretty consistent here at making some of the tougher parts of most classic tracks they bring in easier, and I don't know if that was necessary... I guess they want to focus the challenge on items and enemies more so than the courses themselves, and I can understand that, but was it a good move?
For example, Yoshi Valley might be my favorite track in Mario Kart 64, but here, with wider paths, easier shortcuts, and fewer areas with no walls, a lot of the challenge is gone, and that's a disappointment. Sometimes the reduced track difficulty is good -- see Donut Plains 3 below -- but in Yoshi Valley's case it hurts it. The same is true in Toad Turnpike. On the one hand, the wider road which gives you more space to stay away from obstacle vehicles, the new vehicles with jump ramps on them that let you go airborne, the hover sections along the sides of part of the track that let you avoid the carnage on the road, and that powerups now float down the road instead of only being in certain side areas off of the main highway lanes all make the track "more fun", but they also make it a lot easier. So, the new Toad Turnpike is fun, but it might be too easy... apart from the luck elements of "will a shell hit you randomly right before the finish line" and such, but that always could happen.
My least favorite track (not counting the DLC that I haven't bought yet, though I will) is easy: it's Donut Plains 3, and it's not often much fun. It's always been one of my least favorite tracks in Super Mario Kart, a game I think is okay but do not love; those stupid bridges are annoying! I think I gave up on beating the top speed class in SMK in the cup that includes this track, because it wasn't worth the frustration. Here in MK8 the track is easier than it is on SNES, since you can go into the water, but it's still hard. I actually managed to win it once, but otherwise rarely finish above fourth. As for SMK in general, Mode 7 can make for good games (F-Zero is one of my all time favorites!), but while SMK is a decent game its style of track design, full of tight turns thanks to how Mode 7 works, is frustrating when combined with MK's loose and skid/powerslide-heavy turning system. (MK Advance is presumably similar, but I still have never played that game.) You need to get used to turning (with R for powerslide) before it seems like you should in order to get around these turns, but it's still not a fun track. I like how the SNES/GBA tracks how have some small terrain height diferences as you go from the center of the track to the sides, they did a nice job of updating them to full 3d in that respect (well and there is one that now has a big hover section, but those mostly play the same anyway...), but the basic layouts are still the same.
And as for "N64 Rainbow Road", this thing barely resembles the N64 Rainbow Road track! Yes, it follows that courses' basic layout, but this version is now a one-way trip instead of the lap based course it is on N64, which is a big change. Additionally the moving chain chomps have been replaced with giant ones which just whack up and down on certain points in the track and make the track ripple. The opening section, with its big downhill followed with a climb, is also now pretty much gone, as you take to the air and fly over the section instead most of the time. And those are only the most obvious changes. I understand changing tracks to add in air/water/hover sections, but this one might have been changed too much.
As for my favorite track in this game... hmm. Maybe Thwomp Valley? It's a pretty fun track, and its music track is great too.
So, Arlo recently did a video review of the Switch version of this game, MK8 Deluxe, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ko0KmGBYxkE Surprisingly he hadn't played a MK game since MK DS. IN that review I agree with some things and disagree with others, as usual for anything, but a couple of things stand out. First, I didn't realize that the battle mode in Deluxe doesn't have a standard "break the 3 balloons to eliminate the other player" mode! Why would they leave out such a basic, and essential, mode, and replace it only with a stupid timed mode instead? Timed works in some things, such as Splatoon (though it might be nice if there was also a 'lives' mode or something, more like the single player game, in multiplayer, as another mode on top of the regular ones), but in other games like Mario Kart battle mode, or Smash Bros. as Arlo mentions, it's terrible. I have never actually wanted to play a SSB game in timed mode, because just running around hitting people for a few minutes before being told who won isn't much fun at all. I've always found it odd that Nintendo defaults Smash games to Timed mode and not Lives, because why would someone actually want to play Timed mode? It's awful! Maybe it has a function if you have people of vastly different skill levels and you want a mode where everyone will be alive to the end despite that, but otherwise it has no real use... and that's all you get for the "return of standard battle mode" in MK8 Deluxe? That's pretty disappointing.
On the other hand, his complaint about local wireless limiting things to two players per Switch may be a technical or data-transmission issue or something, so I can excuse that one, and some of his other issues don't bother me much either; I do think there is enough to do in this game. Now, in the Switch version where all 14 of those unlockable character are unlocked from the start things are different, but trying to win all the circuits and get stars is still a draw. I will say though, I had completely forgotten about the challenge mode in MK DS, it might have been interesting if they had kept that around... not really necessary though. I also like that they brought back the Koopalings here, and in SM3DW. They aren't the best characters, but are more interesting than just "Bowser or Bowser Jr. again every time".
Anyway though, MK8 is both good and bad, depending on when you ask, so it's a Mario Kart game indeed. The visual shine and polish are impressive, though.
I also need to mention the frustrating unlock system. So, MK8 apparently unlocks characters at random. Each time you beat a cup in first place that you haven't gotten first in before, you unlock one of the 14 unlockable characters. Okay... but all I wanted was Rosalina, and the game was so incredibly cruel that she was the LAST character unlocked. I got all 13 others first. If that really was just luck, leaving which character you get to chance is kind of mean... "well just keep winning things, you never know... oh wait no, the one you want will be dead last" is annoying. MKWii's system, which requires you to do various things to get the various unlockable characters, has issues too because it requires you to play (and win) a lot more to unlock everything than MK8 does, but at least you know how to get each one.
On another note, the tracks. The new tracks are often pretty good, but looking at the classic tracks is interesting. In some cases they just brought over the old tracks, but in others they made significant changes, usually to make the tracks easier. MK8 is a hard game, but they are pretty consistent here at making some of the tougher parts of most classic tracks they bring in easier, and I don't know if that was necessary... I guess they want to focus the challenge on items and enemies more so than the courses themselves, and I can understand that, but was it a good move?
For example, Yoshi Valley might be my favorite track in Mario Kart 64, but here, with wider paths, easier shortcuts, and fewer areas with no walls, a lot of the challenge is gone, and that's a disappointment. Sometimes the reduced track difficulty is good -- see Donut Plains 3 below -- but in Yoshi Valley's case it hurts it. The same is true in Toad Turnpike. On the one hand, the wider road which gives you more space to stay away from obstacle vehicles, the new vehicles with jump ramps on them that let you go airborne, the hover sections along the sides of part of the track that let you avoid the carnage on the road, and that powerups now float down the road instead of only being in certain side areas off of the main highway lanes all make the track "more fun", but they also make it a lot easier. So, the new Toad Turnpike is fun, but it might be too easy... apart from the luck elements of "will a shell hit you randomly right before the finish line" and such, but that always could happen.
My least favorite track (not counting the DLC that I haven't bought yet, though I will) is easy: it's Donut Plains 3, and it's not often much fun. It's always been one of my least favorite tracks in Super Mario Kart, a game I think is okay but do not love; those stupid bridges are annoying! I think I gave up on beating the top speed class in SMK in the cup that includes this track, because it wasn't worth the frustration. Here in MK8 the track is easier than it is on SNES, since you can go into the water, but it's still hard. I actually managed to win it once, but otherwise rarely finish above fourth. As for SMK in general, Mode 7 can make for good games (F-Zero is one of my all time favorites!), but while SMK is a decent game its style of track design, full of tight turns thanks to how Mode 7 works, is frustrating when combined with MK's loose and skid/powerslide-heavy turning system. (MK Advance is presumably similar, but I still have never played that game.) You need to get used to turning (with R for powerslide) before it seems like you should in order to get around these turns, but it's still not a fun track. I like how the SNES/GBA tracks how have some small terrain height diferences as you go from the center of the track to the sides, they did a nice job of updating them to full 3d in that respect (well and there is one that now has a big hover section, but those mostly play the same anyway...), but the basic layouts are still the same.
And as for "N64 Rainbow Road", this thing barely resembles the N64 Rainbow Road track! Yes, it follows that courses' basic layout, but this version is now a one-way trip instead of the lap based course it is on N64, which is a big change. Additionally the moving chain chomps have been replaced with giant ones which just whack up and down on certain points in the track and make the track ripple. The opening section, with its big downhill followed with a climb, is also now pretty much gone, as you take to the air and fly over the section instead most of the time. And those are only the most obvious changes. I understand changing tracks to add in air/water/hover sections, but this one might have been changed too much.
As for my favorite track in this game... hmm. Maybe Thwomp Valley? It's a pretty fun track, and its music track is great too.
So, Arlo recently did a video review of the Switch version of this game, MK8 Deluxe, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ko0KmGBYxkE Surprisingly he hadn't played a MK game since MK DS. IN that review I agree with some things and disagree with others, as usual for anything, but a couple of things stand out. First, I didn't realize that the battle mode in Deluxe doesn't have a standard "break the 3 balloons to eliminate the other player" mode! Why would they leave out such a basic, and essential, mode, and replace it only with a stupid timed mode instead? Timed works in some things, such as Splatoon (though it might be nice if there was also a 'lives' mode or something, more like the single player game, in multiplayer, as another mode on top of the regular ones), but in other games like Mario Kart battle mode, or Smash Bros. as Arlo mentions, it's terrible. I have never actually wanted to play a SSB game in timed mode, because just running around hitting people for a few minutes before being told who won isn't much fun at all. I've always found it odd that Nintendo defaults Smash games to Timed mode and not Lives, because why would someone actually want to play Timed mode? It's awful! Maybe it has a function if you have people of vastly different skill levels and you want a mode where everyone will be alive to the end despite that, but otherwise it has no real use... and that's all you get for the "return of standard battle mode" in MK8 Deluxe? That's pretty disappointing.
On the other hand, his complaint about local wireless limiting things to two players per Switch may be a technical or data-transmission issue or something, so I can excuse that one, and some of his other issues don't bother me much either; I do think there is enough to do in this game. Now, in the Switch version where all 14 of those unlockable character are unlocked from the start things are different, but trying to win all the circuits and get stars is still a draw. I will say though, I had completely forgotten about the challenge mode in MK DS, it might have been interesting if they had kept that around... not really necessary though. I also like that they brought back the Koopalings here, and in SM3DW. They aren't the best characters, but are more interesting than just "Bowser or Bowser Jr. again every time".
Anyway though, MK8 is both good and bad, depending on when you ask, so it's a Mario Kart game indeed. The visual shine and polish are impressive, though.