Nintendo Thinking About Blue Shell Balance in Mario Kart 8

By Jorge Ba-oh 17.06.2013 12

Nintendo Thinking About Blue Shell Balance in Mario Kart 8 on Nintendo gaming news, videos and discussion

In an interview with Mario Kart producer Hideki Konno, he was quizzed on the blue shell weapon in Mario Kart 8.

In the E3 demo for the game, Nintendo omitted the classic Blue Shell weapon leading some players to wonder if it would be included in the final release. The item has made a manner of different appearances since Mario Kart 64 and performs in slightly different ways in each Mario Kart incarnation.

Long answer short is that Nintendo are "still thinking about that balance and what we're going to do with the blue shell". For the player in the lower position, the blue shell is a must-have, but places the person in first place in a tricky situation.

"Every time we make a new game we want to challenge ourselves to adjust it a little bit, with something new."

Nintendo want to know the opinion of fans as to how the Blue Shell should work in Mario Kart 8. What do you think?

Box art for Mario Kart 8
Developer

Nintendo

Publisher

Nintendo

Genre

Driving

Players

4

C3 Score

Rated $score out of 10  9/10

Reader Score

Rated $score out of 10  9/10 (5 Votes)

European release date Out now   North America release date Out now   Japan release date Out now   Australian release date Out now    Also on Also on Nintendo eShop

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J4K is offline. J4K 17.06.2013#1

I don't care for the Blue shell. I have had some hilarious Blue Shell situations in 1v1 Mario Kart DS. Even ended up racing backwards on the last lap with a guy once to stay within the radius of the explosion. Fun stuff.

But generally it's just a kick in the teeth and a stupid item. Doesn't help the guy in last place do any catching up, and the guy in 1st place is screwed because it's nearly impossible to defend against. Just have to catch it in enough time to casually slink into second place or hope to have a star on hand (good luck with getting that while in the lead).

Rubber-band AI plus Blue Shell in GP mode is among the most frustrating combos in gaming.

 
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RudyC3 is offline. RudyC3 17.06.2013#2

They should be less frequent that's for sure.

Piloting like a God only to be rewarded with 5 blue shells in your face on a single race, leading you to end at the bottom of the rankings by the last lap isn't what i'd call "fair".

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jb is offline. jb 17.06.2013#3

I think they should potentially ban it last lap, 1st and 2nd is fine and definitely reduce the frequency. Such an annoying weapon!

Don't get me started on battle mode...!

( Edited 17.06.2013 22:37 by jb )

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LKR000 is offline. LKR000 17.06.2013#4

Personally I like the idea of the blue shell going along the floor like it did in MK64 and MK7 I believe? Since it has a chance to hit everyone it makes it a good catch up weapon. MKwii it was a major problem not because how frequent they were, the knockdown from items in that game was atrocious. The knockdown in MK8 however is so much better from what I've seen in the gameplay, so the blue shell shouldn't be much of a problem this time round.

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SirLink is offline. SirLink 17.06.2013#5

As long as the recovery from it isn't abysmal as it was in MK7 - where you could slide down a hill before gaining control again - and more like MKWii, I'm fine with it. There should definitely be an item menu like in Smash. Bros, though. But then the AI would actually have to play fair in GP and we can't have that, can we? Smilie

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Canyarion is offline. Canyarion 17.06.2013#6

There should be an option to exclude it, like you all the options you have in the Smash games.

I personally take the games as they are, and I never get too competitive with MK. In friendly games, a blue shell right before you cross the finish line is just epic.

 
J4K is offline. J4K 18.06.2013#7

I personally take the games as they are, and I never get too competitive with MK. In friendly games, a blue shell right before you cross the finish line is just epic.

There is no such thing as a friendly game of Mario Kart. Bragging rights are on the line darn it! Smilie

 
Steelm2 is offline. Steelm2 18.06.2013#8

This is stupid. The blue shell in mario kart 64 and double dash could be avoided with a quick snaking technique or a power slide boost. I think they shouldn't be unavoidable. That way it might not screw the first place guy over every time. Also make it go along the ground instead of the air like before. There could be another new item that helps a lot as well.

They don't ever want to do it, but why not design the tracks with "cheats" in mind. Say, include a Leaf or a Feather item that makes you jump high up in the air enabling you to leap over parts of the course as a short cut. Make it available only to the 8th-12th place karters. Bam. Give more stars to last place individuals, more bullet bills, and some new items that aren't cheesy but gets you caught up to the crowd if you're really behind. There are so many nintendo items, it's hard not to think of one they could use.

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PMD is offline. PMD 18.06.2013#9

I stay in close 2nd place with a blue shell tucked in my reserve to use just before the finish line on the last lap. Sometimes you need more than just physical skill to win.

 
TAG is offline. TAG 18.06.2013#10

Mario Kart is a party game, guys! Good luck trying to get your friends to play a "fair" racing game at a party. They might humor you for a few rounds that first night, but they'll never want to play again because it's not fun to continually lose all of the time. And in a fair racing game, they will, because they probably aren't playing it as much as you or me because they don't own the game (and they might not own any video games).

The blue shell adds a fun, chaos element to the whole thing. Granted, that's terribly annoying in single player, but when you're at a party and you just want to do something together to have fun, it's fun to play a game where anyone has a decent shot of winning. And when a "non-gamer"  feels like they beat someone who should be a lot better than them, that's really exciting.

There are plenty of other racers if you want practice and hand-eye coordination to count. I would be terribly sad if the blue shell was taken out because some people thought it was unfair.

That said, it would be nice if there was a menu where you could select what items you want turn off before you race, like you could with Smash Bros.

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LPdude72 is offline. LPdude72 18.06.2013#11

No one likes it on the receiving end of it, but it does help bring chaos to the game. It should however only affect the guy in first place (and anyone surrounding him). I didn't like it in MK7 that it went along the ground, and if you were in it's path you would be hit, thus meaning that if you were say 4th and you had a red shell and then you were hit, you'd be forced to go back to last place with no shell.It was rather over powerful then, and if you were someone who is also trying to catch up, it didn't really help either. It should be the case of everyone against the guy in 1st place. I loved the frantic feeling that because i'm in 1st, everyone is after me, and so the Blue shell should only affect those in 1st (and those who surround it). Plus don't have the option so you can see what other items everyone is holding, otherwise as soon as you see someone has that Blue Shell, you are going to slam your brakes to make sure the guy in second overtakes you and gets that Blue Shell instead of you. It should be an element of surprise, but of course keep the indication that the blue shell is coming, so that you can then try to take as many people as you can with you.

After reading here, there should also be the option to have a weapon menu, like in the Smash Bros game, so you can tweak how you want to play your games. But if we're looking for a more universal rule of the Blue shell, please refer to the above.

 
AgedGamerAndy is offline. AgedGamerAndy 19.06.2013#12

There's been many Mario Kart clones over the years, some better than others but never quite matching Mario Kart in terms of balance.
If the have the blue shell or not, or even if they tweak the blue shell I'm sure Mario Kart U will be perfectly balanced so that it doesnlt matter if you 1st or Last, any one in the race can get the win untill the very end of the final lap... Just as it's always been.

 

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