Review: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

I saw somewhere in a screenshot that they also added the possibility to switch karts and characters in between online races now, without having to exit the lobby, which is an excellent addition imho that should have been patched into the Wii U version through an update, although I can't imagine they will now for obvious economical reasons (they'd rather you buy the full new package and this is a small, but valid, reason for hardcore MK8 fans to want in on that feature).

No more additions to the time trials then? I was hoping this version would finally bring back the time trials functions from the Wii iteration, where you could easily pick and challenge a ghost from other players on your friends list and see graphs that show where you stand against the crowd of other player around the world. I loved that feature, that actually made me want to race against the clock (and friends' ghosts) to improve my skills and knowledge of each track in the game. Something else I wish was back is actually seeing race times at the finish line, to see how far ahead (or behind) you are compared to other racers. I see in this the ultimate MK for sure but imho, those are features that are still missing to make this the ultimate flawless Mario Kart experience (the fact that it's not a completely new entry notwithstanding).

Anyway... I'm still getting my copy next week. That could still be patched in (wishful thinking) and I'd be surprised if there's not more DLC on the way that will be exclusive to this version and not the Wii U one.

Yes, when online you can change your setup whilst waiting for the track to be confirmed by other players.

As for the ghosts, there are little bar charts for each track and player icons at various places along the chart, with you able to choose who you face off against. At the moment it's a bunch of Nintendo staff on the ghosts, surprisingly. I thought there would be more reviewers...but I guess they've focused on online battles more and/or GP. Some of the Ninty staff are bloomin' fast. I reckon they know all the shortcuts and tricks for stages, whereas I'm coming in blind.

Please do pepper me with questions and I'll answer as much as I can, and take some screenshots if you want. I'm just heading out for the evening, but I'll get back to you, don't worry

Adam Riley said:
As for the ghosts, there are little bar charts for each track and player icons at various places along the chart, with you able to choose who you face off against. At the moment it's a bunch of Nintendo staff on the ghosts, surprisingly. I thought there would be more reviewers...but I guess they've focused on online battles more and/or GP.

How did it work previously? After I'd given a course a go, my own ghost appeared on the chart, so I could race against myself or the NoA staff ghost. Do you have lots of ghost options after a while, or only a select few?

I haven't touched MKWii in a long time and good old Nintendo WiiConnect24 has been down for years so I can't go back and check but the way I remember it, you had little Mii faces dotting the top of the chart for each track, where all your friends appeared + nintendo ghosts + a few other players selected at random. The chart would let you see where most people are, like the taller bars would indicate you where most people fit in terms of how fast they are, and then the game would give you a couple more people to challenge towards the end of the spectrum and it would end with the single WR holder at the far right of the chart. What I did most was try against people in my own friends list though, or just have a look at the WR holder to see how they fare and get tips from how they play.

I posted some photos up on our Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/71790860617/photos/?tab=album&album_id=10158426732250618

Many felt that Mario Kart 7 was a shocking stumble for Nintendo's (now) 25-year-old racing series,

The time trials that Rudy seems to be mentioning is present in MK7 using the Streetpass/Spotpass feature, plus RETRO Studios had a lot of their dev team set times which was pretty cool. It is one of the best parts of that game. So I am hoping that is the feature that you are eluding to. It makes Time Trials so much more fun!

( Edited 24.04.2017 03:57 by Flynnie )

We gave it a harsh review and some staffers weren't big fans, but Nintendo supported it very well, I think.

Az asked me this:

"Can you share if there are any sound options in MK8DX? options to adjust sfx, bgm, etc?"

My response was:

Options? What are they??? I think Nintendo forgot about them completely... there isn't even a section to change ANY options whatsoever. Most of the customisation of controls (steering help, motion controls, etc) are slotted into the vehicle select screen. I have to admit that so far it's been okay...but certain courses have very loud sound effects, so it overpowers the music. Not too impressed with the soundtrack, though, so I'm not too fussed. Certain tunes are good, with a WaveRace feel to them, but others are instantly forgettable and I'm not liking some of the reworked classic SNES music AT ALL.

Probably a bit exaggerated on MK7 there; it's still a very fun game with friends. Had its share of letdowns tho, and seemed to be a step back from other MKs like DS, which had missions to prolong single-player. It's amazing Diddy Kong and Crash Bandicoot's original kart games still have content that MK is lagging behind in.

Can't agree with the 'legendary' mention of MK64 - that's probably the worst in the series when looking back. Decent for multiplayer, but definitely one of the worst in the series for me, nowadays.

Lack of sound options in DX is awful. The audio mix is terrible. How this wasn't on their checklist of things to add to DX is beyond me. Reading fan feedback my arse.

Azuardo said:
Probably a bit exaggerated on MK7 there; it's still a very fun game with friends. Had its share of letdowns tho, and seemed to be a step back from other MKs like DS, which had missions to prolong single-player. It's amazing Diddy Kong and Crash Bandicoot's original kart games still have content that MK is lagging behind in.

Can't agree with the 'legendary' mention of MK64 - that's probably the worst in the series when looking back. Decent for multiplayer, but definitely one of the worst in the series for me, nowadays.

Really? Wow, I loved that. Maybe it's nostalgia speaking, but that and the original SMK had by far the most play from me. Me and my mates hammered MK64 until we actually got sick and tired of it...then took a break, and went back because we missed it. There were flaws and the frame-rate was a bit iffy at times, but wow, what a game!

Lack of sound options in DX is awful. The audio mix is terrible. How this wasn't on their checklist of things to add to DX is beyond me. Reading fan feedback my arse.

Quite an interesting one - it wouldn't have taken much effort to add an options tab to the front screen. Was it the sort of problem lots of people complained about?

Really? Wow, I loved that. Maybe it's nostalgia speaking, but that and the original SMK had by far the most play from me. Me and my mates hammered MK64 until we actually got sick and tired of it...then took a break, and went back because we missed it. There were flaws and the frame-rate was a bit iffy at times, but wow, what a game!

Quite an interesting one - it wouldn't have taken much effort to add an options tab to the front screen. Was it the sort of problem lots of people complained about?

MarioKart 7 was better than Mario Kart DS for me, I can't really go back to DS anymore. Super Circuit is a better game in my opinion.

Mario Kart 64 has indeed aged badly but as a 4-player multiplayer game it still holds strong, especially in battle mode. I would say that MK64 help popularise the series, if the 64 version hadn't been as popular as it was then perhaps we wouldn't be where we are today. However the issues of rubber banding break that game. Especially on  tracks like DK and Toad's Turnpike.

I agree that Diddy Kong Racing's adventure mode is definitely a 1-up on any Mario Kart game. RETRO have been quiet for 3 years now, I doubt they are working on another 'country' game, so if its not Metroid then maybe DKR?

The lack of sound options seems a bit poor and its disappointing to hear that the soundtrack isn't up to scratch. Is it not the same tunes as the WiiU version?

The options in Mario Kart Wii to change how frantic the weapons were was quite a good addition, its a shame to see Nintendo stepping backwards on the customisation of options.

Is the Mercedes DLC in there?

Annnnd most importantly when are we playing each other? tourney???

Flynnie - I didn't play much of the Wii U version. The music will be the same, and some of the tracks are growing on me a bit the more I play. I like some of the menu music that sounds a bit like WaveRace music. Can't say I'm a massive fan of reworking of classic themes, though. SNES Rainbow Road, for instance, just isn't the same

...and I love how I'm getting the most flack not for my review but more because of my comments about MK7 and MK64 I'm going to give MK64 a whirl again soon to see if all this negativity holds any water

The OST in MK8 is brilliant. Maybe Adam couldn't hear it properly because of the crappy audio mix XD

Mercedes DLC is in the game.

Yeah Mario Kart 8's soundtrack is superb. One of my favourite game soundtracks, for sure.

I mean listen to these

So damn good.

( Edited 25.04.2017 13:26 by Marzy )

Damn them to hell for making N64 Rainbow Road's track so short. Could have at least given us options. That word must not exist in Japanese.

( Edited 25.04.2017 14:12 by Azuardo )

I am picky about music and it takes time to grow on me. I never liked the first Phoenix Wright's OST, but now love it, for instance!

EDIT: Playing MK64 on Wii U now and LOVING it!

( Edited 25.04.2017 17:58 by Adam Riley )

Adam Riley said:
I posted some photos up on our Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/71790860617/photos/?tab=album&album_id=10158426732250618

Well if thats the case then the soundtrack should be awesome, although I don't particularly like the remixes of old tracks so much either. I feel like Smash bros does a good job with the remixes though.

Haha, Adam, nah, its ok if you didn't enjoy those games, I do understand that MK64 has aged pretty badly. But only because its been superseeded, if the sequels didn't exist then we'd be raving over it still.

Rainbow Road's one lap being broken up into 3 sections is an absolute terrible idea. As you mentioned they should have at least given us a number of lap options in multiplayer.

So when are you organising the tournaments??
 

Flynnie said:
So when are you organising the tournaments??
 

RudyC3 said:

Flynnie said:
So when are you organising the tournaments??
 

If you do let me know, my mate is bringing me a copy back when he's going to get his on Friday, so I'll surely have one by then (no shops selling video games nearby where I live and I didn't feel like ordering online).

I have a bit of a time difference to contend with but happy to play you guys on the weekends and what not!

I've not had chance to touch this much since doing the review, so I'll be eager to jump back in when everyone's arranging matches

Yesterday I was traveling by train, and of course, I'm absorbed in a little MK8 (first time playing the game actually) - the seat next to me is suddenly filled by a 30 something-year old, who looks eager to see the Switch and MK. It was my first time handing over Joycon to a total stranger, we ended up playing multiplayer for about an hour before the battery gave way. It was loads of fun, and summed up the genius of the Switch too. Nothing but a mutual love of Mario Kart, I wonder how often that sort of thing will happen with a game like this!

I was very late to Mario Kart 7. Although I found it to be extremely solid and fun, there's no comparison to fully fledged is there?  

 

( Edited 29.04.2017 08:11 by The Strat Man )

Playing with a stranger? Wow, brave man!

I was playing online multiplayer today, and it was great to see the Brits regularly beating the Japanese... Normally, Japanese players online are pretty much untouchable. They just seem SO much better from my past experience. Me and some guy called Martyn were the top two for several races. It was so much fun!

Is someone setting up a Cubed3 Tournament? I would, but I'll only likely be popping on once every now and then.

The Strat Man said:
Yesterday I was traveling by train, and of course, I'm absorbed in a little MK8 (first time playing the game actually) - the seat next to me is suddenly filled by a 30 something-year old, who looks eager to see the Switch and MK. It was my first time handing over Joycon to a total stranger, we ended up playing multiplayer for about an hour before the battery gave way. It was loads of fun, and summed up the genius of the Switch too. Nothing but a mutual love of Mario Kart, I wonder how often that sort of thing will happen with a game like this!

I was very late to Mario Kart 7. Although I found it to be extremely solid and fun, there's no comparison to fully fledged is there?  

 

I was playing online and I was finishing top until the Japanese entered the room, I feel like they gang up on me! I was on the Airport stage and was in first then 4 Japanese players barrage me with weapons on the 2nd to last corner and then fire all their weapons backwards as well! Grrrr!