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Mario Kart 8
Topic Started: Jul 8 2014, 05:33 PM (259 Views)
TheGreg
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Here’s a bit of Greg history for you: The first video game I ever owned was Super Mario Kart on Super Nintendo. I asked for Super Mario World and got Kart instead. Santa thought it was close enough, I guess.

It turned out all right considering both are regarded as classics of the generation.

Despite my love of Super Mario Kart, I didn’t play nearly as much of its sequels on Nintendo 64 and GameCube.

It was really the DS version that brought me back as the series made the jump to online multiplayer.

Mario Kart 8 features the best online play to date. This alone would have been satisfactory, but Mario Kart 8 also makes incredible strides in track design, competitive balance and visuals, making it an overwhelmingly fun and addicting experience.

Mario Kart 8 is a stunningly beautiful game. The graphics are sharp, the frame rate is a silky-smooth 60 frames per second, and the level of detail stands up to the very best you’ll find out there. Even with Wii U lacking the power of its competitors, the art direction and attention to detail are remarkable, whether the glare off of puddles or the lively backgrounds that can go largely unnoticed during the frantic action.

Adding to the visual majesty as well as the thrilling action are the truly exceptional course designs. Vehicles now feature the ability to go anti-gravity, with tracks regularly running up walls and through corkscrews. The designs, especially in some of the more complex courses are some of the best I’ve seen in any racing game ever. They’re disorienting, challenging and genuinely thrilling when paired with the live competition of the game’s seamless online play.

Even many of the returning legacy tracks have been lovingly recreated and enhanced.

Sound and music are also outstanding, with some tracks featuring the outstanding orchestral flare Nintendo is becoming known for.

There’s also a good amount of customization options, with a huge number of karts, ATVs and bikes to choose from, each allowing for custom wheel and parachute combinations (The game routinely launches racers through the air).

The balance between genuine racing skill and roller coaster thrills is nearly perfect.

The game even throws in some very cool new items including: a piranha plant that chomps nearby racers, a combo pack that gives the player 8 different items at once and a super horn that creates a sonic boom to knock out nearby racers and items. It’s the first item that can actually block the series’ infamous blue shell.

The only real downside to the game is the surprisingly uninspired battle mode. (The one where you try to pop the other players’ balloons) For God only knows what reason, there are no dedicated arenas for these matches. They simply take place on the race tracks. It makes no sense and renders the mode a total waste.

Luckily, Mario Kart 8 is great even without the extra mode. The rest of the game is so brilliantly designed and executed that it still receives my highest recommendation. It’s a game that transcends its genre and stands among the very best this series has ever offered.
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Cron Solo

Link is being added as a racer in upcoming DLC. Auto Greg-Score boost of 1 star?
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