Man I love this game. Mario Kart 8 but literally flawless.

- Literally perfect music
- Very few bad maps (the bad ones are just boring, still well made)
-Battle mode is better
-Online mode keeps me playing
-And the booster course pass is great too

What Nintendo doesn't seem to realize is that the whole point of repackaging or remastering a game for a new system is that you include all current and future DLC for free. That's what the word "deluxe" in the title implies. However, someone at the Mario company didn't get the memo and simply ported the existing game from the Wii U to the Switch and still expects players to pay for the lackluster DLC content.
On top of that, because Nintendo only likes releasing one mainline Mario Kart game per system, it's likely this will be the flagship Mario Kart game for the Switch era.
Because of this, despite having slightly more content than its Wii U counterpart, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe loses some points overall.

The game is fun enough as a split-screen multiplayer session with friends and family, but so much of MK8 feels like style over substance. The huge slate of content can't cover that there's something unsatisfying about the driving itself. The improvements, such as bringing back the skid boost, are merely returns to form, invoking but never matching earlier superior versions such as Mario Kart 64. Even the returning battle mode still pales in comparison to the cat-and-mouse 1v1 in the original SNES Kart.

It’s Mario Kart! No story needed. Just vibes.

There’s a total of 48 race tracks in the main game, with another 48 being added with DLC over the next year-or-so. The original tracks are about 50/50 new courses and old courses. Most of them were still new to me since I never played Mario Kart on SNES, GCN, or 3DS.

You also won’t be lacking in choice for racers either! There’s 42 choices, including your own Mii. I’ve always played as Princess Peach, so I was delighted to see Peach, Baby Peach, Cat Peach, and Rose Gold Peach! Of course, I had to choose Rosalina. There are some non-Mario characters as well, which was odd, but I guess Nintendo wanted to do some cross promotion?

Visuals

I’m one of those who was still playing Mario Kart 64 in 2022, so needless to say I was astonished at the graphics in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. I had also played the Wii and DS versions years ago, but I’m confident that they didn’t look like this.

My only gripe with the visuals is that one some tracks, the angles get quite disorienting and kind of nausea-inducing. Those parts don’t last long, but they are there and did throw me off every time. I get making the tracks more difficult by not always being able to tell where its leading, but some of these are just too much.

Sound Effects + Music

I’m not the biggest fan of the menu music in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. It felt kind of generic. But each track has its own unique music that fits the theme, so I can almost forgive the generic in-between songs. The music also warps after you’ve been struck by lightening which is a fun detail.

The sound effects are what you’d expect if you’ve played any other Mario Kart game.

There’s some minor voice acting as the characters have their call phrases when they get hit by an item, hit someone with an item, and win. I was disappointed that Rosalina sounds exactly like Peach.

Gameplay + Controls

Other than the gorgeous visuals, I was immediately impressed with the controls in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. I hated playing on the Wii, so I was nervous about motion controls here. Well, that is not at all a problem, since you can play with just button controls. Yes! Everything is super smooth and the controls are exactly what I’m use to from Mario Kart 64.

I like how we can upgrade our vehicles by collecting coins on the tracks. It’s a super fun addition that adds an extra layer to the gameplay. No more just driving in circles just for the sake of driving. Now there’s something to work toward. And with so many available characters, there’s a ton of upgrades to unlock.

Double items are another nice addition. But it also seems like I got hit with something every five seconds. I don’t know if that’s a result of everyone getting to hold two items at a time, or if there was increase in the spawn rate for things like the Lighting Bolt and Blue Shell.

Replayability

Mario Kart games are by nature replayable. You always want to beat your previous record and get every gold trophy! Plus with the upgrade system, you’ll have to play a ton in order to unlock everything.

Overall

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is obviously the best version of Mario Kart to date. There are a ton of tracks, especially if you have the DLC which essentially doubles the size of the game (although they’re being spread out over the next year). I love the variety of characters to choose from, even though I always stick with the various Peaches and Rosalina. It’s not a game that I play often, but when I get the urge, it’s always a good time.