[finished all 12 cups on 150cc]
Despite owning a Wii U in its later years, I didn't get around to playing Mario Kart 8 until it received an enhanced port to the Switch in 2017. But even when I finally had the game to myself, I barely touched it outside of multiplayer. For years, I mostly dismissed it as a simple and boring kart racer with barely any substance compared to more in-depth games.
But I was wrong. Very wrong. A few months ago, the game managed to get its hooks in me, and I found a whole lot to love! And now that I've finished all 24 cups across the base game and the Booster Course Pass, I'd like to talk about that love!
I think it'd be best to start with the controls and general feel, which are absolutely sublime! This is a game that just feels good to play, with the drifting in particular being so satisfying. The way you can tightly drift around corners and build up your mini-turbos is a consistent dopamine rush, helped by the fantastic visual design that really makes you feel like those constant boosts are making a difference.
Something that helped me realize all this is the insane amount of customization you're able to do. There's a ton of karts, wheels and gliders to choose from, and while it might seem a bit overwhelming at first, you can tinker with various combinations until you find something that suits your playstyle. I usually like to stick with a medium character in the Pipe Frame with standard wheels, although I have been experimenting with the Biddybuggy and Roller wheels since you're able to charge up mini-turbos way quicker. Regardless of what you choose though, you'll always have a chance at winning as long as you use items effectively and get around the track well, which I really appreciate!
All this would mean nothing if the tracks sucked, but fortunately they're very solid! Each of the 16 original courses takes full advantage of Mario Kart 8's new antigravity mechanic, meaning you're not just confined to the ground anymore; you can now race on walls and ceilings if the design calls for it. This gives the tracks an unmatched sense of thrill, spectacle and excitement that I've never seen any other kart racer pull off! They almost feel like roller coaster rides, with insane setpieces and mind-bending views, whilst still being a lot of fun to play! Some of my favourites include Sunshine Airport, Thwomp Ruins, Electrodrome, Cloudtop Cruise and this game's version of Rainbow Road.
This level of quality also carries over to the 16 retro tracks! I don't think they're as consistently solid as the new courses, since they don't always take advantage of the antigravity nearly as well as the ones built with it in mind. Regardless, they're still a lot of fun and don't even feel like returning tracks updated for the new game's engine! Courses like Cheep Cheep Beach and Donut Plains 3 feel completely new thanks to the underwater driving, and even the ones that don't have much antigrav are still a blast. My favourites from the retro selection include Royal Raceway, DK Jungle, the aforementioned Cheep Cheep Beach, Tick-Tock Clock and Piranha Plant Slide.
The original Wii U release also had 4 extra cups as DLC, which are present in Deluxe! They're most notable for featuring some crossover courses based on other Nintendo franchises, namely F-Zero, Zelda and Animal Crossing. These are all fantastic, and do a really good job at representing the series they're based on! The F-Zero tracks are high-speed adrenaline rushes that take full advantage of the antigravity, the Animal Crossing track's a peaceful little romp through a village, and the Zelda track definitely captures the vibe of the series well.
That's not to say the standard Mario courses from the DLC are bad though, not in the slightest! Out of all of them, Super Bell Subway's probably my favourite with its unique setting and branching paths that let you get on top of the trains if you know what you're doing. I'd also like to give props to the two GBA tracks they decided to bring back, Ribbon Road and Cheese Land. They almost feel like complete reinventions of their classic flat versions, keeping the layouts intact whilst updating them to feel truly new and on-par with the fully original stuff!
I know I just spent 6 paragraphs gushing about this game, but I do have a few criticisms. The courses definitely take a little while to get going, with the Mushroom and Shell Cups not being the most exciting starters. I'm also not really a fan of having Coins as items, since getting one can be annoying if you were hoping for a more defensive item like a shell or banana (which fortunately isn't an issue since you can now toggle which items you want to use during standard races, but it's still a problem if you play a cup).
And while it was nice to see Deluxe bring back the dual item slots from Double-Dash, the execution left something to be desired. Not being able to swap between your items made it feel a little pointless, but I guess they didn't want to make it too overpowered, since having two slots at all is a pretty big change.
Regardless of the few nitpicks I may have, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is still a fantastic game! It's easy to pick up and play, the courses are some of the most consistent in the series, and there's an absolute wealth of content that can keep you coming back for a really long time. While it might've took me a while to see all this, I'm so glad I did. MK8DX absolutely deserves to be the best-selling Switch game, and I can tell it's become a new favourite for me too!
And if you want to know what I think of the Booster Course Pass, you can read that here!
Despite owning a Wii U in its later years, I didn't get around to playing Mario Kart 8 until it received an enhanced port to the Switch in 2017. But even when I finally had the game to myself, I barely touched it outside of multiplayer. For years, I mostly dismissed it as a simple and boring kart racer with barely any substance compared to more in-depth games.
But I was wrong. Very wrong. A few months ago, the game managed to get its hooks in me, and I found a whole lot to love! And now that I've finished all 24 cups across the base game and the Booster Course Pass, I'd like to talk about that love!
I think it'd be best to start with the controls and general feel, which are absolutely sublime! This is a game that just feels good to play, with the drifting in particular being so satisfying. The way you can tightly drift around corners and build up your mini-turbos is a consistent dopamine rush, helped by the fantastic visual design that really makes you feel like those constant boosts are making a difference.
Something that helped me realize all this is the insane amount of customization you're able to do. There's a ton of karts, wheels and gliders to choose from, and while it might seem a bit overwhelming at first, you can tinker with various combinations until you find something that suits your playstyle. I usually like to stick with a medium character in the Pipe Frame with standard wheels, although I have been experimenting with the Biddybuggy and Roller wheels since you're able to charge up mini-turbos way quicker. Regardless of what you choose though, you'll always have a chance at winning as long as you use items effectively and get around the track well, which I really appreciate!
All this would mean nothing if the tracks sucked, but fortunately they're very solid! Each of the 16 original courses takes full advantage of Mario Kart 8's new antigravity mechanic, meaning you're not just confined to the ground anymore; you can now race on walls and ceilings if the design calls for it. This gives the tracks an unmatched sense of thrill, spectacle and excitement that I've never seen any other kart racer pull off! They almost feel like roller coaster rides, with insane setpieces and mind-bending views, whilst still being a lot of fun to play! Some of my favourites include Sunshine Airport, Thwomp Ruins, Electrodrome, Cloudtop Cruise and this game's version of Rainbow Road.
This level of quality also carries over to the 16 retro tracks! I don't think they're as consistently solid as the new courses, since they don't always take advantage of the antigravity nearly as well as the ones built with it in mind. Regardless, they're still a lot of fun and don't even feel like returning tracks updated for the new game's engine! Courses like Cheep Cheep Beach and Donut Plains 3 feel completely new thanks to the underwater driving, and even the ones that don't have much antigrav are still a blast. My favourites from the retro selection include Royal Raceway, DK Jungle, the aforementioned Cheep Cheep Beach, Tick-Tock Clock and Piranha Plant Slide.
The original Wii U release also had 4 extra cups as DLC, which are present in Deluxe! They're most notable for featuring some crossover courses based on other Nintendo franchises, namely F-Zero, Zelda and Animal Crossing. These are all fantastic, and do a really good job at representing the series they're based on! The F-Zero tracks are high-speed adrenaline rushes that take full advantage of the antigravity, the Animal Crossing track's a peaceful little romp through a village, and the Zelda track definitely captures the vibe of the series well.
That's not to say the standard Mario courses from the DLC are bad though, not in the slightest! Out of all of them, Super Bell Subway's probably my favourite with its unique setting and branching paths that let you get on top of the trains if you know what you're doing. I'd also like to give props to the two GBA tracks they decided to bring back, Ribbon Road and Cheese Land. They almost feel like complete reinventions of their classic flat versions, keeping the layouts intact whilst updating them to feel truly new and on-par with the fully original stuff!
I know I just spent 6 paragraphs gushing about this game, but I do have a few criticisms. The courses definitely take a little while to get going, with the Mushroom and Shell Cups not being the most exciting starters. I'm also not really a fan of having Coins as items, since getting one can be annoying if you were hoping for a more defensive item like a shell or banana (which fortunately isn't an issue since you can now toggle which items you want to use during standard races, but it's still a problem if you play a cup).
And while it was nice to see Deluxe bring back the dual item slots from Double-Dash, the execution left something to be desired. Not being able to swap between your items made it feel a little pointless, but I guess they didn't want to make it too overpowered, since having two slots at all is a pretty big change.
Regardless of the few nitpicks I may have, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is still a fantastic game! It's easy to pick up and play, the courses are some of the most consistent in the series, and there's an absolute wealth of content that can keep you coming back for a really long time. While it might've took me a while to see all this, I'm so glad I did. MK8DX absolutely deserves to be the best-selling Switch game, and I can tell it's become a new favourite for me too!
And if you want to know what I think of the Booster Course Pass, you can read that here!