Mario Kart 8

amazon Mario Kart 8 reviews

In the game simulation sports, “racing” has stood in its line, unlike other sports. Maybe because the feeling of solitary rivalry always has a strong attraction, or more simply – because of the feeling of defeating the limit, betting on your own life is always a “hormonal” dose very strong.

When referring to the issue of “life and death”, the writer wants to mention a “variant” of the racing game – temporarily called the game … “shooting car racing”. The first forerunner of this genre is probably traced back to the SNES game Mice Bikers From Mars in the 1990s.

Interestingly, it is not only competing for each other for the speed of the clock, but the players also have to find a way … to defeat their opponents with all kinds of weapons and the most monstrous “toys”. Undeniably, the name at the top of this list of racing genres must be Mario Kart.

While there have been many similar titles released, such as Chocobo Racing and Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing – Mario Kart’s unique position remains unshakable, partly due to the influence from the legendary Mario plumber.

The latest version called Mario Kart 8 debuting on the Wii U system once again affirms this “unbeaten” position, not only conveying all the quintessence of the past – comes with additional additions and impressive improvements.

Since its launch, Mario Kart has written the definition for the “shooting car racing” game series – and what it builds has turned into the standards for similar games to follow. For example, a list of characters with unique cars, the gameplay while “picking up” random weapons to … destroy each other, and an exciting atmosphere”!

Inheriting these quintessence, Mario Kart 8 goes a step further when he brings many unique … monstrous improvements. For example, as soon as I “touch” the game, I was extremely impressed with the statement “Defy the laws of gravity” printed on the cover of the disc.

Indeed, fully grasping that the heart of a racing game lies in the layout of the tracks, Mario Kart 8 has turned the arena of speed into a true wonder. The vast sky, the track on the bottom of the sea, even on the wall – all the available space in the track is fully utilized by Mario Kart 8.

In Grand Prix racing mode with a total of 8 trophies x 4 completely separate races, it can be said that the experience of space speed in Mario Kart 8 is very rich. Players almost go from surprise to surprise, when on the same track there are … too many different branches, all of which are extremely rationally designed, skillfully and balanced.

The best highlight of the tracks is the racing segments on the magnetic cushion. When running into these segments (rolling over a bright blue line), the characters’ wheels will align horizontally to form a magnetic cushion and can run on… walls!

The most interesting thing is that when in this state, instead of being stopped each time the car crashes into each other, the players will “transfer” energy to each other, causing both to speed up – this is the monetary condition themes for “allied for mutual benefits” tactics have become very popular recently.

If in previous versions, Mario Kart only allowed players to choose from pre-designed models for each character – now in Mario Kart 8 players will be able to choose each accessory to “upgrade” for themselves a “car” really like.

A car will now be divided into three parts: the body, the wheel – each of which directly affects the vehicle’s performance metrics such as speed, acceleration, traction, etc. Therefore, players can customize their vehicle to have work that best suits their style and level.

With the addition of gold coins, already familiar with Mario-addicted gamers, now players have one more goal in the outer race to finish first and defeat their opponents: to collect money! For every 50 coins, players collect, a random accessory will be “unlocked” – making the “drivers” spend a lot of time and effort to complete the collection.

The list of playable characters has also increased significantly, as in addition to the 16 familiar default characters like Mario, Luigi, Peach, Bowser … are given – every time they reach first place in a certain cup, who Players will be able to “unlock” a random character.

The “weapons” that players randomly picked up on the track are also slightly tweaked, when in addition to things that have been associated with the game from the beginning such as hot red tortoiseshell, super speed mushroom, banana peel … now players will be lucky enough to receive item 8, which means owning 8 different weapons at the same time – can change the situation of the race in the blink of an eye! Overall, with the “racing game” format shooting this Mario Kart 8 style, luck means much more than proficiency. Because, even though the player is leading and leaving quite a distance from the other group, they can still be “overturned” by a “rain” of turtle shells, rockets, thunder … from other “malevolent” racers.

Although it was predicted that when “landed” on the Wii U, Mario Kart 8 will have superior HD graphics, but what the writer experienced was really beyond the scope of being able to express with words.

Wearing a beautiful HD “outfit”, the scene in Mario Kart 8 suddenly becomes an extremely impressive and beautiful color “party”. The sharpness of detail on each body, even every pebble on the road – has created a “revolutionary” graphics platform, especially when we are talking about Nintendo – a game company that is not I was stunned and had to wonder if Nintendo’s game developers are “human” when they can make a decisive breakthrough for Mario Kart 8? The racetrack structure is inherently unique, now even more amazing with the perfect details of the objects on the road. Even – background scenes such as lava stands, airports … are also an extremely impressive investment, but still, clearly distinguish the line between “main” and “secondary”.

When just from underwater to the shore, the Wii U screen splashed with streaks of water flowing downwards, creating a very real feeling, as if the player had just been “bathing in the river”.

Because of the special nature of the racetracks, the space in Mariokart 8 is displayed boldly and varied. With the angle of rotation flexibly changing every time the player “glides” on a new plane, the space in the game also rotates gently, without creating a feeling of dizziness despite the speed of the cars and the feeling of tension when comparing every inch is always wearing, creating a psychological burden for players. The most valuable addition is the ability to edit the replay after each race. Players can review their “divine” performances, or from the perspective of other opponents. The impromptu camera angles reveal very clearly the funny spirit of the characters, as well as making the feeling of the racing experience “upgraded” to another level.

Players can share these “Highlight Reel” clips with friends and relatives via Nintendo’s Miiverse social network easily, with just one touch on the Wii U’s extremely sensitive touch screen!

The only thing that I am not satisfied with at Mario Kart 8 is that although they own a huge number of characters, there is no discernible difference between them.

If the Sonic & Sega: All-Stars Racing series “shines” thanks to the unique “esoteric” moves of each character, then Mario Kart 8, unfortunately, lacks that highlight. The writer feels like choosing a character in Mario Kart 8 simply because he likes anyone, they choose it.

Indeed, because of the ability to customize stats due to the coordination of vehicle components, the characters’ stats are not “exclusive” to each person anymore. Not to mention when now, regardless of the displacement category, motorcycles and cars can all race together, accidentally breaking the magic balance ever before: motorcycles are fast and easy to “drift”, while the car has the advantage in the collision phase and is easier to control fine. But that is why the writer is somewhat disappointed when there are no new surprises. Humans always strive for perfection, a big part of the reason is that it becomes extremely boring once it is achieved!

where can you get a Mario Kart 8 online

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Nintendo Switch: Buy it now

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Nintendo Switch): Buy it now

Mario Kart 8 – Nintendo Wii U: Buy it now

Mario Kart 8 – Wii U [Digital Code]: Buy it now