Rating of
4.5/5
It May Not Be New, But It's Still A Great Game
dbarry_22 - wrote on 05/02/18
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe takes all the features from the original Mario Kart 8 on WiiU, adds the DLC and a new battle mode to make it the definitive version of Mario Kart 8 to own.
First off I'm going to say that if you own and enjoy the WiiU version of Mario Kart 8 you may not need to get this game, especially if you bought the DLC. Minus a new battle mode, these games are practically identical. The one big change is that you can hold two items instead of one. This is helpful and goes back to Mario Kart's roots. If you love online multiplayer and a battle mode that was in previous games like Mario Kart 64 and Mario Kart: Double Dash than perhaps it's worth the money.
For those who are wondering what the new battle mode is like, I'll explain. It's arena based, much like older Mario Kart games had. You start off with 5 balloons and go and try and take out the other players. When you play online, there can be up to 12 players flying around. Fortunately the sizes of these arenas are large so while it's quite busy, it's not insane. There are 8 different battle areas to choose from. Not only that, but there are different modes of battle to choose from as well. A couple modes from Double Dash make a return, Bob-omb blast and Shine Thief. One is a battle with only bombs which is just nuts and the other is trying to hold Shine Sprite while the rest of the gang tries to knock it out of you. Coin Runners from Mario Kart Wii is also available where you try and rake up the most coins and if you get nailed by someone else you lose some. And then there's Renegade Round Up which basically means one team is trying to take out another team by hitting them with Piranha Plants. When this happens you go to "jail" and you have to wait and hope another teammate frees you by driving over a switch. If time runs out and not everyone is captured that team wins. If everyone is captured, the other team wins. It's basically cops and robbers.
Now, when it comes to the rest of Mario Kart 8, it's still a great single/multiplayer racing game worth playing, especially if you've never experienced Mario Kart 8 before.
Mario Kart 8 still has the same class system for races. There's 50cc, 100cc, and 150cc along with a mirror mode if you beat the first 3 classes. There's also a new, crazy fast 200cc mode that was implemented as a free update late in the WiiU game's life. I still think the 50cc class is almost worthless but it is a good way to introduce you to all the tracks. All the characters come unlocked in this game and there's almost too many to choose from. There are also an almost limitless selection of karts, bikes, and ATV's where you can pick your wheels and gliders. By pressing the "+" button during that selection you can see the stats for you customized vehicle. Depending on the weight of your character, in general there are only truly 3 or 4 different stats for each kart, wheel, and glider but it's nice to be able to make your kart look the way you want. A lot of the unlocking of parts comes just from playing and accumulating coins so you don't have to worry much about dominating in order to open up most of the stuff.
The formula hasn't changed when it comes to courses either. After you include the DLC, There are 48 tracks, 32 of them "brand new" and 16 taken from previous Mario Kart games. But, the classic tracks have been altered a bit to accommodate the new anti-gravity elements. While I felt Mario Kart 7 lacked in the new track department, I felt Nintendo put together several winners in this game. There's a course where you basically ski down a hill, one at an airport, a haunted mansion and of course a rainbow road. They brought in multiple ways to attack most of the courses too which I like, it lessens the congestion and gives you the chance to take on more or less risk. In general I'd say these aren't shortcuts, for the most part each separate way will take you about the same amount of time. Don't get me wrong, there are a few short cuts but for the most part you need a mushroom to access it in way that will be really beneficial.
When I first played the game on WiiU, I questioned the anti-gravity element to the game but as I played it grew on me. When you cross into an anti-gravity area your wheels will shift to a horizontal position. You never have to look at your kart upside-down at all, but your viewing angle does change a bit. When in that mode, whenever you hit another racer or other specific blue ringed outcroppings, you get a speed boost. That was a nice touch.
The HD graphics are top notch. Racing in 1-player mode is incredibly smooth. If you're playing 4-player local mode the frame rate does take a noticeable hit, but nothing like Mario Kart Wii. Nintendo took a bit more of a realistic touch to the courses. The colors are less vibrant and less cartoon-like. You'll notice what I'm talking about if you compare the Moo Moo Meadows to the Wii version. While I have always been a fan of vibrant colors in games like this, I was fine with the change.
One thing I absolutely love about this game is the music. Nintendo brought in an actual orchestral group to record these songs and it's made a difference. The music also ranges from jazzy to rock depending on the course. I'd totally buy a soundtrack to this game if I could.
I am a fan of the items only in Mario Kart 8. The boomerang allows you to throw it a few times and it does a pretty good job of hitting the guys in front of you. The Piranha Plant not only gives you some speed boosts but will take out opponents and grab coins which is nice. The fireball is useful because there's no protection from it really and you can shoot like 8 fireballs really quickly. I wish they'd get rid of the ink because I don't like to race with an obstructed view ever and I feel the CPU isn't effected by it. And, I love the speaker box that can take out a blue shell. Unfortunately if you get really good at this game you often find yourself dragging bananas, green shells, or using coins you don't need.
So, like I've said. If you like Mario Kart this is a great version of it. It's basically the final tweaked Mario Kart 8 from the WiiU with a new battle mode to make it more fun in multiplayer. If you played the heck out of the WiiU version you don't really need to get this. But, it's a great addition to your Switch library otherwise.
4.5/5
