Mario Kart 8 Review!

Time to burn some rubber.

Well, this is it, my review of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe for the Nintendo Switch. After Persona 5, I wanted to slip into something more simple to tackle, so here we are. Hope you enjoy!

HISTORY
Regarding the Mario Kart series, I surprisingly haven't played a lot of them. The only ones I ever owned before this title were Mario Kart: Double Dash, Mario Kart 7, and the original Mario Kart 8 for the Wii U. I did play Mario Kart Wii a few times with friends, but never bought it despite owning a Wii. At the every least, each game I did have some fun with, though I remember having a hell of a time beating Mario Kart 7. I liked Mario kart 8, but I felt there were some things a bit lacking in it, especially in battle mode. Besides the anti-gravity feature, there was almost nothing new. When I heard the deluxe version was coming out for the switch, I sold my original Mario Kart 8 copy to get ready for the Deluxe version, but I wasn't able to actually get it until my birthday of that year. So how much of an improvement is it over the original? Lets find out.

Just a heads up, because this is a Mario Kart game, there's literally no story to speak of. I'll simply be talking about how the game looks, sounds, plays, and what it has to offer.

PRESENTATION
As any updated version of a game should do, this game sports an even higher resolution and graphics quality than the original, and the original looked pretty damn fine already! I'm not much of a graphics person as I always prioritize gameplay over graphics, but there's no overlooking how gorgeous this game is. From the many race tracks with their own unique identities to the may vehicles you can obtain (I'll get to that later) to even the racers themselves. When docked, the game runs at 1080p 60fps, while undocked it only downgrades to 720p, still at 60 fps. However, the game chugs down to 30 fps when 3 or more players on the same console decide to play. Even then, the game still looks nice. This game is practically pumping out eye candy every time you play it. Everything is simply, yet wonderfully animated as well, even the items. The menus are also cool to look as as well, at least keeping things visually interesting with the portraits of characters and recorded races.

SOUNDWORK
Hot damn, that soundtrack is smoking! While the menu themes and some other tracks are alright, when it comes to the courses themselves, I can't get enough of it. Tracks like Mario Kart Stadium, Toad Harbor, Electrodrome, Mount Wario, Cloudtop Cruise, Grumble Falls, Hyrule Circuit, and so many other tracks are wonderfully constructed. My personal favorites are the F-Zero tracks. To me, this games' entire original soundtrack can rival the soudtracks of Sonic games. The sound design in this game is also pretty good too. Revving up your kart, collecting coins, hearing that shell collide into your opponent, listening to the Power Star jingle, boosting, all good sounds.

GAMEPLAY

How to play
Now, if you've played any racing game or any previous Mario Kart before, then you should be pretty familiar with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Drive, drift, and navigate your way through the course to finish in first place. Collect item boxes and get the randomly generated items to help you move up in place (or maintain it if you're in first place) and to also give your opponents a bad time. Like in Mario Kart 7, you can interchange the Kart Base, Wheels, and Glider of your Kart to customize your Karts' stats and appearance. Collect coins in races to move a little faster and unlock new Kart parts. You can even ride Motorcycles like in Mario Kart Wii, which are slightly slower than the standard Kart, but excel at turning corners. Characters come in 3 weight types: Light, Medium, and Heavy, though to be honest, it doesn't matter too much. In terms of game modes, you have your standard Grand Prix, Time Trails, and Battle modes, but I'll get to Battle Mode later. Just like the original, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe introduces Anti-Gravity sections, which makes the course get a whole lot more interesting with how you approach it. Almost every course has at least one of these sections, and these sections allows you to drive on walls, ceilings, and even drive upside-down. While in Anti-Gravity Mode, bumping into opponents will give both a brief speed boost, and there are special Anti-Gravity bumpers you can bump into for an additional boost. These sections are fine, but they only slightly mix up the game. Still, racing is fun (except when on higher difficulties, but I'll get to that point later.)

However, Deluxe adds a few things to the game. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe add the Ultra Mini Turbo, which you can preform by drifting hard enough on corners. When the sparks turn pink, you'll blast off much faster and longer than a Super Mini Turbo. This game also borrows from Double Dash and allows you to carry two items at once, which changes the game up more than you would think. Because of this, the game also adds in Double Item Boxes, which gives you two items at once. Keep in mind, the lower your placement during a race, the better items you'll receive, so imagine being in 10th place and suddenly find yourself equipped with a Lightning and a Bullet Bill.

Added Content
As expected from an updated version of a game, this game adds new content that the original never had the luxury of having. While there are no new racing courses, in addition to all the DLC characters, we have not only new Kart Parts, but also new playable Racers and a nearly completely revamped battle mode. Our new characters include King Boo, Gold Mario, Dry Bones, Bowser Jr., and the Male and Female Inklings from the Splatoon Series. Thanks to a free update, you can also play as Champion Tunic Link and ride the Master Cycle as well.

In addition to the 50cc, 100cc, 150cc, and Mirror Mode difficulties for Grand Prix, there's also 200cc, where you go WAY faster than normal. It was already introduced in the original Mario Kart 8 as a free update, but I thought it was worth mentioning here.

In the original, the battle mode was severely lacking, as it had the standard modes and nothing else. On top of that, the Arenas were only sectioned parts of the normal racing courses, so it not only came off as incomplete, but blatantly lazy. In the Deluxe version, however, it's back in full force, coupled with 8 Arenas specifically designed for this mode, including a Revamped Urchin Underpass from Splatoon 1. You've got your standard modes like Balloon Battle, Bob-omb Blast, Coin Runners and Shine Thief, but there is one new game mode: Renegade Roundup.

Putting it simply, it's like Cops & Robbers. One team, The Law, must use their built-in Piranha Plants to hunt down The Runners. Capturing a runner will imprison them in a cage. If the Runners are able to, they can run over a button directly under the cage to free any captured Runners, giving them a speed boost and brief invulnerability. If all the Runners are captured, the Law wins, but if the Law fails to capture the runners within the time limit, the Runners win. On the mini-map, both teams won't be able to tell where other members of the team are unless they're close, so do be careful not to accidentally run into the Law or completely miss a Runner. Items are also on these Arenas too, so make use of those.

Online
Surprisingly, the Online works better than expected. I've played online a handful of times and experienced very little issues. If you have a good internet speed and combine that with an Ethernet Cable, it's as smooth as butter. To be honest, it kinda baffles me how Nintendo can keep Mario Kart online right, but not as well with Super Smash Bros. Even so, I enjoyed online, and it's fun to test my driving skills against players from around the world. How good you are is determined by your score. The higher one's score is, the higher their skill (or luck) probably is.

ISSUES
Like any game, however, there are some issues. Let me address the elephant in the room first. The most immediate problems come from the Items. Items alone can decide the course of a race, and like I said earlier: the lower placement you have, the better items you get. On the flip side, the higher your placement, the worse items you get. Staying in first place is always frustrating, because at literally any moment, even against COM opponents, you could lose 1st place and get sent to 9th all in less than a second. The best items you can receive in first place are the Triple Bananas and a Green Shell. Otherwise you'll be stuck with a measly, likely useless coin or a Bob-omb that, if not use correctly, can completely backfire on you. They say skill always beats luck, but this game seriously makes me question that notion when I suddenly get bombarded by 4 Red Shells in a row on the last lap and get 7th place AFTER I've been in 1st the entire race. Or when I'm trying to get out of 5th place only for a Bullet Bill to knock me over and send me to 8th. Or when I get hit with the classic "Lightning, then Blue Shell" when I'm right at the finish line. Fortunately, Mario kart 8 does introduce the Super Horn, an item that knocks over any nearby opponents when used and is even strong enough to destroy that accursed Blue Shell. You can get it in first place, but don't count on it when a Blue Shell comes for you, it's as rare as the Bob-omb. That brings me to my next point.

Another problem I have are the difficulties of the COM opponents. Either I actually just suck at the game, I have really terrible luck, or a combination of both, but racing against the COM racers on any difficulty higher than 100cc turns into a race of constant paranoia and stress. As I've stated, staying in first place is extremely hard, and skillful navigation of the course can only get you so far when the Items are stacked against you. That's not even mentioning that 150cc COM racers are out for blood. One wrong move and you may just cost yourself the race. It gets even worse in Mirror Mode and especially 200cc, as Mirror Mode messes with your orientation of the course, and 200cc has you going too fast for your own good. I recommend playing online or with friends.

A small nitpick I have with this game is Gold Mario. He's the only unlockable character in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and you can get him by beating all the Cups at 200cc mode. Not only is that, as I've mentioned, stressful as hell and not easy at all to do, but its overall pretty pointless other than bragging rights. He's literally just an alternate costume for Metal Mario.

One final nitpick I have is with the game itself. While yes, an updated version of the game put on a  far more successful console is a good idea. However, to those who bought the original, this is kind of a punch to the gut. A better version of the game on a completely different console. Sure, everyone was willing to ditch their Wii U the second the Switch came out, but I'd imagine there are some people out there who can't afford a Switch right now, so the original is all they have. Though in my opinion, it's just a nitpick.

THE VERDICT
Mario kart 8 Deluxe is a simple, yet overall fun game. Great visuals, amazing soundtrack, a revamped battle mode and added content are what makes this game the definitive version of Mario Kart 8. Sure, the game is best enjoyed with other people, and while items can seem unfair, it doesn't always subtract from what is otherwise a great racing game. Even if it's just a port, it's a pretty good port.

I rate this game an 8/10. Not too good, but very good for sure. If you've gotten to this point, then I thank you for reading my review.