Mario Kart 8 – Nintendo Wii U

This game is AMAZING! I’ve played every entry since SMK and have loved each one since, as they all brought new ideas to the table. Mario Kart 8 takes the reigns as my favorite title in the series though, no question! This has got to be THE best racing game Nintendo has ever created. It’s so much more tasty and rich than the ones before it.

So first off, the gamepad controls for this game feel very nice. Being used to the wii remote, I was surprised at how natural the conversion to the gamepad felt. I prefer using the analog sticks opposed to the gamepad’s gyroscope though. The gamepad is just a little too big to be leaning back and forth!:/ I also like how they incorporated the gamepads screen into the game. If you’re playing on the T.V. you can easily switch to gamepad-only mode with the touch of a button, there’s also another little button you can press to see where everyone is on the track! Very convenient! Some people may complain that the gamepad screen isn’t being used enough, but come on, lets be honest… There’s not much you can do with the gamepad in this game. You’re racing! You want to keep your eye’s on ONE screen!

Next, the graphics. Sweet baby Jesus this game is beautiful. I can’t describe the feeling of seeing an HD Mario Kart game, it’s completely different from seeing the videos of it in reviews on YouTube. Once you own this game and you play it on your TV… Then and only then you can truly see how nice this game looks. My favorite track has got to be Twisted mansion (i’m a sucker for anything spooky!). Nintendo, like always, does a great job in course variety and it’s no different in this game either as each one is COMPLETELY different from the one before it. They stuck to the traditional 16 re-made old tracks, and 16 brand spankin new ones. I love this tradition as it eases us into new territory in the series. There’s tons of throwbacks in here though!

Also, I don’t know if anyone else likes to do this too, but to really appreciate the game more.. i go on time trials and just explore the tracks to their entirety. I know I’m gonna have fun doing that on this game considering all the detail they put into it, and how nice it looks!!

Next, the ANTI-GRAVITY! Wow, You ever play a mario kart game and just be like "man, I wish I could just drive on the walls.. And then onto the ceiling! Well, now you can. The first course showcases this and man it feeds some sort of hunger I had. I love this feature along with the gliding they incorporated (which was first used in Mario Kart 7) So happy these have been added to the main series. Oh, and you can drive UNDERWATER NOW TOO. Fun little things like this make a game all the more enjoyable!

And finally, the MUSIC! The music Is amazing. If there’s one company you can count on for making great music along with their games, it’s nintendo, I mean come on. Pokemon, LOZ, Smash Bros, Super Mario. Big band music with sweet guitar solos and jazzy songs? Yes please! Loving the music so far, 10/10 !:)

Last, THE BAD. Honestly, it’s pretty tough to find anything bad about this game.. I haven’t had any real issues with it. I wish next time instead of 32 tracks, they would add some more more cause I managed to race and beat every single one in about 2-3 hours. Then again, I’m not sure if I really do want more tracks. Maybe 32 is perfect! Nintendo knows balance. Another thing.. WHERE IS THE TRACK CREATOR? I would absolutely love to make my own track. Nintendo understood that people like to be creative in games back in 2008 with smash bros brawl with the stage creator.. We haven’t changed, nintendo! We like to make our own stuff! Hopefully the next entry will allow this. No biggie though. I’m really happy with this game!!

If you own a Wii U, you have to get this game. It’s a no-brainer!:)

Thank you for taking the time to read this!

Additionally, the game looks gorgeous in full HD with 1080p at 60f/s. There are little attentions to detail around every turn. The new courses honor thwomps and other secondary characters in creative ways that feel right.

Unlike Sonic all-star racing, this game was easy to pick up and play from the start. You will probably win your first cup on your first try, but it gets harder. Sonic gave me control issues that required too much unnecessary skill and practice before I even started to make some headway in the game.

The gamepad is integrated well into the game, not forcing anything unneeded, but providing extra awesome. My favorite was to have the track displayed so I could check where the other karts were on the map.

That brings me to the new battle. I think the change is awesome. You can battle in one-player mode with customizable settings on the real tracks. There were full sets of karts for the one-player battle, so I don’t know if multiplayer will feel space, but single player did not.

This is going to be the go-to party game. It appeared to be pretty flawless so I thank Nintendo for putting the extra effort in. Hopefully there are surprises too, for when I get more time to play further in the game.