Mario Kart Gr8 - Best Mario Kart Ever?

As a fan of the series ever since Mario Kart SNES I can truly say that, in my opinion, this is the best Mario Kart to date. Mario Kart, like many Nintendo games, has mostly retained the same formula for each game. You still race or battle whilst picking up items to aid yourself or knock out your enemies. Nintendo however has yet again managed to take an old series and keep it fresh, new and exciting.

Firstly for those who have never played the series before, Mario Kart is a go-kart racing game involving characters from the Mario franchise. On the tracks are item blocks that give you a random item depending on your place in the race. If you are near the front you will get items such as banana peels which can be dropped to trip up the other karts or shells to throw at people, and if you are further back you get more powerful power-ups like the ability to turn into a bullet and zoom a few places further whilst knocking out everything in your path. This is not a racing game where you can win just by sitting in first place (although that helps) as players will constantly be throwing shells at you including the deadly blue shell which seeks out with 100% accuracy the player in first place. Features like this are what make Mario Kart the exciting game that it is. Races are fast pace battles in which you can be in first place right up to the end and then hit with a shell at the last second and end up fourth or conversely in last place and then zoom right to the front by relentlessly using items in your final lap. Literally anything can happen in this action packed game and this is what has secured its place as one of Nintendo’s bestselling and most iconic games. But what exactly makes Mario Kart 8 stand out from the rest?

First of all it looks amazing. Being a Wii U release it’s the first opportunity that the series has had to be shown in its HD glory. All the tracks are vibrant, colourful and filled with interesting backgrounds that make it so you discover something new each time you race. In fact sometimes there is so much going on in the levels that it’s easy to take the wrong path when first playing them. Not only has Mario Kart never looked so good but it has also never sounded so great either! From the slap bass intro to the country violin of Moo Moo Meadows this game has an amazing soundtrack. The game has 16 retro tracks that have all been upgraded to the new HD look. It’s quite amazing how some of the SNES levels look and have been re-modelled to include some of the new features of Mario Kart 8 that will be discussed later. The retro track selection is excellent and truly is a greatest hits of all the Mario Karts. Mario Kart 8 of course offers 16 totally new tracks and this is where the game really shines. This game includes the water levels from Mario Kart Wii and the flying sections from Mario Kart 7 but also adds antigravity sections. With this feature you can now race upside down, up waterfalls and on the sides of a room. When in antigravity sections the games camera seamlessly turns to avoid confusing you and to let you continue the fast paced races unimpeded. A new and initially confusing game mechanic is that whilst in antigravity mode you gain speed boosts by bumping into other players, and this changes the race tactics. Bikes are back and together with Kart customisation you can really make your go-kart personal to your play style. Nintendo also shows support for its newer games by adding new playable characters from New Super Mario Bros U.

This game is perhaps best enjoyed with other players. Mario Kart 8 offers split screen 4 player racing which is a great feature but also a bit disappointing. The extra screen of the gamepad means that there could have been multiplayer that isn’t split screen (one player using the TV screen and another using the gamepad screen) and also that the multiplayer could have been up to 5 players but both of these aren’t features of the game. In fact the gamepad screen only offers a map, a horn or motion controlled gameplay that can also be done with a Wii remote. You can play multiplayer whilst looking at the gamepad screen but that also shows split screen which is a shame. The game offers pretty much the same online play as we saw with 7 but this is nothing bad. It’s free great online racing. Nintendo has added a chat feature which can be used in the pre-game lobby and also Mii verse messages make an appearance and can be made special with stamps you earn while racing.

Overall this is a great game that is only let down by its limited gamepad usage. If you’re a fan of racing games or just want a fun game to enjoy with friends and family, Mario Kart 8 is the perfect game to get this summer.