Mario Kart combat racing game Archives
Mario Kart combat racing game Archives
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One of these things was not like the others. And he was never seen again.
Acid trip, or best track in the series? You decide.
Somehow, when he throws that shell, it grows three sizes that day.
No, we're not sure whose idea it was to shape Mario's kart like that either.
Mario Kart Wii: the Purgatory game of the series. Not bad, not great.
Ah yes. The classic racing rivalry between Mario and Pac-Man.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe review: the best, most versatile game in the series
Bringing Mario Kart to the Switch feels like an easy win for Nintendo’s fledgling machine. It isn’t exactly a new game – it’s Mario Kart 8, with a few extras – but that doesn’t really matter, for three main reasons: the ability to play in portable mode opens up whole new contexts, not that many people owned a Wii U anyway, and Mario Kart 8 is still an absolutely fantastic racing game.
For those who skipped the Wii U, Mario Kart 8 introduced bigger tracks to accommodate 12 racers and vehicles that defy gravity to drive up walls and along ceilings, and sprout gliders to soar through the air. Those tracks all still look great on this new console, especially in portable mode. And Mario Kart 8 Deluxe also includes what was DLC for the Wii U version, like the wonderful Animal Crossing track that comes in four seasonal flavours, so there are 48 tracks in total.
Players can choose from 42 Nintendo-themed characters, including a few new ones like Inkling Girl and Inkling Boy from Splatoon, another game Nintendo will shortly bring across from the Wii U to the Switch. Unlike in Mario Kart 8 for the Wii U, all tracks and characters are available from the start; the only unlockable content is the various kart and bike parts – bodies, wheels, and gliders – that along with your chosen character’s weight class determine your stats: speed, acceleration, weight, handling and grip. Experienced players will need to spend some time with the game to earn the coins needed to unlock their preferred combinations for the perfect lap times.
Veteran drivers will also enjoy those features new to Deluxe, like the added third level on the turbo boost you get for skidding around corners, which is best saved for a few select parts of certain tracks. The 200cc time trials will give those who did own the Wii U version something new to master, and the ability to hold two items at once will encourage a more tactical use of items. Where before a player in first place might have habitually dragged a banana to defend against attacks from behind, now they might find themselves dropping it in a hurry to use their spare super horn on an approaching blue shell.
But the wonderful thing about Mario Kart games is their accessibility, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has a couple of new optional features aimed specifically at inexperienced players: smart steering, which will automatically redirect a racer headed for the edge of the track, and auto-accelerate. While Mario Kart games have always been balanced to allow those players performing less well a chance to catch up, most notably by rewarding them with better items like the speed-boosting invincibility star or the opponent-munching piranha plant, these new features narrow the gap further.
Mario Kart is a game meant to be instantly playable by any group of people, and the Switch only improves on that. Here, as with other multiplayer games, the Joy-Con controllers prove themselves a wonderful invention, allowing you to play with a friend instantly. A single Joy-Con on its side might not be the most comfortable way to play, even in a wheel (and especially if you’ve got big hands), but it’s a rare and welcome treat to be able to bring in a buddy without having to buy extra equipment.
Of course, if your friend has a Switch then they’ll probably also have a copy of the game, so you won’t even need to play in split-screen. When apart you can play online, and when together you can make use of wireless play to face off in portable mode. You can even have two players per console in each case, though leaning in with someone to peer at the console propped up on its little kickstand is the least comfortable way to play, even if it’s someone you really like being physically close to.
The ideal setup is that which the adverts sold us: a large group of friends, each with their own console, making use of portable mode to hang out in the same physical space. And that’s perhaps best demonstrated, surprisingly, in the game’s battle mode, which has often felt like an afterthought in these games and especially did so in the Wii U version. While Mario Kart 8 offered only one kind of battle, in which you hit each other with items until you run out of balloons, and only on eight of the tracks already used for races, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe features five modes and eight (five new) battle-only maps.
Most modes will feel familiar to those who’ve played previous games in the series. Balloon Battle gives each player five balloons, which they lose when attacked, rewarding the aggressor with points; that your points are halved if you lose all your balloons introduces a risk-reward angle that discourages driving right into the fray. Bob-omb Blast is Balloon Battle but all items are bombs, and you can collect several to let loose all at once.
Coin Runners has players collect coins from around the course and from other players. In Shine Thief, which appeared originally in Double Dash on the GameCube, players fight over an item called the Shine Sprite, attempting to hold on to it for long enough for a timer to count down from 20 to zero. Though all four of these modes can be played in teams, they’re perhaps most entertaining when everyone is out for themselves and the player in the lead is mercilessly targeted by the rest.
The one mode that can only be played in teams is the new Renegade Roundup, which uses the Piranha Plant – a new addition to Mario Kart 8 – to introduce a cops and robbers theme. Members of one team use the plants attached to their vehicles to catch the others and transfer them to a prison somewhere on the map; if they manage to imprison them all the round ends early. Renegades must avoid capture while winning points by driving over switches to free their teammates. Even more so than the others, this mode is particularly fun when you’re all in the same room, as someone yells, “I’m in jail! Come and let me out!”
It’s those kinds of moments that make a Mario Kart game. While some players will spend hours perfecting time trials and improving their standing online, that’s not really what these games are for. Mario Kart is a vehicle for fun with all your friends and family, no matter their individual skill, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the best, most versatile version of that yet.
Nintendo; Switch; £45; Pegi rating: 3+
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If there’s one game series that I’ll play even if it hasn’t changed much, it’s “Mario Kart.”
Overall, “Mario Kart Wii” isn’t much different from any of the other games in the series, despite new motion-sensitive controls. Except for some new tracks and other tweaks, it’s mostly the same combat racing game players have come to love.
“Mario Kart Wii” is one of the few games that lets you make use of your Mii, a customizable avatar created in the Wii’s main menu. So instead of racing with one of Nintendo’s characters — I always pick Wario — you can race as yourself.
The new tracks throw in lots of ramps, gaps and other hazards, and they seem much more alive than old tracks (many of which are also playable). My favorite is one that takes place in a mall, with players racing up and down escalators and jumping off fountains.
A stunt system has been added that, by shaking the Wii remote while jumping off a ramp, makes the racer perform a trick and gives a speed boost.
This time around, bikes have been added to the usual go-karts. I still preferred the heavier and easier-to-control karts, but bikes will appeal to those who want to pop wheelies.
I played using the packed-in Wii Wheel, a large plastic remote-holder shaped like a steering wheel. The wheel is sturdy and comfortable to grip. It doesn’t add anything technically to the controls, but it’s fun to use.
For those who don’t want to use the wheel, “Mario Kart Wii” allows a choice of control schemes: Wii remote by itself, Wii remote and nunchuk, classic controller or GameCube controller.
Easily the largest addition in the game is online play. By connecting to Nintendo’s Wi-Fi server, players can race against up to 11 players. Every online race I tried was lag-free and without problems.
I really liked the online matchmaking screen. After selecting a regional game or global game, you’re matched with opponents. The game then shows their names and where on the globe they are, which was just cool. One global match I played had nine people from France and Germany, one from Japan and one from England.
I only wish the Wii had voice-chat capabilities. It’s sad to be able to play with all these people but not be able to talk to them.
Still, “Mario Kart Wii” is a lot of fun. Wii owners shouldn’t skip it.
I was prepared to hate “Battle of the Bands,” a music-rhythm game sort of like “Guitar Hero.” After all, I’d hated the musical disaster “Boogie,” and I wasn’t sure about “Battle’s” concept: two bands of different genres playing one song and attacking each other.
But I was pleasantly surprised. While the gameplay certainly isn’t deep, it’s got an appealing charm. Plus, it turned out to be pretty hilarious to hear songs such as Tag Team’s “Whoomp There It Is” performed by a marching band or a mariachi group.
The game looks similar to “Guitar Hero,” but only the track that the “notes” move on is the same. You activate four kinds of notes by moving the Wii remote. A left-side note means swing the remote to the left on the beat. Right means right, of course, and down means waving the remote down. One note has an X behind it, and for that you must stab forward with the remote. Squiggly lines indicate shaking the remote.
Each note you hit gives you points, and the winner is the band that has the most notes at the end of the song. If you hit a certain number of notes in a row, a weapon appears. Hitting the weapon attacks the other band (who is simultaneously trying to hit the same notes). If the attack lands, the attacker gets a huge point boost. But the other band also can block the attack.
Meanwhile, the song switches between genres, which can be rock, country, marching band, mariachi or hip hop. Occasionally, funk and orchestral make an appearance.
I was surprised by the amount of work that must have gone into re-creating each of the 30 songs for each genre. The mariachi songs even are translated into Spanish.
“Battle of the Band” is an interesting idea that works surprisingly well. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, and that humor shines through for an enjoyable, though shallow, experience.
Reach Aimee Green at 473-7326 orAimee.Green@lee.net.
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