Mario Kart 8 has some of the best racing in any game ever.
This fact cannot be disputed. The items are finally balanced; even the blue
shell is OK. The new courses are extremely fun, the remixed
returning tracks are inspired and fresh again with the new mechanics. The
anti-gravity is great. Bumping each other for boosts is really awesome. I love
the glider and the underwater propeller. I love the racing. The tricks. Wow.
Such fun.
All that above is undeniable. Best racing in a Mario Kart,
hands down. The thing that Mario Kart 8 lacks in is features and game modes.
While the core gameplay is the best it’s ever been, the extras were bare bones.
It’s like all of the resources for Mario Kart went into the races, and then
everything else was rushed to get the game out faster. Obviously, Wii U needed
the game immediately, so I can understand why this happened, but it’s still
worth talking about. Why? Because I love Nintendo more than any other gaming
company. I want them to succeed, not fall behind. If I’m honest, though,
Nintendo is falling behind when it comes to basic features that should be in
every game. I’m not hating on Nintendo here, just trying to add another voice
to let them know how critical it is that they get their games up to the same
level as other companies.
First, I want to talk menus.
They are very simplistic, and not in a good way. The menu systems that Nintendo
implements in its games feel archaic, dry. They are: go straight to the races.
However, modern companies that accept that online is how gamers want to be
should give its customers more than that. A menu system should make the
community of people who love that game feel like it’s a living and breathing
world.
