Mario Kart 8

[Hendo]

I really need to go back to this before the DLC comes out.

Out of interest, have you mastered all the tracks to know where the ideal route is? Every time I played each track I was never 100% sure if something was a proper short cut or just an alternative way.

[HandsomeDead]

I think I have, maybe. I'd say the shortcuts are obvious as you need a mushroom or star to make use of them, but the alternative routes are more of a preference thing or if you have to use them because of hazards in the way of a faster route, or you may need the extra coins available in a slower route. I'd say it's just a case of reading the race and going for what's best.

[spatular]

Every time I played each track I was never 100% sure if something was a proper short cut or just an alternative way.

i'm similar, some tracks i have an idea where to go but others like that yoshi one from the n64, i had no idea where to go on the n64 version and i still don't have a clue.

edit - actually i remember now, if you race the time trial staff ghosts they show you some good shortcuts.

also i've not played it since pre-ordering the dlc, should really get on the case.

[illdog]

Played some of this round my cousins house yester-eve, forgot how much fun it was. Played some single player this morning, forgot how much fun it wasn't.

[Sambob]

I still havnt finished this single player yet for exactly what youve said ill, its eating away at my insides though so might need do something about it.

[illdog]

Thing is I still love the game, its reeks of quality. But when you cone first in the first three races of a cup with complete ease them just get utterly ass raped by items and random misfortune in the final course and end up with no stars instead of three I wanna chuck the cunt out the window.

[illdog]

New trailer from the Excitebike arena on the first DLC due to drop in November:

http://youtu.be/I_b4o8kphRc

The oval layout looks a bit dull but... the twist is that the jumps are randomly generated, that's quite cool. Still, the proof is in the playing.Tanooki Suit Mario looks awesome.

Here's a trailer for Yoshi Circuit from Double Dash. also on the first DLC:

Diggin Cat Peach in her pink cat car too.

[spatular]

new tracks out today!!!

[Pikman]

Yup, already had a look and OMG

Get it asap is all I'll say for now.

[spatular]

did the 2 new cups - good stuff. rainbow road from the snes is a bit easy though.

[Hendo]

Had a go on all the new tracks on 50cc, had a go with Link on one and Tanooki Mario on the other.

Great stuff!

The most interesting is probably the F-Zero one, the boost strips give you coins.

It also brings me back in and reminds me that all I need to do to finish is the last main cup in 150cc before Mirror Mode is unlocked so will probably crack on with that at some point.

[HandsomeDead]

Okay! New tracks! They're mostly decent at the very least.

Yoshi Circuit is a good, solid track. It's one of those easy ones that is still pretty decent but it's turned up a few times since the GameCube version so you all know what it's about and there has been no Mario Kart 8 anti-grav stuff so it's a traditional MK course.

Excitebike Arena is cute. The procedural stuff is cute but it is just a straight track and I can't see where the competition will really come from on that track. I haven't played it online yet (any of them) so the jury is out.

Dragon Driftway is a new track which is fun. It takes place on the back of a dragon from Mario Galaxy and it has a Chinese vibe to it. It's one of the more surprising tracks since it isn't one they've shown much. But it's twisty and has some fun corners in it. This one is quite cool.

And then it's Mute City. Fucking hell, man. I hate this. It's an okay track, and collecting coins from the heal strips is a real neat addition, and the music is awesome. But it just makes me want an F-Zero game. It mostly makes me sad. Brilliant but upsetting.

Wario's Goldmine turns up again which is fine. A solid track from the Wii game is solid again here.

The Snes Rainbow Road is also a better track than it has any right to be. It doesn't hold up as a top tier track like the more recent Rainbow Roads but it works as a good mid-tear track. But it does have some well placed ramps that make going for the shortcuts a little nail biting. So if you're cheeky and over-confident the track will still get you. And it's a Rainbow Road so of course it still looks cool.

Another new one that keeps in the Mario series is Ice Ice Outpost, and I think this one is my favourite. I read someone say it has a WipeOut look to it and I think I agree with that a lot. It's two weaving roads that come together occasionally and it has some real nice shortcuts in that that are a genuine risk. They feel a risk right now, but I can't see them being a safe bet for a lot of people, but it does cut off a big chunk. And hitting it is genuinely skill based, its not a shortcut that is just available to you if you have a star or mushroom like most others.

So I like this track a lot. Not quite as much as Bowser's Castle or the Electrodome, but it's still up there.

And we have Hyrule Circuit, and like Mute City, it's got loads of awesome details that are cool. You collect Rupees instead of coins and even the item boxes have a 'open the treasure chest' theme to them. There is also, apparently (I can't do it), a shortcut tied to hitting all the gems on a corner.

But the track itself is just decent.

So that's my view of the tracks. None of them are the worst but only one reaches the highs of my favourites from the on disc selection, but I am happy with the stuff on offer. I like Tanooki Mario more than I thought I would, Link is super cool to use and the new karts are all pretty cool. But the Blue Falcon also depresses me.

I think I might buy a Captain Falcon Amiibo so I can use his costume for my Mii and blitz around Mute City in the Blue Falcon and have a little cry.

[Hendo]

3 starred 50cc and 100cc now, really loving having an excuse to come back.

Anyone fancy a night online with the new tracks next week?

[HandsomeDead]

Sure, I'm up for embarrassing you all. I'm available all day Wednesday and Thursday. I can do evenings other days but it's down to if I can be arsed or not. I'm not always in a gaming mood at night.

[Hendo]

I can probably do during the day next week, off work from Monday, back in on Friday.

[illdog]

Hey! I got a nice Fox McCloud outfit from my Amiibo for my Mii. It looks fucking awesome. Using it to bezz round the DLC.

[HandsomeDead]

Some laps done in the new 200cc mode:

Looks like a good reason to go back to the old cups.

I've been meaning to have a few more bashes at this. Anyone else around tonight or tomorrow?

[HandsomeDead]

A trailer that shows all the new content.

I can't believe they put another F-Zero track in there. Such an ace/horrible thing to do.

[HandsomeDead]

I've played the new courses quite a bit now.

So we have new characters: Villager and Isabel from Animal Crossing, and Dry Bowser. Villager statistically is like Metal Mario and Isabel is another small character, and Dry Bowser is a heavy, so the latter two are predictable. While the animal crossing characters are fun what with all the expressions and sounds you only half expect, Dry Bowser is just not that cool. I get the feeling they were wanting to up the ante from Dry Bones but I think I'd rather have had Dry Bones. Dry Bones is cooler.

There are some new karts but none really stand out but more options are nice.

The courses are pretty much all great, apart from Baby Park. I know it's popular with some fans, and I know why people like it but it just doesn't do anything for me.

But the rest are really, really good. A good mix of mid and high difficulty tier tracks that have some nice variety to them. I think I mostly want to give a shout out to Koopa City which just rules and makes me wonder why we fight Bowser so many times. The city he runs is this cool, neo, futuristic, prosperous city. I'm questioning everything I believe in here. But it's an awesome track, anyway.

200cc is something pretty special, though, I think at least. Like, I think it's a big game changer. It's not just having to deal with a faster kart. Now playing this mode I get the sense you were never fighting the track in many of the Mario Kart games; I feel like you don't fight it that much in a lot of racing games, but on 200cc it's your number one enemy. Before you would hit every boost, trick off every jump for a boost, drift as much as you possibly could to go as fast as you can. That wasn't always easy, and some were much better at it than others, but this is different.

It's not that you just have to break now, you have to know when to dial it back. Which chicanes to not drift boost on, which boost pads to miss, which jumps to trick or not to trick. 200cc just makes you think about all the mechanics in MK8 in a broader way rather than just going as fast as possible. It starts to play like something closer to an actual driving game.

A good thing though is the AI is awful at it. When I looked at what I'd done I saw I still hadn't done the last set of DLC tracks on Mirror Mode. Getting a gold trophy with all wins on Mirror Mode on the on-disc content was quite an upsetting experience. The AI is bullshit and aggressive as hell; so many times I was screwed over on the last leg.

But on 200cc (while kinda aggressive) play a bit more fair, and if you do keep up the pace you will pull away quite a distance so some bullshitty Blue Shells or and accidental fall or two won't affect your place too much. The AI will probably be falling behind you.

It's also damn fast and the framerate doesn't budge still so it's exciting and feels pretty sweet. So while I probably won't be going near Mirror Mode again I think I want to get all the stars on 200cc. I'd say if Mario Kart 8 wasn't the best Mario Kart then it is now, it definitely is now.

[spatular]

yeah! had a good go on 200cc (which i think is free right?) last night and thought it was pretty ace. as soon as i'd downloaded it i went into online multiplayer, using my normal kart setup i was flying into the walls all the time, it's strange having to brake in mario kart. so i quit that and picked a slower/better handling character/kart and did some championships - it's really great fun. big shame you can't time trial at 200cc though. not tried the new tracks loads yet but initial impressions were good.