Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Review
Mario Kart 8 is the best Mario Kart game ever.
Full confession: I've never thought Mario Kart games were top tier racing games. Don't mistake me saying they're bad games, because for the most part Mario Kart games aren't. But they've always excelled while in a group more than they did alone. Mario Kart games were always fun to that extent, but were never, ever on the same level as its contemporary peers. It has been outclassed by competition from Virtua Racing and Daytona to Jet Moto 2, Ridge Racer 4, Wipeout XL, Crash Team Racing. From Burnout 3, Colin McRae, SSX Tricky/SSX3, Outrun 2006 on down to Sonic Team Racing and Sonic Transformed. Mario Kart has never eclipsed the competition in terms of graphics, feel, and overall package. It's not a shock that the best Nintendo racer ever made wasn't even made by Nintendo but by Sega in F-Zero GX. Even lesser known racers like Initial D ps1 or Extreme Stage and Tokyo Extreme Racer line of games, I feel are better racing games than Mario Kart games.
MK games have either a wack presentation or bad feel (lack of speed) to make them appealing in the long run. I've never felt a Mario Kart game was a top tier racer due to this. Presentation matters when it comes to racers and Mario Kart games have never been there.
Compared to its competition it has been lesser.
vs
It's not even close.
It took over 20 years for Mario Kart to catch up in terms of overall visual appeal and aesthetic.
And then there's Mario Kart 8.
Truly the first Mario Kart that transcends the series as it turns into a fantastic racing game with excellent presentation, great sense of speed, and excellent track design. I usually play Mario Kart games for a few minutes on single player. I'll beat a cup and then turn the game off out of boredom.
But not MK8 Deluxe. I've been playing this game since I got it and have cleared the entire 150CC, which has 10 cups in just a few sittings.
For the first time ever I've been comfortable in saying a Mario Kart 8 is heads and shoulders a top tier racer that should have longevity beyond multiplayer. I've played it online and it's fun as shit. Even though the rest of the competition is mostly dead and Mario Kart is kind of the only arcade racer in the town now, it's still everything that embodies the greatness of the genre.
Fantastic game.