If there’s a non-Zelda game that I’m looking forward to the most on the Wii U, it’s a Mario Kart title, which Nintendo announced this morning in the form of Mario Kart 8. Just like any classic Mario Kart title, Mario Kart 8 features a big lineup of Mario characters (each with their own personalized karts) and brand new race tracks (each with their own hidden passageways and secrets). What’s new this time around, beyond the beautiful HD graphics, is the inclusion of the motorcycles from the Wii version, the gliders and submarines from the 3DS version, and a brand new kart: the hovercraft. And the hovercraft comes immediately handy with the arrival of levels in which you’ll find yourself driving on the sides of the walls and even upside down on the ceiling.
In the 3 tracks that I played in my short time with the game, Mario Kart 8 seemed like more of the same. For gamers who had grown tired of the same mechanics by Mario Kart 7, there’s not a whole lot new here, other than new takes on traditional courses like the Ghost Manor, the seaside town from Mario Sunshine and Treetop Terrace. Yes, driving on the ceiling and walls can be very cool, but the rapid change in screen orientation and super loud HD graphics can give you a sense of sea sickness after awhile. The nice lady demoing the game for Nintendo said she was starting to feel sick after just watching the gameplay. There also didn’t appear to be any new power ups that I could use, not that I consider the classic Mario Kart in any way broken. I’m a big fan of every iteration of the game and will be picking this up day one.
The game can be played on the Wii U gamepad in two ways, either using the thumb stick for steering similar to the Gamecube controller, or with the built in motion controls similar to Mario Kart Wii. And you can switch controls in the middle of the game. The other use of the pad is pretty hilarious: there’s a horn button in the middle of the pad that you can use to honk your horn and cause the other drivers to turn their heads. I caused one fender bender ahead of me between two computer controlled characters in order to get back into first place.
All in all, there’s still a lot to be seen. The three courses on display weren’t final versions and were too short, with only two laps apiece and not a lot of variation in laps (the second time through the Ghost Mansion, portions of it were underwater). That being said, my time with the game on the crowded floor was also too short, and I look forward to playing the game this Winter when it is released. Hopefully, Nintendo keeps up their strong recent history with online gaming support, as this is going to be a lot of fun to play across the Miiverse. The dream of additional downloadable tracks (including classic tracks) is also one that I keep having and hopefully this is the version of Mario Kart that brings it to reality!