After the [somewhat] disappointment of the latest Mario Golf entry I was admittedly a little worried about Mario Kart 8 despite all the good press it was receiving. Luckily all of that worry was laid to rest in grand fashion: Mario Kart 8 is the best entry in the series that I’ve played so far.
Yes, I like it even better than Mario Kart Double Dash.
Don’t be too surprised, I’m predisposed to a loud primarily to my fond memories of not the original, but the N64 entry. I spent so much time with that version that it doesn’t take much to lose myself again I another entry. That was what made Mario Kart Wii such a frustrating title, I wanted so much to fall in love with the game yet it wanted so much for me to not enjoy any of my time with it. The balance changes made in 8 fix so many of the frustrations of Wii, the rebalancing of rubber banding items, the ability to country blue shells as the first player, the inventive track design.
With the inclusion of online play that actually works (two-player simultaneous online on the same console to boot, a feature that is amazing for my exact situation) I can almost forgive the waste of a battle mode. The only fix I would love is the ability to at least choose what type of kart piece I unlock rather than the random system in place (so many tires and wings unlocked).
If you own a WiiU, buy this game, if you have been waiting to buy a WiiU, buy it with this game, if you’ve always had a soft spot for the Mario Kart franchise, consider getting a WiiU and this game.
Please, consider this game.
Game of the year.