Mario Kart 8 is the Best Mario Kart to Date [REVIEW]

Mario Kart is one of the most famous racing franchises in gaming history and has been around since the early days of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. This being the 8th game in the franchise a lot of people might be worried that Mario Kart may be overstaying it’s welcome. If history has taught us anything, it’s that many game franchises die from franchise fatigue or too many poor entries like Medal of Honor which hasn’t released a game since 2012. That being said I’m here today to tell you that not only is Mario Kart 8 another fresh take on the karting formula that is fun for the whole family but it also might be the best Mario Kart to date.

Quick confession, I was not a Nintendo kid as I grew up with a Dreamcast and have had an Xbox since the original release. But I have still played my fair share of Nintendo games and have a deep appreciation for them as they combine casual friendly play with competitive action. I did, however, have a Wii and had the Mario Kart for that system and absolutely loved it. When my friends would come over that was the game we would play. Not to mention if you went anywhere during this time you were bound to see some kids playing Mario kart on their Nintendo DS. Basically, Mario Kart has been around for most of my life and I have seen it blossom and grow over the years.

It needs to be clarified that Mario Kart 8 was initially released for the Wii U in 2014 and was still a good game then but suffered due to low sales of the Wii U itself. So instead of starting from scratch, Nintendo decided to take what they had and improve on it in every way and port it to the Switch. Well anyone worried that this was a cop-out shouldn’t fret as this is the best option for kart racing fans out there. 

Everything from the original release is all still there but added are new characters, new tracks, new vehicles, new items, and a new look. The graphics have been upgraded substantially and it is arguably the best looking game on the switch as of this writing. When putting the old and new versions of Mario Kart 8 side – by – side, there is quite a noticeable rise in quality which is a welcome feature to fans. Furthermore, several bugs and issues with the original launch have been fixed and tweaked making for the cleanest version of the game possible. Having played it for several hours now I have yet to run into any game crashing bugs, frame rate drops, or any other kind of glaring issue. In short, the game just looks beautiful.

On the gameplay side of things, not much has changed besides a few minor tweaks to drivers and animations. However, this isn’t a problem as this is the same beloved Mario Kart fans are familiar with. Races are fast and fun without being too long or too short with 4 different speeds to play at with 50cc being the slowest for more novice players and 200cc is for those who really want a challenge. Whether you’re playing Grand Prix or Battle mode you will still get the satisfaction of nailing somebody with a red shell or flying past the competition in a bullet bill. There are also several unlockable karts, wheels, and gliders to earn as you play through the game that does not require a large amount of grinding to get. And not to mention there are no forms of microtransactions in the game so you can unlock everything by simply playing the game. 

Whether you’re an original fan of the franchise or someone who just wants a fun racing game, this is most definitely the game for you. Easy to get used to and difficult to master Mario Kart 8 is enjoyable in every aspect and creates a ton of replay opportunities to keep you hooked for as long as possible. It’s myriad of racers, karts, and tracks make every race feel different and unique so the whole racing formula doesn’t get boring after a certain amount of time. This is the best Mario Kart to date and you’d have a grumpy Koopa to not want to pick this game up.