Topic: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

Anyone up for some battle mode in a bit?
I'm jumping on during my lunch break.

@Gamer83 Yeah if you don't like platformers that took a chunk out of the library. And if you didn't want to replay Zelda games that took another chunk. WW, TPHD padded my time, and SS did as well (I skipped it on Wii.) But it did have a few huge RPGs (XCX/TMS#FE). I admit Splatoon consumed a full year. But yeah, I think 3DS got more playtime than my WiiU, but yet now that I have Switch and I'm clearing out my pile of WiiU boxes I realize I had a HUGE pile of WiiU boxes for a system it felt like I had no games for

@Grumblevolcano Have you found that controls/drifting/turning has been rebalanced at all? On WiiU I found I was always running off the edge via over drifting. On Switch it seems like a rare occurrence (and no I don't have auto-steer on )

@Haru17 Well it's fair to say that with Paper Mario "series fans" are going to be permanently disappointed. The corporate decision appears to be "PM is not an RPG anymore, M&L is the RPG now." But yeah, I can see where the library was lacking in some cases. Like I said to gamer83, I tend to forget that between Splatoon and old Zeldas how much my WiiU play time was padded.

@NEStalgia It still has turn-based combat but is not an RPG.

??? What even is that?

@Haru17 Haha, they're calling it "more of an adventure game" now, with the sticker/card battle system. They've been very explicit that it's not an RPG, M&L has that torch. They do struggle to define what it is beyond saying it's vaguely an "adventure game." The problem with the turn based battles is they don't really fit the adventure theme. It's a lot of long battles like an RPG, but from which you get nothing but more tools for more battles. Even BotW doesn't fall into that as you also get ingredients to upgrade armor, so battling indirectly upgrades you despite not "leveling up." Current PM structure doesn't upgrade you directly OR indirectly, it just replaces some of what you used in battle.

Mostly battle is a superfluous thing best avoided in current PM. It took me a long time to realize that and "play right."

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on Nintendo Switch fixes acceleration problem in Wii U original

https://www.polygon.com/2017/5/2/15514358/mario-kart-8-deluxe...

Finally i got 3 stars on every cup and beat all 150cc ghosts to unlock gold pieces. Now i only miss gold glider that i will unlock by just farming coins

Now it's just going to be full online for me!!

@FGPackers 150cc ghosts in the time trials? I beat the included ghost in a few time trials, but I noticed you can also compete against people who have uploaded their times online, and who are significantly faster than the default ghost.

Finally. 2,000 coins in and I just unlocked the Blue Falcon.

All is well.

@Pigeon
Ah, you have to have email notifications turned on in the NintendoLife profile settings, so that you're notified when someone mentions you in a post.

Give me your LINE username and I'll friend you then send an invite from the friends list

@JaxonH Haha, that was the one I first unlocked at 30 coins

Exactly

This game is phenomenal, but I have to say, eventhough it seems less to appear less here than in Mario Kart Wii, the Blue Shell is still one of the worst freaking things to happen in video games. The other chaotic stuff in the game makes it a blast to play but that damn shell is just annoying.

The blue shell does exist for a reason: it's sometimes the only thing that can stop the player in first if they have a big enoughl lead. But perhaps it would be better if it focused on that role by only appearing when someone is too far ahead.

I've always viewed it as a punishment for being good at the game. I understand accessibility and wanting everybody to have a good time but there has to be a better way. Getting hit with three blue shells in the same race is a bit ridiculous.

@Gamer83 Seeing three blue shells in a single race in 8 is extremely rare, I assure you (much more likely to happen in Wii). In fact I go through just as many races without seeing a single blue, even in single-player, not to mention they're far less deadly than they've ever been. It's probably because coin items are a thing and serve as an alternative to reining in first-place drivers.

Honestly, blues in 8 are only really annoying when attempting things like 3-stars in Grand Prix. The generous ranking system used online means you don't need to be so serious in being first all the time, which helps take the sting from any item-related misfortune.

It's ridiculous pulling away from the pack who do nothing but hold each other back with items for the entire rest of the race. Take that real world 'punishment for winning' ideology out of it. And you even have a chance to pass the blue shell onto another racer if they pass you into first, or break it entirely with the horn.

The only thing I don't like about the Mario Kart 8 blue shell is how it will hit successive race leaders if someone has already crossed the finish line the final time and come in first place. It's very hard to keep track of whether first, second, and third place have finished or not if you're in fourth place and racing to get over the line, so being hit with the shell then seems kinda last minute and random. I guess it makes the item useful for the user in that case, but it's quite odd nonetheless.

@meleebrawler
It's definitely not as common as it was in Mario Kart Wii, I lived in terror of that thing when playing that game. However, I've had several races in MK 8 where at least three blue shells were sent my way, sometimes I've been fortunate to have the horn.

I've always thought that blue shells should be limited to the first 2 laps.As soon as the leader passes the line to begin their last lap then they should no longer be available in the item boxes.You could still get hit by one if a straggler is holding onto one but that would be rare,most are fired instantly.

I'd prefer it if the Blue Shell hit every player between the player who fires it and the player in 1st place, with the player in 1st place perhaps getting hit twice as hard? That way, the player who is behind would have a chance of catching their immediate competition - and the player in front wouldn't feel totally screwed knowing that the players just behind them got hit too...

...but, on the whole, I like it - and the balance of the weapons in general. It keeps casual and pro racers somewhat 'rubber-banded' together in multiplayer, which helps to ensure that everyone is having a blast playing the game - which is what it's all about surely (although it can get a little frustrating in a single player Grand Prix - but you wouldn't want it to be too easy! ) ...plus, you can always make custom lobbies (or do local races) perhaps without weapons if you fancy some 'pure' racing - or show off your skills with some awesome Time Trial times

@Gamer83
On average, I typically get hit with 1 blue shell per race. Sometimes I have a horn or mushroom (just dodged a shell the other day with a shroom) but usually I don't. I just take the hit and chalk it up to the 1st place champion fee. There have been times I'll see the shell making its way up the ranks on the map, and I'll fall back just enough to let the 2nd place racer pass me, and I'll keep an arm's length behind until the blue shell catches up and hits them, so as to not get caught in the blast radius.

Every now and then it strikes at an inopportune time, and I didn't see it coming to fall back, don't have any items and it costs me several places in the race. But usually, most of the time, I still get first.

I both love it and hate it. It's a great way to wipe the board when you have the misfortune of falling behind, but it's a nuisance when you're always leading the pack. Untimately that's the real issue though I think. We do so good we're always in first place, so we're the ones it's always affecting lol. Dont recall ever getting hit with it in 200cc. I Gold trophied all 12 cups on Saturday (it was a fight to the bitter end), and I don't remember struggling with losing races from blue shells. Maybe I was lucky, or maybe I wasn't in the lead when they were used (a lot harder to stay in first the whole race in 200cc) or maybe they rng number is different for 200cc... whatever the case, I don't recall them being an issue, which maybe that goes back to the whole idea of being too good for the CC. When I fight to win in 200 I don't notice them as a problem, but when I'm just raking people in 150 I have shell with my name on it every track.