Topic: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

@FGPackers I don't believe that for a second. Unless they are willing to expand on this game I can't see them going 6 to 8 years without a new Mario Kart. This really isn't a new game here.

@FGPackers I think it's too early to call to be honest. We don't know projected lifespan of the Switch, or really, a whole host of other factors. It certainly won't be for a while though.

Personally, I'd be fine if the series were given a rest this generation if it meant the revival of a certain other racing series that has been a bit quiet recently. I mean, 200cc Mute City does a good approximation, but there's nothing quite like the real thing.

Online went better. Finished 12 a few times (it was like Peek-a-boo's video in real-time!), 5 a few. But had a few 1st, a few 2nd, a few 3rd. One interesting lobby though, had one player that won every single race using a Biddy Buggy with rollers. He didn't just win. He was so far ahead that I was in #2 or #3 in close contention each race, and he was not even visible in the draw distance, like a full half lap + ahead of everyone else. There were even 2-3 blue shells lobbed at him and he STILL never reappeared anywhere in draw distance! Every single race! That was pretty astounding. Makes me want to try that build though, even though it doesn't sound sensible. I've never seen anyone THAT fast short of the time trials (which I suck at) but even there there aren't items messing with you.

@Maxz I prefer my Blue Falcon without Sponge Tires.....or any tires at all, thank you very much

I agree, personally I don't see a new MK on the Switch. Nintendo doesn't rehash games for the sake of having an annual release EA style. They release games when they feel they have new gameplay to offer in the series, and promotes it as evergreen until something new can be done with it. I can't imagine what else could be added to MK on the Switch at this point. It feels like it was made for it. MK has , overall, been the same game for 25 years or so. But each iteration add something that make it feel more weighty than the last based on what hardware allows. Miyamoto told us they couldn't do more F-Zero before because they didn't have any ideas on how to make it new and unique. IMO Switch is now a chance to do new and unique things with it. But this feels like definitive MK for quite a while. How do you improve on it beyond just adding content. They could do more DLC, more tracks, but I don't see a whole new game.

@Peek-a-boo ROFL, I was laughing so hard at that video....even harder than the Pikachu diplomatic kidnapping video last week! That was hysterical, and oh so true....and the end there....the laughter...it was torture.

That was me yesterday, like 3 times, #1 or #2, and then finishing in 12 after every single object possible hit me in the last 1/5 of the lap, back to back.

Isn't it usually just one Mario Kart game per Nintendo console? Especially now that we're in the age of DLC.

Yes, but previous Nintendo consoles didn't get an enhanced port instead of a new game for Mario Kart. Nor was it released this soon.

@Murph Yes but they also have never ported over a MK to my knowledge. This will get them another 4 years possibly though as I'm good for a while with this one.

"hey, Mario Kart sold over 36 million copies on the Wii and sold to 3/4 of Wii U's entire userbase. Wanna not make a new one for Switch's almost inevitably long shelf life?"

"Brilliant!" - a conversation that would never happen at any company

GTA 5, is basically game of the decade in terms of long term success to a remotely hardcore audience. It will seemingly never stop selling, despite the PS4 and Xbox One versions being updated versions of a 360/PS3 game. And even then, at some point in this gen, they're gonna make a GTA 6. And that game has relied far more on long term online gaming than Nintendo could even dream of (even post-Smash 4/Splatoon Nintendo).

@Frosty_09 Bit of a non-issue really. Alex points out it works on 50cc, doesn't work on 200cc, that it's fantastic for younger players, but still notable that you can come first in a cup without a single button input. The words 'mental' and 'insane' are absentmindedly thrown out on a few occasions, but Alex's video is clearly not the work of something with an axe to grind about easy modes and accessibility options 'undermining the true game experience' or whatever. I mean, he even says. "That's the joy of this, I say the joy, it's kind of a weird... it's just an anomaly, I don't know what to think of it - it's interesting". It's a pretty hands-off take on the subject (if you'll pardon the pun).

Which makes it odd that the original video has been held up as the thing that Sterling is arguing against, when it barely presents much of an argument in the first place; it's just so non-commital. It's largely a demonstrative video, with a few "cor blimey, I can't believe that actually worked" comments thrown in for good measure. Which are fair enough, as it is notable that you can beat some parts of the game without doing a thing. Not bad or evil or wrong, but notable.

If there really is much controversy surrounding Smart Steering (which I'm not really aware of, most people around here just seem to have accepted its existence and turned it off) then it seems odd to take Alex or Nintendo Life as key players in 'rallying' against it, especially when the only other thing they've published on the subject is this.

It just seems like a zero issue. Smart Steering is fine. Few people have very strong feelings about it. Certainly not Alex "I don't know what to think of it" Olney. No controversy. Everything's okay. Hooray!

I'll just continue to happily ignore Jim Sterling. Criticism is fine, but I think he goes overboard and nitpicks about every little thing.

Anyone else having frequent disconnections, i get one like every 10mins. It happens mostly in the lobby where u choose stages. Very annoying, especially when playing with friends.

One of my friends says he gets them too.

@Maxz Jim Sterling should just be ignored and his opinions and arguments are so poorly structured and so ignorant that he shouldn't be taken seriously.

Not me

@AlliMeadow Thing is, I kinda don't want to turn him into some kind of detestable figure either; I think that's part of the brand, and a lot of the selling power; you can't 'speak out' unless people are trying to silence you; you can't stage an 'inquisition' without some injusice to inquire into; you can't have 'loyal' fans unless there's something from which they need to defend you. Courting controversy is part of the model, and 'fighting back' a large part of the aesthetic; from the show's name to the platform from which Sterling orates.

Sometimes there are things worth getting a big shouty about, the 'Brash Games' saga being a recent example. But I feel the structure is so much a part of the brand now that Sterling actually needs an enemy to square off against in order to make a half-decent and pretty unobjectionable point. Which is how Alex gets dragged in despite not saying much more than 'oh look, this is kinda interesting'.

In terms of 'which side of the argument' I lie on, very often it's Sterling's. But I wish he was less dependent on his crux of needing someone to 'vanquish'.

Whipping up controversy as a way of creating 'emotive engagement' is one of the main reasons why discourse about almost everything is becoming increasingly more tribal and polarised, and the effects of that have never been clearer. The thing that most irritates me about Sterling is the fact he's someone doing it who I'd often otherwise agree with. It's still the 'shock jock' model, even if the boot is on the other foot.

Anyway, yeah, it's probably best to stay away from it if I know what sort of issues I have with it. It's successful, I can see why he's doing it, and I don't have to watch it. That's probably all that needs to be said.

ANYWAY, Mario Kart! Vroom vroom! I still haven't figured out the best speed/acceleration balance to go with online. I mean, one form of logic says that 'pr0 d00ds' go with top speed, but this game throws so much at you - sometimes unavoidably - that having a decent acceleration is a good way of lessening the punishment.

@Maxz Several factors, like part rebalancing (including the "rounded down acceleration" issue), double items (often forcing lead players to abandon optimal racing lines to snag double boxes lest they get stuck with coins) and the addition of 200cc to online seem to conspire in making the ultra top-speed builds that dominated vanilla 8 much less prominent.

'Course, if you're feeling indecisive, you can always just go balanced.

Jim Sterling just yells loud and obnoxiously to — more often than not — overreact. Just like Total Biscuit.

No, I have not seen his Zelda or Mario Kart videos because I do not value his opinion. I realized he was useless well before he ever reviewed a Zelda game.

Yes - it's pretty predictable. He, like many, saw how to bring in the big bucks by disagreeing with the majority of reviews for popular games.

Can't blame the guy. Just wants to get views and make a bit of money. People just need to keep in mind the motivations of the talking heads who are giving them "information."

I come from a journalism background, so I'll take the viewpoints of a salaried reporter with experience any day. And that's not just me thumbing my nose at people who don't have degrees in journalism/communications/writing. It's just being aware that most of these small-time guys are out there to make moolah, so they'll say things to stoke their fanbase and whip other people into a frenzy and generate controversy. There are some great small-time guys, yea, but they're in the minority.

Not saying your bigger outlets won't pull some stunts every now and then, of course. They ALL want money, big and small.

I don't get it. I guess aside from using Nintendolife as his representation for those he disagreed with, how is him saying Nintendo did good to add the steering and auto accelerate controversial? Are people here opposed to them? He really loves Mario Kart 8 Deluxe it seems, so this isn't a case of "Pretending to hate a popular thing for clicks" that I often see people accuse every outlandish review of.

I don't really care for his game reviews(and it seems most people don't) but I think he most definitely does a good job of pointing out all the BS and hypocrisies that go on in the industry at large. When it comes to individual games is when I find him over reactive.

@gcunit
That sounds like the same battery issues @BensonUI was having. I'd call Nintendo because that's definitely not normal. I get roughly 3 hrs from MK8D, and I play with full brightness minus one tick, auto brightness on, in tabletop with split Joycon. Might as well get your issues addressed now while the system is under warranty. Paid good money for it- Nintendo needs to fix this for you.

Yes. The HD Rumble in MK8D is fantastic. It's subtle, which is what makes it s natural. Now I get it. Now I understand what it's all about and the value it's going to bring us going forward, and it is a true step forward for gaming... about time too I might add.

@rallydefault Pretty much. I suppose it's a good way to get noticed. I just prefer to listen to people who can be reasonable in their praise and criticism of games and give their honest opinions, rather than be contrary to what other reviewers say on purpose just for the sake of views/clicks.

@Operative2-0 I don't disagree with his opinions in this case, but I do find that he often tries to stir up controversy just for the sake of angering people and getting attention, and for that reason I just don't follow him at all. I don't doubt that he brings up legit points on certain topics, though.

If anyone is interested, even if it can seem a little bit obvious, i want just to point it out. After you reach a little bit higher rating on online races (i'm almost at 5000), you actually stop seeing 100cc. It's just 150cc, Mirror or 200cc