Nintendo products have always had a certain magic about them. From the earliest examples, such as the simplistic-yet-addictive Game & Watch handhelds, to more recent offerings like the motion-driven Wii, touch-focused DS or cardboard-based Labo, the Japanese veteran has a genuine knack for creating toys which raise a smile by simply taking existing concepts and turning them into something new or unexpected. Few could have anticipated that Nintendo would take its million-selling Mario Kart series and bring it into the real world using remote control vehicles, but the first time you sit down and play Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit, it feels simultaneously natural and pleasantly surprising all at once.
The concept is relatively simple, but we'd imagine the tech which powers it – courtesy of start-up Velan Studios, which also did much of the heavy-lifting from a software development perspective – is quite advanced. Essentially, you're controlling an RC car using your Switch, with a live feed being displayed on the console's screen (or the TV when playing docked). A camera situated on the top of the car delivers said feed to your screen, while the Switch itself overlays virtual elements such as other racers, item boxes, red shells and trackside obstacles.
Using a series of four cardboard gates (Nintendo is clearly putting those Labo production lines to good work here), you can build a track that's totally unique. The initial setup is a breeze; you pair the car with your Switch using an on-screen QR code and the car's camera, and, after familiarising yourself with the controls in the game's 'Explore' mode, you can craft your circuit by 'painting' the course on-screen and driving through the four gates in order (optional arrow panels can be added to guide you around the less-obvious parts of your circuit). While the gates are integral to the track design, you're free to snake the actual course in quite complex patterns, even having it overlapping with other parts of the circuit – a fact which allows you to produce quite demanding courses even in small rooms.
Once you've made your circuit, you can take part in the Grand Prix mode where your aim is to accrue the most points from three races (there are 24 'tracks' in total, split across various three-race GP events). While the track design is largely set in stone until you decided to rearrange it, each race is given a different flavour via the course-specific selection of gates, which can offer either item boxes, boosts or hazards, trackside obstacles (tornadoes which blow you off-course or even enemies which freeze your car for a brief period) and environmental effects (one course has a strong cross-wind which not only pushes your car in a certain direction but also blows coins and item boxes across the track).
The car itself is surprisingly nimble and responsive and boasts a tight turning circle, which means the actual in-game racing feels very, very close to a proper Mario Kart game – which, when you think about it, is a real achievement in itself. There's no serious input latency to speak of, and the developers have even managed to include the trademark three-stage drift boost mechanic that's in the mainline titles; holding the R trigger when rounding a corner pulls your car either left or right slightly, which, when viewed in-game, simulates a sideways drift. While the car looks quite small, it's able to withstand pretty sizeable bumps and crashes; there's a rubber strip on the front which protects the plastic from impact, while side impacts are almost always going to touch the soft rubber tires rather than the bodywork. The most concerning element of the car's design is the exhausts which protrude quite alarmingly from the rear, but even these are fashioned from a hard rubber-like material which hopefully means they will survive most crashes.
Because the car connects to your Switch via WiFi, the layout of your home is going to be of prime importance when it comes to getting a stable connection. We noticed that when the car was in the next room, the live feed started to stutter – but, to be fair, we were testing it in a house that's over 100 years old and has solid brick walls between each room. Taking this into account, you may find that the car's range is greater in your own property, which will be good news if you're planning on constructing tracks which span multiple rooms. If you plan on keeping the race contained within the same room where you and your Switch are located, then you shouldn't have any problems with connection stability.
The camera doesn't give a totally pin-sharp view of the action – presumably because streaming live footage from the car in HD is beyond the tech at this stage – and it's worth noting that the Switch's screenshot and video capture functions are disabled during play, a decision that was likely made to prevent unscrupulous individuals from using the vehicle to spy on members of their household. The car's internal battery is charged using a USB-C connection which is located on the side of the vehicle, behind a slide-up cover. Battery life is around three to four hours, based on our tests, although it's worth noting that the speed at which the car is running will impact this figure, so it could potentially be less if you're racing constantly at 200cc.
Speaking of which, 50cc, 100cc, 150cc and 200cc speeds are on offer here, with higher speeds unlocking when you've won a certain number of Grand Prix events. Though the car moves quite slowly in the 'real world' at 50cc, the on-screen action always feels faster; playing at 200cc in a cramped environment is going to lead to a lot of crashes. We tested Mario Kart Live in several locations – the roomy Nintendo Life office, a smaller dining room at home and a child's bedroom (it belonged to our own child, before you become too concerned) – and it goes without saying that slower speeds are better suited to smaller locations. We were able to hit 200cc in the office but that speed felt too fast in the dining room, and made the game almost impossible to play in the smallest of the environments, the bedroom. Suffice to say, at 200cc the car is seriously rapid, and you have to keep in mind that speed boosts and mushroom increase its pace further.
The surface you're racing on plays a part, too. Again, we tested it on a wide range of floors – wood, low-pile carpet and a room which had a higher pile carpet as well as a rug in the middle – and while the car would happily drive across all three, we found that it has such a low clearance that it would often become stuck when moving from the carpet to the rug, and vice versa. The car moves fastest on a wooden floor, but it's fair to say that Mario Kart Live is perfectly playable on most surfaces – with the possible exception of rugs with an exceptionally high pile.
When playing solo, you'll be racing against four Koopalings. If you've ever played Mario Kart before, the premise will be instantly familiar; finish the set number of laps in first place to score the most points. Item boxes give you things like red shells, banana skins, coins and blue shells (there are no green shells in this game) which are unleashed using the L trigger. While it's obviously not possible to physically bump into the Koopalings, you can cause them to spin off briefly if you boost into them (they're all driving anti-grav versions of their karts as seen in Mario Kart 8, but your vehicle remains resolutely on terra firma). It's important to stress that this really does feel like a proper Mario Kart game; it's incredibly fun to play and we lost count of the number of times we were so convinced we were in a 'proper' game that, when the RC car came into our peripheral vision, we'd be reminded that the race was taking place in both the real world and a virtual one – an impressive trick.
Like the mainline games, Mario Kart Live does an excellent job of drip-feeding content as you play. Items such as new karts, outfits, horns and even radio stations are unlocked as you earn coins; only the coins you currently hold at the conclusion of each race go towards your total, so avoiding hazards and not getting hit become of prime importance. The karts and outfits are purely cosmetic and don't influence the performance of your vehicles, but other unlockables – such as different gate types or special environments – add more variety to proceedings and extend the game's longevity. Later, you even obtain the ability to play the game in mirror mode, which is as challenging as it sounds.
While Mario Kart Live certainly captures the spirit of what makes the mainline games so compelling and enjoyable, there are elements which make it stand apart – in both good and bad ways. Because you design the track yourself rather than Nintendo's team of crack coders, not every circuit you concoct is going to be up to the same standards as those witnessed in other Mario Kart outings. This might not necessarily be your fault, as you're almost certainly going to be limited in your creative endeavours by the size of the room you're playing in, but it's fair to say that, while racing around a real-world location is exhilarating, it's harder than you might imagine to come up with a course that has the right mix of tight bends and fast-paced straights.
However, therein lies a lot of Mario Kart Live's appeal; just as building Labo kits is at least 50 percent of the fun, painstakingly designing the perfect Mario Kart course like a Mushroom Kingdom Hermann Tilke is also a jolly good time – especially if you've got kids or a younger sibling involved. Tweaking the circuit mid-race is possible to a degree, so the track evolves as you play and discover its weaknesses (or accentuate its best bits). Players are encouraged to add trackside obstacles such as cardboard boxes and the like, which lends the experience even more challenge – although it's worth noting that the game can't actually 'see' those elements, so it's not unusual for the Koopalings to cut corners you can't because they're not impeded by those massive shoeboxes you've littered around the sides of the track. Even so, it's all part of the challenge – and while not everyone is a fan of Mario Kart's rubber-band AI system, it works well enough here; you never feel like you're running away with the race, while massive crashes don't necessarily means you'll never catch the lead car (and that's important given that there's no Lakitu to pick you up should you spin off the sides of the course – you have to manually return to the track).
There's plenty of enjoyment to be had here simply creating new courses and experimenting with your designs, but Mario Kart Live's true longevity arguably lies in its multiplayer potential – which is largely reliant on you having access to a second RC car and Switch console. Up to four players can participate (you can mix-and-match any combination of Mario and Luigi's cars) and because the game is free to download from the eShop, it's possible to easily hop-swap cars between Switch consoles, if need be. As is so often the case, racing alongside another human being is much more enjoyable than playing against the computer, and the fact that your wheel-to-wheel contests are happening in reality, as well as on-screen, lends proceedings an additional sense of drama (especially when you have a collision which boots both of your real-world RC cars off the track). Track designs need to be tailored for the fact that more than one car is involved, of course, and when you've got four cars involved, the requirement for as large a space as possible becomes essential rather than optional. You also need to ensure that the other players are as close as possible to the person who is hosting the race, as their Switch is the one everyone else will be connecting to.
Even with just one car, there's still the opportunity for a little bit of human competition, as the Time Trial mode allows you to race against the ghost data of a fellow human, but it's not exactly a replacement for the thrill of actually going up against another player. That's worth keeping in mind if your budget only stretches to a single RC car, or you're unable to arrange regular multiplayer events with other people who own the game. Playing solo feels like you're only getting half of the experience.
As much fun as Mario Kart Live definitely is, it could potentially fall foul of the same issues that limit Labo's long-term enjoyment. Being able to create bespoke tracks means that hypothetically, you've got an infinite number of courses at your disposal. However, you're always going to be limited by your environment (room size, distance from the wireless router, etc) and because you can't add massive, sweeping hills or anything like that, the tracks never feel quite as unique as those in other Mario Kart games (with the possible exception of the SNES original and Mario Kart Super Circuit, of course).
Actually setting up a game of Mario Kart Live is more time-consuming than a typical race in Mario Kart 8, too, which means that, like Labo, you're less likely to pick this up for short gameplay sessions. Factor in the obvious lack of online play – something which gives Mario Kart 8 an incredible amount of longevity – and you could argue that Mario Kart Live's long-term appeal is far less than its series stablemate, although the game is clearly intended to be an experience that's enjoyed locally rather than over the web. Still, comparing this to what has gone before is perhaps a little churlish, as Mario Kart Live is intended to represent a whole new way to enjoy this esteemed franchise.
One final point we feel compelled to make: we've found that Mario Kart Live seems to impact people who suffer from motion sickness in video games. During our review period, two individuals picked up on this point and felt violently ill after around 15 to 30 minutes of play. Obviously, this won't affect everyone, but it's worth keeping in mind if you happen to get motion sickness from FPS titles or other 3D games.
Conclusion
Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit is a startlingly authentic "mixed reality" recreation of Nintendo's most popular racing series which encourages you to be inventive with your course designs and does an excellent job of combining your real-world surroundings with the fantasy environments of the Mushroom Kingdom; add in a second player (or three) and it becomes even more compelling. The tech side of things is undeniably impressive and it's impossible to not raise a smile the first time you play; the question is how long that magic will last, especially if your home limits your track designs and you've only got the budget to cover the cost of a single car.
Comments 123
All of this is great but that price tag makes my eyes water.
Definitely a nice toy for kids (although very expensive) but I really wish Nintendo would finally announce a new proper Mario Kart (or DLC for MK8DX, all I want are new tracks)
It's incredibly cool, but the price and requirement for multiple Switch consoles means it's something I'm probably not going to bother picking up, sadly.
I had no idea the dollar was so strong compared to the British pound. They are really taking a mickey with those UK prices.
I do want this but I have no where to set it up. I would have lost my mind as a kid to get this though.
No thanks to this. Mario Kart 9 please.
Good review. Seeing my house and budget, this is definitely not a product for me XD, but I admit I want to see this in action someday. It must be quite an impressive experience.
Oh Damo, what are you doing to me?
I cannot, CANNOT, buy this this year. Ok?
I mustn't.
If I had this much time at home, I would just turn on my PC and play a game. $100 can get you a Hot Wheels racetrack "for the kids" and DIRT5 on PC easy.
Use the cash to bribe CodeMasters for a good Switch racing game I can play on the Bus.
These toys will take over the world and overrun humans.
my kids are so excited for this. and what you have to remember this is aimed at kids. building a track with all their other toys lego etc will be over half the fun then racing changing it and doing it again. its like hot wheels my kids go daft trying different things and taking over the house.
@Anguspuss My son is the same way with Hotwheels, and I remember doing the same as a kid. I would spend way more time building tracks, legos, etc... than I would playing. The thing that doesn't sit well with me is is what is mentioned in this review - they'd often forget they were racing real RC cars until it zipped by. I'd much rather it be the opposite - where you primarily watch the cars, rather than the screen. I have a feeling my son (4 years old) will be the same. Still, interested to check it out.
That does look like it feels like a proper Mario Kart game. And I would LOVE to try it, but I don't have anywhere to actually set up a course in my home.
I'm curious, what happens if a kart leaves the path? Could one potentially cheat on a complex course by driving straight for the gates regardless of how the track twists and turns?
Looks like a decent tech demo. I just can't see the value in a Mario Kart game with no tracks. (And I don't count infinite variations in driving around the same flat rooms)
It looks really cool but also so hard to justify unless u have a second Switch.... even then it is steep at $200 for two players. I think this will be pretty niche, but cool innovation by Nintendo....
Will be interested to try this outside on the road connecting to my phones hotspot to act as WiFi. Have a big drive and live in a quiet estate. The wet Irish weather could add an extra dimension of difficulty too
Mario Kart 9 isn't coming anytime soon. Probably not even on the Switch so make do with what you have people.
@roadrunner343 i think who ever is racing the other one will be at trackside making faces trying put them off. as soon as my little boy realises has auto assist will hold down speed watch mario zoom around as well
It's a very cool idea and it seems to work pretty well but it's still a very high price to pay for something that'd probably get old in a few hours. That's assuming you have the space for it in the first place.
It's to bad it connects to a router to control. I imagined my kids being able to play it outside with friends on nice days.
Nah I'm good, I don't like building stuff so I may skip on this. Hopefully Mario Kart 9 is incoming soon.
I think the idea is very novel, but for that $100? Whew! That's a bit on the steep side. Maybe if it went on sale, say for 50% off, then I might bite.
@BadlyDrawnDedede,
Same here, pretty sure this will be mega cheap when the initial rush dies down, it will be like Labo where you could pick up the sets for less than half price.
Well, a small home with limited floor space and just one car will not enhance the game play much beyond the first few hours of play.
I would be interested in to know what the mark up is on a plastic car with a chip inside, I'm guessing a lot.
I hope the review is honest enough to take into account the cost over a few hours of fun and whether the money parents will be forking out over Christmas could not be better spent.🎅
$99 = £99
I wanna pay that $99 price in UK
I would very much like to know the dimensions of the Kart itself, since that will make a big difference to know if I will buy it or not with my couch and all that.
I know I won't play this that often and that it will be a faff to set up each time and that I will rarely have a chance to play two player.... But I'm still going to buy it. I can take the £90 (ShopTo) hit for the novelty.
So can you use a friend gate system and add more check points?
@1UP_MARIO You can thank the falling pound and the 20% VAT built into the price. $99.00 does not include sales tax.
@Jayofmaya reviewers say no.
@zool I think you need quite a lot of space for this especially with two karts.
Going to need an open road😂
@johnvboy I don't think this will fly off the shelves in the UK due to small houses. But I think in the US this will be huge. The only major issue is this is something that needs to be played and seen to get customers excited. And if you imaging walking into Smyths this christmas and seeing displays and possible demos it would sell better. But with COVID I think it will get passed up because of price and lack of people seeing in action.
@SwitchplayerJohn I'm not so sure. I think I'm the ideal target audience for this (Huge Nintendo fan, own a single-family home, hard-tile kitchen that would work for this, little kids) but I'm having a hard time justifying the cost of buying 2 of these. Especially since my son loves driving our real RC car outside. Seems to me staring at a screen defeats a large part of the fun of racing an RC car, though it is cool you get to build your own tracks and race in your virtual house. Maybe I'll pick it up on sale.
@mariomaster96 same here. I hope they remaster all the older tracks and do a ultimate Mario Kart of sorts.
Q for Nintendolife: how big are the karts? In the videos they look about a foot long. Are they actually smaller IRL?
I bought a mario kart 8 rc car last Christmas and it broke within a month
@SwitchplayerJohn I agree, I've watched a couple of reviews on YouTube. Also can't be to far from your WiFi.
"Because the car connects to your Switch via WiFi, where your router is located in your home is going to be of prime importance when it comes to getting a stable connection."
Somebody want to explain this part to me? Aren't people all over the planet live streaming video from their helicopter drones to their smartphones?
Plus, how many people are outside everywhere driving around $20, $30, $40 RC cars?
Limiting this to a WiFi router seems like the Wii U Gamepad failure all over gain.
What? The rc car through wifi? WTF???? WHY DIDN'T THEY SAID THIS EARLY?? How the ***** i'm supposed to play outside?
It's a costly setup (especially since you need a second Switch to get the full experience), and needs lots of room..... but looks exceptionally fun! Not sure it'll be for me, but might be tempted.
Gamexplain said nintendo told them not to do jumps and do not bring it outside. So I wonder how fragile this is.
@Oppyz666 oh, that's a deal breaker, as if the price were no already
@Oppyz666 you can't play it outside period full stop
@roadrunner343 I think the concept is cool. But the limitations and price are going to be a hard pill to swallow. My wife already is against it, so I am not going to be getting this =(
I think if you got kids, money to burn and space this Christmas it will be awesome. But I do agree the REAL fun is going to be multiplayer and having enough space to create cool tracks.
@Oppyz666 @rjejr You can't stream video over a basic RC car radio, I don't think you can over bluetooth either, so it needs wifi.
This review mentions as a negative point: "Factor in the lack of online".
My question to the reviewer is: What kind of online would you expect from a game like this. Enlighten me, please.
I hope I'll one day get to try it, but I'll never buy it.
I do love the set uup with the line of DK bongo's.
@Oppyz666 Do you think using your cell phone's personal hotspot work?
Has anyone been able to pre-order this from anywhere in North America? I can't tell if the initial batch is sold out, or they're just waiting to make it available until release date (which would be weird).
@Oppyz666 exactly, that's very stupid. They could've used a Bluetooth dongle or something, but maybe there were reasons they couldn't(?).
can you make ramps and over passes?
Great idea but price, space and novelty are a problem here. We also don't know how robust it is yet Sounds real fun
Oh Nintendo! I want F Zero,Metroid,Starfox, Wave Race! No more Mario!
"Built it and they will come"
👌👌👌👌👌⚾️
@Rhaoulos Don't forget US has sales tax on top of their price. UK is already baked in.
@Cosats That point was made in comparison to MK8, which does offer online play and is therefore going to have more long-term appeal than MK Live.
@Razer and should be discussed in the review. Playin together will need an extra Switch and two packages of 120 euro.
That is more than the price of a new nextgen console.
Never let it be said that Nintendo consoles aren't the most expensive consoles by the time you're done with all the required accessories. Sure, an XBox Series X may need a $220 additional SSD for storage. And PS5 may need a $500 VR kit to get the full use out of it. But Switch for this game requires a new, larger house.
How many bells is that?
There’s a few things worth mentioning:
If you have two karts, you can’t use both sets of gates to make bigger courses - it’s four gates only!
The other virtual racers can go through solid objects (as the game doesn’t register real-works objects).
The kart can go on small pile carpet, but may struggle with going up and down rug edges.
If you get hair wound around an axle, your kart may be buggered - so bye bye a hundred bucks.
@korosanbo It is dangerous to tell me you are a fellow Perfume fan... I won’t shut up about them.
I wanted a Time Warp one but I couldn’t find a good clip that was small enough to fit.
Got info that my reserve will be ready to be pickup soon...yeah...$100 smakers down the drain.... ugh...
@SwitchForce Where did you reserve?
@kirbygirl For now I have to be tight lip here for now. Once I can confirm this I'll be sure to let others know. I did ask for Lugi but they didn't have info on that.
Great review! Have y’all heard if Nintendo will be selling extra gates in the future? Would be great to have this option in the future to create more complex/longer courses.
I don't see if the wheels are Rubber or some kinda compound that adheres to harder floors.
@mariomaster96 Hopefully that's coming too, but had to wait until after this was released. Still excited for this, but more so for a new mainline Mario Kart entry. Lucky (or unlucky at $200) enough to grab two of these and looking forward to some course creation with some Duplo blocks with my son.
Anyone know what quality that camera is?
Looks awful. Like, looks 0.3 megapixel 3DS awful.
Classic Nintendo cheaping out with the parts
My wallet said no.
I was planning to purchase this day one, but after reflecting on it a bit I think my kids are still too young to enjoy it which means it would only get played with once or twice and then put in the closet until they’ve grown a bit. Wish I had the time to play as well.
@Agramonte We already knew you hated fun. We already knew you believe everything should cater to your tastes.
There was no reason to remind us of either.
If there was a co-op mode on a single Switch, I could see myself buying two of those in the future. The main reason I bought a Switch in the first place was to have a good co-op system to play with my wife. Needing one console per kart makes no sense.
@JimmySpades Codemasters racing games are tons of fun so are hot wheel race tracks.... sounds like you need to broaden your ("fun") horizons. I guess this "We" you speak of still do not understand how comment sections work.
I'd be interested if there were other characters, notably Yoshi, Bowser or Donkey Kong, and it wouldn't surprise me if others didn't arrive in time. Otherwise, I'd only be tempted by a serious discount to get Mario.
Question - is it possible to play two players with just one console? (and two karts obviously). Or each player needs hers/his own kart and own Switch console? Wondering as I might get two sets for kids but rather not if you need another Switch to play it for two players mode.
My biggest issue (but not a deal breaker as I still ordered one!) is that they didn't find a solution for saving track configurations.
Now I fully appreciate it is challenging given the need to place gates and drive through them... but surely with the AR and on screen prompts and decent labelling (I.e. size of room required) they could have found a solution? OK maybe it wouldn't be a clean enough solution to include their own designed tracks for you to make, but surely saving your own as an extra feature?
I find this very disappointing. Creating and saving tracks (and into custom cups) would have made this a lot more fun.
@HotGoomba that would be the day..
I wish they'd release the AR cars separately too. That way I could get both Mario and Luigi Karts without having to buy the game twice.
@marandahir It doesn't come with the game. The game is a free download. So the only thing you're buying ís the AR cars
It's very cool idea to see implemented, not something that I think I'd ever pick up (I'll wait for mk9) but makes me wish I had this when I was a kid
Forgot to say thanks for the thorough review. Very good.
One question for Alex, how many Donkey Konga controllers does he have?!
As a twist of fate and quick trip down to CEX I was able to pick this up. And I have to stress the in-game experience while looking at the screen is very immersive. Even in my moderate living room with no real decoration the in game effects and Mario Kart like physics really pull you in.
Honestly it was easy to forget I was controlling a car.
The only issue was when I tried to drive to my kitchen and the wifi starting cutting out. Even when I restarted in my living right next to the switch and router it was having issues.
Well at this point I might have to turn down the hold. I am guess this won't be a limited item but I will talk to the staff to give me one more day to sleep on it.
Ordered two Marios today. Looking for a Luigi. Christmas shopping for my son is done!
The update that it may cause motion sickness translates to “it WILL cause motion sickness” for me. 😑. I bought the Labo VR and couldn’t play it more than 2-3 minutes at a time before retiring the whole pile.
Build it and no one will come
Got to admit I don't get the point
Just get some remote control cars its more fun 😊
Anyway to play this without the gimmicks?
Hopefully it does well for Nintendo. Not my cup of tea though.
I felt a bit ill watching the live feed on the videos, so it doesn't hugely surprise me that this causes motion sickness IRL too. Makes it an easy pass, but I'm glad that it's fun and achieves what it sets out to do.
Seems like a great game... if it weren't so damn expensive!
@SwitchplayerJohn Those are in the main NL office where myself and @antdickens work
This is why Nintendo will always be king IMO. They aren't afraid to take a completely different path in gaming and they pull it off with such high success rate. When I heard about this Mario kart game I thought it was an incredible idea, but...I honestly was afraid it wldnt quite work out as there is just too many potential problems to solve. I'm so glad I was wrong. Well done Nintendo!.
PS : this still doesn't make up for the joycon drift....admit and just fix it already ok?
Got it today, it's really fun so far. I definitely see myself spending a lot of time building courses and racing the AI and maybe taking turns in time trial.
The whole mixed reality thing can be really impressive, seeing classic Mario character as obstacles in my kitchen is definitely cool, as are those moments when you're totally in the race like in a normal Mario Kart and then the little toy kart is sudenly coming in your direction.
About the common concerns people have about carpet/different surfaces and room size: At least on my carpet in the bedroom, i have no trouble at all, however, different room sizes DO make a difference, i tried some smaller rooms and some bigger ones, and while it may be possible to build good tracks in small rooms by being creative, i'm definitely having more fun in our larger rooms (living room and kitchen).
Love the look of this but don’t have the room or indeed the patience to be bothered to have to create my own courses before I could play
Briefly checked official MKLive page and there is NOTHING about the need for internet.
Just got this at Target with the 10% cartwheel coupon and redcard discount...$15 off. Every bit helps. I can't wait to play... And see how my cat reacts to the kart lol.
4 Player multiplayer @ £400 = 8/10
I absolutely love the concept but considering I have no interest in Mario Kart (I haven’t touched 8 Deluxe since 2017) as well as the high cost of entry this is not for me.
Walked into my local Walmart and got the only 2 they had one Mario and one Luigi. Both rang up 90 bucks.
Wish there was a Yoshi kart...and that our apartment could fit a Mario Kart course anywhere
If this cost £76 in the UK I would buy this, as it is we are being seriously ripped off and our value for money is way off. I personally would knock a few points of the score and make it a 6/10 in the UK
As much this looks like a cool idea it's appeal just seems so limited. One part I don't really get is if you're looking at the switch screen the entire time while racing anyway, isn't it somewhat pointless or redundant to even have a real rc car driving around the house? I suppose the gimmick is that you see your own rooms, furniture etc. on screen. Is it possible to play it by watching the rc car instead of the screen?
To me a Mario Kart Maker game (track editor, just video game with no rc car or ar component) would have a lot broader appeal and waaaaay more longevity. Still I applaud Nintendo for taking a chance with this and I hope a lot of people have fun with it.
My house hold has 5 consoles. If we all download the app, Can we all separately at different times play the same kart on different consoles?...... BTW I've purchased Mario and Luigi now and I'm loving this. Putting it away for the kids for Christmas now.
@Mirage-5x5 nup. kids have remote cars. they are just meh... this is a step up imo.. lots of fun chasing the cats around my house so far. while laying in bed
pizza guy came and my partner answered the door. I drove luigi around the corner of my bedroom and out the door to see what was going on... very good sneaky spy fun on the switch haha.
Great idea and execution. However, the price, and the fact that you need multiple Switches and karts to play this game, make this one impractical for many of us.
@Yanina Just scrolled down the comments to see if anyone else caught that. Kevin Costner is probably shedding a tear somewhere.
Definitely aimed at a younger crowd who has more time on their hands. I’d love to put in a new Mario kart my Switch, but I don’t want to waste time setting up tracks. This seems to be one of those things that’s fun for a very limited time.
I totally would've gotten this if I thought my house layout would work well with it. I think the couch/rug ratios would make it too hard. I understand the high price, but I couldn/t spend that much just to find out it won't work at my house.
Is there a way to use the kart like a normal RC car or are you only able to play the game?
I must say, I suffer from connection issues between Kart and Switch (day-one-version). Even in the same room I get 3 bars tops and never a really stable picture. Is it my console? Or does anybody else have the issue? Thanks for replies!
Edit: in the end it works quiet well (Maybe my first track was just too big and I have thick walls). And it's a lot of fun!! After day one with it, I recommend it 😀
Like...many things, it appears...people have a LOT of comments...without touching or seeing a thing.
After purchasing, setting up, playing this title yesterday...to the detractors:
You are simply...mistaken. No one will be able to tell you this...but as a "nowhere near a 'child' aged person"...if you like just plain fun and joy and don't need to, "justify it" in any way...you are missing out
As someone that started playing Mario Kart on an actual console...in my house...decades ago...on a cartridge...as a child, hupped an N64 around to friends' house's to play as a young adult, and has played every incarnation of the franchise that exists...if you are a fan of Mario Kart...there is no way you will be disappointed.
Additionally, it's kind of strange that people would "short-sell/dismiss" the best in the business at this sort of integration outright like they don't know what they are doing. This is in Nintendo's wheelhouse and the implementation is well done. it really is, and really feels like mario kart.
There is one "misleading" aspect of the 'marketing' however - as the review points out, the car unless you are at "200cc" speeds does not move super fast in the real world (Scale - think 'Ant-Man' car chase) and as such, doesn't require nearly as much room as certain media make it appear.
@teko It's VERY hard to describe...but no, it isn't pointless to not be looking at the physical car. I think however...if you have ever watch First-Person drone racing footage...it's kind of like that. Drone pilots race from the PoV of the vehicle. So do you in the game of Mario Kart Live HC
@KnightsTemplar Yes you can. You'd need to sync the car to the console you are playing with. It runs in "Local Communications" mode with the car and a network peer to the Switch (server).
Now if every console is trying to connect to the same car at the same time, then no, heheh. But if My son wants to play on his Switch and i am not using the car, he can.
@MrKai I'd actually really love to try it out, but at the moment just don't have time for something like this and not sure if my apartment would be big enough or have a good layout. I may pick it up on a whim over Christmas when I have some more free time. Thanks for your reply!
@MrKai game changer...
@kirbygirl my reserve was at GameStop. They called me and told me they would hold one for me. I am a constant buyer there and they know me on a first name basis and ring me up if there was something I had mentioned about preorder. But this is after many years of being a customer and patroning at their location.
Too much expensive
Needs 12/10.....
@BladeGen Too much expensive
I can't find more expensive game that is this fun.
The kiddo and I finally unboxed ours today and have been having a blast. We've been playing primarily in the downstairs family room so we can keep the dog out, so I can confirm the karts do fine on carpet. Also, you really don't need that much space for a good course.
I'm intrigued about this as I may ask my wife for it for Christmas, but would like to know if anyone can confirm for me; if I'm playing in free roam mode, and not using the cardboard gates or whatever, and I just fancy a speed round my lounge with the car and not actually race............does all the games AI like the Koopalings, plants, shells etc still show up on the screen, or will it just be stuff that's on my lounge floor that the camera is filming? Thank you in advance to anyone whom can answer
Tap here to load 123 comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...