Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Version 1.2.0 Is Now Live

Pikmin-themed? Does that include Olimar?

Hoping for an item swap button. Like hit the button to swap between item 1 and 2...

Seems like they are trying to add stability.

I already have a pikmin themed suit .... is there a new one? Do we have pictures out there somewhere?

I was actually playing the game when the update came up.

Good update
Really dig the Boomerang change
And race rules during loading

Hopefully this is an overall improvement...

That item wheel spinning continuously was a big bother for me even back on the original MK8. And also I noticed that in deluxe items given to players towards last place were very bad. I'd always get one mushroom or one red shell, red shells should really stay away from being given at last place anyways. Glad all of this has been fixed.

The Pikmin suit isn't new, it's just that now you can also unlock it with the Pikmin Amiibo. Before only the Olimar Amiibo would unlock it. Nintendo's notes could be clearer about that.

Truly appreciated improvements for on line play! The race rules and course name being displayed or just icing on the cake

I'd love DLC, i think new maps for battle mode are needed, doubt we''d get new race tracks, also i think its time Toadsworth was added as a playable character, they could even give him a little electric scooter-type kart haha

Oh, and bring back Birdo !!

Now what would be truly good practice would be to bring these updates to their loyal Wii U customers.

is also the local multiplayer with other consoles fixed? it didnt work at all

Glad they fixed that spectator issue. Was a humongous problem for me.

"Communication errors no longer occur frequently while spectating or after spectating online matches."

Fantastic news!

I really want to set default driving assists so I don't have to keep turning them off for player 2.

Pretty cool update if you ask me! If I didn't play this game so much on Wii U I would give it a second chance!

"Players who are behind in online matches will receive items geared toward catching up more frequently."

This kind of stuff really irritates me. If you aren't winning then get better, don't rely on the game giving you an unfair advantage. It undermines the entire point of multiplayer competitive gaming.

The one that sticks out for me is less piranha plants. One of the only things that spoils the game imo. Less of them can only be a good thing. Boomerang update is also pretty sweet!

@moroboshi
I thought I was just having fun online. 🤡

@moroboshi

Would completely unbalance the game though and ruin the point of Mario Kart being a party racing game everyone can play. Even though when racing online I notice the same people always finishing higher than the rest because there is a skill to how you use the items you get as well as your racing skills!

There is the option for creating or joining an online group that has no weapons if you fancy a straight up race. I tried it a few times and it was OK but I prefer the chaotic fun of the game with items.

Just got back home and noticed update for the game. Will be happy to enjoy the update as I have experienced several of those issues that got fixed/changed.

@chiptoon Sligeach_Eire just called. He wants his job back.

The Wii U is done and dusted. Do what I've done; bite the Bullet Bill and (re)purchase Mario Kart 8 (Deluxe) for the Switch.

Aside from the Pikmin outfit,these updates shouldn't exist.A port of a 3 year old game shouldn't have glitches and other issues.

"Players who are behind in online matches will receive items geared toward catching up more frequently."

Dual items was already a mistake, now they've gone and made the game even more akin to mario kart wii. I can't believe they somehow managed to make a deluxe version worse than its original.

Just started playing it on the Switch. I've noticed the resolution upgrade to 1080p (makes a big difference to detail) and the wider color range with full RGB.

@chiptoon Nintendo are done with the WiiU. As much as it may rile some people,its just how it is. You never see Sony handing updates to all the ps3 games they've remastered for ps4. No one should expect it for a console that's been done with and forgotten.I liked my WiiU for what it had at the time,but i don't miss it now I've packed it away.Sometimes get it out again for the kids when they ask to play Splatoon,but with with Splatoon2 around the corner they'll forget about it too before long.Its also apparent when you have to unpack and set it up to play it just how cumbersome it all is compared to the Switch

I hope not, I want Mario Kart 9.

"Will Nintendo ever actually produce more DLC for this game? Share your thoughts in the comments below."

So, you can scan in the Captain Olimar amiibo twice and get two different outfits?

@moroboshi " It undermines the entire point of multiplayer competitive gaming." - In a game with little kart antennas that make you not fall off the track? Mario kart imo is more for fun not competitive gaming so they want it to appease more people than just the hardcore competitive gaming crowd, tho I mean its mario kart so extra mushrooms cant save someone that much in last.

Ffs Nintendo.. let us switch items around when we've got 2!

@chiptoon I agree but Nintendo are never going to do that. The Wii U is 4 years old, MK8 is 3 years old, neither should have been abandoned yet.

"Item wheel no longer spins continuously in online matches" was my problem. I could not get anything else but green shells which I couldnt hit anyone with.

Tbh the biggest change out of this all for me is that Boomerang change. I often need to defend myself against shells and it gets irritating that the boomerang gets replaced by the second item when I miss for example. Other than that the Pikmin one is plain Nintendo trying to get us to buy amiibo.

I suppose it's high time to announce a Mario Kart 9 in the works. Still not satisfied with Deluxe. And no small updates can change that. We ex-Wii U owners want a sequel, not a port.

@chiptoon Never going to happen, even the BotW DLC could be considered as a reason to upgrade to Switch (3.7GB download on Wii U compared to ~500MB download on Switch).

@Toadie we should be friends! Kindred spirits 😀

Interesting updates. Hopefully for the best.

Good to see the game updated, but still wish for more customization. I get why such isn't a thing in Mario Kart games, but I would so like the option to adjust the sound (the SFX are way too loud in this one), play item free or specific matches, and play specific modes online. I have the Wii U version, and bought the Switch version, just because. But sold it as I just couldn't deal with its limitations any more. So sad, as I adore the series on so many levels.

Oooofft. Just played an hour of MK8D online, and it's been completely ruined. Everyone 5th or below with stars or bullet bills is ridiculous! Races set with frantic items isn't fun for me, and with no way of turning it off, well... Mario Kart is the only game I play online and now there's no point in me subscribing to the online service, and it's such a shame as I was looking forward to doing so.

Wow, why'd they wreck the boomerang item? Having it move to the second slot so you could use another item while it was in flight was what made it good.

@BornInNorway81 They should make 1 DLC. People like me that never bought a Wii/WiiU are loving this, and it still sells well! Best for business. 1 DLC with 1 Cup, and 8 more Battle Courses, hopefully block fort!

@Mijzelffan I disagree I prefer the second item slot, as staying in first place was wayyyy to hard without it. Too many times I was in first place only to accumulate a gold coin, while the person behind me got a red shell.

The Wii U version is the same.

@JHDK Can't ever have enough of that

@Dr_Corndog : Exactly! This is such a stupid nerf.

I keep getting a weird sound glitch on Sunshine Airport where part of the sound effects seem to be missing, in particular from the left speaker, either in docked mode or in handheld/tabletop mode. It's only on that track too. I see that this is not listed so it's either not fixed or perhaps even something they're not aware of?

"When a player uses an item right after the Super Horn in online matches, that item will now remain available for other players."

Anyone have any idea what this means exactly?

@Hokanchu I'm guessing the Super Horn was only use-able once every match.

Will have to get online to confirm that the roulette lag is gone. That was the big killer for me online.

Tweaking item roulette odds for the backfield, as a frontrunner, is probably gonna make me salty though.

@Toads-Friend

Haha sure thing, Toad FTW !!!

Always been my fave Mario character, i've always wanted him to have a rival, a black Toad called Toadie is what i came up with, could imagine him hanging around with Wario and Waluigi haha

@Kafei2006 it happens while in upper part of the track, only, doesn't bother me

My online got worst (as in more frequent errors), been playing online since day one with no problems

@Grumblevolcano "(3.7GB download on Wii U compared to ~500MB download on Switch)."

Thanks for that. I was reading a lot yesterday about the size discrepancy but nobody ever said what it was. No way no how that difference would ever make me think about buying a new console though. We'll wait.
I downloaded the 875mb voice update last night - I'm 1 of those weirdos who prefers the Japanese voices - and that took freaking forever on a wired connection. My wireless Xbox sitting next to it - my router ran out of ports - downloads so much faster. That 3GB is probably going to take us well over an hour. Well once I actually buy it anyway.

@rjejr Turns out the 3.7GB is a lie, the DLC and update combined is around 600MB.

Nintendolife is hardly the only site doing this, but I find it funny this update is attributed to "balance changes", when most of the notable things are straight bug fixes.

Not being able to stop the item wheel online was not intentional. Being able to block with an item and quickly use it just after was not intentional. Controls acting unresponsive? Clearly unintentional.

Players who are behind in online matches will receive items geared toward catching up more frequently.
Hmm... more bullet bills and golden mushrooms perhaps? Hopefully not MORE lightning and blue shells.

In online matches, no more than two Piranha Plants will be granted as items at the same time.
So, how about fixing the lightning striking twice (yes, back to back lightning strikes, it's happened to me on 2 occasions). What's that all about?

When a player uses an item right after the Super Horn in online matches, that item will now remain available for other players.
I don't understand what this means, can someone clarify?

Item wheel no longer spins continuously in online matches.
This was sometimes a problem back on Wii U. Nothing worse than when you really need THAT item and the roulette keeps going. THANK YOU.

The Boomerang now returns to the first slot, if possible, after a player catches it.
This is an interesting one. I don't think I had the boomerang enough to realize there was an interesting quirk to it sliding to the second slot, lol. Oh well

Items shown in a player’s item slots now display correctly when holding an item behind them.
And that is...? Need clarity on this one, too...

No longer possible to use an item after it has been used to block an attack.
I didn't know that you COULD re-use an item after it blocks an attack? I thought it was gone right then and there? What am I missing? :/ A little help...

Communication errors no longer occur frequently while spectating or after spectating online matches.
So it wasn't just me. Well, GOOD, FINALLY.

In other rants, I'd like them to shorten the time it takes for the online match to begin on the stage selection screen. I know we've all used that extra time to take a bathroom break, fudge with our characters/loadouts, but most of us know who we race with and what combo, so I feel the time should be shorter for those that like to let that timer tick ALLLL the way down (you know who you are, lol). Lastly, there's a strange blue shell glitch where the blue shell is en route for 1st place, and if the path diverts (think Yoshi's Valley and all its varied paths), I've had the blue shell pick a path, go ahead and around the course, come back to me in 1st, do the dive bomb animation, and then magically disappear. Mind you, I love NOT getting hit, lol, but putting the shoe on the other foot, that's pretty messed up and never experienced that in MK8 on Wii U.

@Grumblevolcano There you are, I was looking for you but couldn't remember what thread this was, senility and all that.

So anyway, purchased the expansion pass this morning, downloaded the 101.5mb DLC - took 2 minutes to DL, and another 2 minutes to install - and that was that. Now there was a 2.4GB data already installed (I checked in settings) so that might have been it, but it was there last night at 10PM, before we were able to play it. So maybe Ntineod downloaded it early, or maybe that 2.4GB was there already from previous updates or installed from our Wii U disc? Well whatever it was, from the time I purchased the DLC via code from Amazon to the time I was playing wasn't much more than 5 minutes, so I think you are right about the 600mb. The voice 875mb plus the 2.5GB data install I have is close to 3.7GB if you count the 101mb separatly, so maybe somebody did some really bad math to come up w/ 3.7GB?

Whatever it was, props to Nintendo for having us playing so quickly after purchase, I was afraid it was going to be a long while. Can't wait to wear my "bonus" Switch t-shirt on my Wii U.

@PlayedNSlayed The Wii U is unpopular and outdated, but it is NOT dead. Plenty of players still play their Wii U's both locally and online. Until they shut down the online service for Wii U games, it behooves Nintendo to also provide updates for their Wii U catalog as appropriate. If PS3 games can still be played online, then yes Sony should be doing the same thing.

@Dr_Corndog From what I'm reading, you may still be able to do that. It may just be that if you don't use the second item by the time the boomerang returns, the boomerang shifts the other item back to the second slot so you don't have to use it before you can use the boomerang again. Can anyone clarify?

Items continuously spinning did my head in lost some race because of it! Good that its fixed.

@BulbasaurusRex Guess I should go try it out. What you describe actually sounds like an improvement.

The items still randomly don't stop for me......

@Toadie youre the best 👌