I am not a Mario Kart
fan. I had a lot of fun playing Mario Kart: Double Dash!! with friends back in the day and Mario Kart DS was a welcome companion when I was sick one time, but
otherwise my experience with the series is limited and I’ve never harbored the
fond attachment to it that many seem to have. I wasn’t even going to get Mario Kart 8 and was more than ready to
write it off as just another installment in one of Nintendo’s redundant “cash
cow franchises”, but I was lured in by its glossy exterior and the hype
surrounding it. I do not regret my weakness for a microsecond. I love Mario Kart 8. Like, I really love it. I was playing it
recently and in the middle of a race, I just started thinking about how I
couldn’t believe how good this game is. The impeccable visual polish and sheer joy
my eyes and brain receive from looking at this game and seeing it in motion,
the ultra-refined mechanics and control, the energetic orchestrated soundtrack…this
is an unbelievably delightful experience.
Mario Kart 8 is
not only my favorite Mario Kart game
but very likely my favorite racing game of all time. Granted, I’ve never been
huge into racing games but I’ve still played and enjoyed a decent handful over
the years. I think what I really love about Mario
Kart 8 is that the focus is on mastering its slick racing mechanics;
nailing drifts, ebbing and flowing through each winding turn, and coming out on
top if you play each gorgeous track with skill. The other “Mario Kart-ish”
elements of the game, chiefly items, mix things up a bit and throw an
interesting curveball into the racing action, but they don’t seem to be the
focus in MK8. Mario Kart 8 is a slick and speedy racing experience first and
foremost. Turtle shells and banana peels are merely complementary factors here.
Some people might hate this. I love it.
I love MK8 for its
tight, no, perfect mechanics and
sublime sense of control, not only over my kart racer but over the race itself.
I don’t think I’ve ever played another game with a more fluid, exhilarating, and
joyous sense of movement. I lean with
each turn in particularly intense races, and I can almost feel each drift and
boost. While it can be stressful at times, and this is all part of the fun, it
also becomes a Zen-like trance of an experience when I get into the zone,
zipping and zooming along as my heart thumps and my fingers pivot as I flow
through each track. It’s pure wonder.
I often harp on about how mechanics and gameplay are not the
one most important element of a video game experience and how I’ve gotten more
and more frustrated over the years as Nintendo increasingly sacrifices other
creative elements in the name of placing “gameplay” on a holy pedestal. While I
absolutely still stand by these sentiments, I’ve also never said that
mechanics, gameplay, “game feel”…or whatever you want to call it isn’t
important in many experiences, and damn when Nintendo nail it they really nail
it. An expertly-crafted gameplay system like the one in Mario Kart 8 can be a moving experience to behold all on its own, but
this perfect feel ties in with a game that is stunning to look at, one of the
most richly vibrant and beautiful I’ve ever played. Its environments are as
imaginative as they are detailed as they explode with color and personality. It is candy for the eyes in every way. No,
that’s not good enough. It’s a dessert at a high-class restaurant for your
retinas. And the music. It’s jazzy and jubilant and magical. Just listen to
this. And this. And this! All of this ties together in a splendid ribbon that
is simply euphoric.
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