Mario Universe Mario Kart General Discussion - 200CC Announced | Second DLC Pack Coming in May!

[ChikoLad]

Well I pre-ordered the Limited Edition so:

Don't know if I'll be getting anything else though. Pre-ordered from GameStop, but I also live in Ireland, and over here we hate gaming merchandise.

 

[The Real Gamer]

Just one more day!

I have work Friday and will be offline for a while but im free all Saturday and Sunday so lets get some races going guys!

 

[LF2K]

If any of you manage to get a copy early, don't register it with Club Nintendo today! You won't be able to get your free game if you register today. The free game promotion starts tomorrow.

 

[SuperMii3D]

Ladies and gentlemen, DLC:

 

[Creo]

Gahh. . . I won't have the funds to purchase my Wii-U until next Friday, so I'll be a week behind. I suppose it could be worse, though (at least it'll give me occupation for the weekend prior to E3). That being said, a Mercedes-Benz is an interesting choice of DLC, to say the least. Ha ha. At any rate, at least it gives us confirmation that DLC will in fact be coming (Maple Treeway as a re-mastered retro course please, Nintendo!).

 

[Nitric Acid]

Guys, if there is DLC for characters, who would you want to see?

- Bowser Jr.
- Diddy Kong
- Dry Bones
- Dry Bowser
- E. Gadd
- Nabbit
- Green Bronze Luigi
- King Boo
- Petey Piranha

Nabbit all the way. Can't wait to get my hands on the wheel tomorrow.

 

[dimensionsword64]

It irritates me that places are selling Mario Kart 8 early.

 

[Gatlin]

Guys, if there is DLC for characters, who would you want to see?

Bowser Jr
Dry Bowser
Cat Bowser :3
Diddy Kong
Funky Kong
King Boo
Dry Bones
Birdo
Reggie

-

Also guys, check this out:

https://twitter.com/NintendoAmerica/status/472076848382607361

Even though the tweet is focused on Smash Bros, I know quite a few people who played MKW with a GCN and would be very happy to see an official adapter be released so they can play MK8 with GCN as well. I already had the Mayflash one which has worked very well so far, but I am glad to see Nintendo releasing a version of their own.

 

[Mario & Sonic Guy]

Mario Kart 8 doesn't even support GameCube controllers right now, so an update would have to be created to support them first.

Anyway, on another subject, it's been revealed that the Gold Standard has the same stats as the Mach 8. I'm wondering if the Gold Glider doesn't have any stat boosts/drops though.

 

[ChikoLad]

So it's May 30th now (for me at least)!

In less than 10 hours, I'll be going to GameStop and picking up my copy of this game! :D

 

[Oatmeal.]

It's May 30th here. Excuse me while I go buy it.

 

[ChikoLad]

Will be picking up in an hour and a half when GameStop opens. Gonna lie on a bit until then.

 

[~ Valkyrie ~]

Got the game now! It feels quite slowpaced first and I had to also find a good combo... GORGEOUS, GORGEOUS game though. It made me actually wake up to the realization that Nintendo truly is trying to jump into the HD-gen, and it feels quite different.

And also, the racing feels really fair.

 

[ChikoLad]

Just finished up with 50cc. The controls feel great, much better than past games. The tracks are also really creative.

I was right about the item system though. It's really schizophrenic.

ALSO DID THEY JUST THROW IN A QUOCK MARIO X ROSALINA MOMENT AT THE END OF THE CREDITS?

Also my Spiny Shell figure is really cool. Only 100 were shipped to Ireland, so I'm really lucky.

 

[LF2K]

It's finally here! Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines!

 

[smashbroskilla]

I can't wait to pick this up at lunch time and dive in to it tomorrow with friends.

 

[Shog]

Btw I got a gold special edition with a bullet bill key chain...not sure if that's really special, but it was the same price...soo....yeah

 

[praline]

My copy is in transit to be delivered to me right now... I'm so stoked!

 

[Shog]

Wow, I definitely do NOT regret buying it: I had so much fun with my family: IN only 4 cups, in ****ing 50CC and not even retro tracks!! Jesus Christ, what a blast.
I recommend buying it 100% ESPECIALLY since you get a FREE game if you register @Nintendo Club(which is free btw, just want to point that out)

Rainbow Road, WARIO ****ING AWESOME ICE COURSE and the Toad Beach course in Flower Cup(I have a german version, no idea how the name is in English) are such amazing tracks!!)

Man tomorrow I will be playing with my bro and rockin in online. And although I have to say DK design is really bad, the Koopalings(do all exist?), the Princess(es?) and especially Baby Mario make up for it. And Retro Wheels, lol

 

[ChikoLad]

Have to take a break from the game because I'm going to my dad's house, and I downloaded my free game (New Super Mario Bros U - It's NEVER going to go down in price, so I may as well get it now, so the only money I ever spend on it is for New Super Luigi U). Have yet to try out the online and Battle Mode.

The game is pretty much how I expected it to be - really fun and driving the vehicles themselves feels great (I like how they essentially have 4 different vehicle types now), however, I stand by all of the problems I mentioned beforehand, and I stand by saying they should update the game a bit. Nothing huge, but dealing with a lot of little flaws in quick succession gets grating at times, especially knowing they are so simple to fix.

Like before though, I want to emphasise that these problems don't ruin the game, they just get annoying and will get more so overtime. Still baffled by the GamePad not being used as one player's screen in split screen.

At least I can bring up the map on the GamePad.

And yeah, there is very little to do in the game, but I bought it for the multiplayer fun, if there is DLC and patches, I won't mind the initial lack of content at all.

 

[Grizzmeister]

Played a little Mario Kart 8 this morning. The game is simply delicious.

 

[LF2K]

My life's dream has come today: give Ludwig a family-friendly flip off.

 

[Shog]

omg
Royal Raceway is amazing!! This is the track that I liked the most in N64
Yep. 110% sure no regrets.

@sonicbrawler, can you tell me some of the mistakes of the game? For me, it fixed all major things: Multliple people @grand prix, 2 player online mode, amazing character, nice cars, fixed item system and amaaaazing track choices

 

[Mysteltainn]

I just picked up my copy 2 hours or so ago and dove on in. Holy crap, videos and footage do NOTHING for this game, no justice whatsoever. It is truly a unique experience! Control-wise and it looks stunning on your own TV. I chewed through some of the 50 CCs so far, and unlocked all of the courses. I used a new combo every time.

Oddly, I found the bikes strange. I put Metal Mario on the Sports Bike and it was an absolute nightmare... So hard to control, but Waluigi seemed to be the sweet spot (same combo as MM). Not really a fan of any of the default karts, but I've got my eye on a few that I'm yet to unlock.

Front-running 50 CCs was of course easy, but there were actually quite a few Blue Shells; I was a bit surprised by this. Other than that though, I'd definitely recommend getting it.

 

[SuperMii3D]

I just picked up my copy 2 hours or so ago and dove on in. Holy crap, videos and footage do NOTHING for this game, no justice whatsoever. It is truly a unique experience! Control-wise and it looks stunning on your own TV. I chewed through some of the 50 CCs so far, and unlocked all of the courses. I used a new combo every time.

Oddly, I found the bikes strange. I put Metal Mario on the Sports Bike and it was an absolute nightmare... So hard to control, but Waluigi seemed to be the sweet spot (same combo as MM). Not really a fan of any of the default karts, but I've got my eye on a few that I'm yet to unlock.

Front-running 50 CCs was of course easy, but there were actually quite a few Blue Shells; I was a bit surprised by this. Other than that though, I'd definitely recommend getting it.

There are 7 different weight classes:
2 Small, 2 Medium and 3 Heavy. Maybe the could have affected your racing? I know Metal Mario is heavier than Waluigi....

 

[The Real Gamer]

First impressions: (So far I've completed all 8 50cc Grand Prix Cups and that's it)

- This game is freaking GORGEOUS man. I had to have driven off the course at least 5 times due to taking all of the sights in. Not that it mattered though since front running in 50cc is easy as hell lol.
- Watching replays is surprisingly fun all thanks to the slow motion mode.
- Surprised at how different the karts control now. I thought they'd be extremely similar to how they controlled in MK7... I thought wrong.
- The controls feel surprisingly good on the Gamepad. I have big hands so it feels great to be gripping a larger controller as opposed to the super small control scheme on the 3DS.
- I've clearly been playing too much MK7 because bikes just don't do it for me anymore. Will take some getting used to but I'm pretty sure Karts will end up being my go-to option in this game.
- I was getting hit by a very small amount of Blue Shells than what I'm accustomed to in MK7 which is great.
- I was also getting a nice amount of Green Shells/Bananas in 1st, which surprised me. I'm guessing the item probability chart is different between online/offline.
- This game's tracks will probably end up being my favorite track list in the entire MK series. Every single track is solid, including the retros.
- Speaking of tracks I severely underestimated Thwomp Ruins, Bowser's Castle, Sunshine Airport, and Wii Grumble Volcano. While watching videos I didn't think much of these tracks at all, but actually playing them changed my perspective of them entirely.

Overall I'm having an absolute blast so far!

 

[Mysteltainn]

Moved into 100cc, a

First impressions: (So far I've completed all 8 50cc Grand Prix Cups and that's it)

- This game is freaking GORGEOUS man. I had to have driven off the course at least 5 times due to taking all of the sights in. Not that it mattered though since front running in 50cc is easy as hell lol.
- Watching replays is surprisingly fun all thanks to the slow motion mode.
- Surprised at how different the karts control now. I thought they'd be extremely similar to how they controlled in MK7... I thought wrong.
- The controls feel surprisingly good on the Gamepad. I have big hands so it feels great to be gripping a larger controller as opposed to the super small control scheme on the 3DS.
- I've clearly been playing too much MK7 because bikes just don't do it for me anymore. Will take some getting used to but I'm pretty sure Karts will end up being my go-to option in this game.
- I was getting hit by a very small amount of Blue Shells than what I'm accustomed to in MK7 which is great.
- I was also getting a nice amount of Green Shells/Bananas in 1st, which surprised me. I'm guessing the item probability chart is different between online/offline.
- This game's tracks will probably end up being my favorite track list in the entire MK series. Every single track is solid, including the retros.
- Speaking of tracks I severely underestimated Thwomp Ruins, Bowser's Castle, Sunshine Airport, and Wii Grumble Volcano. While watching videos I didn't think much of these tracks at all, but actually playing them changed my perspective of them entirely.

Overall I'm having an absolute blast so far!

Yeah, the bikes take time, I did notice though that Larry (whatever weight he is) is pretty smooth on the Sports Bike though. All the heavies I tried with it went sailing off the road no matter what I did (changed wheels, etc).

Just curious, what karts have you tried so far? I'm yet to unlock very many as of yet, mostly getting wheels so far. I found the starter karts to be rather awkward.

 

[Mario & Sonic Guy]

I was able to take care of the 50cc, and did a few Time Trial runs as well. I did learn that my own Mii is a heavyweight racer though.

 

[ChikoLad]

omg
Royal Raceway is amazing!! This is the track that I liked the most in N64
Yep. 110% sure no regrets.

@sonicbrawler, can you tell me some of the mistakes of the game? For me, it fixed all major things: Multliple people @grand prix, 2 player online mode, amazing character, nice cars, fixed item system and amaaaazing track choices

-Item system is schizophrenic as all hell. For example, there was one race where I rocket boosted straight to the front, and while in 1st, got coins from the three item boxes in a row before getting something I can actually make use of - I know people were making that argument where you should hold the items until you really need them, and I agree, but in this case, it took me 4 item boxes to get something I can use at all - I can't help that (also, it just makes first place feel a bit more boring than it should - it removes a lot of suspense since I know I'll mostly just get coins that do nothing for me). Then, in another race, I got a Super Horn, blocked a Blue Shell with it, and got another Super Horn immediately after.
Also, while playing multiplayer with my brother, I got a Crazy 8 IN SECOND PLACE, while being just behind the person in first. On the last lap. Needless to say, I won that one. Also, while going through the 50cc cups, I pretty much never used items. I always held on to them until I needed to block stuff. I feel like in a Mario Kart game, I should be using the items a bit more than that. I just seriously had no use for them. Granted, it was 50cc, but still, I feel like while item balancing is better for those in later positions (I don't find myself getting hit by 5 items in a row like MKWii, and Blue Shells are not as devastating even when they hit you, in 1st, 2nd and 3rd place, it's really all over the place. I think a few tweaks should be made to make it feel less like the game is having mood swings. I don't mind this in Frantic, but in Normal, the items should be a bit more balanced.

-I don't like how split-screen is vertical. It obstructs the view to my left and right, and makes me feel like I have to sit closer to the TV. Moreover, the GamePad should serve as a second screen in two-player. This is one of the selling points of the Wii U, other games, including Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, do this just fine. A first party, multiplayer racer should really have this feature. It doesn't make any sense at all to not have it. And vertical split-screen is just horrible for this kind of game. It's still playable but it's really annoying to deal with (not to mention that the resolution takes a hit because of this - you can see fuzzy-blurriness around the characters in split-screen).

-Selecting parts and comparing stats for different combinations is time-consuming and clunky because you can't save your favourite combinations, nor can you just select default "matching" combos. Makes getting into a quick game of multiplayer take longer than it should, plus the interface for comparing stats for different combinations in the first place is clunky, since all parts in each category are all in one column, meaning you have to keep scrolling up and down in one column, go to another one and make some comparisons in relation to what you set in the first column, go back to the first column AGAIN and change it's part, and scroll through all of the parts in the other columns to see what kinds of new stats are available...ugh, it just gets really messy, especially since it's not just two columns of parts, it's three.

-Haven't gotten online yet, but I know the game is lacking an invite feature, which it should have. Past online Nintendo games have had this, and much like the GamePad support, this omission is just mystifying.

-Haven't gotten to try Battle Mode yet, but I know I won't like it, at least not online against 11 other people. Not because of the lazy re-hashing of tracks, but because of the broken ghost mechanic. I went in-depth into this already, so I won't repeat myself, but in a nutshell, winning feels completely empty in this mode, at least with lots of ghosts running around and delivering the final blow.

That's most of the problems I feel are worth patching really. I'd also like to note that I think they could have done more with MKTV with minimal resources and time.

I still love the game, but I feel like if these problems aren't addressed, I will start to have a slightly more sour attitude towards it, because they are minor to moderate in nature. And I could go into how some of these problems have more to them than meets the eye.

Other than that though, I'm on board with everyone else - the game is very pretty (it's not the most impressive engine honestly, Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed actually looks a fair bit more impressive than this from a technical standpoint, but the art design is wonderful and the tracks feel alive in this game, and it's just really surreal seeing a Mario game that looks this impressive), the music is amazing, controls are the best they've ever been, the tracks are by far the best out of any MK game, the anti-gravity does wonders for the MK formula for both the casual fun factor and for adding more nuance for skilled players, and HD Rosalina in a biker outfit, covered in water, and squealing and giggling at me while pulling of lovely tricks, is the best bit of fan service I could ask for in a Nintendo game! :V

 

[LF2K]

Battle mode is kinda lame. But the rest of game is fun! We all should swap ID's soon or create a tournament and race each other.

 

[dimensionsword64]

I'm getting it later today. Can't wait!

 

[The Real Gamer]

Moved into 100cc, a

Yeah, the bikes take time, I did notice though that Larry (whatever weight he is) is pretty smooth on the Sports Bike though. All the heavies I tried with it went sailing off the road no matter what I did (changed wheels, etc).

Pretty sure Larry is light (but not feather like the babies).

Just curious, what karts have you tried so far? I'm yet to unlock very many as of yet, mostly getting wheels so far. I found the starter karts to be rather awkward.

In terms of body parts I've tried the Standard Kart and Bike, Sneeker, Landship, and Mach 8. So far I'm really liking the Sneeker with Slim tires and a Light weight class. Average Speed and Acceleration but really nice Handling and Traction.

Have lots of experimenting to do until I find that combo that feels perfect for me.

 

[Grizzmeister]

Thwomp Ruins is AMAZING!

 

[ChikoLad]

Here's a video showing off a bunch of short cuts and corner cuts.

 

[The Real Gamer]

Uh oh I'm really liking the Pipe Frame with Wood Tires and a Medium weight class... Feels very MK7'ish. >:D

One thing I don't like is that the gliding sections feel really restricted now. Feels like you have very little freedom of movement unlike MK7 where you could stay in the air much longer.

 

[Deleted member]

I know, we've all heard it, Mario Kart 8 is the best looking game on the Wii U, except for one thing;
DK looks like an action figure and it makes me irrationally angry.
His fur is way too smooth, and coming out of water gives him a shine that you wouldn't expect on a big hairy ape.

 

[ChikoLad]

Uh oh I'm really liking the Pipe Frame with Wood Tires and a Medium weight class... Feels very MK7'ish. >:D

One thing I don't like is that the gliding sections feel really restricted now. Feels like you have very little freedom of movement unlike MK7 where you could stay in the air much longer.

A little tip for this - if you come off of a wall into an air gliding section, you can actually sway left or right to drastically change altitude. This can be used to get a lot of easy height before your character completely straightens out. The game considers your character's left and right to be the literal left or right of the model, it doesn't take gravity into consideration, so you can gain a lot of height when going from wall-to-gliding if you just veer to whatever direction is up relative to your position. So if your character's right is facing up, you just veer right after going from wall to gliding, and you will gain a lot of altitude for a brief second before your character straightens up.

Some areas seem to have invisible roofs to counter this, though not all of them do. So experiment to find places where this may be useful.

 

[Nitric Acid]

3-starred 50cc and a couple of the 100cc Cups by now. Thoroughly impressed with the game, and the balance is even better than any of the early reviews said. Also, DAT SOUNDTRACK.

Mario Kart 8 doesn't even support GameCube controllers right now, so an update would have to be created to support them first.

I've been using this with MK8 and it works like a dream. Basically emulates a Classic Controller.

 

[Gatlin]

This game is so fun, lol.

I'm gonna update the Events Thread sometime today with everyone's NNID's and such as well. Go ahead and post in that thread if you would like to be added to the list of registered players.

Also feel free to introduce yourself, we're a pretty tight community from MKW and are always welcoming new people to join us.

 

[praline]

So i don't know if I'm the only one to come to this conclusion but character unlocking isn't totally random.

You have a chance to unlock any racer that is racing in the gp with you that you can't at that point play as. Like I had Lakitu, Rosalina, Lemmy, and Toadette. I unlocked Lakitu afterwards.