Mario Universe Mario Kart Then and Now

[Iblis_Doomed]

Not exactly Smash related so maybe this is still the wrong place but I've been thinking about this for a long time now. Its pretty obvious that Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 64 are different games in terms of handling and speed but the game as a whole has never really had THAT hard of a learning curve. Which is why I'm so confused every time I introduce the game to my friends or co-workers and I get wave after wave of salty retorts about how the game is TOO different, or that they could play Mario Kart (whatever) better than they could Mario Kart 8.

I'm sure most of the people here however have played through the Mario Kart series throughout the ages, including Mario Kart DS or Mario Kart Wii where the Kart customization became more of a relevant part of the game. Where most of the race was about drifting through the whole track without stopping and the game shifted to focus more heavily on, dare I call it, "skill"? As opposed to RNGesus.

So why is it now that when I try to describe to someone how to do something as basic as drifting or the stats for the car in this newer game its like I'm speaking another language? Double Dash had drifting, so did 64! I feel like I was able to pick up the concept of drifting in the new game rather easy and I don't consider myself that great at the older Mario Kart games. Am I alone in this phenomena and is everyone around me just bad? Or was there a shift in a core game mechanic that made newer Mario Kart games polarizing to the older ones?

Obviously I'm not saying that everyone should take Mario Kart like an eSport or even with a moderate interest but its a little sad when you get a game thats supposed to be an easy safe game to play with people who are both bad and good at games and turn into a chamber of whining.

 

[Kurri ★]

They're probably like most people and only casually played Mario Kart. To them the game was probably just taking their favorite character and just driving, not drifting, and firing items at each other. So when you boot up Mario Kart 8 and you're bombarded with vehicle customization that actually has a huge impact on stats and you start playing with someone who knows how to drift and drifts a ton, it's just feels like a different game. To you, and other people who "delved" into the other mechanics, it's still the same Mario Kart.

I recall playing with a group of friends, at least six of us, and I was the only one who utilized drift. Some of them would ask me how I did it, but even after that it just didn't click with them. It's whatever, it's not really a big deal, it's Mario Kart. Even if there's a huge gap in skill, the biggest draw of the series is that anyone can win, in other words, items.

 

[Iblis_Doomed]

I agree completely, Mario Kart's main draw has been its ability to give everyone a chance to win. Its just- Like I hear people get all excited about double dash and say "Oh man DD is so technical your weight is determined by the team you pick which determines your handling etc etc" and then I try to describe drifting and its impossible.

And I guess I've answered my own question, the more the game implemented stat based customization the more difficult it would be to pick up and go. Looking back, most people who played 64 never knew that there was a drift mechanic, or at least how to do it right, back then it really was just about holding down A and then getting the right power up.

I guess its just weird to see veterans of the series struggle with Mario Kart 8 when the game doesn't feel that different.

 

[Mario & Sonic Guy]

To be fair, newer Mario Karts require you to learn to drift if you want to have any kind of success. The first three Mario Karts didn't require any of those kinds of techniques to be good, but you do have to utilize the brakes at certain areas when you increase the engine class level.

 

[PsychoIncarnate]

I don't even know where to post this

I recently played Mario Kart Arcade, and I gotta say. It is NOTHING but a quarter muncher.

It kind of really sucks as a Mario Kart game and has some weird items I wasn't even sure what they did.

It gives you random kart pieces as well

One of the items I got was a pie, but all it did was turn my kart into a pie. And I wasn't sure if that did anything. Also random items you can get

I tried to look up what the item actually did on Mario Wiki, but the page was blank. It had a pie item as well except you throw that, which is not what the item I had did

I actually beat my competitor during the race and got 1st, and while it was fun it is definitely the inferior Mario Kart