Yesterday I picked up Mario Kart 8. And managed to get probably a good 8-9 hours with the game. So I think that’s pretty solid enough time to get a good impression. Probably even too much that I can’t even really call it a first impression ;)

Anyway, I’m enjoying the game very much. It may very well already be my favorite Mario Kart in the entire franchise. I think for the most part it combines the best things about Mario Kart Wii & Mario Kart 7. Having 12 racers, Able to look behind you, the choice of Controller and all the options you have in Vs. Mode. Plus all the new stuff introduced in Mario Kart 7 with Gliding, Underwater racing, and the new Anti-Gravity all provide a lot of variety in not only the new courses, but also makes old dogs do new Tricks (AKA makes old tracks seem new again).

Really the only frustrations I have with the game is the usual frustration you get in pretty much any Mario Kart when you’re screwed out of 1st Place at the end. And how the Kart Part unlocking is random. Because I got over 1200 coins (1400 as of this morning) in my first day with the game. And I still don’t have the Kart body that I want. That being the Pipe Frame. Goddamn it game, is racing on the remade N64 Rainbow Road (Which BTW is my favorite Rainbow Road ever) in a kart that looks pretty much exactly how the karts are in Mario Kart 64 too much to ask?! (Even sadder is how the CPU can still show characters and Karts you haven’t unlocked it yet. And I’ve seen many of the CPUs driving the Pipe Frame. It’s as if the game is teasing me ):

Well, anyway at least that I have all the characters. Not that I really care about that. I’ve always said the roster of a Mario Kart game could be just everyone that was playable in Mario Kart 64 and a few more bonus characters and I’d be ok already. All I need is Luigi to be happy. It’s why while I like Waluigi, I just kinda shrugged when he somehow didn’t make it into Mario Kart 7. It’s also why I don’t get so upset with weird additions in the roster such as Honey Queen, Metal Mario. And Baby Rosalina & Pink Gold Peach. If people want to play as these characters, I say more power to them. Characters aren’t the bread and butter of Mario Kart. That goes to the courses.

And speaking of which, the Courses are really amazing. I think they’re far more interesting and diverse then the set we got in Mario Kart Wii. And I even think the Retro courses were really well chosen and remade. This is the first time we can truly say a Mario Kart game legitimately looks beautiful. The HD graphics really highlight a lot of the visually impressive stages such as the Electrodome and looks amazing on remakes such as Moo Moo Farms and of course N64 Rainbow Road. The soundtrack has to be one of the best if not the best soundtrack in a Mario Kart game. As I said, the bread and butter of Mario Kart are the courses. And I can truly say Mario Kart 8 has some really, really good bread and butter. What’s my favorite course of the game so far? I think it’s actually quite obvious. The remake of N64 Rainbow Road is just so amazing. I think personally that the N64 Rainbow Road looks better then Mario Kart 8’s new Rainbow Road, While the main course is based on N64 Rainbow Road. It’s definitely not an exact copy. As otherwise there’d be absolutely no places where there are no Rails. In some ways, the N64 Rainbow Road is a bit of a fusion of multiple Rainbow Roads. You have the star gates on the ground like in MKWii’s. Some in the Air like in MK7’s. The Chain Chomps instead of chomping down the road like they did in the original N64 Rainbow Road, they slam down on the ground and make the road wiggle like the Thomps do on the remake of the SNES Rainbow Road in Mario Kart 7. A City being under the Rainbow Road is similar to Double Dash’s Rainbow Road. The only Rainbow Roads that I’m not so sure there’s any reference to at all in it. Is the GBA and DS Rainbow Roads. But nonetheless, as a result of this. This makes it even better as it has features from pretty everyone’s favorite Rainbow Roads. But we shouldn’t forget most of all that the course is centered on the N64 Rainbow Road. Which is my personal Favorite Rainbow Road of the series. Hearing that this course was in the game gave me as much joy as anyone seeing a character they really liked getting into Smash Bros. Now I wouldn’t say I was just as happy as when Sonic was announced for Brawl. But nonetheless I smiled when we got a new trailer that confirmed N64 Rainbow Road would be the Retro Rainbow Road. It was my biggest hope for the game after I remembered how MK7 now made it possible for Rainbow Roads to be Retro courses. And I’m glad that this game has a Rainbow Road where instead of having a reaction of “Ugh, Rainbow Road…” like I have for Double Dash’s, SNES both original and Remake, and Wii’s I’m more like “YES! Rainbow Road! :D” like how I am with the original N64 Rainbow Road, Mario Kart 7’s Rainbow Road, and now the N64 Rainbow Road remake :)

Anyway, I think I’ve said enough. I’ve done all the cups at 50cc and 100cc and will eventually take a crack at 150cc. But I think I’m going to spend the time of unlocking karts until I finally get that damn Pipe Frame that’s eluded me before I start getting to the really frustrating part of the game. But I love Mario Kart 8, and I can’t wait to play more. This will surely help hold me over until Smash Bros. arrives to all our doorsteps. :)