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Three years ago, I felt comfortable calling Mario Kart 8 on Wii U “.” It wasn’t a drastic shift for the long-running series, but more of a refinement. From the twisting, gravity-defying tracks to game-changing new weapons to the vibrant and beautiful levels, Mario Kart 8 took almost everything I loved about the series and made it better. Mario Kart 8 went on to become the beleaguered Wii U’s best-selling title by a huge margin; more than half of 13 million people who owned the console also had a copy of Mario Kart 8.Next week the game is getting a chance to reach even more players with the launch of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on Nintendo Switch. It’s largely the same game from 2014, but with a few important changes and additions that make this the definitive version. The best Mario Kart is now even better — here are the most important reasons why.
You can hold two items at onceThe biggest gameplay change seems like a small tweak: you can now hold two items at the same time. The improvement is significant. It alleviates one of the few problems with the original version of the game.
The Bottom Line. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the second must-buy game on the Nintendo Switch (after The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild), and it's the most comprehensive Mario Kart game to date.
Now, if you’re holding onto a useful item like a fire flower or a super horn, you don’t have to use it in order to pick up another item.Unfortunately you can’t swap between the two items. But the ability still adds an extra layer of strategy to an already well-tuned experience. I found myself trying to collect two sets of turtle shells or bananas, using them as a defensive shield once I darted ahead of the pack. Almost everything is unlocked from the startWhen you start Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, you’re greeted with a huge roster: there are 42 characters in total, including a handful of new additions. All of them are available from the beginning. Unlike in the original Mario Kart 8, you no longer have to spend hours grinding through the Grand Prix mode to unlock new characters or race tracks for multiplayer.
That said, you’ll still need to collect coins in order to gain access to new vehicles and parts, but having so much content available right away makes it easier to jump into Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, especially for those who already played plenty of the Wii U version. Image: Nintendo It goes where you go, Mario Kart 8 benefits a great deal from the console’s portability.
It may be best-known as a console series, but with Mario Kart DS and Mario Kart 7, Nintendo produced some of its best entries for handhelds. It’s a game that works well on the go, though fans of the early entries may prefer playing split-screen crowded around a TV. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe allows for both. Finally, a proper battle modeThe original Mario Kart 8 was an incredible racer, but it lacked one big thing: a robust battle mode.
The mode was technically included, but was seriously lacking in options. It also re-used race tracks from the main game, which weren’t ideal for all-out battles. Deluxe fixes this with eight arenas designed specifically for battle mode — four new, four based on arenas from previous games — and five different kinds of battles.Most of the new battle options are pulled from previous Mario Kart games, but my favorite is new. Called “renegade roundup,” the mode gives each player a chomping piranha plant, and the goal is to snap up as many members of the opposing team as possible.
Smart steering makes it easy for kids to playOne of the new additions to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is something called “smart steering.” Essentially, the feature makes it easier to stay on the track, subtly correcting your steering to avoid accidents. When you couple this with the automatic acceleration option, you have the perfect racing game for kids. Now they can just focus on guiding the kart and using items.With both of these features switched on, my four-year-old daughter managed to get through an entire grand prix and finish in fourth place; not bad for her first time playing the game. Even better, these options can be switched on individually for each player, making it easy for players of different skill levels to play together. You get all of the downloadable contentThe original Mario Kart 8 ’s downloadable content added many new tracks and characters, some from outside of the Super Mario universe.
You could race as Zelda’s Link through quaint towns based on Animal Crossing, and there was even a fast-paced track based on futuristic racer F-Zero — probably the closest we’ll get to a new F-Zero game anytime soon. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe includes all of these add-ons in addition to the main game, so you’ll get an extra 16 tracks and an oddball mix of Nintendo characters right out of the box. In a word: inklingsMario Kart 8 Deluxe doesn’t introduce any new tracks, but it does include a handful of new items, characters, and vehicles. There’s the Boo ghost power-up that steals items from other racers, and you can now drive as Baby Bowser or the skeletal turtle Dry Bones.
By far the best addition, though, is the inklings from. These human-squid hybrids are some of Nintendo’s best new characters in years, and with their colorful, competitive nature they slot seamlessly into the world of Mario Kart.
Let’s hope this is just a step towards Inkling Girl joining the cast of Super Smash Bros.Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is coming to Nintendo Switch on April 28th.
Mario Kart 8 has jumped from the Wii U to the new Switch, and gained the word 'Deluxe' at the end of the title. What does that mean? A whole lot of little changes, the most significant of which is what you have to unlock and how you go about doing the unlocking.In the past, you had to race and rank in order to unlock the next Cup to compete in and to unlock other players you might want to enjoy. This time all of that stuff is unlocked already, which means you can pick the character you want to race as and the Cup you want to race in out of the box, and instead focus on unlocking more important things.Here's what you need to know! Unlocking Karts, Tires, and Gliders. In Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, you start off with access to the following equipment: Karts.
Standard Kart. Steel Driver. Circuit Special. Sneeker. Streetle. Standard Bike. Comet.
City Tripper. Standard ATV.
Splat BuggyTires. Standard. Monster. Roller. Slim. Off-Road.
SpongeGliders. Super Glider. Parachute. Parafoil. Plane GliderIn order to unlock more Kart, Tires, and Gliders, you need to race in the Single Player Grand Prix mode. During each race of a four course Cup in the Grand Prix, you have the ability to collect up to ten coins before you cross the finish line. If you have collected 30 or more coins by the end of a Cup, a new item will be available to use in your next race.
If you have collected more than 30 coins by the end of a Cup, those coins are added to your total collected coins in your profile. If you have collected more than 30 extra coins over the course of several Cups, that rollover amount will count towards your next unlock.Here's everything you can unlock this way: Karts. Pipe Frame. Koopa Clown. Mach 8.
Cat Cruiser. Tri-Speeder.
Inkstrider. Badwagon. Prancer. Biddybuggy. Landship. Sports Coupe. GLA.
W 25 Silver Arrow. 300 SL Roadster. Blue Falcon. Tanooki Kart.
B Dasher. P-Wing. Sport Bike. The Duke.
Flame Rider. Varmint. Mr. Scooty. Jet Bike.
Yoshi Bike. Master Cycle.
Wild Wiggler. Teddy Buggy. Bone RattlerTires. Slick. Metal. Button. Off-Road.
Wood. Cushion. Blue Standard.
Hot Monster. Azure Roller. Crimson Slim. Cyber Slick. Retro Off-Road. GLA Tires. Triforce Tires.
Leaf TiresGliders. Cloud Glider.
Wario Wing. Waddle Wing. Peach Parasol. Flower Glider. Bowser Kite. MKTV Parafoil.
Hylian Kite. Paper GliderYou can unlock one other Racer, Kart, Tire, and Glider for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, the Gold Set. To unlock Gold Mario: Earn First Place in all of the 200cc Cups. Gold Mario replaces Metal Mario when done. To unlock the Gold Standard Body: Earn a Star Rank in every Cup in the Mirror Grand Prix. To unlock the Gold Tires: Beat all of the Staff Ghosts in every Time Trial race. To unlock the Gold Glider: Collect 10,000 coins in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.