Mario Kart 8

Did think that, but should probably save it until the game's released, for those who want to remain unspoiled.

But I'll agree that it looks beautiful. Then again, from DD!! onwards, is there a single bad-looking Mario Kart?

The best thing about that trailer? Not how stunning it looks, not the little tweaks they've made to retro courses.....

Moo Moo Meadows! has returned.

       

Balladeer wrote:

Did think that, but should probably save it until the game's released, for those who want to remain unspoiled.

But I'll agree that it looks beautiful.  Then again, from DD!! onwards, is there a single bad-looking Mario Kart?

There isn't but it's never looked so good, puts a lot of HD counterparts to shame.

The_Jaster wrote:

The best thing about that trailer? Not how stunning it looks, not the little tweaks they've made to retro courses.....

Moo Moo Meadows! has returned.

       

The gods have listened to us.

Bit of a shame about it just being 4 player local but I can live with that.

Fair to say that if this doesn't help Wii U fly off the shelves, nothing will, how could anyone resist?

Lakitu, Shy Guy and urgh Metal Mario are all returning as drivers too, giving us 27 characters in total. Still no sign of some regular drivers weirdly: Birdo, Diddy Kong, Bowser Jr, King Boo... all hidden perhaps? And then there's the Mii to consider, have to think the roster will hit 35 drivers by the time it launches.

It's going to be Smash Bros. levels of characters, and I'm okay with that.  They barely handle differently in Mario Karts (apart from Baby Peach vs. Bowser or similar), so it's more about whose taunts you want to direct at your opponents.

I'm thinking Ludwig Von might be fun for online.  Anyone remember his camp-as-you-like "Ohhh" from the NSMB series?

There's definitely nowhere near enough work in making a Mario Kart character than a Smash Bros character. They all seem to be on pretty much similar scale (Light & Acceleration - Medium - Heavy & Top Speed), so they can likely set the weight and it sorts the rest based on that.

Which means that there could easily be loads of characters.

Was really impressed with the new trailer. It looks gorgeous (as expected), and I'm pretty pleased with the retro track choices (especially how now, more than ever, they've been upgraded to use new mechanics) and the new items (I'm hoping the Piranha Plant is the new mega mushroom in terms of fun). Do wish they'd bring back some retro courses which have already appeared, choosing a track just because it hasn't been used yet isn't always the best approach. Maybe I'm just sour about what Mario Kart DS did to Mushroom Bridge...

So speaking of retro tracks, which ones would folk like to see the most?

This is a question that I find really hard to answer, because the retro tracks I've seen so far have shown Nintendo taking existing courses in ways that I'd never have thought of.  The retro tracks seem to have much more effort going into them this time around.

Take N64 Rainbow Road, for example: would anyone have wanted that flat, tedious piece of rubbish back?  And then it reappears with 50% fewer barriers, bouncy Chomps and neon out of the wazoo, and it looks brilliant!  And I wasn't sure there'd be anywhere they could take Toad's Turnpike, but putting ramps on the back of some of the cars and having zero-g strips up the side of the bends?  Genius!

So in short, I just want Nintendo to surprise me.  That said, I'm never going to say no to Maple Treeway or Koopa Cape, although they're both unlikely after MK7.

Solve My Maze wrote:

Am I the only one though that would like to see Rainbow Road from the N64 version make an appearance?

Damn it, where is SMM? He must be cheering his head off.

The_Jaster wrote:

So speaking of retro tracks, which ones would folk like to see the most?

Only three retro tracks to be revealed, and if Nintendo keep to their habit of never repeating retro tracks, the final three will be out of this lot...


Super Mario Kart: Ghost Valley 1, Bowser Castle 1, Choco Island 1, Donut Plains 2, Bowser Castle 2, Koopa Beach 1, Vanilla Lake 1, Bowser Castle 3, Mario Circuit 4, Ghost Valley 3, Vanilla Lake 2.

64: Wario Stadium, Yoshi Valley.

Super Circuit: Riverside Park, Boo Lake, Cheese Land, Cheep Cheep Island, Sunset Wilds,
Snow Land, Ribbon Road, Yoshi Desert, Lakeside Park, Broken Pier, Bowser Castle 4, Rainbow Road.

Double Dash: Sherbet Land, Mushroom City, Wario Colosseum, Bowser's Castle, Rainbow Road.

DS: Figure-8 Circuit, Shroom Ridge, Mario Circuit, Wario Stadium, Bowser Castle, Rainbow Road.

Wii: Luigi Circuit, Toad's Factory, Mario Circuit, DK's Snowboard Cross, Wario's Gold Mine, Daisy Circuit, Dry Dry Ruins, Moonview Highway, Bowser's Castle, Rainbow Road.

7: Toad Circuit, Daisy Hills, Cheep Cheep Cape, Shy Guy Bazaar, Wuhu Island Loop, Mario Circuit, Alpine Pass, Wario's Galleon, Koopa City, Wuhu Mountain Loop, Rosalina's Ice World, Bowser's Castle, Rainbow Road.


I feel certain we'll see the return of at least one more track from MK7 (Daisy Hills, Alpine Pass,and  Rosalina's Ice World probably the most likely I'd think)

One more from the Wii is likely too, Toad's Factory or Wario's Gold Mine would be my picks here.

I think Melody motorway is confirmed as they said as much on the cvg preview video, I think they could do some interesting things to wario's goldmine.

Who said Melody Motorway wasn't confirmed?

Here's a list of what is confirmed:

3DS DK Jungle
3DS Melody Motorway
3DS Piranha Plant Pipeway
Wii Moo Moo Meadows
Wii Grumble Volcano
DS Cheep Cheep Beach
DS Tick-Tock Clock
GCN Dry Dry Desert
GBA Mario Circuit
N64 Toad's Turnpike
N64 Royal Raceway
N64 Rainbow Road
SNES Donut Plains 3

Royal Raceway had better still have that part where you can drive away from the track and visit the castle.

CVG says not, sadly.  I reckon it'll simply be one more from each of SMK, MKSC and DD!!, to balance the numbers out. They're running out of N64 tracks though...

Dusty Knackers wrote:

Wii Grumble Volcano

Wait what?  Who thought that would be a good idea?  They'll need to do a full revamp to make that even remotely interesting.  (Tick Tock Clock and Melody Motorway are good choices, though.)

Speaking of track wishlists, I'd say that Koopa Cape and maple treeway from Wii would be two I'd absolutely love to see again. Along with rainbow road those two were my favourite tracks by a very long shot. Speaking of wii's rainbow road I'm going to miss that too, I loved how it often rewarded risky but skilled plays.

I like Grumble Volcano.

Just 64's Wario Stadium for me.

Jimbob wrote:

Just 64's Wario Stadium for me.

The problem with Wario Stadium is that they'll probably nerf that jump and Lakitu will grab you when you fall. Or they'll put boots on it so even shrunken racers can make it.

Good. I hated that stupid thing. In fact, I hated Wario Stadium in general. Even for a series that revels in "unfairness", the lightning-jump whatchamacallit seems a step too far, and it boggles my mind that many of the same people who deplore the Blue Shell's existence love that particular "quirk". With that removed, WS becomes a long set of hills, almost as long and more featureless than the same game's Rainbow Road.

That said, Nintendo could probably turn it into something amazing, like they have with Rainbow Road. Playing back over MK7's retro cups, where the changes basically amounted to adding the odd flight-ramp and flooding parts of the course (thereby making Koopa Cape much worse), I really do appreciate how much effort seems to have gone into these new ones (Dry Dry Desert aside).

Also, CVG's forum have it in for me:

Although I do hope you can set up a proper 3-lap Rainbow Road when playing online. Being stuck to one lap with 3 segments would be lame.

I've just seen this - pretty smart. Which was your first? There surely can't be many reading who are starting with Mario Kart 8, right? At a guess, I'd say a number of us started with the N64 version.

Yep N64 version, I've played 5 of them so far.

Super Mario Kart was the first one I played, but only the odd time at a friend's. 64 was the first one I owned.