Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Nintendo Switch)

Mario Kart is probably my favourite pick-up-and-play game. It doesn’t require hours of grinding to become proficient at it, and you don’t need to refer to an online guide to remind you what to do if you’ve not played it for months/years – you can just play it. I do like to unlock everything though and I tend to spend hours unlocking tracks and characters, I have spent years becoming familiar with the tracks and perfecting my character and car choice (Daisy in the B-Dasher, in case you’re interested.) For those completely new to Mario Kart, it’s a racing game which is more about fun rather than realistic driving physics. You race around a range of tracks collecting items which can be thrown, dropped, etc and items are ‘weighted’ so that those at the back of the race tend to get items designed to assist them, this means that newbies can still involve themselves in the race rather than just straggling behind. The awesome racers aren’t guaranteed to win – there’s always a chance of a Blue Shell whacking them at the last corner! Some years ago I got a Wii U specifically for Mario Kart and was blown away by how great it looked, it didn’t take much for the Switch version to turn my head.My wife was sceptical about the deluxe version of the game – is it worth getting Mario Kart 8 *again* when I already have it for the Wii U? The answer in short is: yes.And here’s why…Nintendo probably realise that Mario Kart 8 (Wii U) owners are likely to own this version too, so all the previous additional Downloadable Content is included along with a sprinkle of new characters. So all the tracks are unlocked right-away, but those who put the hours in are rewarded with random ‘parts’ being unlocked (tyres, etc). The main difference in terms of content is the improved Battle Mode. The Wii U Battle-Mode was terrible. On the Switch it has been revamped and the Balloon Battle mode is more like the battle mode I loved so much on the Nintendo 64. This is one of five different battle modes:• Balloon Battle (pop opponent’s balloons)• Bob-omb Blast (lob bombs at each other to pop balloons)• Renegade Roundup (team battle with Piranha Plants)• Coin Runners (collect the most coins to win)• Shine Thief (keep hold of the Shine Sprite for an extended period of time)And these can be played across 8 different Battle Courses. (My favourite being “SNES Battle Course 1”. )Another new feature is Smart Steering. It’s a bit like when you go bowling with the kids and you can have the gutters blocked off, Smart Steering stops you from dropping off the sides of the track. This means that newbies and really casual gamers can join in and not be frustrated at not being able to manage half a lap on Rainbow Road. It’s a great feature which means that a completely mixed ability group can play together and still have fun. For those completely new to racing games and struggling with both using items and controlling the kart, "auto acceleration" can be used. This just keeps your car moving forwards, I doubt it will be used very often but it could be good for those with hand mobility issues who otherwise could find controlling numerous buttons prohibitive to play.Other content changes include some new items to collect and re-introduces the ability to hold 2 items at once – which I’m pleased to see (always good to have a spare banana tucked away).The biggest difference you’ll notice though, is how much better the game looks.This is essentially a port of the Wii U game, and graphically speaking there’s the odd bit of garnish added to the original graphics – but the increased resolution and frame rate makes a huge difference. The 60 Frames Per Second means that the game looks smoother than ever before. I was doubtful that it would make a significant difference, but it does. After playing this, you can’t go back to the Wii U version without it seeming jerky, the animations on the Wii U look staggered in comparison to the flawless Switch. There are numerous online videos showing side-by-side comparisons in which there’s an undeniable difference. However, it has to be experienced to be appreciated.Multiplayer is excellent, 2 player is split-screen on either the Switch or TV, any more is TV only (if you’re on the same Switch, but you can play full screen if it’s on-line play). Those with little hands will find the bundled controllers surprisingly fine for extended play, but for those with massive hands like me – the Pro-Controller is absolutely brilliant and you’ll not struggle to hold an item behind you while drifting around corners.In a nutshell: You can see why people are calling this the definitive version of Mario Kart. The Wii U version was excellent, and this improves on it by adding a few new features and fixes the battle mode. Those who criticise the Switch and say it’s under-powered have completely misunderstood what a games console is all about – playability is king and this title is probably one of the greatest games in video game history. If you aren't interested in battle mode, then the smoother graphics alone makes this a worthy purchase. This is great for die hard 'Karters and instantly playable by those who have never played Mario kart before.

This is in my opinion a no brainer for one of your first Switch games (assuming you haven't already bought Zelda). I never played the WiiU version as I don't know anyone with it so for me this was a brand new game.Th graphics on this are smooth and silky on my TV and in handheld mode. When in 2 player split screen the game retains it 60fps seconds in both modes although it gets a little cramped in tabletop mode. The smaller screen size does take away a little when in split screen on the handheld but for me this is not a negative as unlike all other home consoles you can't do this away from your console with no internet (for Vita/PS4 users). I have yet to experience more than 2 player split screen although it is stated that there is a drop to 30fps but no dip in resolution. I can't imagine it being easy for 4 player on the handheld though but again it is possible.The game plays so smooth and there is a lot going on in the background so I'm impressed with the power. There are 4 different speed modes ranging from fairly easy 50cc all the way to super fast 200cc and a bonus mirror mode for 150cc only. The faster modes are really challenging but rewarding when you manage to get used to the courses and Karts enough to beat them. My personnel favourite feature is smart steering; although I don't use this myself I do Switch it on for my 6 year old and she can race with me and still perform quite well considering. There is also a auto accelerate mode as well but haven't used this. The more you play the game the more coins you earn which automatically unlock the vehicle parts, this is the only unlock in the game and also my only negative but I will mention this later.The battle mode has apparently been rebuilt entirely for the delux edition and offers a fair variety of modes to play. Bob-omb blast is all about blowing each other up and there is a coin collection mode also. There are other modes including a cops and robbers style game and a tag style game where you have to keep hold of an item for as long as possible but I haven't had a go yet on these.The online play seems ok so far. You can play in any of the above settings with upto 2 players split screen. I have tried this tethered to my phone and it seemed stable for a while but then failed. I think it is still a little early to judge the online but so far this is the only issue, when on my home network there have been no issues. I have joined a couple of tournaments set up by a youtuber I follow and they seem to work great. The tournaments have tons of options.There is a huge rosta of racers and tracks to race on and a huge amount of customisation with the Karts and other than the Karts it is all unlocked from the start of the game. This in my opinion is the only downside to the game although I'm sure some will disagree. I would have preffered to have an option from the beginning that locks off most of the racers and each but the initial 50cc mode and then you would work throuh the modes and unlock more as you go. This is only a slight issue as I have chosen to play it like this anyway and play one mode until completion before moving on.My final verdict is still a strong 5 star. The graphics, gameplay and accessability of the game are perfect and the fact I can play on almost equal terms with my kids is what really sets this appart from the other Switch racer, Fast RMX (although that is also a fantastic game). I'm not sure if Nintendo have any plans for any DLC for this game as it already contains all the previous DLC but if it is the quality of the current game then I would buy without thinking about it!