Mario Kart DX Review
Mario Kart 8 DX is a loving revamp of the Nintendo Wii U's Mario Kart 8 title. However, does the game hold to the franchise's high record? Or, does it spin out, crash, and burn?
The Good
Mario Kart 8 DX has new characters, never before seen in Mario Kart 8, such as King Boo and Bowser Jr. These aren't hidden behind any secret paywall, in fact, nothing in this game is, which is something to behold in the modern age of gaming. You begin the game with all characters (except one secret character) and maps unlocked, even previous DLC's.
The game is just fun. Although raging is no stranger in this game due to the randomness of items, it provides a nice comeback mechanic for casual players.
For advanced players, however, there is an advanced stat system for Kart mechanics that allows a large amount of customization to ensure the meta doesn't get stale and boring.
The maps are aesthetically pleasing. My personal favorite is a redesign of Rainbow Road from Mario Kart 64, which is absolutely gorgeous. The characters look crisp and sharp as well, resulting in a game that gives the user an immersive experience.
The game plays nice in terms of controls, whether using Joy-Cons, pro controller, or any other form of controller, it feels easy to move. It also has features that allow you to never run of the track, as well as an auto accelerate feature, which makes it much more casual friendly. It's easy to brake, drift, and use items leaving the user wanting none in terms of controls.
The Bad
Gold Mario the one secret character I mentioned earlier. Gold Mario shares the same stats as Metal Mario, meaning it's only an aesthetic change.However, he poses a fun, yet difficult, challenge to get him. You must beat the 50cc, 100cc, and 150cc modes to unlock 200cc, and then complete 200cc placing 1st in every cup to unlock gold Mario. This is a daunting task for a casual player, for minimal reward. Normally this wouldn't be an issue, except this game is meant for casual players. However, this seems to be a lose lose for Nintendo, because if they gave him stat changes that could enrage the players.
Speaking of gold things, there are secret golden parts for each part of the Kart (body, wheels, glider, and even wheel). These are, once again, quite difficult to unlock and beyond the grasp of a casual player. Fortunately, casual players also usually will not care about collecting everything in the game.
It's not a fast process to unlock all Kart parts, and it will take 3100 coins. At a max of 10 coins per race finish, it would take 310 races, and at 4 races per cup, it would take 78 cups to unlock every part. And that's assuming you finish every race with 10 coins, which won't happen, especially if you play online. And to perform well online, you need specific Kart parts, and the unlock system is totally randomized. This means the one set of wheels you really want could make you grind for days to unlock them.
The game can be difficult, especially at higher CC’s and speeds, not to mention hidden stats which are impossible to learn of and calculate in game, requiring the use of online resources. The casual player will never understand why two karts with seemingly the same stats can perform drastically different in different terrains and under different conditions.
The sheer randomness of items is one of the most annoying and critiqued things in the Mario Kart series. You can be penalized for performing well, and that should NEVER be a game mechanic. A player with a large advantage can be hit with a red shell into a blue shell, and that can lose them the entire game. In short, it actually is unfair.
The Online…?
Online is a topic I haven't touched on much for this game, and that's because it's such a mixed bag. It's personally my favorite mode in the entire game, however I am no casual player. I've tried introducing my family and friends to online, and… it doesn't pan out well. They just get destroyed, even in the lower ranks. Maybe they aren't good, but it feels like it caters to such a specialized audience of higher tier players. I love that it's possible for it to be specialized, I just wish others could enjoy it in the way I can without getting discouraged or believing they need to put in days of practice. Item spam is also an issue in online, however that's just part of the game. So, I suppose it's not as much as an online issue as it is a game mechanic issue. All in all, I like online, but I can understand why others don't.
Summary
Although it may seem that the game isn't for casuals and is catered to a minority of advanced players, this isn't at all the case. It's such a family friendly game. Though it's true, the average player may not place first in every game or understand every bit of math that goes into calculations, that's not to say they can't have fun. My family and friends who don't play games always ask me to bring my Switch to events so they can take turns playing Mario Kart 8 DX. They take use of mechanics for new players that prevent them from running off course, or having to hold a button to go. It definitely holds up to the Nintendo and Mario name, and I'd recommend it to anyone interested in the genre.