Quick Look: Mario Kart 8

Jeff couldn't be much more miserable in this quick look.

Genuinely okay: Super Mario World. Marginally okay: Rhythm Heaven Fever.

I was going through old quick-looks for funsies and I was like holy shit, they used to be so negative.
So I guess I can't say anything bad since it's kind of their m.o. with some games.

I'll emphasize the positive here and simply say that Alex is an excellent Quick Look ship-steerer. Didn't hide his issues with the game, and still saved this from being a dreary show. Looking forward to seeing what he and Vinny come up with out east.

Man, was looking forward to the Giant Bomb poopers having some Mario Kart fun. Bummer everyone is so negative!

Never really been a fan of the Mario Kart series, but I picked it up to get Wind Waker for free and it's some of the most fun I've ever had! Don't know what it is about this one that I fell in love with, I haven't been bombarded with blue shells, every race has been exciting as hell, the online is fantastic and a blast to play with friends, and the music is some of the best music I've heard in video games. Really pleasantly surprised with it!

Oh shit I thought this was coming tomorrow for some reason. I want to buy a WiiU because of this game.

All this anger towards Jeff is hilarious.

He is allowed to not like Mario Kart, he is not the only person in the world that doesn't like Mario Kart.

You guys all need to calm the fuck down and realise that it's just his opinion and it's totally fine that he doesn't like something you like.

Kinda worried about watching this having reading the comments. I haven't really enjoyed a Mario Kart game since playing N64 with my friends, and I have been having a freaking BLAST with this since Sunday. The Nintendo developer ghosts are great because they teach you where to drift or attempt a shortcut on each course, and I'm finally not complete garbage when I race online in the 24/7 neogaf tournament! The only thing sorely missing is multiplayer arena mode.

I always get a chuckle at the irony of this phrase.

I have no interest in this game after how how bland MK7 was. The battle mode make me want to never buy this.
Also MK64 is the best MK, battle mode was amazing in that version. SNES MK doesn't play well at all.

I only got 16 minutes in (I'm not in the mood for 50 minutes of blasé griping), but I wanted to at least address the complaints about the balancing:

Someone who's mastered the courses, mini-turboing, and item management will finish near the top of the pack nearly every time, even if they get cheap-shotted a couple of times along the way. I like the item handicaps and general sense of chaos, but I think its role in Mario Kart is often overstated. There is a fair bit of skill involved, and if you're not finishing well most of the time, chances are you could be playing a lot better.

That's not to say there's anything wrong with not being good at the game, or that Mario Kart is some kind of eSports-calibre masterpiece, but it's a lot less rubber-bandy than it's made out to be.

For what its worth, I totally agree about the kart customization stuff. I've never liked the ambiguity and unnecessary complexity associated with it, and it's especially questionable in the context of a mass-market casual multiplayer game. As Alex says, it's true that you eventually settle upon a style, but there's always a sense of "am I doing this wrong?" in the back of my head, and it's way too easy for a new player to pick a bad combination.

Also, I can't figure out the Giant Bomb crew's dislike of Mario Kart 64. It was my first Mario Kart game and I'll be the first to acknowledge that I'm compromised in that regard, but I also think it holds up well in a way that many of my childhood favourites don't. Yeah, the framerate is pretty rough to deal with today, but I still think it's the best-handling game in the series, and it has some (maybe even most) of my favourite courses in the series. It's also the only Mario Kart game in which I've really cared about the battle mode, aided in large part by the great courses (especially Block Fort).

I've tried but never managed to get into Super Mario Kart and Super Circuit, so at some point I guess there's no accounting for taste.

I'm bummed they can't have a 4 player match.

Jeff is so damn cynical damn

Jeff can be a REAL fucking killjoy sometimes. Like, it's not his thing, that's fine, he acknowledges that.

But it's the outright dismissal in the early part of the Quick Look that just comes off as shitty. It's not even clever snark, it's just constant eye-rolling. He cools off towards the end, but man, the early parts of this video were real hard to listen to.

Guys. It is clear Jeff comes around to it somewhat by the end. He's just tired of the incessant iterations of Nintendo properties, as am I, and it's hard to not be negative entering the conversation. I personally struggle with justifying a purchase on it because it's not substantially different than the previous 7 versions. The fact it's HD and looks great doesn't do much for me since that novelty will wear off in short order.

I'm still thinking about it.

Look, it's fine that Jeff has an opinion and he can hate everything Nintendo for all I care, but come on. Doing an entire Quick Look being surly and complaining the whole time is just a bummer for everyone. This reminds me of the day that they did QL's for Lightning Returns and Myst, and Jeff just bitched throughout both videos (especially Myst). I just don't get why someone needs to be on a QL if they dislike everything they see and are just going to bring everyone else down with them. I felt bad for Alex cause it seems like he genuinely likes the game, but Jeff and Brad are giving him nothing.

vinny took with him any liveliness giant bomb had left

@theblue said:

The problem arises when you think about who else could even do the QL from the main office at this point. Drew? Rorie? There's basically no one left.

Jeff is right, screw Mario Kart. Downhill since the SNES version!

@marokai: Well, yeah. That has increasingly become an issue lately. I don't know, I'd like to see Drew get down with some kart racing. Hopefully when they get those new hires in we'll see at least a little bit of variety in tastes and some general enthusiasm.

Crash Team Racing is the best kart racer. There is no room for compromise on this.

Good god, Jeff. just...fuck.

Seeing him so actively trying to bring down a really well-made game because of the stupidest shit is so frustrating.

I have pretty much the same opinions that Jeff has. I'm okay with playing Mario Kart with a groups of friends, and I'll have a great time, but there's a big learning curve on these games, and it's obvious whenever we play who hasn't played much of it. To someone who hasn't played much, like I, a lot of the powerup effects seem random. For a party game, it asks a lot out of you.

Also, totally agree with Jeff that Crash Team Racing is the fucking shit. It still takes skill to be the best, but it's much simpler and easier to pick up and play.

Still not sold on a Wii U, but this seems like a must-buy if I ever do get one.

Can't wait till Giant Bomb East is fully up and running.

I can not handle Jeff-Brad quick looks anymore. Well Jeff-anybody quick looks actually.

We need some new blood in SF quick. Someone who can counter Jeff's constant negative energy in the way that Ryan could.

Anyways, I am very much looking forward to some Alex-Vinny quick looks and other content.

SNES era? I think her really liked Mario 64 as well.

@grantheaslip: They don't like 64 cause it's not SNES. As you said it was your first.

this has to be the most beautiful game i have seen since the year started. i would go out and buy a wii

Wind Waker and the original Animal Crossing, I'd say. Over a decade ago lol

poor alex.

I'm ok with someone having a negative viewpoint on a game ... but at some point you have to realize that you are making something for people to watch and it is just not enjoyable to hear such negativity all the time.

Man. People really ragging on Jeff, but the way he is talking is no different to any conversation I have had with my friends about certain franchises. Sometimes someone really hates a franchise, and that's totally fine. Not every game is for everybody, and Jeff really seems to hate MarioKart. So what?

He is hardly going to cater to your feelings and avoid being negative about the game. He is speaking his mind. And there are people watching who dont like Mario Kart the same as Jeff. Why cant he represent them? Him not liking it or ragging on it, even if he got a FUCK MARIO KART tattoo and launched an international advertising campaign broadcasting his hate, what would it matter? It's not affecting your enjoyment of the game. Get over it.

Alex is a great QL driver. He and Vinny will make for an entertaining combo methinks!

Also this game looks REALLY nice.

I can't believe for the life of me t hey are still making these games I think I played the first one like 20 years ago or something.

Jeff shouldn't have even been in this QL. Maybe it's just the stress of E3 coming up, but if this is what Jeff and Brad are going to be like without Ryan and Vinny in the office, then I'm not even fuckin' touching any content in the SF-offices. Bring on GBNY!

Metal Mario is metal as fuck.

Hey @alex, your delivery on "... The fuck he ain't!" is maybe my favorite single line in any Giant Bomb video. Keep up the good work.

It's the same game. It looks better I guess? The lava level looked alright with the deforming track.

I played one of these games once, on the Wii. It was terrible. Handling was dumb and yes, the powers and power balance was silly and not fun. I can see it amusing a 6 year old for a few hours but yeah... forgive me if I roll my eyes when adults gush over mario kart games.

It's refreshing to hear someone say the emperor has no clothes. But hey, whatever. 5/5 stars have fun with Mario Karts 2014.

@elwoodan: Sorry but I have to disagree mostly. Wind Waker is the "best" Zelda (by default: its the prettiest), Galaxy is the best Mario, DS is the best Mario Kart. I'll give you F-Zero X though that game is fantastic. I'll maybe even accept Kirby 64, just maybe.

It's a racing game not a golf game, so why does Alex keep calling them courses?

More people complaining about jeff being overly negative, heaven forbid anyone is allowed to criticize something. He actually compliments the visuals of the game and says he wishes he could like it more later in the video.

I disagree with most of the things Jeff says in this Quick Look, but he's absolutely right about one thing: Crash Team Racing is the best cart racing game ever created.

I've always thought people who get upset about blue shells and the like in Mario Kart really need to lighten up.

@huey2k2: finally someone says something reasonable, the "jeff is too negative" comments are about as old as the "brad is boring" and "patrick is pretentious" comments.

After finishing the video, I see some negativity in the beginning, and then he goes on to completely explain his negativity and that he just does not like kart racers. He compliments the game on a fair few things, and Alex is pretty critical of the awful battle mode. Brad was fairly neutral on the whole thing. The comments would have you believe Jeff and Brad are thrashing the game from start to finish, which just is not true. Jeff is expressing his general disdain for this kind of game.

Why does this bother people so much? I see it all the time on the internet. Guy does not like what I like, thus it decreases my enjoyment of the product, be it a video I am watching of it or the game itself. I just don't understand it. I LOVE MarioKart. Always have. It is one of my earliest gaming experiences that really hit home. The battle mode on the Snes was un-fucking-believable. But I am not going to throw my toys out of the pram because Jeff was openly negative in a very honest way about this game.

Not to mention the guys were pretty funny in this video. Their objectification of Wario and his big bubble butt was both funny and mildly arousing.

I wish I could've gotten it on the first page, but check out Giant Bomb's Mario Kart 8 Quick Look Bingo Game!

Did he actually fully like Wind Waker? I honestly don't think I've ever heard Jeff give any sort of unreserved praise to a Zelda game. At least not since A Link To The Past. I'm pretty sure he's even voiced issues with Ocarina of Time although I couldn't tell you what they were or when/where he voiced them. I just get the feeling that he doesn't like Zelda all that much.

Luigi ridin' dirtay for sure

Am I going to finish this video feeling more gross about Jeff? Seems like he's just hating everything lately.

Its not as bad as it is made out to be. Hes just expressing his opinion on mario kart in general, and why he does not like that kind of game.