Mario Kart 8 is an enigma for me when it comes to how well, or how not well they've managed to balance this game. In Mario Kart Wii it was obvious, the bikes were over powered as the wheelie boost they got from straightaways eclipsed any hope of karts having a chance. Thankfully, that's been removed in this game but it has other problems...
After 30 some hours of online play here's some things I've noticed.
1. People that place 1st seem to win outright, untouched by others, seemingly gods of Mario Kart.
2. When you're in 5th place or lower after the first lap, expect it to stay that way for the rest of the race. You will be stuck there almost no matter what.
3. Getting thrown off course, or hit by things doesn't slow you down enough.
4. Nothing you do seems to make enough impact on your placement.
Now I am a Mario Kart veteran, I typically dominate this game and exploit weaknesses to get first whenever possible whether it be snaking on the DS or wheelie boosting on Wii, or knowing all the little tricks of MK64. This is a game I have so far, not been able to do that in. One would argue then, that this game is really well balanced! Well...it is, except not in that good old Mario Kart way I'm used to.
Let's review my points briefly to try and get at what I'm talking about here.
The first point is people who get first do so practically untouched. Why is that? Are they that good? No, they're not that good. When I get first in this game, I do so masterfully looking just like they do. But in the very next race I'll get 6th or 7th performing my very same masterful techniques and so will they I've noticed. Sure I've seen someone get 1st twice in a row, then I've seen them get stuck 8th or below for the remainder of their stay with the group. So what is balance if skill is not at play? Let's look at point two.
In my next point, this is the crux of Mario Kart 8. It seems to me that this Mario Kart, more than any other has its items balanced in such a way that you can't escape getting stuck in the middle of the pack if you're still there early on in the race and promotes those who have separated allowing them to gain such leads. The problem is the items are just less powerful than they've ever been. Getting hit doesn't deter you enough if you have a sizable lead to be overtaken, and being stuck in the middle constantly bombarded doesn't allow you to have a chance at 1st unlike older Mario Kart games. This leads to a head scratching dichotomy that I'll get to in the 4th point, but let me balance this out with the 3rd point.
So, you're stuck in the middle, what usually fixed this in other Mario Kart games? The blue shell would usually help here coupled with good driving. Getting blue shelled in this game is a minor annoyance. Previous games you'd get hit with it and be stunned long enough to lose position, but in this game online I've rarely seen the blue shell cause a shift in positions. Furthermore, bad driving also caused you to lose positions but in this game falling off course just doesn't punish you enough. You don't see your character fall in, there is no cut to black as you get put back on course. No, you get saved from the clutches of going off course IMMEDIATELY with very little repercussions. Shouldn't the guy who gets knocked off be delayed more than the guy who got hit with a green shell? Yes, but not in this game.
Lastly, it seems that no amount of good driving practices nets you better placements if you're stuck in the middle. Coupled with the item issue not punishing people enough, boosts also don't help you enough after you've been hit. I take every corner perfectly, do every shortcut right, boost on every jump with tricks but if I'm in the middle from the start due to one errant green shell and no one has checked the guy who got into first, there's no coming back from it no matter what. The mushrooms don't boost you fast or far enough, the stars don't speed you up enough to break away, shells will just keep you locked into the perpetual war that is the middle, and bullet bill is only acquired when you're in the bottom moving you back to middle hell. There is ONE exception to this that I've seen and that is the Gold Mushroom. That is by far the best item in the game as it's the ONLY thing you can really honestly do to pull yourself out of the middle if you got trapped there early on. The only other way you're getting out is if the top 3 racers checked each other enough to bring them back to the middle pack, but that is firstly very rare, and secondly out of your personal control, and frankly out of their control if the item gods are not looking at them favorably.
So in explaining my enigma we have to define balance, and that is does the game provide an even chance for everyone to win. The answer is clearly yes. So in this regard the game is balanced right? Well....not really.
As I've outlined, you'll win if you move away from the middle pack right at the start and don't get trapped with them, you won't win if you don't, and everyone has this opportunity at the start. You also can't really control getting out of it either through good driving practices, and even most items don't assist with this. So in this regard the game is very unbalanced as it promotes the players who by sheer luck managed not to get bombarded early on. Plus, even if they mess up mistakes are not harshly punished enough to make a big difference.
What made previous Mario Kart games more balanced is allowing for good driving, or items to let you break away from other drivers to get into the lead. This game's items are too ineffective, and the pitfalls too gentle to really allow for this. In other Mario Kart games I would get in 1st or near there each and every race. Because I'd race perfectly, hit all the right boosts, gain all the advantages of the course with driving and it mattered. That doesn't seem to matter in this game at all though.
But the game is still amazing, it's still Mario Kart, and it's still really fun, just don't expect to win all the time =)
*I'm a Luigi, I'm a number 6....then a number 4...then a number 10....really depends on a when I get hit with a shell...*
5 comments:
I haven't bought MK8, so my hands on time has been limited, but I gotta say, my impressions have mostly been that I'm either gonna go pick up a copy of Mario Kart Wii, or stick to Sonic Racing Transformed on my 360. I don't know if you ever checked out the latter, but wow was that game a pleasant surprise.
I've played Sonic Racing Transformed and liked it until I got to the flying levels and the game felt like utter garbage. Could also be a Vita problem too, it's pretty choppy on it.
You are definitely right about it feeling too balanced... I've played every Mario Kart since the super nintendo with the exception of the portable versions, and this does feel the most balanced....
But though all signs are pointing to the fact that I need to depend on my skills to get me out in front that alone doesn't seem to be saving me either.
I guess they changed this one up just as they change the turbo charge on the traffic light countdown on each kart version.
Mario Kart double dash for instance was a combination of skill, knowing the track and luck with your items.
Kart 64 knowing the track and luck, skill not that necessary and really no emphasis on drifting and drafting at that point.
Kart Wii, pure fucking dumb luck, let's face it.
This one though, Kart 8, seems to be very track knowledgeable dependent along with skill.
Basically this is the Kart where the best of the best should rally.
Really that is the ONLY way you can stay ahead over a long period of time:
1) Know your vehicles/characters. Select the right weight/speed combination
2)Become SKILLED I mean take those corners like nobodies business, know where to jump, know how to boost at the beginning of a race, know how to draft, know how to control your glider, basically you better master everything they've put in your arsenal.
3)KNOW THE TRACKS. This is really going to kill you in this game, you better learn those tracks and short cuts.
Because items are no longer your friend, FRIEND. Y
ou have no idea how many times I've had a green shell, one guy in front of me I could easily hit but absolutely knew the person behind me picked up a red shell, so I have to keep the shell to protect myself, and the only way I am ever going to get in front of that guy leading me is by taking a corner more shallow than he does or waiting for him to fuck up.
It's incredibly frustration, but at the same time it makes online play extremely more competitive and the game overall much more difficult, which is a great change up from suffering through the debacle that was Mario Kart Wii.
While I agree with your points, I still notice that no amount of skill will break you away from the middle of the pack in this game. For all the faults of Mario Kart Wii, you could "skill" your way out by abusing the wheelie boosts on straightaways, on Mario Kart DS you could "skill" your way ahead with abusing snaking (I was very good at this). I term these as "skill" and also "abuses" of the systems, but never the less they were actions one could take without the luck based items to advance ahead and only the top players would do them. This game doesn't have any of that, thus making it the most balanced Mario Kart game. But that also doesn't stop it from being incredibly unbalanced if you're stuck in the middle and yet more skilled than those players constantly bombarding you will shells. I still love this game though, I just think Nintendo gave me what most were asking for, a balanced racer, and it became a be careful what you wish for moment.
It punishes top players. If your second place you're doomed by the end of the race. Too many players will magically get great items to get you. racer / Kart games should be fair for everyone. If you're first place you should still get power ups but never do. This is not a racer. I'm good at it but get destroyed more then I should. Its like you say its balanced yet not balanced lol. Great game. Just don't take it seriously, or you'll go nutsos.
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