This is an interesting blog title to read, considering this game has been getting glowing reviews across the board. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is currently sitting at a 93 on Metacritic, five points higher than the original Mario Kart 8 Wii U game. So, how could I possibly be disappointed in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe? Simple. It's not Mario Kart 9.
Now, let me just say this blog only works dependent on Nintendo never making another Mario Kart title for the Switch. With that said, I'll continue. Today was the first day that I got to play Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Unfortunately, I was one of the many Amazon customers who didn't receive the game on time. Playing the game on the Switch felt like getting reacquainted with an old friend. The game is absolutely gorgeous on the Switch's screen. But, my old friend doesn't have any new tricks. I've played this before. Three years ago.
Well, technically, my old friend does have a few new tricks. You can now hold two items at once, however, you cannot swap between them. That tends to make this new feature kind of pointless. If you get a get a great item after you get a useless one (say, a coin when you already have 10), you need to throw that item away to get to the item you want. This effectively is the same as just having one item at a time.
The controversial fire hopping technique is gone, now putting everyone on equal playing fields, and it also makes the game easier to play for young children who aren't good at Mario Kart. Smart steering prevents players from falling off the edges of the tracks, and auto accelerate is cruise control to let players focus on steering and combat. The Boo power up has also returned, allowing you to snag someone else's item.
*smacks forehead* Ah, how could I forget! I forgot the biggest addition to Deluxe! The battle modes! Proper battle modes have returned to Mario Kart 8. Oh, I remember now why I forgot about them. Because I couldn't access them today. At all. The online feature is practically nonexistent for me. Whether it was race or battle, regional or worldwide, I couldn't get past the lobbies. Most of the time, I couldn't even make it to Spectating. Online has been a complete failure. Now, the game's only been out a few days, so I'm confident that Nintendo can iron these issues out. It's worrisome, though, because Nintendo will start charging people for online soon, and their service needs to be pretty much flawless to get people to bite. As it stands, paying for Nintendo online is a no-go.
So, back to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe not being Mario Kart 9. Every Nintendo platform except the NES, Game Boy and Virtual Boy has had a unique Mario Kart. Each succeeding Mario Kart also inherited some tracks from the previous titles where they enhanced with the current games' engines. The Nintendo Switch, although having a Mario Kart title, does not have a Mario Kart that's unique to its platform. Unless it introduces some DLC with new tracks, or Nintendo decides to make a new Mario Kart for the Switch, there won't be any tracks to inherit for the Mario Kart on Nintendo's next platform. Granted, the next Mario Kart will pull a few tracks from Mario Kart 8's pool, but that will be viewed as pulling from a Wii U game, not a Switch game.
My other issue with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe not being Mario Kart 9 is that I'll always view this as a stop gap title to give early adopters a game to play after they've finished Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. It's not really that bad of a thing considering the quality of MK8D, but again, it's in place of something entirely new. At this time, the Switch does not have a flagship title that is entirely new and unique to the system (sorry, but Breath of the Wild does not count). We'll have to wait for Splatoon 2, but I played the test fire and it's almost impossible to distinguish it from the previous game mechanically and visually. Yes, Splatoon 2 will be a brand new title exclusively for the Switch, but it won't have that evolutionary leap from previous titles that Zelda and Mario Kart benefit from every generation. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe not being Mario Kart 9 is just another example of the Switch launching entirely too soon. Switch gamers deserved a bigger, fresher title.
Again, this blog only works if Nintendo doesn't make another Mario Kart for the Switch. If Mario Kart 9 does come along during the Switch's lifespan. then they've effectively shut me up, and I will rejoice. I also need to remind myself that with the exception of Mario Kart 64, Mario Kart: Super Circuit and Mario Kart DS, Mario Kart games don't usually follow a Nintendo system within a year after launch. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe actually marks the earliest entry to a Nintendo platform's library. It's entirely believable that Nintendo has a proper Mario Kart sequel in the works as we speak. But man... if they do, we have a long wait ahead of us....
Oh, and one last point. Even though Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is not Mario Kart 9, the best part of it not being Mario Kart 9 is that it's the perfect reason for people to buy a Switch who have skipped the Wii U entirely. There are a lot of gamers out there that skipped the Wii U for a variety of reasons and are now buying the Switch because it has far more potential than the Wii U. Having the definitive edition of a quality Wii U title with two DLC packs already included is very inviting for potential Switch buyers.
Still... I REALLY wish Mario Kart 8 Deluxe was Mario Kart 9...
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