Mario Kart Poor... Two Weeks Later

So yeah, I still don't like Mario Kart Tour.  I did say I was going to try to stick with it to see if it got any better, and I was curious to see what the new tracks would be, but ultimately I found the game not to be worth it, and I uninstalled it from my phone.  It's the only Nintendo mobile game that I've done that with.  All the other titles have been at least fair and enjoyable on a free to play basis, but since this game has a competitive spirit, the only way you're going to consistently win is if you pay.  Only the top tier people get all the rewards, and they only stay that way from either extreme luck, or paying for pipe pulls.  It's very discouraging.

So what made me uninstall it?  Well, what I was afraid was going to happen happened.  The game tells you that each tour lasts two weeks, but I thought that maybe they meant from a competition standpoint.  No, when the new tour arrives, it flat out replaces the current tour, tracks and all.  Can you imagine in a normal Mario Kart game cups disappearing when you complete new ones?! This means that some of the special characters, karts and gliders aren't actually required on some tracks for bonuses meaning you have to start all over in your search for new gear.  If you paid for increased chances to get what you needed last tour, you need to do that yet again.  I mean, it's not surprising.  That's how mobile games keep their audience play....err... paying. 

It bothers me, though, because I'm a bit of completionist. I got all gold cups in every Mario Kart game I've played, and I spent hours trying to get all five stars on some of the tracks last tour only to see all that progress wiped away.  Infuriating.  Also, this new tour has apparently gotten much harder.  The AI has gotten more aggressive and the new track selection has some tracks that just don't translate well to MKT's mobile style of gameplay.  One such track, Neo Bowser, is so hard to navigate through all the S curves that I just don't see anyone doing well unless they master the drift only control method, which I can't.  To me, drift only is far worse than normal.

Anyway, I just had a much harder time getting first place in general.  Some tracks, though, I was able to have top tier bonuses because of my previous gear, and there was so many opportunities to rack up bonus points, it didn't even matter what rank I placed. One race, I got almost 10k points.  And that's another problem. There's so much inconsistency in the track selection.  The Kalimari Desert offers almost no opportunities for chaining combos because of how the track is laid out.  There's lots of straightaways and short turns that don't allow for much drifting.  If they actually added more bumps and ramps and whatnot, like they've done with other tracks, it would be more fun.  As it stands, it just smells of laziness. 

I also decided to try the Gold Pass free trial, and sadly, it didn't help much.  I appreciated all the extra rubies I got, as well as some gear, but it didn't help me much in the long run.  When I pulled from the pipe with all the new rubies I received, I got two back to back Baby Peaches, which I already had, and three repeat gliders.  This game's drop rate is even worse than Fire Emblem Heroes!  The new gear I got was seldom required for most of the tracks that I needed to complete, and the ones that were I ended up not using them because I had other gear that had higher point values.  Of course, I could fix that if the game would just let me grind XP on them, but I can't because of the daily caps. Daily caps in games that are designed to keep you playing are

 

I'm just tired of this game.  I'm frustrated with this game.  It makes me angry that one of my favorite franchises has been reduced to this mess.  I get mad that other people are really enjoying it, because I can't figure out what the draw is.  I even read a post from someone that said they had more fun with this than Mario Kart 8! (maybe trolling?)   I can't understand why people would rather spends loads of money on mobile shit versus actually buying a real gaming device with real games.  To each their own, I get it.  I just feel like right now, I'm stuck in some kind of video game Idiocracy that while I want quality games on mobile, which IS a thing, everyone's just happy playing Ow, My Balls!

I was hoping I could have lasted long enough to see what the multiplayer would be like, but I'm sure it wouldn't be any better than what's available now.  Most multiplayer I've played in mobile games suffer from latency, and considering Nintendo still  has issues in their Switch online games, I'm willing to bet there will be issues with MKT's multiplayer as well.  I'm also sure that multiplayer will benefit those who pay and sub to the Gold Pass.  I can't see multiplayer being a level playing field when the single player already begs you so hard for more money. I'm just hoping against hope that they include battle mode, because if they do, I might as least go back and try that, but then I had another thought.  Top tier characters get three items per item box.  Bottom tier only get one.  Can you imagine Battle Mode with that system?  Those who never got top tier characters wouldn't stand a chance!  So yeah, maybe it's better if I don't come back for the multiplayer.  I'll just be pissed off again.