Sponsored by

Mario Kart 8

SCORE: 86

Quite a bit of water has flowed beneath the bridge since Family Friendly Gaming last reviewed a Mario Kart game. Nintendo has performed numerous tweaks to their kart racing video game. Families will want to take notice of Mario Kart 8 on the Wii U. This game could be a system seller for Nintendo.

The biggest changes are we can now drive up certain walls, and we twist and turn on a variety of tracks. We can even be upside down in some portions of tracks in Mario Kart 8. The wheels move and magnetically attach while we race. So we race, glide, go underwater, and we race at any angle.

The scaling and rotation look marvelous in Mario Kart 8. There is also some new items in Mario Kart 8. There is a horn that can knock away anything - including the blue spikey shell. If you are in first place and get the horn, keep it until you need it. There is even an eight item question mark block in Mario Kart 8. This is really cool, and helps when you are in last place.

The piranha plant is my favorite new weapon in Mario Kart 8. The boomerang is not bad, but that piranha plant is definitely overpower (OP). Red shells are now easier to get away from. In fact I am shocked at how easy it is now get away from them.

Mario Kart 8 contains a nice mixture of new tracks and old tracks. The old tracks have been revamped and upgraded for Mario Kart 8. You will do things in them in this game you did not do in the previous games. Purist may have a problem with it. I found them to be a lot of fun, and I liked the changes to the older tracks.

Every time you beat a circuit in Mario Kart 8 with a new character you can upload a stamp to the Miiverse message boards. You will also unlock a new playable character for this home console kart racing video game. Collecting enough coins unlocks new race vehicles, tires, and flying parts for the vehicle.

Mario Kart 8 contains single player experiences, and multiple player experiences. There are offline and online experiences in Mario Kart 8. You can race against other players, battle against them, and even work with teams in a variety of different modes.

Mario Kart 8 is a very solid, and stable Nintendo kart racing experience. The difficulty has been tweaked a bit - making Mario Kart 8 harder earlier in the game. NPCs will string together attacks against you when you are in first place. It is common right before the end of the final lap to get hit with these weapons multiple times. Which will make you ultimately lose a race.
- Sam

UPDATE {05/18/2014} Thanks to feedback on our Youtube channel an issue has been brought up. Battle mode is played on the tracks. After you lose all your balloons you go into ghost mode where you can attack others, and not be attacked any more yourself. More info can be found here.

Graphics: 90%
Sound: 87%
Replay/Extras: 90%
Gameplay: 80%
Family Friendly Factor: 84%

System: Wii U
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo
Rating: 'E' for Everyone
{Comic Mischief}
Company provided product

Want more info on this product, or the company that made this product?
Set web browser to:
Link