Review: Mario Kart 8 (Wii U)

It's no secret that sales of the Wii U haven't exactly been what Nintendo was hoping for. It usually takes a stellar title or two to really be "must own" to make the system fly into the hands of the masses. While the system has definitely had its share of hits like Super Mario 3D World, nothing so far has really been the hit they have needed—until now.

I'm surprised to be saying that a racing game would, could, or should be a system seller because it's certainly not my most favourite gaming genre but I have to admit this one is bursting with the signature marks that Nintendo is good at. The game is made with extreme polish, is full of great content, is bursting with creativity, and most importantly, is fun! There are 30 characters to choose from and with the bikes from Mario Kart Wii and the new Quadbikes, the vehicle selection is better than ever.

The game offers plenty of different modes which you can play, and some of the like the Vs. Mode is quite customizable. Online play is supported and works just as smoothly as players locally which are nice. It's evident that Nintendo has spent a lot of time making sure this works well.

There is also a new feature called Mario Kart TV that allows you to view and edit footage of your races and then publish them to YouTube. It's nice that this feature is here, but the support is limited and it makes you aware that this now standard "streaming" feature available on the other "next gen" systems is built-in. Perhaps one day the Wii U will be able to support this natively for all games, but I think the way they have done it here will be the way the system will always do it from now on.

Graphics wise, this is likely one of Nintendo's best looking games ever. There are many special effects, solid models and just a great wonderful smooth feel about everything. I think that's what is evident everywhere here-  the game is polished top to bottom and I suppose that is why game reviewers received the title early this time around. Nintendo knew that had a good game on their hands and they were eager to share it with the world. The music is also familiar but new, and fits the game atmosphere perfectly.

I could go on and on about the game but the bottom line is that if you have played the previous games, you are going to love it. If you are looking for a great game to play on your Wii U hardware, you are going to love it. So, in summary: you are going to love it. RACE ON.

- Syd Bolton

Follow @sydbolton

The Good:
- The game is full of polish, content, creativity, and fun
- It has a number of new features that make it feel like a true sequel

The Bad:
- Where are Diddy Kong and King Boo?
- Mario Kart TV is cool, but support is limited to YouTube

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Syd Bolton surrounds himself in thousands of classic video games as Canada's top video game collector playing his games on a 80 inch Sharp Quattron Plus TV. He is also the founder of the Personal Computer Museum (http://www.pcmuseum.ca) in Brantford, Ontario, Canada.