Mario Kart 8 - Nintendo Wii U

This game is a must buy, If you are a Mario Kart Fan. The game have a lot of replay value from the single, multiple to online options. The game is a sure winner for all ages, a great family gaming experience.

Great game for childrens, great video grafics. Recommended

The latest entry in the beloved Mario Kart series not only lives up to the hype, it greatly exceeds it. The first you you'll notice are the graphics. They are smooth and in full HD. Also, the game runs at 60 FPS in single and 2-player modes, and a still-crisp 30 FPS in 3 and 4 as well as online. The new courses are fresh and innovative, and many take advantage of the new anti-gravity feature. It's a fun twist on gameplay, and really adds a new element to the strategy. Another fantastic element is the highlight reel that plays after each race. The player is able to customize the replay, and even upload it directly to YouTube. Online play is quick and fun, with little downtime between races. Not being able to chat with the other players between matches is a bit of a letdown, but it is the only way Nintendo is able to regulate the interaction between players and keep it fun and safe for gamers of all ages. The only complaints I have are very minor, nitpicking even. Each racer is only allowed to hold 1 item, so there will be some long stretches where you will go without an item if you're not careful. Also, there as so many small racers on the track due to the inclusion of so many baby characters. If you have the console already, this is a must-own title. If you don't have the Wii U yet, now is the time. There several great titles, and this is the best to date. You can even choose from 1 of 4 free games to download when you register the product through Club Nintendo on Nintendo.com. Overall, this is the best game for the Wii U so far.

This, to me, may be the best Mario Kart I have ever played. The controls are rock solid, I felt like I actually had to do some trial and error to find the right kart/bike/atv combination for me, and the races are even more intense than ever with 12 racers during one race instead of 8. Nothing feels gimmicky (for a Mario Kart game), and even playing Single Player at 150cc provides a pretty good challenge. It's common to get wrecked by 3 or 4 shells in a row, which at first just seemed unfair but provided a good sense of chaos and urgency during the races. The flaws of this game can be overlooked since the game as a whole is incredible, but they are worth mentioning and I hope that some of these will be / can be adjusted via an update. -The screen on the gamepad reflects what's on the screen, not just the player using the gamepad. So if you are playing with 4 people locally, the gamepad shows all 4 screens. It's a minor thing, and yes that player can just look at the TV for a bigger screen, but sometimes when you're holding the Wii U gamepad, you want to lay in a comfortable position and just look at the screen that's in your hands instead. -The map / player places during race / what items players have, are all on the gamepad screen. You have to switch between views to see them. This isn't a big deal if you play mario kart 7 on the 3DS because the map is literally right below the main screen, but when looking at a TV then having to look down at the map is ridiculous. And of course only the player with the gamepad can look at the map. There should be a map either in the middle of the screen when playing multiplayer, or maybe when there is 3 or more players, the bottom right corner should be the map and the gamepad person can just look at that screen. -The items in the game are great, but you can no longer hold an item behind you and pick up another item. Even if you are holding it, it'll say you still have the item and won't let you get another one until you shoot it. This is very different from all other Mario Kart games. It's something that I do not like but can see that it adds a bit more strategy and risk taking to using / getting items. With all of the flaws aside, I am having so much fun with Mario Kart 8. Is itiworth it to buy the Wii U for this game alone? I would say yes, especially since you can get a free game of your choice (Wind Waker, Wii U Party, Pikmin 3, and new Super Mario Bros Wii U). Depending on a bundle you may get, you could potentially have 3 games from the get go. The gameplay is rock solid, you will find a challenge, even if you are experienced, and though the online mode leaves some things to be desired during waiting rooms, the races themselves will leave you frustrated or cheering with victory. Mario Kart 8, get it.

This 22-year-old franchise just keeps getting better. For a console that desperately needs a shot in the arm, "Mario Kart 8" couldn't have arrived at a better time for the Wii U. Graphically, it's easily the best looking "Mario Kart" title yet. Partly because of the console's HD graphics horsepower, but also because the designers went above and beyond creating beautiful and challenging tracks for Mario, Luigi, Peach, Bowser and all the other racers in the Mushroom Kingdom. The game audio is also fantastic, featuring totally new tunes and remixed classics for the game's 32 tracks (16 new, 16 from previous releases). The gameplay hasn't changed that much, but it's the new mechanics that make "Mario Kart 8" stand out. The anti-gravity feature is like "Mario Kart 7's" underwater feature ... it engages and disengages automatically, and the driving technique changes appropriately in both cases. Item availability is still biased based on racer position, but the designers answered gamers who wanted to be able to counter the game's nastiest weapon, the Spiny/Blue shell, with the addition of the Super Horn and making it available to racers near the front of the pack. Online play continues with the same basics seen since "Mario Kart DS". Players can play against others from around the world in simple matches, or change up the rules (adding/removing items, for instance), when playing with friends. A fun new online feature is MKTV, Mario Kart TV, where users can choose pre-designed highlight reels from their races and post them directly to YouTube, allowing you to share your favorite moments. The only thing missing from the game, which has been a staple almost from the beginning, are dedicated arenas for the game's multiplayer Battle mode. In "Mario Kart 8", Battles take place on the standard courses, although users have more freedom than when racing in normal modes. So maybe it'll grow on us, but it would have been nice to make Battle arenas at least optional ... but that's what DLC is for, I'm guessing. As to that last point, I would hope Nintendo takes advantage of that and adds in new courses. If they're going to the effort to patch the game to use the upcoming "Amiibo" collectible figures, adding new or fan-requested tracks would keep the fun going well after everything's unlocked.

As a lifelong Mario Kart player, Mario Kart 8 is a fresh and exciting take on the series. The tracks available in the game are wonderfully created with the care of detail only Nintendo can give to its games. Some tracks can make your jaw drop for how great it looks for Nintendo's first Mario Kart game in glorious HD. The controls feel fantastic to drive the characters around as well as the weapon balancing is the best I've witnessed in a Mario Kart game. The added "gravity tires" give the series a new perspective from different angles that makes the racing much more exciting to play. The game offers enough varieties of cars/bikes/ATVs for everyone to choose along with the endless selection of tires and gliders to give the user the vehicle of their dreams. My experience with 12 player online play has been relatively lag free! My only complaint of the game is that battle mode available in these version is not as good as previous entries. Instead of dedicated arenas, players (a maximum of 12) will use the available tracks to use as the "arenas" for the players to battle. It is not as exciting as the tracks tend to be bigger than the regular arenas which can cause a lot of players to wander around the track looking for others to battle. I've had the game since launch and it is definitely worth the full price of the game as it is a beautiful masterpiece full of a wonderful variety of tracks with a ton of vehicles to use and customize. The wealth of multi player options for online and offline play is fantastic. One or two player online play is fast and frantic, with hardly any lag experienced during my play time. Mario Kart TV brings in a new experience to the series and can be a joy to watch the character's faces and emotions when the highlights are playing. While the battle mode was a series staple, it's lack of dedicated arenas shouldn't put a damper on the amount of content available, which in itself is a staggering sum and the available local play for up to four players between friends and family will make the game that much more exciting and worthwhile! I will be playing this game for years and years to come!

This was a fun game if you had a WII U, good game to play until Mario Party and Smash Bros are released. There are many tracks as usual and the different CC makes it a challenge. The Character roster is somewhat wanting more. Overall great Nintendo game.

The new levitation and under-water parts are as smooth as one would expect. There wasn't much of a learning curve. The new tracks, karts, and characters are all wonderful additions plus there are returning favorites. If you liked Mario Kart in the past, this is another fantastic entry into the series. Additionally, the game looks gorgeous in full HD with 1080p at 60f/s. There are little attentions to detail around every turn. The new courses honor thwomps and other secondary characters in creative ways that feel right. Unlike Sonic all-star racing, this game was easy to pick up and play from the start. You will probably win your first cup on your first try, but it gets harder. Sonic gave me control issues that required too much unnecessary skill and practice before I even started to make some headway in the game. The gamepad is integrated well into the game, not forcing anything unneeded, but providing extra awesome. My favorite was to have the track displayed so I could check where the other karts were on the map. That brings me to the new battle. I think the change is awesome. You can battle in one-player mode with customizable settings on the real tracks. There were full sets of karts for the one-player battle, so I don't know if multiplayer will feel space, but single player did not. This is going to be the go-to party game. It appeared to be pretty flawless so I thank Nintendo for putting the extra effort in. Hopefully there are surprises too, for when I get more time to play further in the game.