Since E3 2013 during which it was announced, we have been following the development of Mario Kart 8 with particular attention, let's be honest. Our first contact with the game at the Los Angeles Convention Center gave us a glimpse of great promise, and it's now been more than two weeks since we've been filing it in every way. Before knowing if Mario Kart 8 will help boost sales of the Wii U killer app, we wonder if he has the qualities required to achieve this. Answer in our test.
Years pass but habits remain, as the saying goes. This is all the more true for each new Mario Kart that we discover by looking, first and foremost, for new items designed by the developers. In Mario Kart 8, there are four of them: the Boomerang, the Piranha Plant, the Super Horn and the Rollercoaster. The latter is presented as a crazy innovation, but it is in reality only a rehash of Trump 7 from Mario Kart 7. The driver thus finds himself with eight objects in his hands, without the slightest possibility of select the order in which he wishes to use them. It is also a way to curb things and keep the interest of the races, especially since we notice quite quickly that neither the Blue Carapace, nor the Lightning, nor the Super Klaxon appear in this farandole of 'items; we wonder why. The Boomerang makes a much more sensational entry into the series, especially with purists who have skill. More concretely, the player has three "ammunition", knowing that the projectile is capable of reaching several opponents who are on the same line, unlike the red or green shells which can only hit one at a time. The exercise requires practice to properly target your prey, that's true, especially when it comes to shooting around the corner. But we assure you that the punishment is as irritating for the competitor as it is enjoyable for the executioner, and many of our colleagues or at home have ended up freaking out. The Piranha Plant isn't a bad thing either, as it takes care of chewing the buttocks of other careless pilots, while granting a boost every time its mouth closes.
Nothing is ever won in a Mario Kart, but that's even truer here. Overtaking is on the increase, there is a pull from everywhere and the slightest slack can be fatal.
It also gobbles up banana peels and octopus - which on technical tracks can prove invaluable - but does not protect against attacks that come from behind. Finally, if there is an object that we want to keep until the checkered flag, it is the Super Horn. Why is it so vital? Quite simply because it allows you to neutralize the famous Blue Shell without having to worry about the timing - unlike the Mushroom -, and the shock wave it causes cleans the surroundings effectively. The only drawback: its fairly short range, which prohibits any lack of judgment, especially in tense moments. Over the course of the races, we realize that Mario Kart 8 strives to find the perfect balance with the roulette wheel. Far from the abuses of the Nintendo 64 version, the game nevertheless continues to distribute the good items to the lowest ranked, that is to say those who are really in trouble.. Because when you find yourself in 5th or 6th position, you should not expect to get an Eclair or a Star with your fingers in your nose. It happens, we reassure you, but the percentage of chance remains lower than the ultimate dunces. In fact, these are probably the worst places there are because we find ourselves in the heart of a war of enrages: the first six drivers who shoot their buttocks, and the other six who do everything to catch up with them. Hence the usefulness of taking your distance from the start, and keeping under your elbow an object with which it is possible to repel enemy attacks. In order for the exercise to be a little more delicate than usual, the developers have modified the hitbox. Clearly, the management of collisions is much less risky than in previous episodes, and it is no longer enough to let shells spin around you to be safe. With two shells for example, there is already enough to tighten the buttocks.
8 to EIGHT
These retouches on the hitbox, they also change the rules in turns where a pilot with a compass in the eye can hurt, now that a shell glued to the back no longer completely covers the ribs of the character. We have, moreover, made the bitter experience of it. In short, the bad losers will no longer be able to hide behind the blows of fate to justify their defeats, even if luck always has a say in Mario Kart 8. We may give the impression of exaggerating, but a simple skin of banana in the home straight is likely to upset the standings. Nothing is ever won in a Mario Kart, but that's even truer here. Overtaking is increasing, it pulls everywhere and the slightest relaxation can be fatal. Everything is good for scratching a boost and improving the top speed: parts, suction, the roughness of the circuits by pressing R, skids or even the turbo cobblestones. There are also items that can be stolen from competitors, which is especially valid for the Triple-Mushroom. By playing the card of punch and frantic pace, Mario Kart 8 risks alienating certain tacticians whose strategy is based above all on the element of surprise. Well yes, the items are visible to everyone, and then there is no way to "store" them to hide your game. That's what was the strength of Mario Kart 64, but the sauce takes so much on Wii U that we quickly forget these old-timer considerations. On the other hand, the legendary deceits of AI made in Kyoto are still there. In supreme difficulty, the last lap becomes a real hell with the competitors who start collecting the best items in the galaxy. Take two red shells, one blue and have your thigh shredded by a Piranha Plant in not even 500 meters, we have experienced it and there is really something to bang your head against the wall.
The colorful circuits of Mario Kart 8 give the joy of living. The sets are teeming with details, all the little animations stuck here and there are fun to see, and then we enjoy the multiple effects that explode on the screen.
We are at the limit of the paranormal in these moments, and if it is not a crappy object that comes to rot our life, it is a comeback from the beyond that ends up finishing our morale. The other big innovation introduced in Mario Kart 8 are the antigravity zones with which we sometimes find ourselves upside down when rolling on the walls or the ceiling. As you can imagine, this gimmick opens up access to parallel paths but not necessarily to shortcuts (even if there are some in the game), a finding that revives the debate on its usefulness. Because if antigravity participates well in this ambient madness in the races, thanks in particular to the boosts which are triggered when two pilots collide, we would have liked its impact on driving to be even more palpable. It's simple, there are times when you don't even realize that you are in an antigravity zone, until the set starts to rotate. There, Mario Kart 8 is extremely effective on certain circuits, Cascade Maskass and Château de Bowser in the lead. Too bad the game doesn't turn our stomachs everywhere, and we still wonder what antigravity is for in Temple Thwomp and Promenade Toad. Speaking of tracks, there are 32 of them (spread over 8 cuts), including 16 covers of previous episodes. As always when it comes to digging into the heritage, purists will find fault. We deplore, once again, the absence of a Ghost circuit, while the choice of Autoroute Toad or Prairie Meuh Meuh did not seem to us to be the wisest. As for the new routes, the developers have done the job with Piste aux délices, Lagon Tourbillon, Aéroport Azur and Descente givrée, the latter playing it rally since you have to get from point A to point B. A little disappointment, however, for Rainbow Route from which we expected a little more.
go-kart power
Mario Kart 8 is also a cast of around thirty characters, including the minions of Bowser, Mario Metal, Baby Harmony and Peach d'or rose; knowing that you can also choose your Mii. No need to spend a long time choosing your avatar, because you then have to assemble your mount (kart or motorcycle) to find the best compromise between acceleration, speed, weight, maneuverability and grip. If we can have the impression that it's blank at the start, we quickly realize that the settings have a real influence on driving. Afterwards, we recognize that there are still some similarities, and that the difference is only in the design sometimes. A perfect transition to evoke the graphics of the game which clearly have a mouthful. We can drool in front of the ultra realistic realization of a Project Cars, but the colorful circuits of Mario Kart 8 give the joy of living. The sets are teeming with details, all the little animations here and there are fun to see, and then we enjoy the multiple effects that explode on the screen. The droplets of water that splash on the camera each time you take a dip, the dead leaves that rise with each passage of the karts on the track, the lens flare that adds a dose of poetry; we are witnessing a magnificent spectacle that already existed on 3DS with Mario Kart 7, but which takes on a completely different flavor here thanks to HD. Suddenly, the eyes hurt even more when the framerate goes from 60 fps in solo or with two players in split screen, to 30 fps when four friends gather around the console. The fluidity takes a hit and some visual artifices are discreetly put away; but the races remain playable, especially when it laughs and it screams to burst the eardrums.
We do not yet know if Mario Kart 8 will allow Nintendo to sell seedlings of Wii U, but if there is a game that you absolutely must have on the console, it is this one.
For the moment, the Mario Kart 8 servers are logically deserted, but with a little perseverance we managed to come across some colleagues late last night, to better judge the quality of the online games. These can accommodate up to 12 pilots, with a maximum of two players per console. No lag, that's for sure, but two untimely disconnections just before the finish line that made us lose points in the standings. That said, the specifications are met and we look forward to breaking mouths once the beasts are released.. Note the possibility of facing European players (Regional) or from another continent (World), and also of organizing tournaments by setting various filters (opening and closing day of the competition, number of races, minimum classification required, cubic capacity, etc.). In this case, if a race has already started, newcomers will be able to wait while observing the competitors through a "Spectator" mode. Still with a view to forming a real community, there is the Mario Kart TV option in which the replays - or "Highlights" as they say - are stored, which can be edited (activate the music or not, insist on hard knocks or exploits, modify the duration of the sequence) and then upload them to YouTube (a Google account is required) or the Miiverse. Finally, those who thought that the GamePad was going to bring more may be disappointed. Okay, there's the famous Off-TV Play which allows you to play without going through the living room TV, but hey, it's almost become a standard on Wii U. The honking, the gyroscopic features, the display of the classification and the map of the circuit? Mouaif. All in all, should we really expect anything else with the Mablette? Anyway, the game is also compatible with the Wiimote and the Pro controller, the latter undoubtedly offering the most optimal sensations.
Most
- beautiful to look at
- Fun to spare
- The strength of online gaming
- The "Highlights"
- The quality of the soundtrack
- Accessible and end at the same time
- New races that have a mouthful
- The richness of the cast
- The new items
- The GamePad that doesn't add much
- Antigravity zones not always convincing
- What is the "Balloon Battle" mode for?
- Some AI abuses
- It flickers from 3 players
