CrimsonCavalier
Fuzzy Pickles
First of all, let me say that Mario Kart is one of my favorite franchises out there. It’s also the only competitive multiplayer game that I can say that I’m very good at. I’m very good at Mario Kart. I suck at fighters, shooters, other racing games, sports games, etc., but Mario Kart is different. Maybe it’s because I love it so much that I get so into it. And maybe that has led me to become good at the game.
Either way, that’s just a side note.
The point is, I love Mario Kart. I’ve enjoyed the games ever since the Super Nintendo, and I’ve played every iteration since. I’ve had some I like more than others, but as a whole, I’ve enjoyed almost every single one. However, I have noticed a disturbing trend in the more recent versions of Mario Kart, specifically, Mario Kart Wii, Mario Kart 7, and especially, Mario Kart 8.
Mario Kart’s AI seems to punish you for being good. In the name of making the game “challenging”, the AI cheats. Now, Mario Kart has always been what we gamers call a “cheap” game, meaning to say the game cheats. Take for example Super Mario Kart, the original. In that game, the CPU controlled characters could use items whenever they wanted, at any point. That made the game extremely cheap and hard.
But lately the biggest culprits are “rubberbanding AI” and … the dreaded blue shell. Now, rubberbanding is more of a single-player issue. Instead of making the AI harder to beat, they make it so that no matter how good you, the player, are, you can never truly get away from the CPU characters. They will always catch up.
However, the biggest issue I have with the latest iterations of Mario Kart is the blue shell, and what it has become. The blue shell used to be the Holy Grail of Mario Kart items. When you got one, it was a game changer. Everyone feared the blue shell. If you were in first, you knew what was coming. The sound … the fear in your heart … the moments before impact…
But all that is gone. The blue shell has become a spammable item. It appears way too often in multiplayer matches. The fact that it hits everyone in its path before hitting the person in first place doesn’t change the fact that it’s overdone and unfair. If the item appeared extremely seldom, I wouldn’t be against it, but it appears way too often.
I don’t think it’s right that the person in last place can and does have a direct impact on who wins the race. The people in 1st and 2nd could be having the race of their lives, going back and forth, neck and neck into the final stretch, when the person in last place launches a blue shell and ruins it. No. This is wrong. The blue shell has too much power to be available so often.
If you’re not good enough to be deciding the winner of a race based on skill, you shouldn’t be able to do so with an item from last place. That’s all I’m trying to say. And I’m sorry if that’s harsh to those who aren’t that good at the game. Get better. For future iterations of Mario Kart, I hope Nintendo tones down the frequency at which the blue shell appears.
The game should be decided with skill. The items are great, and they do add an element of balance, because players who are perhaps a little less skilled can still be competitive. I agree with that. It’s what makes Mario Kart accessible to everyone. However, there has to be a limit, and I think we’ve reached that.
Either way, that’s just a side note.
The point is, I love Mario Kart. I’ve enjoyed the games ever since the Super Nintendo, and I’ve played every iteration since. I’ve had some I like more than others, but as a whole, I’ve enjoyed almost every single one. However, I have noticed a disturbing trend in the more recent versions of Mario Kart, specifically, Mario Kart Wii, Mario Kart 7, and especially, Mario Kart 8.
Mario Kart’s AI seems to punish you for being good. In the name of making the game “challenging”, the AI cheats. Now, Mario Kart has always been what we gamers call a “cheap” game, meaning to say the game cheats. Take for example Super Mario Kart, the original. In that game, the CPU controlled characters could use items whenever they wanted, at any point. That made the game extremely cheap and hard.
But lately the biggest culprits are “rubberbanding AI” and … the dreaded blue shell. Now, rubberbanding is more of a single-player issue. Instead of making the AI harder to beat, they make it so that no matter how good you, the player, are, you can never truly get away from the CPU characters. They will always catch up.
However, the biggest issue I have with the latest iterations of Mario Kart is the blue shell, and what it has become. The blue shell used to be the Holy Grail of Mario Kart items. When you got one, it was a game changer. Everyone feared the blue shell. If you were in first, you knew what was coming. The sound … the fear in your heart … the moments before impact…
But all that is gone. The blue shell has become a spammable item. It appears way too often in multiplayer matches. The fact that it hits everyone in its path before hitting the person in first place doesn’t change the fact that it’s overdone and unfair. If the item appeared extremely seldom, I wouldn’t be against it, but it appears way too often.
I don’t think it’s right that the person in last place can and does have a direct impact on who wins the race. The people in 1st and 2nd could be having the race of their lives, going back and forth, neck and neck into the final stretch, when the person in last place launches a blue shell and ruins it. No. This is wrong. The blue shell has too much power to be available so often.
If you’re not good enough to be deciding the winner of a race based on skill, you shouldn’t be able to do so with an item from last place. That’s all I’m trying to say. And I’m sorry if that’s harsh to those who aren’t that good at the game. Get better. For future iterations of Mario Kart, I hope Nintendo tones down the frequency at which the blue shell appears.
The game should be decided with skill. The items are great, and they do add an element of balance, because players who are perhaps a little less skilled can still be competitive. I agree with that. It’s what makes Mario Kart accessible to everyone. However, there has to be a limit, and I think we’ve reached that.