Mario Kart 8 Reviews

Mario Kart 8 is ranked in the 98th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
9 / 10.0
May 30, 2014

Mario Kart 8 is my favorite series entry since Double Dash, and if it gets arena battle tracks at some point by way of DLC, it will be a near-perfect package. Its vibrant visuals will hold up for years to come, ensuring that the game will withstand the test of time, and it will be a staple in my household for a long, long while.

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9 / 10.0
May 15, 2014

It may not be revolutionary, but it adds just enough to pique interests while keeping the core experience we've all grown up with, regardless of age. Mario Kart is one of those timeless franchises that every age group can enjoy, and sometimes, that's enough to celebrate.

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9 / 10
May 14, 2014

It may just be more Mario Kart, but that continues to be no bad thing.

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May 20, 2014

Nintendo has put a lot of effort into making Mario Kart 8 the best it can be, and it almost got there with the end result being a gorgeous kart racer that innovates while staying true to its beloved formula. If there wasn't previously a reason to own a Wii U then there is now, and gamers will be hard-struck to find a more complete Wii U experience than what's offered here.

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May 14, 2014

You'd be hard pressed to argue against the potency and sheer joy of Mario Kart 8's racing and track design. Likely to be more contentious is its resolutely, almost stubbornly, simple structure in both single and multiplayer.

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May 14, 2014

The core is the same as ever, but this is kart racing at its finest.

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Ken McKown
Top Critic
9 / 10.0
May 27, 2014

Mario Kart 8 is certainly more Mario Kart, but that isn't a bad thing. Any series that can last over two decades and still generate this much love from gamers has to be doing something right. While the latest entry doesn't set the world on fire with its innovation, it makes up for it by delivering some of the best tracks in the history of the franchise, and rock-solid visuals.

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9 / 10.0
May 15, 2014

Nintendo's created a heck of a Mario Kart game that's great for fans and newcomers alike. It's what this series should be.

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9 / 10.0
May 22, 2014

Mario Kart 8 feels like a re-definition for the series, without straying from its roots. The gameplay is fantastic, the visual presentation is stunning, and the social features will keep players coming back for more. The Wii U has a killer addition to its line-up that could easily drive sales of the console. Now that's something worthy of a victory lap.

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4.5 / 5.0
May 15, 2014

If you're a fan of Mario Kart, getting this game is a no-brainer. And if you're someone who took a break from the series, I still recommend trying Mario Kart 8 out. It just might rekindle your love for Mario-style racing.

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9 / 10
May 14, 2014

In years to come the debates over the best Mario Kart games in the series will, inevitably, feature this as a contender.

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9 / 10.0
Jun 2, 2014

Even the most hardened kart-racing veterans would be hard-pressed not to consider Mario Kart 8 as one of the best, if not the best, entry in this phenomenal series. Mario Kart has long been known for bringing players of all size and skill together. This newest iteration, with its tightly balanced gameplay, giant content offering and lush visuals and audio, will have you and yours screaming, cursing and cheering through countless hours of play.

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May 17, 2014

Mario Kart 8 is a nearly flawless kart racer, which is only marred by its developer's confusing decision to alter its traditional Battle Mode.

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9 / 10
May 14, 2014

Nintendo promised and delivered. Mario Kart 8 is the shiniest star in one of the shiniest series in the world of videogames. Perfectly fine-tuned gameplay, a leap in the right direction for the online component, a magnificent audio-visual pillar worthy of the Wii U and an immensely fun and absorbing experience, whether solo or multiplayer, making Mario Kart 8 an instant and timeless classic.

Review in Portuguese | Read full review

9 / 10.0
May 25, 2014

To say that Mario Kart is popular is an understatement. Few series have ever matched its twenty-year legacy of sheer popularity and critical acclaim, so needless to say, Mario Kart 8 has a lot to live up to. Expectations have perhaps never been higher, as this is the first entry on a high-definition, online-competent console, but the game pretty much fulfills all of them. It is classic Mario Kart and that means it\'s great — the game even throws in several cool improvements and additions to the franchise. But it is not quite perfect, and by no means is it a revolution.

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9 / 10.0
May 15, 2014

Mario Kart is one of the things nintendo knows how to do best. This new chapter demonstrates this with obvious clarity, precisely because it is not content to revise the driving model here and there, to add some new power-ups and to improve the balance and the overall variety. Mario Kart 8, in addition to doing all this, pushes on the accelerator of design, proposing 32 tracks one more beautiful than the other.

Review in Italian | Read full review

9 / 10
May 15, 2014

Mario Kart 8 forms a loop that connects everything that makes Mario Kart one of the greatest multiplayer series of all time, not to mention offering what is expected of a spectacular title on a console like the Wii U.

Review in French | Read full review

9 / 10.0
Jun 2, 2014

It's not surprising that Mario Kart 8 is phenomenal. And while it's still not nearly as experimental as Double Dash, the new anti-gravity segments add enough skill-based gameplay to make even seasoned veterans rethink their kart racing strategies. In the realm of mascot kart racing games, there is no doubt that Mario Kart is still king.

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9 / 10.0
Jul 9, 2014

On the other hand, Mario Kart 8 is easy to pick-up, easy to enjoy, and no matter how good you are, there will be moments that make you smile. You don't have to spend hours perfecting your driving style, and memorising complex tracks; it's almost a 'Sonic Transformed lite'.

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9 / 10.0
May 20, 2014

"Mario Kart might be a franchise that's old enough to drink now, but this latest chapter doesn't feel crusty in the slightest.."

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