Mario Kart 8 Reviews
A combination of fun, fairness, beauty and joy, Mario Kart 8 is absolutely brilliant. A botched battle mode and some missing online features stop it short of perfection, but it's hard to imagine any Mario Kart game looking, playing, or sounding better.
Ultimately Nintendo have again produced the goods and delivered another system seller. Many companies long for one true example of this in a console's lifetime; Nintendo now has two within a year of each other. The driving is exquisite, the track design is wonderful and the overall presentation is marvellous. We have here perhaps the finest Mario Kart to date, aside from battle mode, and an entry into the series which whilst being so special, only serves to highlight the series' flaw more prominently. Good job then that that flaw was never seen as one anyway as that's not what Mario Kart is about. This is what Mario Kart is about - wonderful, prolonged fun.
It just took a game like Mario Kart 8. Although it does absolutely nothing to upset or improve the historical formula, this title is one of the most fun and qualitatively curated experiences that we have had the opportunity to play this year.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Mario Kart 8 is a great example of how to keep a 20-odd year old franchise relevant. It isn't shy to give you what you've already had before with it's predictable racing fun. But conversely it also offers up so much more with this latest installment thanks to brilliant track design, item tweaking, customisation and a strong online offering to keep you coming back for more for months to come.
After two decades of racing, the Mushroom Kingdom crew have come together in a package that ticks a lot of positive boxes - tight controls, exceptional course designs, brilliant music and plenty of scope for high-octane online/local races and battles. Quite simply, Mario Kart 8 is absolutely sublime and the best overall installment in the series so far.
Much like Super Mario 3D World, Mario Kart 8 shows that nobody makes games quite like Nintendo. A master class in design that shows how tragic it is that the Wii U finds itself in such dire straits. A sure fire system seller that everyone who owns the console should buy, and if you don't, now's the perfect time to buy one.
Mario Kart 8 is one of the reasons why it pays to reach for the Wii U. Such addictive gameplay is not often seen, and even if you have a decent time in the game yourself, definitely invite someone to it. It may end up with a few swear words, but it's an experience that very few games on the market can give you.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
If there’s one thing to say about this title, it’s that Mario Kart 8 is the savior that the Wii U desperately needed. We’ve seen many key franchises release titles over the past year, but nothing comes close the amazing detail that Mario Kart 8 gives. From the characters, to the track, the full Nintendo experience is here, and it is glorious. Well done, Nintendo.
There is no doubt that Mario Kart 8 is a great game, plain and simple. With the power of the Wii U at their disposal Nintendo has been able to create some really great looking tracks, add a lot more racers for you to compete against, and there is a fairly robust local and online multiplayer component for fans to enjoy. But don't get me wrong, there is also a bump or two that along the road to greatness as well. At the end of the day if you have a Wii U you'd be crazy not to pick up this game. If you're still don't own a Wii U Mario Kart 8 is yet another title to make you realize that Nintendo's "next-gen" machine is capable of great games that the whole family can enjoy.
Mario Kart 8 won't change your mind if you're against the series' basic conceptual design, of course, but for everyone on the fence who just wants a fun, skill-weighted, multiplayer-centric party racer, this is truly as good as it gets. The balance of luck and skill is very well done overall, and the selection of available features, items, and gameplay elements is the best the series has had to offer yet—not to mention the excellent track design. It's safe to say that this is the best Mario Kart since the SNES days, and that's a pretty heavy statement.
Naturally every Wii U owner should pick this up but old fans should also consider it because it truly is the Mario Kart that you remember.
The overall high quality of the game is so impressive that it doesn't really matter that much that the zero-gravity gimmick barely adds anything that's truly new. Next time around, though, Nintendo might need to come up with new tricks if it hopes to keep us coming back for more.
Mario Kart is typically the best racer for most people. That's no different with Mario Kart 8.
Without a shadow of a doubt, Mario Kart 8 is a high-flying episode. Heir to a string of opuses sharing the same DNA, we are nevertheless surprised to spend countless hours on an incredibly fun game with more stunning tracks than ever and which offer us a refreshing point of view.
Review in French | Read full review
Mario Kart 8 represents the best game currently available on the three next gen consoles, and is the best reason to get a Wii U if there ever was one.
Mario Kart 8 stands tall among the kart racing genre once again and is a must-buy game for Wii U owners.
Mario Kart 8 is a slick and gorgeous-looking kart racer that's perfectly solid but not always as exciting or addictive as we've come to expect from the series.
Mario Kart 8 shifts its focus from chaotic weapons to precise driving, and that makes this one of the most rewarding entries in the series.
Excellent new courses and spectacular visuals go a long way toward negating the sense of over-familiarity that comes part and parcel with all things Mario Kart.
Mario Kart 8 shows a playful spirit, refinement, and attention to detail that has been missing in the last few entries.