When it comes to racing games, some are sticklers for realism, caring more about the fidelity of the handling modelling than about pretty graphics. Others love nothing more than being able to customise life-like recreations of classic and exotic sports cars before taking them to the track.
There’s another category of racer altogether, one who knows that the most fun is to be found not while chasing down a digital Lewis Hamilton on a laser-scanned, millimetre-accurate re-creation of Spa-Francorchamps, or drifting on a Tokyo highway with a supercharged Subaru sporting more cosmetic attachments than a Kardashian family reunion.
For them, the pinnacle of video game motorsport fun comes in the form of dodging a banana peel in a kart fitted with monster wheels as you launch a self-guided turtle shell at the Italian plumber about to cross the finish line in before you.
I am talking, of course, about the Mario Kart series, which debuted on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System back in 1992. Now, 25 years later, the House of Mario has released the best instalment yet in a series that has always produced critical darlings.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (MK8D) for the Nintendo Switch is an enhanced port of Mario Kart 8, which released on the Nintendo Wii U to universal critical acclaim three years ago.
The updated version is even better than the original, and for now it’s locked in a two-way battle with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild for the title of Reason You Must Buy a Switch.
Unlike Zelda, which is a single-player-only experience, MK8D is at its best when you’re playing with other people. Its online modes make it possible to play against other racers from all over the world, but as has been the case with all previous instalments of the series, nothing beats the excitement and shouts of joy and frustration you get to experience when playing against people in the same room as you.
The Switch makes this easier than ever before. The fact that each player requires only one of the two joy-con controller units that come with each Switch means that you don’t need to buy an extra controller to enjoy some two-player action.
Up to four people can play together on a single console, using the Switch’s built-in screen, or in docked mode using a television screen. If more than one of you have a Switch, the consoles can link up wirelessly, giving you more screen real estate if it’s just two of you, or making it possible for four of you to race together using just two consoles.
LAN and online multiplayer modes make it possible for up to 12 people to take to the track together, and the popularity of the series ensures that you’ll never be out of potential rivals to battle it out with.
The standard Grand Prix and Time Trial racing modes are supplemented by the incredibly fun Battle Mode, which puts you and your rivals inside specially designed arenas where you can take part in modes such as Balloon Battle, Bob-omb Blast and Renegade Roundup.
With 48 tracks, 43 characters and more vehicle customisations than ever before, and the new ways to play with others, MK8D promises to provide hundreds of hours of pure gaming joy.
If you definitely don’t want to buy a Switch, then resist all invitations from your friends to just give the game a quick try; once you’ve finished your first race, you won’t be able to resist the urge to go out and join the ranks of the Mario Kart Switch army.
Score: 10/10
Platform: Nintendo Switch
