Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Nintendo Switch - Review

Mario Kart has always been "just a game" for me. I've bought them, played them, enjoyed them, but that's about where it stops. I've never gotten overly hyped or excited when the next instalment released, and more or less stop playing after a few months, which is probably due to my lack of people to play with.

Mario Kart is a game that prides itself on multiplayer, and with that, it's usually bought and played over and over during the time of its release. It's one of those games that has a huge fan base, and a large multiplayer style, that as soon as they release the next title in the series, it's almost as though I feel pressure into buying the game, simply because I don't want to miss out. Though, without a good, stable community to play this game with, you're probably going to find the game falls flat in many areas, and won't received a long replay value like many other players.

Mario Kart is a game that I usually buy, play, forget about, and then trade in several years later, and with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe being nothing more than an updated port of a game I already own, you'd think I wouldn't bother buying it again, but that's exactly why I bought it. It's the little things that really make this game great. They could have gone back to their horrid ways of naming new games and systems, and titled this "New Mari Kart 8" or "Super Mario Kart 8", but the title "Mario Kart 8 Deluxe" really reflects on what this game is, and that it really is a "deluxe" version of Mario Kart 8.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe adds in more features to the already existing Mario Kart 8 for the Wii U, including the DLC and a much anticipated Battle Mode. I played Mario Kart 8, but that was it, I never bought the DLC, I never really divulged myself into much online play, and adding this onto one of the most anticipated gaming systems in recent times seems like nothing much a smart move on Nintendo's behalf.

The updated Battle Mode is what really separates Mario Kart 8 Deluxe from Mario Kart 8. I'll admit, I don't think I ever touched the Battle Mode in Mario Kart 8, so I can't really say how bad it was or wasn't, but from everything that I've read, it wasn't really well received with the fan base, and more or less seemed like an after thought. It seems Nintendo really listened to what fans wanted, and tried their best to accommodate that in their next addition. The game features 5 types of battle mode - Balloon Battle,  Renegade Roundup, Bob-omb Blast, Coin Runners and Shine Thief - all which have a new and unique feeling to them, giving this already much loved game another layer to enjoy. Shine Thief and Renegae Roundup are my personal favorites, but I do enjoy the rest quiet a lot.

The game includes a few more characters than it's predecessor, such as Bowser Jr. and King Boo, but the most notable would be the inclusion of the Splatoon Inklings. Adding in some non-Mario characters to the game was something I wasn't so sure about. As someone who never played the DLC from Mario Kart 8 which included Link and Isabelle, I had never really experienced the game feeling like Nintendo Kart rather than Mario Kart expect from R.O.B's inclusion in Mario Kart DS. Having non-Mario characters being included in the original as optional DLC seems like a logical idea, but having them included in the base game for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe kind of bothered me in an odd way. However, the non-Mario characters and their tracks actually work well in Mario Kart, and is a very welcomed addition to the series. It's a risk that works well for a spin-off title, and it's nice to see our loved Mario characters in worlds they normally wouldn't explore.

So, is Mario Kart 8 Deluxe a game that you really need? Well, it probably varies from person to person. If you're someone like me who, as already mentioned, didn't play any of the Mario Kart 8 DLC, and haven't touched the game in years, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe manages to feel like a fresh new take on an already loved title. However, if you already bought the DLC in Mario Kart 8 and continuously played the game, I'd say you need to ask yourself if you really need a game that is nothing more than a rehash with a few added features, but ultimately it comes down to you. With all that said, if you're someone like me who didn't or barely played the original, or you're an avid Mario Kart fan, this is a game you're sure to love being added to your collection!