Review - Mario Kart 8
For a series that's been around since the days of the Super NES, debuting in 1992, it's hard to believe that Mario Kart has had just seven installments up until Mario Kart 8 launched on May 30th. Considering the fact that Call of Duty, a series that only made its bow in 2003, has already chalked up ten appearances (not including portable iterations, expansions packs or spin-offs), Nintendo has been incredibly restrained with its use of one of the company's most popular and enduring franchises.I'll be the first to throw my hands up and admit that I had written off the original 16-bit version not long after it was announced, fearing that it would be another half-hearted attempt at capitalizing on the Mario brand that ultimately failed to deliver anything beyond mediocrity. How wrong I was, and some 22 years later I'm still as fiendishly addicted to the series as I've ever been.With just a single release on each of its platforms since 1992, there's a certain air of magic and expectation surrounding each new installment in the series, but with Mario Kart 8 marking its first step into the world of HD, there's been a lot more hype surrounding this release than arguably any that have come before.It's not just the vastly improved visuals that are new here, either, Nintendo has spent considerable time and effort tweaking the established series formula in an attempt to make it feel as fresh as ever, and differentiate it from a long line of best-in-breed kart racers. Perhaps one of the key factors behind this aim to innovate has been that, for the first time, there's a genuine pretender to the throne on the scene in Sega's brilliant, yet strangely underrated Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing series, which debuted in 2010 and saw an even better follow-up land in November of 2012.Then there's the added pressure of MK 8 being one of the titles identified as potentially kick-starting sales of the flagging Wii U. Despite churning our brilliant game after brilliant game, the public still remains to be convinced that Nintendo's flagship home console has what it takes to stick around for the duration, with many opting to hold off until the console sees a significant price drop - by which time it may be too late to salvage the system.So, no pressure at all for the guys over at Nintendo EAD to perform then, eh?
