Mario Kart 8 Fans Upset With Recent Update
Mario Kart 8 fans are not happy.
This article is more than 2 years old
It would seem that the long and prosperous life of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, the Nintendo Switch version of the 2014 mega-hit video game, is getting an extension via a new DLC announced earlier this year. The new DLC should add remastered popular courses from the series’ past, which should be added to the game episodically, starting March through 2023. However, some long-time fans of Nintendo’s racing franchise aren’t particularly happy with Nintendo’s announcement after discovering striking similarities between the upcoming content and Mario Kart Tour, the free mobile spin-off of the game.
According to Kotaku, devoted fans of the Mario Kart series quickly noticed that some of the returning classics aren’t graphically on par with the Deluxe version of the Mario Kart 8 video game. Instead, they look much less detailed and more cartoony, which led many to believe that they’re just upscaled ports of the tracks which appeared in the previous games. More specifically, some have pointed out that the art style used for the upcoming tracks is too similar to Mario Kart Tour mobile video game and not the paid premium experience the gamers were expecting.
The Mario Kart 8 Deluxe — Booster Course Pass is priced at $25, so the fans’ dissatisfaction is quite reasonable. The Pass will release episodically, starting March 18, by introducing the first of six waves, each containing eight new courses. The first batch includes some of the Mario Kart Wii’s highlighted tracks, such as Sky Garden, Choco Mountain, and Coconut Mall, all of which look upscaled painted but without additional textures.
Unfortunately, the fandom isn’t a united front on this matter. While some openly voice their dissatisfaction, arguing that the returning courses look rubbery and less detailed and realistic than other Mario Kart 8 tracks, others are willing to settle for anything. Admittedly, the entire fandom unanimously agrees that the graphic quality of upcoming tracks isn’t up to the expected standard. However, some fans are willing to take the update as-is, considering that the game hasn’t received a meaningful update in the last four years. So, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush?
With everything said, there’s a case to be made here in favor of Nintendo. The announced tracks, though graphically unsightly and perhaps inappropriate for use in Mario Kart 8, do pay homage to other Mario Kart releases on other platforms and their graphic styles at the time. It isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but according to the disgruntled fandom, it isn’t necessarily a good thing either. In the end, the players’ dissatisfaction is based on the sheer assumption that the final product will look exactly the same as it did during the showcase, which doesn’t have to be the case. Nintendo might’ve just shown us its work-in-progress iteration of the tracks.
Though we won’t actually know which is which until the tracks actually launch in more than a month’s time, there is a bright side to all of this. The upcoming tracks, fully remastered or not, are effectively being saved from the oblivion their original platforms are inevitably doomed to, and while still imperfect, these tracks just got a fresh new lease on life — at least until the purported Mario Kart 9 releases.
