Mario Kart 8: Will Turning Off Items Change the Experience?

Ourcade Games - "As I’m speeding down the road, I notice a turn coming up. Instead of braking and taking the corner easy, I decide to powerslide into the curve, and with a flick of the analog stick, boost out of the turn. As I’m all alone on the final straightaway, the nearest racer’s icon just spun, signaling a slip on a banana. The checkered flag is in my sight. Then…a pulsing sound signifies an impending doom, as a quick blue flash streaks across my screen, followed by an explosion of light. As my kart flips in the air, I watch my position change from 1st to 3rd and I slowly, begrudgingly, make my way across the finish line.

This is Mario Kart, and it’s moments like these that have endeared it (for better or worse) to gamers all over."

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KingKelloggTheWH1863d ago

I just want to get rid of the STUPID blue shell, that thing is horrible and needs to die!

randomass1711863d ago

But the blue shell is the equalizer! Personally I feel it should only have a chance of appearing if a single player has been hogging first place for a lengthy period of time.

KingKelloggTheWH1863d ago

So we should punish people for being better? That is ridiculous!!! I HATE it, let the winners win, dont cheat them out of it.

bass4g1862d ago

@KingKelloggTheWH the problem is that that's not fun for everybody. Items like the blue shell give worse players the chance to win, which makes the game more fun for them. In the end though if you're good enough then the worst the blue shell can do is land you in third. I've been hit by three blue shells in one race and still maintained first place. Yeah it's frustrating but you're playing with friends who cares who wins, it's about having fun.

One could even say that there's a certain skill to using the items. If you can stay around the middle of the pack till the third lap you'll get decent enough items and not be hit by much, then you just storm straight to the front and use the item that you had stored up (this works especially well with big karts).

randomass1711863d ago

Winners can still win. :P I've won MK7 races even after getting hit by multiple blue shells. You just need to be strategic and race to the best of your ability. The blue shell is there to give other players a chance to win, not just the super skilled ones.

CraigUK1862d ago

I dont see how a blue shell is going to help you when you are in 7th place. you aren't contending for the lead. You are helping the guys in 2nd and 3rd.

Benjaminkno1862d ago

I see your point. There's consequences for being in first place. You should be made to suffer just as much as everyone else.

That's the WAY IT IS HOMZ!!

wonderfulmonkeyman1862d ago

Nah, Random is right.
Mario Kart is about more than just winning; it's about using the items to gain an advantage, too.

The Blue Shell should be avoidable in some fashion, though.
Maybe make it so that using a Mushroom right before it hits would make it lose its tracking?

Besides, you KNOW that there's going to be some people out there that are so good that blue shells won't prevent them from winning anyways.
Their leads will just be too big.
The Blue Shell keeps things interesting and more tense than an average racer, where once you're sufficiently out in front, you'd have to actually TRY to lose to accomplish it.
The blue shell makes it so that each race is closer and more exciting, rather than saying "oh, it's that guy again. He's gonna get first, so let's just see who gets second."

bass4g1862d ago

you do realise that the blue shell is already avoidable right? If you boost when it just starts to go down you can avoid it. Once it starts going down it just goes straight down hence why you can avoid it but you have to time it just right. Of course stars also make you immune but that doesn't count.

randomass1711862d ago

@bass4G Does that still work in the latest games? I remember that working in Double Dash and Wii because the blue shell would fly up and then crash down. But lately the blue shell behaves differently and can hit other racers on the track.

krazykombatant1862d ago

you could dodge the blue shell in mario kart 7 so I'm guessing you weren't THAT good...

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 1862d ago
Benjaminkno1862d ago

"For Glory" MarioKart?...

why not?

But where's the fun in that? Wouldn't it just be every other kart racing game?

I just want to play it already.

randomass1711862d ago

At that point it would be all up to stats and skill and that isn't very interesting for a racing game that isn't very fast. Items are what make the series unique in the racing genre.

weekev151862d ago

I agree with most of these posts. The items are what makes mario kart fun. There is an element of skill to keeping in 2nd with the right items in tow to fly past your rival on the line. Or building a lead but holding on to a mushroom to immediately boost back the time you lost.

GeofferyPeterson1862d ago

No, turning off the items won't change the experience in any way.......facepalm

Summons751862d ago

Eh, I never understood why people want to turn off items in this or Smash. The entire point of the games is to have fun trying to get any advantage over your opponent. Turning off items only takes out the fun. It would leave Mario Kart just a plain old racing game and Smash a dry fighter.

To each his own but I don't understand the appeal of taking fun away from the game.

krazykombatant1862d ago

items in smash changes a lot.

Summons751862d ago

I know which makes it fun and challenging to try and race a friend to the item while trying to beat the crap out of them. That's why the items are there to change the dynamic of the arena and make you think on your feet.

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