Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

Genre: Kart Racer

Players: 1-4 Competitive (Local Split-Screen) 2-8 Competitive (Local Wireless) 2-12 Competitive (Online)

The Nintendo Switch 2 Difference

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Review:

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the latest kart racing game in the series of games that began the genre, and it may very well be the best one ever made, period.

I do not say this lightly, by the way – the Wii U game this title was based on, Mario Kart 8, was sooooo close, with superb gameplay, stunning graphics, tons of features and imaginative courses… but they stumbled at the finish line when it came to the series’ long-running battle mode, which was just awful thanks to courses that did not work for that type of gameplay. So any time I recommended the game, I had to add a caveat – “this is the absolute best game in the series, bar-none… except for this one thing that’s absolute trash”. No longer! Mario Kart 8 Deluxe chucks the Wii U version’s terrible battle mode courses in favor of the same sort of courses we’ve seen in… well, every other game in the series.

But it doesn’t stop there. While Mario Kart 8 was absolutely stuffed full of features as-is, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe ups the ante with more characters, more courses, more features, more game modes, more more more more… on top of including everything that was in the Wii U game (aside from the terrible Battle Mode courses), as well as all the DLC that was released for that game, all at a smooth 60FPS at 1080p (at least in docked mode with 1-2 players).

And in case you’re wondering, yes, this game still looks and plays amazing, with gorgeous, imaginative levels and tight controls, and they still impress to this day.

I think I can say that Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is far and away the best Kart Racer ever made, and with the Switch version, not only does it fix the Wii U game’s few flaws, but it adds a bunch more content and gives the game a minor update to keep it up to date, not that it even needed it. This is a game every Switch owner should have.

tl;dr – Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is not just a Kart Racing game, it is the Kart Racing game, removing the few flaws the Wii U version had and adding even more content to an already content-rich game, making this arguably the best-playing, best-looking and all-around best period when it comes to this type of racing game. If you have a Switch, get this game.

Grade: A++

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The Nintendo Switch 2 Difference

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

Genre: Kart Racer

Players: 1-8 Competitive (Local Split-Screen) 2-8 Competitive (Local Wireless) 2-12 Competitive (Online)

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Review:

You may recall that I previously checked out Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on Nintendo Switch 2 to see what changes the game saw without any sort of patch or upgrade on Nintendo Switch 2. And the result was… not much. Pretty much the only difference I saw was an improvement to loading times. However, Nintendo has now released a free patch for the game on Nintendo Switch 2, so let’s take another look at this game and see how improved it is this time around.

As it turns out, this free update does quite a lot. Firstly, and perhaps most impressively, this expands the local split-screen multiplayer to support up to 8 players on one console. Ironically, this is more than Mario Kart World allows, and in terms of multiplayer support Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is now only topped by the number of online players that can participate (still only 12 here as opposed to 24 in Mario Kart World).

In addition, this update includes support for CameraPlay in 4-player local games and online games, enabling players to display their face during the race. Perhaps not something everyone will want to do, but a nice addition all the same.

The resolution has gotten a bump as well, and even though I didn’t expect to see much of a difference (I still maintain that Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is one of the best-looking Nintendo Switch games), I am surprised and delighted to say this does make for a cleaner, clearer image, with less aliasing.

Finally, as I always do, let’s look at loading times. I expected a similar story to my previous look, or perhaps a bit worse due to the improvements. So imagine my shock when I found these times are even more improved than they were in my previous tests. On Nintendo Switch, it took me 57 seconds to load to the title screen (specifically when you’re prompted to press L&R), and another 38 seconds to load up the first race in Grand Prix. On Nintendo Switch 2, those times are absolutely demolished down to 10 seconds and 8 seconds.

As a result, I will flat-out say that Mario Kart 8 Deluxe reaffirms its spot as the absolute best Kart Racing game, period. Yeah, if you get a Nintendo Switch 2 and want a Kart Racing game, the best one to get? This game. Hey, nothing against Mario Kart World, but this is still the king of the genre, and it is now somehow even better on Nintendo Switch 2, and significantly so… all with just a free patch.

tl;dr – Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is not just a Kart Racing game, it is the Kart Racing game, removing the few flaws the Wii U version had and adding even more content to an already content-rich game, making this arguably the best-playing, best-looking and all-around best period when it comes to this type of racing game. And thanks to a Nintendo Switch 2 patch, this game is even better on Nintendo’s newest hybrid console, with cleaner visuals, 8-player split-screen support, and drastically reduced loading times. If you only get one Kart Racing game on Nintendo Switch 2, this is the one to get… yes, even better than its Nintendo Switch 2-exclusive sequel.

Grade: A++

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