Quick disclaimer, this will be my last post here ;-;
I hope you all have a great summer break, and enjoy the post below, it’s a big one!
Heya people, Chris here and today I have a quite controversial blog post, what’s better, Mario Kart Wii, or Mario Kart 8? Now, before we begin this blog is purely opinionated, and even if facts are used to prove an argument, that does not mean one game is superior in the end. This is purely my take, and if opinions are something you can’t handle, click off now and go read my last post, Super Mario Kart HD!
So many people here know I have a bitter hatred towards Mario Kart Wii, however, I’ll put aside that hatred and all, and actually look at this game with a clean, non biased approach. Though I must admit, that still may not help the game that much in this post. Or will it? Continue reading to find out…
So, let’s split this into categories, with the table being 4 key components, being, Appearance and presentation, controls, gameplay, and online, since we all know that is what catches most peoples eyes with any Mario Kart past DS. With that out of the way, let’s delve in…
Appearance and Presentation
Alright, this category may not seem fair, does it?
Well you’d be right, had I been discussing the games models and sights on the tracks. It’s obvious Mario Kart 8 would dominate that. However, thats not what I’m talking about, so you’re left asking “What does he mean? I’m confused”
Well, lets finally break the silence. Menu and HUD, and other such UI. The menus, the HUDS, the pause menu even, it all ties into how the game presents itself.
Mario kart Wii seems lost, confused, and unaware of how to present itself. The games menus don’t add up, some of the icons just change without notice. There’s no set pattern, no set layout or sizes of the buttons. It seems like developers just threw buttons wherever they felt and called it a day. The background of the menu wasn’t interesting at all either. Where other last titles used scrolling stars, spinning tires, the games Logo, or used the games title screen under a color and blur filter, Mario Kart Wii uses a simple, black and grey lines in the background. Talk about not interesting.
The actual race HUD itself is actually nice, and the item box finally has animations that set it apart from the past titles, which is a nice little addition. The numbers for placements could have looked different, as the stock ones are kinda bland, but it’s whatever. The warning icons look nice, and are prompt, they don’t get in the way.
Mario Kart 8s main menu is, way more neat. However, I personally say it lacks a lot of the Mario Kart charm. While it certainly isn’t as all over the place as Wii, it still didn’t quite scream “WELCOME TO MARIO KART!!!”
The games character select and course select are nice and neat, and look a lot more appealing than Mario Kart Wiis JPEGS slammed over a box texture.
Getting into the in game HUD, it’s clean. That’s all I have to say. The games item roulette ain’t as interesting as Wiis, as it lacks any animations to set it apart. The numbers for time and laps still has that digital clock look, much like Wii. However, one thing this HUD did nicer was the placement numbers. They added a nice little reflection effect, which is just nicer looking than flat numbers. Id also say the mini-map is also a bit better than Wiis, as it shows things like stars, bullets, and blue shells, something a few Mario kart games had in the past. It’s a nice little addition, while also holding good usage points.
Controls
Here’s what seperates the noobs from the pros. Both games have a ton of controller options, and there’s a lot of different combos to use ans experiment with for the ultimate experience. A note, Joy cons in a grip, joy cons in their straps, and joy cons sideways WILL BE COUNTED AS SEPERATE CONTROL OPTIONS!
Mario Kart Wii was mainly advertised with the Wii wheel, and while that controller was good and all, it had flaws. Stock, original Wii remotes simply wasn’t sensitive enough, they required a bit more to register your turning motion. The second model, Wii motion plus inside, were a tad TOO sensitive, making turning easier, but also more harsh, making mistakes, and running off the road more easier. These controls can both be mastered and perfected, and can pose an actual decent challenge to the player, making it a fun experience at times.
Nunchuck and Wiimote are probably ideal for most players, as it doesn’t require any claw grips to do tricks and wheelies with whilst retaining control over the vehicle. Also, who doesn’t have a nunchuck? It comes packed in with Wii consoles, so if you don’t have one, do you even Wii?🤔
Then, there is Classic, Classic Pro, and GameCube controllers. These controllers offer a traditional-ish experience to the older players should they be too good for a new experience. They all have one flaw with their mappings, and that’s mapping wheelies and tricks to the D-Pad, meaning you either have to take your thumb off the stick that controls your vehicle, or learn to claw. While claw personally isnt hard for me, many players find great discomfort in this, making them a bad controller choice for some.
Now, Mario Kart 8 supports every controller Wii does, minus the GameCube controller this time around. However, with the Wii U version, it supports 2 more, and with the switch version, it boosts that number by 5 ways.
Personally, I have never experienced the Wii U version, so excuse me for my lack of knowledge of how these control methods work. I’ll be skipping these, as I don’t want to judge something I haven’t held in my hand amd experienced myself.
However, the switch port boosts these numbers of control methods, with each version being listed below:
1. Joy Con grip
2. Joy Cons seperated
3. Sideways Singular Joy Con
4. Handheld mode
5. Pro Controller
Joycon grip, sperated, handheld, and pro controller all offer the same mappings, however they allow for comfort of choice.
Don’t like traditional controllers?
Use Joycon.
Don’t like the small Joycon?
Use the pro controller.
Don’t like playing on the TV?
Use handheld mode!
The switch port does much more comfort of choice than Wii did, as every method in Wii netted a different experience, but had a flaw or two with each setup to possibly chase people away. That’s not to say Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is god tier, no, it just says it has more comfortable control choices!
The Gameplay
Mario Kart is Mario Kart, so all the games in the end, feel similar in a sense. However these two Mario kart games control wildly differently, so much so going from one game to the other can require an adjustment period. Let’s discuss it now:
Mario Kart Wii has the loosest gameplay any Mario Kart has to offer. The limits are the walls, or the respawns, whatever stops you! The game doesn’t stop you from poking around and exploring, and you can drive wherever you want, within bounds, for as long as you wish! However, playing serious, as in actually racing, this exploration comes at a cost. The games physics engine is broken, meaning you can sometimes glitch or get shot off the road for seemingly no reason. Many Wii veterans call this “fun”, but in all honesty it sometimes really isn’t. Ask yourself, how fun is it racing Grumble Volcano and driving over one of the falling segments and it starts shaking, you hit that edge and then go flying off into the lava. That, that’s not fun, not in the slightest.
Mario Kart 8 offers…well, in all honesty it offers nothing. The games physics engine is nice, and refined, I’d honestly love to see it again. However, it’s bounds regions, aka respawn barriers, the game doesn’t offer any sort of exploring.
You try driving backwards?
Respawn
Try driving backwards?
Respawn
The games respawn engine is weirdly set up, in fact I’ll briefly explain it. The tracks have tubular respawn planes, meaning there’s a “tube” surrounding the road that will respawn you on the road the instant you hit it. While this fixed something Mario Kart Wii did terribly, which was Ultra Shortcuts which made online unbalanced, it also ruins any sort of exploring offline. Let’s also not forget that on time trials, you can’t exceed 10 minutes, the game ends at 10 minutes and the race concludes, meaning going on a sightseeing tour of the beautiful tracks is impossible to enjoy as long as you want.
Online
OOOOOOOOOH BOY, THIS ONES A TREAT!
So, any game that offers online has an online community. Wii has wiimmfi, and 8 has NSO and NN, both of which are still very alive. As for wiimmfi, it has nothing compared to either of the latter services in terms of active players.
Let’s disclose right away, Mario Kart Wii has possibly the most toxic playerbase online, and sometimes even offline, surrounding it. The players themselves don’t know what playing for fun is, and all go Funky Kong Flame Runner (Bowser Bike) when playing. You also see quite a few Daisy Mach Bikes. This, this ruins the point of calling it Mario “Kart”. The bikes are terribly balanced, and inside drift is flat out broken, so much so that going online, it’s almost a requirement you master it. Players who are new, are chased off as the community already there whoops them within an inch of their life, and then they get banned because their VR goes below the amount wiimmfi allows. For a game that’s supposedly “the best”, it’s community hasn’t grown for years because everyone chases them all away.
Modding community is also toxic, from being flat out a-holes, stealing work, defacing work, mocking those who mod the other games, stealing mods from the other games, and the list really goes on. They honestly are the worst part of Mario Kart Wii and it’s online presence, as they are the rudest people. Some golden gems are hidden in there, and they are really nice once you find them amongst the others. The modding community also has a huge Monopoly going on. The supposed “best” mod out there is CTGP, however there are other, possibly better, mods out there that gets unseen because of CTGP. This destroys any will for modders who actually like the game to go forward, and they eventually just submit their tracks for other hacks, or for CTGP, and even then their works can go unnoticed.
Mario Kart 8, both U and Deluxe, have avidly huge communities. While many Wii vets call them “dead”, that couldn’t be any more false. Mario Kart 8 still sees hundreds of thousands of players, including the Wii U version which still has very active servers. Wii is lucky to see 300+ unique players in a day, while 8 sees several hundred thousand within hours. The community around 8 is also less toxic, and won’t shame, bully, or other such to you. While 8s modding community is still small, advancements are being made and the game has a CTGP in beta.
So what do you think? In my opinion, Mario Kart 8 reigns superior in a lot of ways, however, it has its downsides compared to Wii!
Is Wii fun?
Yeah, it still has some fun left to squeeze out of it!
Let me know, what do you think? Comment below, and much thanks for reading this huge blog post!