Review: Mario Kart 8

Mario Kart. I shouldn't really have to describe the game since by this point out should be kind of an institution. It's been around since the SNES and has had an iteration on every Nintendo console and handheld since then (save for the Virtual Boy but that doesn't really count). I own and have played each one except for the one on 3DS, solely because it would probably be the only game I would own on that system and I don't know if it's worth it for one game, even if that game is Mario Kart. So how does this one, the eighth one in the series stack up? It's the best one yet, save for one glaring issue.

What's new?
The question on most everyone's minds is what this game brings to the table. I'll try to talk about the ones that affect the game the most.

1. Anti-gravity - in certain sections of the track you can now race up walls, kind of like FZero. It opens up a whole different way of playing.
2. Super Horn - they actually introduced a weapon that can counter the blue shell. The problem? It's just as scarce.
3. Glider - not really a game changer by any means. Definitely not as cool as the planes in Sonic All-Star Racing Transformed or even Diddy Kong Racing but still useful when interacting with shells or the lightning bolt.
4. Underwater - you can now drive underwater. The karts control a little different. Coolest part? The music changes to sound more muffled.
5. Customizations - in addition to picking the character and type of vehicle, you can customize your glider and your tires which changes how the kart handles and overall performance.

What I liked
1. The handling - control is crucial in this game and fortunately it handles like the proverbial dream. Everything is intuitive and responsive and it feels tight, unlike the Wii version which sometimes felt like it would slip. Let it be known that I played on the pro pad and gamepad not with a Wii wheel or Wiimote so I'm not sure how those would compare.
2. New levels - there is seriously some great track design here. Koopa's Castle and Toad Harbor are big standouts for me.
3. Redone tracks - I like how they redid tracks to take advantage of the gliding and anti-gravity. Plus the re-scored music sounds amazing now that they're orchestral. The N64 Rainbow Road is my favorite.
4. Return of Coins - remember how in the original Mario Kart you collected coins to help you go faster? It's back. While the speed boost is minuscule, it is there. Suddenly the weight of your character matters much more because of this.
5. 1080p graphics - this is a gorgeous game. While I've never been a graphics whore, I can easily say this is the best the series has looked. There are birds that fly about, snow flakes that fall, and flashing lights all over the place. Small details that really make the world come alive. Like when you start the race on Toad Harbor and there is a light mist over the track.

What I didn't like
1. Battle mode - this is the glaring issue I mentioned earlier. Why did they simply use tracks from the Grand Prix instead of actual battle arenas? It just feels like a race where people go in both directions and too much time goes by where you might not see anyone because the tracks are so long. Bad move Nintendo.
2. Doesn't really make use of the gamepad - it can be your map, double your TV screen, or be your horn. That's it. I can't even use it as a dedicated screen in multiplayer like in Sonic All-Star Racing? Seriously? At least I can use it for off TV play.
3. Cannot hold weapons and pick up new ones - so you can't drag a shell behind you and pick up another weapon, thereby giving you two weapons at a time. I can see where it makes the game more fair but it's weird after having a couple games that allowed it.

In Conclusion
I love the game. It feels like the culmination of what Mario Kart is. It's got the coins from the SNES, the hop from the N64, the drifting and drafting from the Wii, plus a host of new features. The only real issue is the disappointing battle mode. The game is fun. Reminds me of my college days. There is a very simple not that comes out of playing games like this and honestly, no other kart game does it better. Sonic was the closest a 3rd party got but there's no denying that Mario is still king.

More Thoughts on Days of Future Past (spoilers)

I wanted to be able to share my thoughts on the new X-Men movie that I couldn't in my review because I promised it would be spoiler-free. So please be aware. SPOILERS FOLLOW.

I definitely loved the movie. It doesn't topple X2 as the best X-film to me but it is a very close second.

What I Loved
1. Cyclops is alive! I hated how Cyke was dispatched in Last Stand. This movie remedies that and also puts the status quo back with Jean and Scott as the major couple not Logan.
2. The four horsemen - just exciting to see the young En Sabah Nur and his horsemen. Can't wait for the next movie.
3. Magneto's speech about joining his brotherhood gave me chills. And his confrontation with Charles on the plane was also equally great.
4. Bishop was well realized and very close to the comics. I wish they could have done more with him.

What I Didn't Love
1. Trask was a very weak villain. After having Stryker and Senator Kelly being so charismatic and villains that you love to hate, Trask was too cerebral and underplayed which is a pity since you have the Imp playing him.
2. Continuity issues - it's obvious that Singer and Kinberg have no love for either Wolverine movies or Last Stand. They never explain why Xavier is alive and well in the future after having died in X3. Stryker doesn't remember Wolverine in 1973 even though he met him in Vietnam? Or how does Wolverine have metal claws in the future? Didn't he lose them in the last Wolverine movie?
3. Not enough of the iconic Sentinels. While I liked the Borg/T1000 Sentinels of the future, I wanted to see some of the classic Sentinels flying, talking, and pretty much blasting mutants. I understand they're not quite at the level of blast rays and things but still would have been nice.

Another thing that occurred to me is that Singer is great at shooting small scale action. The Nightcrawler sequence from X2? Awesome. The Quicksilver sequence in this movie? Amazing. He has yet to shoot a large scale action scene like the final act in Avengers and I'm not so sure that he can shift focus between multiple characters over a large landscape while maintaining the dynamic nature of their powers. I'm thinking of a Storm that flies around rather than just floats and maybe a fastball special. I don't know if he can do it. Which makes me worried about the next film. If Kinberg is to be believed, Apocalypse is going to be like a disaster film. If Singer does sign on to direct, he really has to step up his visuals.

Review: X-Men Days of Future Past (spoiler free)

Anyone who knows me knows how I feel about the X-Men films. I've even written reviews of many of them. X2 is still one of my favorite comic book movies and that X3 is my most reviled. So while I was excited for DoFP, I approached it with much trepidation. It was following in the footsteps of First Class which was a good sign. It had Bryan Singer returning which, as an X2 fan, was a godsend. But it also had a bloated cast list that could really go off the rails if not handled well. So how was it? I will keep this review spoiler-free and will write a later update that discusses things more in depth.

The Story
It is the future. Humans and mutants alike are being hunted and killed in mass genocide by Sentinels, T1000 like robots that can adapt to different mutant powers making them almost impossible to kill. That's not where the comparisons to Terminator end. The future depicted in both franchises seem eerily similar. The remaining X-Men gather for one final plan: to send Wolverine's consciousness into his younger self in 1973 to prevent the one event that lead to the creation and implementation of the Sentinels: the murder of Bolivar Trask, the creator of the Sentinel program. Back in the past, Wolverine has to get Xavier and Magneto back together, which is difficult considering how things ended in First Class, and get them to work towards a common goal: wipe Brett Ratner's X-Men Last Stand out of existence. And who wouldn't risk everything to do that?

What Worked:
1. Magneto - Michael Fassbender is great in the role, seething with anger, passion for his fellow mutants, and really embodying the charismatic leader/terrorist that he is in the comics.
2. Quicksilver - he's not in the movie very much but he steals the film with a prison break sequence that rivals the Nightcrawler White House attack from X2.
3. The pacing - the movie is 2 and a half hours but hardly seems like it. Singer does a pretty good job balancing humor with the drama as well as throwing in some politics and ideologies between Xavier and Magneto.
4. The ending -  I won't spoil it here but I was so excited by the end. It was a nice mix of nostalgia and excitement. And best of all, in the task of wiping out Last Stand, mission accomplished.

What Didn't Work:
1. The "science" - transporting someone's consciousness back into their younger self? Pretty hard to believe. But it is true to the comics so there's that.
2. Not enough of the modern X-Men. I would have preferred more cross cutting between the future and the past rather than pretty much being bookends.
3. Not enough Quicksilver. Seriously. He stole the movie and needed to be in it more.

In Conclusion
I loved the movie. It was a great way to be a sequel and a reboot at the same time. Singer did a great job lending real world gravitas to the movie while still maintaining humor and fun. Was it perfect? No. There are parts that fall flat. Some characters are there just as glorified cameos. But it tells an exciting story with a lot of stakes once you get past the crappy science. Walking out of the movie I felt the same as I did walking out of X2: excited at where the franchise would go from here. Is it better than X2? Not to me. X2 had more emotional resonance with the death of Jean Grey. Definitely a must see.