Mario Kart 8

Game: Mario Kart 8
System: WiiU
Genre: Racing
Developer: Nintendo EAD
Release date: May 30, 2014

Pros: Amazing track design; new anti-gravity mechanics; gorgeous graphics; strong, varied soundtrack
Cons: Battle mode


Since 1992, when Super Mario Kart first popularized the kart racing sub-genre, the Mario Kart series has been the video game industry's premiere kart racer. Challengers to the throne have come and gone over the past twenty years, but none have managed to unseat Mario Kart, which has relied on fundamentally-sound mechanics, addictive local and, increasingly, online multi-player options, and a stable of familiar Nintendo mascots to drive sales. Never before, however, have the developers at Nintendo EAD released a kart game, or any racing game for that matter, as deep, rewarding, and immersive as Mario Kart 8, the latest and greatest kart racer from Nintendo's evergreen franchise. 

Whereas recent installments of Mario Kart have felt, at times, like variations on a theme, Mario Kart 8, for the first time in a generation, feels like a brand new game, built from the ground up. The game looks different, it sounds different, and, most notably, it plays different. Yes, it borrows some of the ideas, systems, and even tracks from earlier games in the series, but it re-purposes them in such a way to produce something entirely new. This is a game with newly found confidence and maneuverability, thanks in no small part to the spatial freedom allowed by Mario Kart 8's greatest gift, anti-gravity. 

Mario races along an anti-gravity section.

Anti-gravity goes a long way in Mario Kart 8, not just by providing the visceral thrill of driving up walls and along ceilings, but also by adding another level of strategy to each race and by opening up new physical space in which to drive. Even in Mario Kart 7, which allowed racers to glide through the air and dive under the waves, each track was neatly defined by barriers left and right, and by Newton's law of universal gravitation. In Mario Kart 8 those barriers are much more fluid and changeable. Players might speed horizontally across the face of a mighty dam or bounce off bumpers in a section of track suspended in space above a busy airport (how is that not a violation of FAA regulations?).

The end result is an amazing collection of tracks, arguably the best in the series. Stand-outs among the 16 original courses include Thwomp Ruins, Twisted Mansion, Mount Wario, and Cloudtop Cruise. Even the 16 retro tracks, which are usually borrowed wholesale from previous entries, are refreshed in Mario Kart 8. They feel new again, and, in many cases, better.

All these new ideas and courses wouldn't mean much, however, if it weren't for a solid mechanical foundation underpinning the game. Luckily, Mario Kart performs almost impossibly well, with a subtly altered driving system that welcomes in novices and provides enough depth and challenge for experts. In terms of presentation and performance, the game is a home run. Fluid animation, gorgeous environments, and amazing attention to detail make each track a joy to race through, offline and online. Then there's the soundtrack, recorded with a full, live orchestra, a first for the Mario Kart series. It's jazzy, it's bold, it's a perfect complement to the lavish production that is Mario Kart 8.

The only real flaw in the game is its battle mode, which eschews brand new battle arenas in favor of standard racing courses. Consequently, players will drive along each course searching, often in vain, for opposing players. At best, it's a diverting game of joust; at worst it's a painfully boring game of hide and seek.

Mario Kart 8 can be played locally via splitscreen or online with 12 players.

It's a relatively small flaw, however, when the entire Mario Kart 8 package is considered. Mechanically, the game provides enough control options and strategies to satisfy both the greenest novice and the most seasoned veteran; structurally and spatially, the game allows players to discover heights and spaces previously unexplored; and technically, the game is steady and silky smooth offline with a group of friends or online with strangers from around the world. Add to that some of Nintendo's most verdant and opulent visuals and an enlivening soundtrack and the outcome is the best racing game ever made, and an early contender for game of the generation.

E3 2014: Best in Show

In the world of cinema, the Academy Awards is the premiere event. In television, the Emmys is the annual event worth watching. With video games, it's a different story. Although there are plenty of awards shows annually, it's actually an event focused around previews that takes center stage. That event is the Electronic Entertainment Expo, known colloquially as E3, where the industry's giants go to do battle every summer. This year, continuing its break from tradition, Nintendo opted for a pre-recorded digital presentation in lieu of a real-time on-stage presentation. Its competitors, Microsoft and Sony, and publishers Ubisoft and EA went the traditional route with spectacular floor shows. Unfortunately for all involved, most depressingly the fans, all those who presented had rather meager showings. Even Nintendo, which "won" E3, played it safe. There were few surprises during the entire week, which was dominated by recycled ideas, overlong presentations, and not nearly enough actual gameplay footage.

However, despite the overall disappointment that was E3, there were a handful of games that elevated the proceedings and made the show worth watching. Those five games are included below.

Note: for those who are interested, you can find last year's "Best in Show" here.

#5

Yoshi's Woolly World

From the team that created Kirby's Epic Yarn comes a new fabric-focused feature, Yoshi's Woolly World, this time with Nintendo mascot and beast of burden Yoshi. In this WiiU game, Yoshi retains much of the same moveset that has defined his other platform adventures, only this time instead of eggs he carries balls of yarn, which can trigger a number of unique events in the game word. The game will feature a two-player co-op mode, and will launch in the first half of 2015. Woolly World marks the first console Yoshi game since Yoshi's Story in 1998.

#4 

Sunset Overdrive

Of all the exclusive games showed at Microsoft's press conference, Sunset Overdrive was the most impressive. It looks refreshing, different, and lots of fun. Developed by Insomniac Games (Ratchet & Clank, Resistance), Sunset Overdrive is an open-world action game focused on "agile combat." The heroes of the game can swing and jump around the metropolis Sunset City at breakneck speed. Apart from the single player campaign, there's an online cooperative mode called Chaos Squad that allows eight players to fight together.

#3 

Far Cry 4

Continuing the open-world mayhem that's defined the series, Far Cry 4 takes place in a fictional country high in the Himalayas ruled by a despot. Players can attack the game in the way in which they choose, whether taking down enemy patrols stealthily or riding a rampaging elephant into an enemy stronghold. Far Cry 4 will feature a co-op mode, also, and on PS4 it's a real treat. As with 3DS download play, the PS4 version of Far Cry 4 will allow players to invite friends to join their games, even if those friends don't own a physical or digital version of the game.

#2
Batman: Arkham Knight

As the first Batman game designed for PS4 and Xbox One, Arkham Knight manages to fit the entire city of Gotham into one tiny disc. In fact, the game is five times bigger than developer Rocksteady Studios' previous title, Arkham City. Combat has also been refined in the years since Arkham City launched. There are new, more powerful enemies, new combos, and brand new environmental attacks. Last, but definitely not least, this latest Batman game features, for the first time, the Batmobile as a drivable vehicle, which can be summoned to the player's location at will.

#1
Splatoon

As with Sunset Overdrive, Splatoon is changing the rules of what has become in the last decade a very stale and bloated genre. Splatoon is a squad-based third-person shooter that pits two teams of four players against each other, each squad composed of squid-kid hybrids armed with ink guns. During each match, players can transform from a kid into a squid, which can then surf through its own team's ink undetected, and maybe even ambush an enemy player. The WiiU GamePad is used cleverly in Splatoon, displaying a map of the battlefield covered in ink and the player's teammates. One swipe of a finger (or stylus) will launch the player across the map directly to his or her partner. Just be careful where you land.