I don't know what's more traumatising. Finding out I never knew about inside drifting, or watching the footage of a track I *thought* I knew and seeing a shortcut I've never seen before...
At 17:23 the jump from N64 graphics and appreciating the game for its mechanics to full 60fps mario kart 8 was so jarring in such a cool way. We've come a long way in gaming and seeing it through the lens of mario kart, a game i grew up playing and loving, is just unbelievable.
Surprised there's no mention of 8 original's item system. Not being able to hold an item behind your kart while simultaniously picking up another item was a defining element of that game. Undone in Deluxe for better or worse.
@breadandcircuses8127not sure about demon sliding, but firehopping is when you hop over and over again for the entire duration of a mini turbo to go faster.
These videos always feels like I'm listening to a friend talk about something they love for an hour straight. I can barely tell there's any edit breaks with the voice. I love these videos.
MarioKart is the ultimate Party Game, even more than Smash Bros. It's easygoing game play, different courses, and that music...it is just perfect fun. Whenever I've been at my lowest, it's helped me and my friends come together, and gave me the right dosage of fun that I need. Happy 10th Anniversary to Mariokart 8!
@@BruhBruh-xu5cqthe issue w “party games” as a title is that playing video games at a party is hardly ever a real thing. Which is why you’re right, you wanna get 6 bros in a room to have a good time throw on smash. You got two married couples, two single adults and a couple kids? Sure play Mario kart
"...imagine doing that in this game; where the items turn races into the Normandy landings, EXCEPT it's a free-for-all, and we're all trying to get off those boats." I'M DYING HERE! THAT'S SO ON POINT AND EXACTLY WHAT MAKES DOUBLE DASH (and especially the "Bob-Omb Blast"- battlemode) ONE OF THE BEST GAMES TO COUCH PLAY WITH YOUR FRIENDS! Everyone just hollering "GET HIS ASS!" at anyone who's in the lead atm and the joy/horror of getting to that 1st place yourself. Man do I love Double Dash!
This is the best Mario Kart video I've ever watched. It is SUCH a breath of fresh air to see such a well informed take on the Mario Kart series. Someone who has CLEARLY explored the mechanical depth of Mario Kart rather than just being a large name passing by. I was already completely impressed by this video before you were even done talking about the first game in the series. Having now finished the entire video, I reflect on how you did the entire series justice in covering every single inch of what makes every single game special... except for one unreasonably glaring hole While hatred for Mario Kart Tour is FAR from uncommon, I still welcome the day that I hear anyone besides myself singing its praises. It is a game that is developed on completely different terms from any game in the series and rather than _just_ seek to emulate the feeling of being "Mario Kart on your phone," it's focus shifts onto an entirely new mechanic, the one singular opaque element of the HUD that you blatantly chose to ignore, the score function. Because unlike any other Mario Kart Game, the aim is not merely to win the race, but rather a creative hybrid of Racing and a Tony-Hawk trick-based game-play in which your main focus is to build massive combos which every fundamental skill of your standard Mario Kart driving feeds into. I'm not going to pretend it is a game for everyone or even that every person needs to appreciate it, but in a video which otherwise does a 10/10 job finding the strength of Mario Kart in every single form it has ever taken, the choice to even make mention of such a creatively different entry in the series only to tear it down for everything it stands for is a baffling decision, and one which I don't agree adds any form of value to this video. It speaks to me as a glaring failure of research in a video that otherwise goes out of its way to document the incredible depth of every single game in the series from the hidden item probabilities of the first to fan-made kart-builder of the most recent. You don't have to like the game, and frankly I'm not even sure if _I_ do anymore, but the way you talk about it as if there is not a single positive thing to say about it is nothing short of heartbreaking to me. Especially when it may single-handedly be the reason why your two favorite iterations of Rainbow Road eventually found their way into what is now the _ULTIMATE_ Mario Kart Experience. How hard is it to say one singular nice thing about a game you dislike? I write this comment not to be a cynical asshole who thinks Nintendo can do no harm and that you're "blasphemous" for disliking one of their products, but as a passionate Mario Kart player who was more impressed than I've ever been at every other second of this video. As someone who saw the depth and understanding you displayed for EVERY OTHER GAME IN THE ENTIRE SERIES only to see you completely drop that nuanced depth for this one singular section of the video. This is still the best Mario Kart video I have ever watched by a WIDE margin, but your decision to alienate Mario Kart Tour as the one and ONLY game undeserving of even the slightest amount of praise stops this video from being perfect. The arcade games taking advantage of coin-gobbling arcade cabinets don't disqualify them. The older games having dated and hard to grasp controls don't disqualify them. The ABSURD price point and COMPLETE lack of depth in Mario Kart Home Circuit does not disqualify it. So I ask you, why does the mobile game having OPTIONAL micro-transaction and watered down controls disqualify _it_ of the bare minimum?
@@thekempter1991 It's almost like I have just as much passion for Mario Kart as Liam does and that a really well-made video invokes deep and nuanced discussion
The gacha elements were also completely removed a while back, which obviously were not great to begin with and shouldn't be a thing at all, is still notable. The amount of character variety (if only for how much money they want you to spend) is cool to see. They also have unique types of missions that are sort of alike Mario Kart DS, like wiping out enemies with items. Every track having reversed and remixed versions also adds a lot of perspective to some fan favourite tracks, even adding the Kalimari Desert tunnel as an official part of the track, which extended to its appearance in the Booster Course. I still think they did a bit too much to make the game overly mobile-friendly, like having the game be in portrait mode by default and severely limiting control when they could have made it at least a bit more complex, but when it comes to mobile games I think the ceiling of effort and value can only be so high. The combo system is really interesting because it really makes you go out of your way to get coins to continue the chain, but I think it's held back a bit by being affected by your character and kart combos, which can really make or break your final score. Tour is nowhere near up there with the other Mario Karts, but their efforts to make a unique Mario Kart experience were commendable, if not held back by the aggressive mobile gaming trademarks that plague the market.
@@bandannadoo Incredibly well said even if I disagree with smaller parts of what you say. I was personally never bothered by the use of gacha and to me the game feels more empty without it in contrast to the system they eventually replaced it with, but like, I'm not gonna hate someone for disliking gacha. I think the combo system being tied to character-kart choices were a great way to encourage variety and reward players who stayed active. (although I agree that nothing sucked more than encountering those few tracks where you didn't have the best options) But overall, yeah. This is a much more deserving analysis of Tour's strengths (and weaknesses)
Two things I want to add to this video: 1. The Mega Mushroom in Mario Kart Wii does give some protection against shocks. If you get shocked while in that state, your character will return to their normal size instead of becoming mini 2. Mario Kart 7 actually introduced a change that I consider bad. As the trick button is now the same as the hop/drift button, it is impossible to do a trick while holding a drift, which is entirely possible in Mario Kart Wii by shaking the Wiimote or pressing the GC D-Pad while drifting over a ledge/ramp
@@readisgooddewaterkant7890. I think the real problem was that the trick button was the Dpad, which forced you to release the left stick. I configured my controls in Dolphin (emulator) to use R as trick and ZR as drift and it worked wonderfully. In MK8D you can already use any of the two for those two actions. It would've been great to keep drift tricking by holding one button to drift and press the other to trick (whichever you prefer), or shake the controller while drifting, because you can still trick by shaking the controller
@@readisgooddewaterkant7890 I agree that mapping trick to R was a good change by itself (pressing D-Pad Down using a Gamecube Controller???), but we should still be able to drift trick by shaking the controller while drifting or by pressing the other R button as the Switch has two R buttons: R and ZR
Mario Kart tour in this retrospective was done dirty… it hasn’t been a gatcha game in years and was responsible for reintroducing forgotten mechanics that slowly made their way into the booster course pass. Despite the gameplay itself it’s clear the developers did their homework on past entries and had a soft spot for the franchise
Another thing, despite the gameplay playing itself most of the time, it's focus is more arcade rather than about winning since it's about earning points and making long combo chains, specially when it puts like 20 people competing in the same cup to see who gets the most points and earn the good stuff, stuff regular gachas would make you wast hundreds of dollars just for a 0.1% chance of winning. Tour made me love jumps and coins because of that, reaching the 100 combo is kind of adrenaline inducing because at any point someone may break it with a shell. Also, I like the game for being more honest with its pricing when compared to actual gachas, yeah the 40$ Diddy Kong pack is a funny meme, but that's what happens when real gachas show what you are truly meant to waste, 3000$ for the newest banner character in FEH/GI/BA/AK anyone? Yeah. Tour gives you golden pipes all the time, meaning you are pretty likely to win good things without wasting a dime. Tour is just a free arcade game that constantly rewards you, I'm considering paying for the gold pass because of that.
Not to mention, there are many things that Tour does better than some of the mainline games. * There are WAY more characters and costumes for characters (265 characters/costumes in total) * On top of the large course selection (103 tracks), they added in trick and reverse trick variants for almost every course, adding more variety to the experience. * Character specific items are back, with the different character variants having different items, allowing for more variety if you like a specific item. * There are also an absurd amount of karts (336) and gliders (225), and sure it didn't have custom wheels, but I honestly feel like custom wheels are unnecessary and limiting for kart designs. (especially since you can barely see the wheels in a race) Overall, I hope they look back on Mario Kart Tour and add in some of the variety the game had to the next installment, as that was definitely its biggest advantage.
@@Forwaken can’t forget how underrated the 3 item slots and roulette mechanic is. It’s genuinely good fun and I sort of hope future games let you choose a mode like it
@@Ds_is_i I would love a "Frenzy" mode where all characters can have up to 3 items with the rare chance of going Frenzy, and if they add more single player content that makes you want to play it on your own then even better.
37:58 this is the Mario Kart equivalent of Dark Souls’ “get gud” and I am so here for it. When I finally mastered the drifting mechanics in Double Dash, I was able to absolutely dominate in every subsequent Mario Kart game I played.
yeah for me the moment of DD fully clicking was me & my younger brother playing the co-op grand prix mode, me on driving & him on weapons, & becoming an *almost* well oiled machine dominating the AI (the almost coming from Mario Kart being Mario Kart & us being like 6 & 8 years old at the time of getting the game)
1:04:00 I think the best part about Super Nintendo World is how it allows anyone of any age to enjoy Mario and by extension Mario Kart, Yoshi, Donkey Kong, etc, without the skill barriers that come with playing and understanding video games. The whole park feels like a family-oriented version of Super Mario 64, with missions and objectives to accomplish using your Power-Up Band, major collectables you and your party are working towards like the Golden Mushroom and Universal Cup, all alongside the amount of physical interactive experiences that feel like Mario Party Mini-Games brought to life! Even something as small as tapping your band to a treasure chest in Bowser Junior's hideout causes it to glow, all the lights in the room to change color, and for you get a stamp collectable on the app just for being curious of the world your exploring, which bring me back to playing games like Mario Galaxy and Twilight Princess, and finding secrets in those games that simply reward you for taking in your environment more carefully. The only difference now is that my whole family can enjoy these experiences and characters I've loved for so long, in a way that's active and easily understood no matter what your background in video games or Mario as a series is. That part alone is why I'm so excited for the Florida iteration and it's Donkey Kong areas. To that end, I think Bowser's Challenge succeeds in bringing the idea and multiplayer mayhem of Mario Kart into a theme park space, in spite of clearly lacking in recreating the gameplay format of the console games, because, if it were simply go-karts with AR, the competitive element between friends and family in the same Kart wouldn't be there, in spite of the loss of more complex item play, or any real control of the Kart itself. The park is really the true evolution of the Wii era's "anyone can play it" mindset, but brought to an insane, true to life, scale. Even more so because it's not tied to a video game system with its own rulebook of understanding, if you want to hit a Question Block, you literally just hit it, there's no stopgap in player understanding, which is why it was so fun for me and my family in a way that no other theme park experience can claim to be. It's everything I love from Nintendo, fun with those I care about, in an immersive environment.
I love Mario Kart, especially 8 with all its content now. Even playing it alone is weirdly ... comforting. The stages and music always make me feel comfy, haha. Also, amazing thumbnail!
All I do on TH-cam is watch, I have literally never commented on a video before. But your videos are always captivating, and Mario Kart is my favourite game series ever. So before I even start watching, THANK YOU for doing what you do. You - and Mario Kart - are the best 👑
Do you have any idea how cathartic it is to see a Mario Kart video that not only understands Super Mario Kart, but also has good things to say about it, AND states the game having a steep learning for its controls, as opposed to writing it off as "bad game lol"? Thank you, Liam Triforce!
@breadandcircuses8127 No it didn't. Games that take a good deal of effort to get used to =/= games that aged badly. I understand that SMK is vastly different from other Mario Kart entries. And it's entirely fair to say the game isn't for everyone (ironically, despite being made with a casual experience in mind, it has a high barrier to entry and an astronomical skill cieling) because the game is ball-bustingly punishing, especially if you're expecting it to be like modern MK. But it's not a modern Mario Kart. It's an intensely rewarding experience that stands out from the rest. There's a reason it sold a shitzillion copies, kickstarted an entire genre, is *still* revered as one of the greatest games on a console mostly agreed upon to be one of the best, and has an active, thriving tournament scene (SMK Championships, go look them up) as well as a speedrunning + time trial leader board forum, and tons of romhacks (SMK DX is gonna be mindblowingly lit)! SMK is great and folks are gonna figure it out soon.
I didn't grow up with Mario Kart, but it became the standard drinking game with my friends in college and it still retains that status now. I think the much discussed (in this video) bridging of skill gaps is a big reason for that. I avoid racing games because I suck at them, but in Mario Kart, I'm having fun even when I'm constantly losing. And sometimes, I do win too. The simple addition of items does so much imo - not just because they can sometimes turn things around, but also because it gives you more interaction with other players even if you're constantly behind. It makes for great couch situations.
Despite your harsh criticisms of Tour, which, yeah, valid, it's not really a racing game, it's still got a dedicated playerbase and actually a lot of mechanical depth because it's actually about scoring as many points and actions as possible within the limited time in each race due to the automated accelerating. If you go into it wanting Mario Kart on mobile, you're not going to get anywhere.
I don't think it's valid at all to criticise it for being a gacha game, given that it literally isn't that and hasn't been for almost a year and a half. The way he shows some of the random free items you get in the background as he says it's a gacha game is especially dishonest.
@@Esteban3000 It it was, for 3 years, before facing legal backlash. With this change they cut down the rewards you get from natural play (at least for a time) while upping the prices if I recall. It is still at its core a Gacha Game, milking money and overpricing for non-things. Its Gacha Wallet.
You should give Tour a second chance. It's nowhere near the league and quality of MK8, but it has a solid robust scoring system that keeps me coming back for more. The elaborate combo system encourages repeated playthroughs, and the RPG-esque driver/kart/glider improvement mechanics are a worthy reward that only makes you want to try and break your former records. Plus, the modified versions of classic tracks are worth the playthrough.
I feel like Mario Kart 8 doesn't get enough credit for being like the ONLY absolutely flawless soundtrack. Like, not just consistently good, but consistently incredible. Every single track can be listened to on it's own and hold up. That alongside most songs having last lap, front-running, tiny, and underwater variants is just wild. I really hope the big band jazz style never goes away. Definitely a situation where you have to wonder what they could possibly do to follow it up.
8 really is the last set of Nintendo tunes you could drag out the dreaded, overused term "iconic" for. The amount of times I've randomly busted out the opening YADAT-DAT-DADAA-DA when I'm zoning out is uncanny.
Mario Kart still being amazing with even the oldest ones still holding up, even AFTER the revolution of MP games due to Halo then COD, makes it unquestionably one of the greatest series of games to ever exist. I'd like to tag Mario Party onto that list as well. Timeless.
I find it easy to still have with. F-zero holds up as well. Super Mario World, Super Castlevania IV, Super Metroid, A link to the past. In my opinion the Super Nintendo holds up extremely well including SMK. SMK is just a different game. You're perfectly allowed to disagree, but I think your wrong, personally.@breadandcircuses8127
1:07:33 Mario Kart Tour is not a spin off, whether you like it or not. Nintendo recognizes it as a main entry, mainly because it was featured alongside every other game in the booster course pass trailer. Not to mention, it has some really great tracks that have gotten into mario kart 8 deluxe, and in many of the polls I've seen regarding mario kart tracks, people tend to like many of the tour tracks over the console tracks (not all though). Of course I am a daily tour player, and I will defend mario kart tour with my life, so I may have some bias towards it. Now yeah, I love the game, but I admit it, there are some aspects I don't like. The random usernames for cpus in single player makes no sense, and the microtransactions. But there are many things I like more. The items are amazing, each character having a different tier pn different tracks, which makes you choose different drivers, karts, and gliders on different tracks, the amount of unique (or costumes of) drivers, the fact that the track lineup changes every 2 weeks, resulting in better replayability, and more. If you give mario kart tour a chance, actually try to play it, and ignore the microtransactions, it's a really fun game that has way more potential than people give it credit for.
i love hearing the passion in your narration. i also loved double dash! youre the first one ive really seen in the mk space who discusses the way stats are listed and the effects it has on even casual players. these are SUCH fun watches!!
Love these sorts of retrospectives. I'll always be a Double Dash guy, but for parties, I try to be diplomatic and go with MK8 Deluxe. Like you said in the video, MK8 does a great job of making multiple strategies feel viable and probably does the best job at closing skill gaps without it feeling unfair. As for where the series can go from here, I still feel that a future installment should bring back character-specific specials. I doubt it would happen, but a Diddy Kong Racing Adventure mode 1P experience would also be great. MK DS sort of had that going on with boss battles, so it's not impossible. One of MK 8's biggest weaknesses is that there's little point in playing through the cups besides practice. There is almost nothing to unlock that you can't just unlock by playing multiplayer with friends. Then, of course, there's the most obvious direction: Turning Mario Kart into Nintendo Kart. lol
I feel very validated after you said that the co-op mode is the best way to play Double Dash!!. Me and a homie went through the whole game unlocking everything in Grand Prix in co-op mode and it was super fun!
the thing is, although mario kart wii is from most peoples view HEAVILY bike oriented it open a niche (in online play) to master the best karts, the best kart players are terrifying taking up most of the track and constantly wheelie bumping all of the bikers, all of the vehicles feel so unique and different unlike 8 where no matter what you use it feels the same
Some of my earliest memories are of playing super mario kart at my moms friends house. I remember being completely blown away by the fact it was in "3-d". I didnt know what 3d was called then but i knew it was different from the side scrollers i had previously played.
This is officially one of the best ways to finish out my workday. 1.5 hours of Liam Triforce! P.S. The orchestra that did the soundtrack for Mario Kart 8 ABSOLUTELY killed it and I hope they had so much fun live-recording it.
I'm not going to pretend to be any kind of Mario Kart expert, but grand prix mode in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe feels incredibly unbalanced to me, compared to the games I HAVE played (those being Super, 64, and DS). Being in 3rd place is the worst, because the leaders can keep their distance because you'll never get any good items, meanwhile, you have a giant bullseye on your back. After you get Red Shelled by 4th place, you then fall into 4th, and then you get Ultra Combo'd by every subsequent player, and then suddenly you're in 9th place and no coins, with barely any chance to catch up. They really shouldn't have brought coins back in this way. This experience is based on playing casual with friends, usually 2-3 players against the remaining AI opponents. Not to mention, some gaps just CAN'T be jumped with your glider with some builds, even at top speed, and then Lakitu has to pick you up, and take your coins and waste your time. Not a great time, in my experience.
I wish competitive Smash accepted at least 30% of the randomness that Competitive MK full on embraced. I feel that's part of why Ultimate seems to have stagnated low in recent days despite MK8's longer lifespan.
You should play SRB2Kart, Mr. Triforce! Its such an awesome game, I bet you'd love the item balance they went with. The blue shell equivalent, the self propelled bomb, is one of my favorite designed mechanics in any racing game.
Double dash will forever be my favorite. Hundreds of hours of my childhood was spent playing this with my little sister. She’s gone now, but I still have memories and her time trial ghosts.
33:22 fun fact, that’s mushroom city. You can see daisy cruiser from peach beach and yoshi circuit, and you can see DK mountain from baby park and Dino Dino jungle
I really love Mario Kart game, I keep going back in every season I belong in my life. Even though I lost my DS decade ago, I still cannot forget how amazing and impacted me this game. I didn’t forget this game even if I have gone through many ups and downs in my life(seriously, I forgot many experienced in my past but not this game). I still keep wishing and saying that I want to own a Switch and MK8 someday.
As a former Mario Kart pro I applaud you for this video. Everything you said pretty much is spot-on and shows how much research you must have done. I clocked in about 5k hours of Mario Kart Wii, so it was hard hearing about the controversy concerning its metagame - but then I remembered that I actually struggled to learn inside-drifting bikes back in 2008 when the game came out. When playing with casuals I can imagine the bad feeling for mowing them down when they dare to pick karts :D
one day when my sister and I were playing doubledash in a grand prix, and we were on rainbow road. we were at the stretch before the turn (when you get sucked up that vacuum thing?), and we were knocked off the edge by a com's item, and we screamed in unison, thinking it was over, but miraculously the game glitched us to somehow have our tumble physics go beneath the track (rather than straight off the side) and roll to come out on the other side... we were stunned, and kept on driving. istg if we hadn't played the game together that day, neither one of us would have believed that story. to this day i ask her about it on occasion to make sure that wasn't a dream. phenomenal game
I’m definitely most nostalgic for Mario kart 64. That’s the one that always filled me with glee. Double dash was also super fun with the co-op option for driving. Was perfect for playing with my little cousins who weren’t quite masters at the game. For whatever reason I didn’t like MKwii, which was everyone’s favorite at the time. But I realized I always played these exclusively as multiplayer games, but then MK8 came out and I finally started sinking hours into the single player game. The dlc for the Wii U ver blew me awaaaay! Though I’m still nostalgia blind for 64 (especially its battle mode), MK8 is easily the GOAT. I just wish the switch booster dlc had more care put into it graphically and mechanically. Maybe I just suck (likely) but at parties now those are the ones everyone wants to play. Most of those switch dlc tracks (usually the ones ported from the mobile game) feel like they are weirdly sized and have rough art direction for streets that are drivable and streets that end and want you to turn. Still I fully agree that it’s going to be tough to top MK8. I’m still not bored of it, it’s truly a masterpiece. Amazing vid as always!
The only reason GCN Rainbow Road hasn’t returned is because they’re getting remade in chronological order. MK7 remade SNES RR. MK8 remade N64 RR. The next game will remake GBA RR and the game after that will remake GCN RR. It’s not because of anything to do with it being made for a specific game
Härlig video! Lite flashbacks när du och hiro gick igenom era respektive samlingar till diverse konsoler för ett gäng år sedan! Ser gärna mer av detta!
1:31:00 Just as a quick note, as it is something many people do not know, so it's often not getting mentioned: Some of the people you're seeing here (Teppei Kawasaki (Bass), Takashi Masuzaki (Guitar), Kazuki Katsuta (Alto Sax), as well as Hiroyuki Noritake who played the drums in the Big Blue arrangement and a few other tracks) play in a band called DIMENSION. Though I think they're mostly working independently from eachother with only sometimes coming together as a band, not sure about that part. But they've been making music together even way before Mario Kart 8. =) Not sure whether your spam filter would delete links, so I'm not posting them, but they have live performances uploaded to TH-cam! =D
mr triforce, i cannot express how much i love your videos, specifically zelda ones. i came for the TP retrospective, and stayed for you and your wonderful commentary. keep it up
Appreciate this little love letter to the series. I've missed out on a few entries, but my appreciation goes back to the SNES days as a little kid. That Soyo Oka soundtrack perhaps being the best thing from the original game at this point for me as I don't really long to play OG Mario Kart, but the good memories are still there. I like how you pointed out the various online competitive annoyances. Whether it was the snaking in MKDS or obnoxious imbalance with bikes on MKWii. Was a bummer on Wii online whenever you saw someone using Funky Kong with that bike and just dominating because, well it was almost predetermined. Though not just that, sometimes you'd run into hacked races too. You sum up vbery nicely how multiplayer experiences could be so different depending on the scenario. And yes, for me I'd say it's always been the couch multiplayer variant that I enjoyed the most just in terms of "let's try our best, but actually have fun."
1:26:15 NAH NAH NAH NAH NAH. I distinctly remember dodging a couple blue shells in double dash purely off the mini turbo boost, which frankly I think is amazing and noteworthy
Omg new video 🙏🏼😭 thank you, I have been waiting for this slice to release tysm time to listen to this at least 10 times a month to keep your revenue up and the algorithm boosted
It's why I love Mario Kart 8 as a game... There is no crazy, highly advanced tech like low tricking, fire-hopping(og 8) or snaking, a/r tech that you need to master or anything in order to perform well in it. It's what MK is SUPPOSED to be! Fun. In order to perform well in Mario Kart 8, you just need to... Well, do what you've always been taught throughout the series, take your driving lines good and use your items strategically, there was no need for DS and Wii to alienate players with its advanced stuff. You can master 8 simply by honing your driving skills and not need to perform janky, frame perfect stunts or whatever
probably the saddest part about the mario kart series is that there legit may never be another one that's purely chaotic like Double Dash or Mario Kart Wii's item selection- cuz those were absolutely perfect I deff miss those mega mushrooms, bowser shells, thunder clouds, and giant bananas Sand-baggings very interesting, as I'm actually unsure if many even thought of it like that in the early 2000s during double dash era. I and likely many other people legit thought falling back into a lower place for better items was a fun thing to do in both that and wii. I'm glad they finally nerfed it in mario kart 8 deluxe though.
As someone who grew up grinding In double dash to be the best I possibly can, I appreciate someone talking about the things I loved so much about it. I have now played most of the Mario kart games and it was a joy to listen to your perspective. Very great video:)
Dude, double dash holds so many amazing memories for me. Between those bomb games where my sister and i would play for hours, until i got better at the game because of my hours of playing, she stopped playing with me. Then i started winning against my dad and stepmom when they would play with me. I got better to the point where i was on the same level as my stepbrother, who became a master at gaming at the age of 10, he and i would go neck to neck a lot and he was the only one who challaged me the best. I remember how pissed he was when i first won a cup against him. I would also time challage myself on the wario track and rainbow road for hours until i mastered drifting without hitting the walls or falling of the edge. Those two were my favorite maps. Mario Kart wii was meh for me. I struggled really bad with having to tilt the remotes. I did get pretty good at it but i really missed the regular gamecube controller and the origional drifting strategy i had mastered. But i did like using the bikes when i finally got down drifting, but i didnt realize it was because of the type of turns they did. Lol. I do also have a lot of memories playing that game with my best friend as well as going against my siblings and my mom. My sister also played a lot as well but struggled with the motion controller as well. Mario Kart 8 tho? I have been able to bring my skills from Double Dash as well as learn a bunch of amazing strategies to play, as well as chose the best kart to use when playing my favorite character: yoshi, zelda bike, the zelda bike wheels, and alternating between both of the zelda parachutes. That bike combo is the best for traction while i make my really tight drifts, i do still struggle with releasing the gas button while drifting which makes a few tracks difficult since it wasnt a skill i learned with double dash and the wii, like the city track with the rain (i struggle to remember track names please give me grace) so there is still a lot for me to learn. I dont have a lot of memories with this game since my ex would never play with me, but i was able to play with my brothers and mom a few times that was a lot of fun!
1:08:41 Mario Kart Tour updated to remove all the old gacha mechanics well before this video went up. The gacha screen still exists, but it is just a bonus reward; you can unlock everything in the game without using it. Also, for all Tour's flaws, it did bring back a ton of retro courses, characters (including finally getting Kamek into 8 Deluxe), and karts, and it also did a good job adapting the drift physics to a game you can play with one finger (which Nintendo is dead set on you being able to do with all their smartphone games).
I grew up on Crash Team Racing but I can see the respect and appreciation that people have for Mario Kart. It's a great series and I happen to had Double Dash growing up. It's not my favorite but it's definitely a fun experimental entry. I'm glad the series is still going strong and I'm happy everyone is having fun 👍
I never looked too closely at stats. I always just picked whichever characters and karts I felt like using and never had any trouble. I got up to about 11,000 vr in MK8 for Wii U that way.
Played every mario kart.... Double dash is the best and the donkey kong course is the most badass course in mario kart. The downhill portion, chefs kiss
Great video! Just one thing, Mario Kart Tour isn’t half as bad as you make it out to be. I got used to the controls and I played it for over four years every day without spending a single cent. It’s just fun for a couple minutes every day and it doesn’t try to be more.
The only thing that comes close to rivalling the difficulty of the original SNES rainbow road, is playing literally any track on 200cc in MK8D. Best addition to the franchise since.
Snaking absolutely ruined MKDS online play, long before the hackers came along. It was a blast the first few months but soon became unplayable. Fortunately nearly all my friends and family had the game so we still had tons of fun in local play
Double Dash will always be my favorite. I especially love how you can't hold items behind your vehicle. It made satisfying being able to counter items with skill. It houses some of the best memories I can remember with my older brother.
Phenomenal video man. You really gave every game here a moment to shine and showed you've done research with each one's mechanics. Seriously, well done.
I have a lot of nostalgic memories of Mario Kart Wii, the Wii was our first family game-console and Mario Kart was by far the game we played the most often. After I moved away from home, we would always play a few rounds of Mario Kart whenever I came back home during holidays. One of my most treasured memories from this time being that I was playing while alone at home at one point and as I was playing Wario's Gold Mine aka one of the most difficult courses in the game, my dad suddenly calls which forces me to essentially play the entire track with just one hand. And somehow, I still finished 1st.
Mario Kart will always be one of my favorites! I put hundreds of hours into Mario Kart 7 when I was deployed, lots of good memories there. Thank you for this video~
I love your videos man. It's like you figure out everything I'm nostalgic about and make video essays about it lol. If you ever want to talk about Super Mario Sunshine again I would love that, as it was my childhood mario game. :)
Your hatred of tour is fascinating since I like it quite a bit, also it's not truly a spinoff mario kart like the arcade games because tours tracks have returned, whilst arcades has not
Okay, now picture this. A roller coaster theme park dedicated entirely to Mario Kart! Imagine, more ground level, twisty tracks for things like Mario Circuit, Toad's Turnpike, Excitebike Arena, etc. Big, thrill rides for Wario's Gold Mine, DK Mountain, Rainbow Road, etc. Water rides for Dolphin Shoals, Cheep Cheep Beach, Big Blue, etc. The whole park would be divided into different sections that represent each of the cups, and with each next cup, bigger, faster, thrill-ier rides, with Rainbow Road being the biggest in the park! When you enter the park, you're given a checklist/stamp card/whatever that the people at the end of each ride can mark off. If you can complete/ride every track in a given cup, then at the end of your visit, you can get a mini trophy for whichever cup you completed! And maybe you can get a special, secret prize if you complete every cup in the park. Any ideas for what it could be? Lastly, you can get a shirt in the gift shop that says, "I drove on Rainbow Road." This is an idea that I've had for a while. I don't ever expect it to become real, but it's a lot of fun to think about.
Also, you left out a rather controversial aspect of some select MK games: the Ranking system. In Super Circuit, it was infuriating, and you were forced to race with specific pilots to get all 3 Stars (not to mention all the other crap). In DS, it was primarily confined to Mission Mode, if I recall. On Wii and 7, you had to get lucky to make it to 3 stars (in Wii, it was impossible). Finally, 8 made the ranking system fair by only forcing you to place 1st on every track in a single cup.
Liam my good sir, once again you have successfully explained exactly why i love a video game series. Your hour long videos are exactly what i need whenever im feeling nostalgic. Keep doing what your doing man 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
If Nintendo was given more room at Universal with Nintendo World I think the Mario Kart ride would have been significantly better if it was done like the ride in Cars Land at Disney Land.
1:19:20 I don't think the solo ever actually appears in-game and just appears in the OST. It does shift dynamically to the saxophone rendition of the song, just not the solo specifically
45:20, 53:18 100% agree that I don't really like when certain chars/vehicles have certain stats, which incentivises playing as the stats you like rather than the character/vehicle combo you like (not even just about how good it is from a meta point of view, but also about how much you like the control/gameplay with the combo). Tuning karts/bikes would be cooler (where the stat selection is the same, but it's just you can apply it to any vehicle).
Y'know what's a really good Mascot Kart Racer that nobody talks about? Muppet RaceMania It's like a perfect blend of Crash Team Racing and Mario Kart 64, with tracks that double as collectathon levels built around driving. And you unlock characters just like you unlock the chicken in Diddy Kong Racing. Not only that but the soundtrack slaps hard.
I see anything from this channel that is n64 zelda, mario kart or mario and I immediately book myself an hour slot during my week to sit down and watch.
![The Complete Story of Destiny! From origins to Shadowkeep [Timeline and Lore explained]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/9mbDXvDNqTU/mqdefault.jpg)
I don't know what's more traumatising. Finding out I never knew about inside drifting, or watching the footage of a track I *thought* I knew and seeing a shortcut I've never seen before...
It happens. nothing to be traumatized over lol
Most people learn these things in communities, so if you were not part of one, it's no wonder you've missed these kind of details.
@@Aardappelpurree "you're dumb because you're alone!" is v much how I read that
@@pxrksmcser "Uninformed" might be a lil more accurate than "dumb".
After a rough week, 1 hour and 30+ minutes about the comfort of Mario Kart is definitely what I need.
Amen brother
Ameeeeeen
I know that exact feeling, enjoy this much deserved video essay break!
Actually real
This is so real
At 17:23 the jump from N64 graphics and appreciating the game for its mechanics to full 60fps mario kart 8 was so jarring in such a cool way. We've come a long way in gaming and seeing it through the lens of mario kart, a game i grew up playing and loving, is just unbelievable.
Surprised there's no mention of 8 original's item system. Not being able to hold an item behind your kart while simultaniously picking up another item was a defining element of that game. Undone in Deluxe for better or worse.
@breadandcircuses8127not sure about demon sliding, but firehopping is when you hop over and over again for the entire duration of a mini turbo to go faster.
that's just proved he doesn't care that deeply about mario kart. what a shame.
@@mrluthfians01No it doesn’t at all? Did we watch the same video?????
A really bad mechanic imo. Every other Mario Kart allows that except for 8 on WiiU
@@train4292r/wooosh
These videos always feels like I'm listening to a friend talk about something they love for an hour straight. I can barely tell there's any edit breaks with the voice. I love these videos.
Me la pelas carnal
MarioKart is the ultimate Party Game, even more than Smash Bros. It's easygoing game play, different courses, and that music...it is just perfect fun. Whenever I've been at my lowest, it's helped me and my friends come together, and gave me the right dosage of fun that I need.
Happy 10th Anniversary to Mariokart 8!
Nah smash is the ultimate party game over mk
@@BruhBruh-xu5cqif you’re annoying maybe
@@BruhBruh-xu5cqthe issue w “party games” as a title is that playing video games at a party is hardly ever a real thing. Which is why you’re right, you wanna get 6 bros in a room to have a good time throw on smash. You got two married couples, two single adults and a couple kids? Sure play Mario kart
Nah it’s Mario party.
Tell me you've never played with friends, without telling me you've never played with friends.
"...imagine doing that in this game; where the items turn races into the Normandy landings, EXCEPT it's a free-for-all, and we're all trying to get off those boats."
I'M DYING HERE! THAT'S SO ON POINT AND EXACTLY WHAT MAKES DOUBLE DASH (and especially the "Bob-Omb Blast"- battlemode) ONE OF THE BEST GAMES TO COUCH PLAY WITH YOUR FRIENDS! Everyone just hollering "GET HIS ASS!" at anyone who's in the lead atm and the joy/horror of getting to that 1st place yourself.
Man do I love Double Dash!
😂
This is the best Mario Kart video I've ever watched.
It is SUCH a breath of fresh air to see such a well informed take on the Mario Kart series. Someone who has CLEARLY explored the mechanical depth of Mario Kart rather than just being a large name passing by. I was already completely impressed by this video before you were even done talking about the first game in the series.
Having now finished the entire video, I reflect on how you did the entire series justice in covering every single inch of what makes every single game special... except for one unreasonably glaring hole
While hatred for Mario Kart Tour is FAR from uncommon, I still welcome the day that I hear anyone besides myself singing its praises. It is a game that is developed on completely different terms from any game in the series and rather than _just_ seek to emulate the feeling of being "Mario Kart on your phone," it's focus shifts onto an entirely new mechanic, the one singular opaque element of the HUD that you blatantly chose to ignore, the score function. Because unlike any other Mario Kart Game, the aim is not merely to win the race, but rather a creative hybrid of Racing and a Tony-Hawk trick-based game-play in which your main focus is to build massive combos which every fundamental skill of your standard Mario Kart driving feeds into.
I'm not going to pretend it is a game for everyone or even that every person needs to appreciate it, but in a video which otherwise does a 10/10 job finding the strength of Mario Kart in every single form it has ever taken, the choice to even make mention of such a creatively different entry in the series only to tear it down for everything it stands for is a baffling decision, and one which I don't agree adds any form of value to this video. It speaks to me as a glaring failure of research in a video that otherwise goes out of its way to document the incredible depth of every single game in the series from the hidden item probabilities of the first to fan-made kart-builder of the most recent.
You don't have to like the game, and frankly I'm not even sure if _I_ do anymore, but the way you talk about it as if there is not a single positive thing to say about it is nothing short of heartbreaking to me. Especially when it may single-handedly be the reason why your two favorite iterations of Rainbow Road eventually found their way into what is now the _ULTIMATE_ Mario Kart Experience. How hard is it to say one singular nice thing about a game you dislike?
I write this comment not to be a cynical asshole who thinks Nintendo can do no harm and that you're "blasphemous" for disliking one of their products, but as a passionate Mario Kart player who was more impressed than I've ever been at every other second of this video. As someone who saw the depth and understanding you displayed for EVERY OTHER GAME IN THE ENTIRE SERIES only to see you completely drop that nuanced depth for this one singular section of the video. This is still the best Mario Kart video I have ever watched by a WIDE margin, but your decision to alienate Mario Kart Tour as the one and ONLY game undeserving of even the slightest amount of praise stops this video from being perfect.
The arcade games taking advantage of coin-gobbling arcade cabinets don't disqualify them. The older games having dated and hard to grasp controls don't disqualify them. The ABSURD price point and COMPLETE lack of depth in Mario Kart Home Circuit does not disqualify it.
So I ask you, why does the mobile game having OPTIONAL micro-transaction and watered down controls disqualify _it_ of the bare minimum?
bro left a comment as long as the video
Fax my brother! Spit your shit indeed!
@@thekempter1991 It's almost like I have just as much passion for Mario Kart as Liam does and that a really well-made video invokes deep and nuanced discussion
The gacha elements were also completely removed a while back, which obviously were not great to begin with and shouldn't be a thing at all, is still notable. The amount of character variety (if only for how much money they want you to spend) is cool to see. They also have unique types of missions that are sort of alike Mario Kart DS, like wiping out enemies with items. Every track having reversed and remixed versions also adds a lot of perspective to some fan favourite tracks, even adding the Kalimari Desert tunnel as an official part of the track, which extended to its appearance in the Booster Course. I still think they did a bit too much to make the game overly mobile-friendly, like having the game be in portrait mode by default and severely limiting control when they could have made it at least a bit more complex, but when it comes to mobile games I think the ceiling of effort and value can only be so high. The combo system is really interesting because it really makes you go out of your way to get coins to continue the chain, but I think it's held back a bit by being affected by your character and kart combos, which can really make or break your final score. Tour is nowhere near up there with the other Mario Karts, but their efforts to make a unique Mario Kart experience were commendable, if not held back by the aggressive mobile gaming trademarks that plague the market.
@@bandannadoo Incredibly well said even if I disagree with smaller parts of what you say.
I was personally never bothered by the use of gacha and to me the game feels more empty without it in contrast to the system they eventually replaced it with, but like, I'm not gonna hate someone for disliking gacha.
I think the combo system being tied to character-kart choices were a great way to encourage variety and reward players who stayed active. (although I agree that nothing sucked more than encountering those few tracks where you didn't have the best options)
But overall, yeah. This is a much more deserving analysis of Tour's strengths (and weaknesses)
Two things I want to add to this video:
1. The Mega Mushroom in Mario Kart Wii does give some protection against shocks. If you get shocked while in that state, your character will return to their normal size instead of becoming mini
2. Mario Kart 7 actually introduced a change that I consider bad. As the trick button is now the same as the hop/drift button, it is impossible to do a trick while holding a drift, which is entirely possible in Mario Kart Wii by shaking the Wiimote or pressing the GC D-Pad while drifting over a ledge/ramp
Intresting perspective. For me the change was good beacuse for me having trick and drift on different places was too hard for me
@@readisgooddewaterkant7890. I think the real problem was that the trick button was the Dpad, which forced you to release the left stick. I configured my controls in Dolphin (emulator) to use R as trick and ZR as drift and it worked wonderfully. In MK8D you can already use any of the two for those two actions. It would've been great to keep drift tricking by holding one button to drift and press the other to trick (whichever you prefer), or shake the controller while drifting, because you can still trick by shaking the controller
@@readisgooddewaterkant7890 I agree that mapping trick to R was a good change by itself (pressing D-Pad Down using a Gamecube Controller???), but we should still be able to drift trick by shaking the controller while drifting or by pressing the other R button as the Switch has two R buttons: R and ZR
Mario Kart tour in this retrospective was done dirty… it hasn’t been a gatcha game in years and was responsible for reintroducing forgotten mechanics that slowly made their way into the booster course pass. Despite the gameplay itself it’s clear the developers did their homework on past entries and had a soft spot for the franchise
Another thing, despite the gameplay playing itself most of the time, it's focus is more arcade rather than about winning since it's about earning points and making long combo chains, specially when it puts like 20 people competing in the same cup to see who gets the most points and earn the good stuff, stuff regular gachas would make you wast hundreds of dollars just for a 0.1% chance of winning. Tour made me love jumps and coins because of that, reaching the 100 combo is kind of adrenaline inducing because at any point someone may break it with a shell.
Also, I like the game for being more honest with its pricing when compared to actual gachas, yeah the 40$ Diddy Kong pack is a funny meme, but that's what happens when real gachas show what you are truly meant to waste, 3000$ for the newest banner character in FEH/GI/BA/AK anyone? Yeah. Tour gives you golden pipes all the time, meaning you are pretty likely to win good things without wasting a dime.
Tour is just a free arcade game that constantly rewards you, I'm considering paying for the gold pass because of that.
Not to mention, there are many things that Tour does better than some of the mainline games.
* There are WAY more characters and costumes for characters (265 characters/costumes in total)
* On top of the large course selection (103 tracks), they added in trick and reverse trick variants for almost every course, adding more variety to the experience.
* Character specific items are back, with the different character variants having different items, allowing for more variety if you like a specific item.
* There are also an absurd amount of karts (336) and gliders (225), and sure it didn't have custom wheels, but I honestly feel like custom wheels are unnecessary and limiting for kart designs. (especially since you can barely see the wheels in a race)
Overall, I hope they look back on Mario Kart Tour and add in some of the variety the game had to the next installment, as that was definitely its biggest advantage.
@@Forwaken can’t forget how underrated the 3 item slots and roulette mechanic is. It’s genuinely good fun and I sort of hope future games let you choose a mode like it
@@Ds_is_i I would love a "Frenzy" mode where all characters can have up to 3 items with the rare chance of going Frenzy, and if they add more single player content that makes you want to play it on your own then even better.
37:58 this is the Mario Kart equivalent of Dark Souls’ “get gud” and I am so here for it. When I finally mastered the drifting mechanics in Double Dash, I was able to absolutely dominate in every subsequent Mario Kart game I played.
yeah for me the moment of DD fully clicking was me & my younger brother playing the co-op grand prix mode, me on driving & him on weapons, & becoming an *almost* well oiled machine dominating the AI (the almost coming from Mario Kart being Mario Kart & us being like 6 & 8 years old at the time of getting the game)
Mario kart Wii..worst online ever. More hackers the SAO.
If there's one thing I love more than mounting Wario, it's a Liam Triforce retrospective.
Mounting???????
@@jacobsims1175sex joke I think
@@Lanetgm I am unsure too, but i think its probably a reference to intercourse
Wahhhh ☹️
I know sex joke but I like to imagine you mean like a horse.
Double Dash' Rainbow Road theme is still the most beautiful song in the whole series. The game holds a special place in my heart.
1:04:00 I think the best part about Super Nintendo World is how it allows anyone of any age to enjoy Mario and by extension Mario Kart, Yoshi, Donkey Kong, etc, without the skill barriers that come with playing and understanding video games. The whole park feels like a family-oriented version of Super Mario 64, with missions and objectives to accomplish using your Power-Up Band, major collectables you and your party are working towards like the Golden Mushroom and Universal Cup, all alongside the amount of physical interactive experiences that feel like Mario Party Mini-Games brought to life!
Even something as small as tapping your band to a treasure chest in Bowser Junior's hideout causes it to glow, all the lights in the room to change color, and for you get a stamp collectable on the app just for being curious of the world your exploring, which bring me back to playing games like Mario Galaxy and Twilight Princess, and finding secrets in those games that simply reward you for taking in your environment more carefully. The only difference now is that my whole family can enjoy these experiences and characters I've loved for so long, in a way that's active and easily understood no matter what your background in video games or Mario as a series is. That part alone is why I'm so excited for the Florida iteration and it's Donkey Kong areas.
To that end, I think Bowser's Challenge succeeds in bringing the idea and multiplayer mayhem of Mario Kart into a theme park space, in spite of clearly lacking in recreating the gameplay format of the console games, because, if it were simply go-karts with AR, the competitive element between friends and family in the same Kart wouldn't be there, in spite of the loss of more complex item play, or any real control of the Kart itself.
The park is really the true evolution of the Wii era's "anyone can play it" mindset, but brought to an insane, true to life, scale. Even more so because it's not tied to a video game system with its own rulebook of understanding, if you want to hit a Question Block, you literally just hit it, there's no stopgap in player understanding, which is why it was so fun for me and my family in a way that no other theme park experience can claim to be. It's everything I love from Nintendo, fun with those I care about, in an immersive environment.
I love Mario Kart, especially 8 with all its content now. Even playing it alone is weirdly ... comforting. The stages and music always make me feel comfy, haha.
Also, amazing thumbnail!
True
I feel this way about Mario Party. I feel like I'm the only one who loves playing it alone.
Especially Mario Party 3's story mode.
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👍👍
All I do on TH-cam is watch, I have literally never commented on a video before. But your videos are always captivating, and Mario Kart is my favourite game series ever. So before I even start watching, THANK YOU for doing what you do. You - and Mario Kart - are the best 👑
Do you have any idea how cathartic it is to see a Mario Kart video that not only understands Super Mario Kart, but also has good things to say about it, AND states the game having a steep learning for its controls, as opposed to writing it off as "bad game lol"?
Thank you, Liam Triforce!
@breadandcircuses8127 No it didn't. Games that take a good deal of effort to get used to =/= games that aged badly. I understand that SMK is vastly different from other Mario Kart entries. And it's entirely fair to say the game isn't for everyone (ironically, despite being made with a casual experience in mind, it has a high barrier to entry and an astronomical skill cieling) because the game is ball-bustingly punishing, especially if you're expecting it to be like modern MK.
But it's not a modern Mario Kart. It's an intensely rewarding experience that stands out from the rest. There's a reason it sold a shitzillion copies, kickstarted an entire genre, is *still* revered as one of the greatest games on a console mostly agreed upon to be one of the best, and has an active, thriving tournament scene (SMK Championships, go look them up) as well as a speedrunning + time trial leader board forum, and tons of romhacks (SMK DX is gonna be mindblowingly lit)!
SMK is great and folks are gonna figure it out soon.
I didn't grow up with Mario Kart, but it became the standard drinking game with my friends in college and it still retains that status now. I think the much discussed (in this video) bridging of skill gaps is a big reason for that. I avoid racing games because I suck at them, but in Mario Kart, I'm having fun even when I'm constantly losing. And sometimes, I do win too. The simple addition of items does so much imo - not just because they can sometimes turn things around, but also because it gives you more interaction with other players even if you're constantly behind. It makes for great couch situations.
Despite your harsh criticisms of Tour, which, yeah, valid, it's not really a racing game, it's still got a dedicated playerbase and actually a lot of mechanical depth because it's actually about scoring as many points and actions as possible within the limited time in each race due to the automated accelerating.
If you go into it wanting Mario Kart on mobile, you're not going to get anywhere.
I don't think it's valid at all to criticise it for being a gacha game, given that it literally isn't that and hasn't been for almost a year and a half.
The way he shows some of the random free items you get in the background as he says it's a gacha game is especially dishonest.
Tour is extremely misunderstood 💯
@@Esteban3000 It it was, for 3 years, before facing legal backlash. With this change they cut down the rewards you get from natural play (at least for a time) while upping the prices if I recall.
It is still at its core a Gacha Game, milking money and overpricing for non-things. Its Gacha Wallet.
the copium of mario kart tour players is insane. Yall love getting fed sh3t and wont deny it proudly 😂
i mean it advertises itself as mario kart on mobile which it’s terrible at so that’s its fault
One of my favourite video game frachises of all time, and the best party games!
You should give Tour a second chance. It's nowhere near the league and quality of MK8, but it has a solid robust scoring system that keeps me coming back for more. The elaborate combo system encourages repeated playthroughs, and the
RPG-esque driver/kart/glider improvement mechanics are a worthy reward that only makes you want to try and break your former records. Plus, the modified versions of classic tracks are worth the playthrough.
I feel like Mario Kart 8 doesn't get enough credit for being like the ONLY absolutely flawless soundtrack. Like, not just consistently good, but consistently incredible. Every single track can be listened to on it's own and hold up. That alongside most songs having last lap, front-running, tiny, and underwater variants is just wild. I really hope the big band jazz style never goes away.
Definitely a situation where you have to wonder what they could possibly do to follow it up.
There's a couple of the very old retro soundtracks that are genuinely painful to listen to. Its an amazing soundtrack. But its not flawless
I'm talkin' Mario Kart 8's soundtrack, not the whole series.
8 really is the last set of Nintendo tunes you could drag out the dreaded, overused term "iconic" for.
The amount of times I've randomly busted out the opening YADAT-DAT-DADAA-DA when I'm zoning out is uncanny.
Mario Kart still being amazing with even the oldest ones still holding up, even AFTER the revolution of MP games due to Halo then COD, makes it unquestionably one of the greatest series of games to ever exist. I'd like to tag Mario Party onto that list as well. Timeless.
I find it easy to still have with. F-zero holds up as well. Super Mario World, Super Castlevania IV, Super Metroid, A link to the past. In my opinion the Super Nintendo holds up extremely well including SMK. SMK is just a different game. You're perfectly allowed to disagree, but I think your wrong, personally.@breadandcircuses8127
@breadandcircuses8127 Your opinions aren't facts, but thank you for your comment though..
1:07:33 Mario Kart Tour is not a spin off, whether you like it or not. Nintendo recognizes it as a main entry, mainly because it was featured alongside every other game in the booster course pass trailer. Not to mention, it has some really great tracks that have gotten into mario kart 8 deluxe, and in many of the polls I've seen regarding mario kart tracks, people tend to like many of the tour tracks over the console tracks (not all though). Of course I am a daily tour player, and I will defend mario kart tour with my life, so I may have some bias towards it. Now yeah, I love the game, but I admit it, there are some aspects I don't like. The random usernames for cpus in single player makes no sense, and the microtransactions. But there are many things I like more. The items are amazing, each character having a different tier pn different tracks, which makes you choose different drivers, karts, and gliders on different tracks, the amount of unique (or costumes of) drivers, the fact that the track lineup changes every 2 weeks, resulting in better replayability, and more. If you give mario kart tour a chance, actually try to play it, and ignore the microtransactions, it's a really fun game that has way more potential than people give it credit for.
i love hearing the passion in your narration. i also loved double dash! youre the first one ive really seen in the mk space who discusses the way stats are listed and the effects it has on even casual players. these are SUCH fun watches!!
Toad/Paratroopa with the blue toad cart is the best Double Dash combo IMO. Triple red shells and golden mushrooms all day!
Love these sorts of retrospectives. I'll always be a Double Dash guy, but for parties, I try to be diplomatic and go with MK8 Deluxe. Like you said in the video, MK8 does a great job of making multiple strategies feel viable and probably does the best job at closing skill gaps without it feeling unfair.
As for where the series can go from here, I still feel that a future installment should bring back character-specific specials. I doubt it would happen, but a Diddy Kong Racing Adventure mode 1P experience would also be great. MK DS sort of had that going on with boss battles, so it's not impossible. One of MK 8's biggest weaknesses is that there's little point in playing through the cups besides practice. There is almost nothing to unlock that you can't just unlock by playing multiplayer with friends. Then, of course, there's the most obvious direction: Turning Mario Kart into Nintendo Kart. lol
I feel very validated after you said that the co-op mode is the best way to play Double Dash!!. Me and a homie went through the whole game unlocking everything in Grand Prix in co-op mode and it was super fun!
the thing is, although mario kart wii is from most peoples view HEAVILY bike oriented it open a niche (in online play) to master the best karts, the best kart players are terrifying taking up most of the track and constantly wheelie bumping all of the bikers, all of the vehicles feel so unique and different unlike 8 where no matter what you use it feels the same
Mario Kart Tour isnt meant to be played like a mario kart, you have to chain combos and is more like an arcade game. Good video, I enjoyed!
Some of my earliest memories are of playing super mario kart at my moms friends house. I remember being completely blown away by the fact it was in "3-d". I didnt know what 3d was called then but i knew it was different from the side scrollers i had previously played.
This is officially one of the best ways to finish out my workday. 1.5 hours of Liam Triforce!
P.S. The orchestra that did the soundtrack for Mario Kart 8 ABSOLUTELY killed it and I hope they had so much fun live-recording it.
I'm not going to pretend to be any kind of Mario Kart expert, but grand prix mode in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe feels incredibly unbalanced to me, compared to the games I HAVE played (those being Super, 64, and DS). Being in 3rd place is the worst, because the leaders can keep their distance because you'll never get any good items, meanwhile, you have a giant bullseye on your back. After you get Red Shelled by 4th place, you then fall into 4th, and then you get Ultra Combo'd by every subsequent player, and then suddenly you're in 9th place and no coins, with barely any chance to catch up. They really shouldn't have brought coins back in this way. This experience is based on playing casual with friends, usually 2-3 players against the remaining AI opponents. Not to mention, some gaps just CAN'T be jumped with your glider with some builds, even at top speed, and then Lakitu has to pick you up, and take your coins and waste your time. Not a great time, in my experience.
I wish competitive Smash accepted at least 30% of the randomness that Competitive MK full on embraced. I feel that's part of why Ultimate seems to have stagnated low in recent days despite MK8's longer lifespan.
You should play SRB2Kart, Mr. Triforce! Its such an awesome game, I bet you'd love the item balance they went with. The blue shell equivalent, the self propelled bomb, is one of my favorite designed mechanics in any racing game.
Mario Kart is so influential in pretty much everyones lives, we can all relate to this
Double dash will forever be my favorite. Hundreds of hours of my childhood was spent playing this with my little sister. She’s gone now, but I still have memories and her time trial ghosts.
33:22 fun fact, that’s mushroom city. You can see daisy cruiser from peach beach and yoshi circuit, and you can see DK mountain from baby park and Dino Dino jungle
Incredible video, just as I was expecting. So glad I got to contribute to the making of it, however small my role may have been!
I really love Mario Kart game, I keep going back in every season I belong in my life.
Even though I lost my DS decade ago, I still cannot forget how amazing and impacted me this game. I didn’t forget this game even if I have gone through many ups and downs in my life(seriously, I forgot many experienced in my past but not this game).
I still keep wishing and saying that I want to own a Switch and MK8 someday.
With the broadband adapter(?), double dash!! could also be played with up to 16 people across 4 gamecubes. 8 karts, all playing co-op xD
As a former Mario Kart pro I applaud you for this video. Everything you said pretty much is spot-on and shows how much research you must have done. I clocked in about 5k hours of Mario Kart Wii, so it was hard hearing about the controversy concerning its metagame - but then I remembered that I actually struggled to learn inside-drifting bikes back in 2008 when the game came out. When playing with casuals I can imagine the bad feeling for mowing them down when they dare to pick karts :D
one day when my sister and I were playing doubledash in a grand prix, and we were on rainbow road. we were at the stretch before the turn (when you get sucked up that vacuum thing?), and we were knocked off the edge by a com's item, and we screamed in unison, thinking it was over, but miraculously the game glitched us to somehow have our tumble physics go beneath the track (rather than straight off the side) and roll to come out on the other side... we were stunned, and kept on driving. istg if we hadn't played the game together that day, neither one of us would have believed that story. to this day i ask her about it on occasion to make sure that wasn't a dream. phenomenal game
I’m definitely most nostalgic for Mario kart 64. That’s the one that always filled me with glee. Double dash was also super fun with the co-op option for driving. Was perfect for playing with my little cousins who weren’t quite masters at the game. For whatever reason I didn’t like MKwii, which was everyone’s favorite at the time. But I realized I always played these exclusively as multiplayer games, but then MK8 came out and I finally started sinking hours into the single player game. The dlc for the Wii U ver blew me awaaaay!
Though I’m still nostalgia blind for 64 (especially its battle mode), MK8 is easily the GOAT. I just wish the switch booster dlc had more care put into it graphically and mechanically. Maybe I just suck (likely) but at parties now those are the ones everyone wants to play. Most of those switch dlc tracks (usually the ones ported from the mobile game) feel like they are weirdly sized and have rough art direction for streets that are drivable and streets that end and want you to turn.
Still I fully agree that it’s going to be tough to top MK8. I’m still not bored of it, it’s truly a masterpiece. Amazing vid as always!
Great vid. Your vids are so good at not sounding overhyped but still making your passion clear. Keep it up!
The only reason GCN Rainbow Road hasn’t returned is because they’re getting remade in chronological order.
MK7 remade SNES RR.
MK8 remade N64 RR.
The next game will remake GBA RR and the game after that will remake GCN RR. It’s not because of anything to do with it being made for a specific game
Excellent work again Liam! I would love to see you tackle a retrospective on the Mario Party series!
yawn
your insistence on calling the blue shell only the great equalizer is amazing 10/10 video
Härlig video! Lite flashbacks när du och hiro gick igenom era respektive samlingar till diverse konsoler för ett gäng år sedan! Ser gärna mer av detta!
Your long analysis videos are so great to listen to while drawing. thanks for making this! been a real good watch so far
Hell yeah new video gonna be a great thing to watch tonight. Your thumbnails are always so awesome too man
MK8 64 Rainbow Road feels like almost a celebration of the entire series and it brings me so much joy
1:31:00
Just as a quick note, as it is something many people do not know, so it's often not getting mentioned:
Some of the people you're seeing here (Teppei Kawasaki (Bass), Takashi Masuzaki (Guitar), Kazuki Katsuta (Alto Sax), as well as Hiroyuki Noritake who played the drums in the Big Blue arrangement and a few other tracks) play in a band called DIMENSION.
Though I think they're mostly working independently from eachother with only sometimes coming together as a band, not sure about that part.
But they've been making music together even way before Mario Kart 8. =)
Not sure whether your spam filter would delete links, so I'm not posting them, but they have live performances uploaded to TH-cam! =D
Mario kart tour is to Nintendo considered Mario kart 9. The next one will be called Mario kart X for obvious reasons
They might not go with 10 or X but yeah tour is probably 9
How crazy would it be if they remade double dash and you could play online coop against others that would be amazing
mr triforce, i cannot express how much i love your videos, specifically zelda ones. i came for the TP retrospective, and stayed for you and your wonderful commentary. keep it up
Mario kart is just one of those games that everyone loves. So many good times spent with these games and I love them dearly
Appreciate this little love letter to the series. I've missed out on a few entries, but my appreciation goes back to the SNES days as a little kid. That Soyo Oka soundtrack perhaps being the best thing from the original game at this point for me as I don't really long to play OG Mario Kart, but the good memories are still there.
I like how you pointed out the various online competitive annoyances. Whether it was the snaking in MKDS or obnoxious imbalance with bikes on MKWii. Was a bummer on Wii online whenever you saw someone using Funky Kong with that bike and just dominating because, well it was almost predetermined. Though not just that, sometimes you'd run into hacked races too. You sum up vbery nicely how multiplayer experiences could be so different depending on the scenario. And yes, for me I'd say it's always been the couch multiplayer variant that I enjoyed the most just in terms of "let's try our best, but actually have fun."
1:26:15 NAH NAH NAH NAH NAH. I distinctly remember dodging a couple blue shells in double dash purely off the mini turbo boost, which frankly I think is amazing and noteworthy
Omg new video 🙏🏼😭 thank you, I have been waiting for this slice to release tysm time to listen to this at least 10 times a month to keep your revenue up and the algorithm boosted
It's why I love Mario Kart 8 as a game... There is no crazy, highly advanced tech like low tricking, fire-hopping(og 8) or snaking, a/r tech that you need to master or anything in order to perform well in it. It's what MK is SUPPOSED to be! Fun. In order to perform well in Mario Kart 8, you just need to... Well, do what you've always been taught throughout the series, take your driving lines good and use your items strategically, there was no need for DS and Wii to alienate players with its advanced stuff. You can master 8 simply by honing your driving skills and not need to perform janky, frame perfect stunts or whatever
Throughly enjoyable, as always. Thank you so much for putting the time into these, always a pleasure to watch and a nostalgia overload
probably the saddest part about the mario kart series is that there legit may never be another one that's purely chaotic like Double Dash or Mario Kart Wii's item selection- cuz those were absolutely perfect
I deff miss those mega mushrooms, bowser shells, thunder clouds, and giant bananas
Sand-baggings very interesting, as I'm actually unsure if many even thought of it like that in the early 2000s during double dash era. I and likely many other people legit thought falling back into a lower place for better items was a fun thing to do in both that and wii. I'm glad they finally nerfed it in mario kart 8 deluxe though.
58:20 it’s hilarious you talk about this when infamously on Rainbow Road, people consider Karts are the same as Bikes in terms of viability.
As someone who grew up grinding In double dash to be the best I possibly can, I appreciate someone talking about the things I loved so much about it. I have now played most of the Mario kart games and it was a joy to listen to your perspective. Very great video:)
The best long form video for video games yter back at it again
Tour is a mainline game because courses from it are in the Mario kart 8 deluxe DLC.
Dude, double dash holds so many amazing memories for me. Between those bomb games where my sister and i would play for hours, until i got better at the game because of my hours of playing, she stopped playing with me. Then i started winning against my dad and stepmom when they would play with me. I got better to the point where i was on the same level as my stepbrother, who became a master at gaming at the age of 10, he and i would go neck to neck a lot and he was the only one who challaged me the best. I remember how pissed he was when i first won a cup against him. I would also time challage myself on the wario track and rainbow road for hours until i mastered drifting without hitting the walls or falling of the edge. Those two were my favorite maps.
Mario Kart wii was meh for me. I struggled really bad with having to tilt the remotes. I did get pretty good at it but i really missed the regular gamecube controller and the origional drifting strategy i had mastered. But i did like using the bikes when i finally got down drifting, but i didnt realize it was because of the type of turns they did. Lol. I do also have a lot of memories playing that game with my best friend as well as going against my siblings and my mom. My sister also played a lot as well but struggled with the motion controller as well.
Mario Kart 8 tho? I have been able to bring my skills from Double Dash as well as learn a bunch of amazing strategies to play, as well as chose the best kart to use when playing my favorite character: yoshi, zelda bike, the zelda bike wheels, and alternating between both of the zelda parachutes. That bike combo is the best for traction while i make my really tight drifts, i do still struggle with releasing the gas button while drifting which makes a few tracks difficult since it wasnt a skill i learned with double dash and the wii, like the city track with the rain (i struggle to remember track names please give me grace) so there is still a lot for me to learn. I dont have a lot of memories with this game since my ex would never play with me, but i was able to play with my brothers and mom a few times that was a lot of fun!
1:08:41 Mario Kart Tour updated to remove all the old gacha mechanics well before this video went up. The gacha screen still exists, but it is just a bonus reward; you can unlock everything in the game without using it.
Also, for all Tour's flaws, it did bring back a ton of retro courses, characters (including finally getting Kamek into 8 Deluxe), and karts, and it also did a good job adapting the drift physics to a game you can play with one finger (which Nintendo is dead set on you being able to do with all their smartphone games).
I grew up on Crash Team Racing but I can see the respect and appreciation that people have for Mario Kart. It's a great series and I happen to had Double Dash growing up. It's not my favorite but it's definitely a fun experimental entry. I'm glad the series is still going strong and I'm happy everyone is having fun 👍
Aye CTR fan spotted ❤
I never looked too closely at stats. I always just picked whichever characters and karts I felt like using and never had any trouble. I got up to about 11,000 vr in MK8 for Wii U that way.
Played every mario kart.... Double dash is the best and the donkey kong course is the most badass course in mario kart. The downhill portion, chefs kiss
There are two kinda Rainbow Roads: the "final challenge" and the "final reward". Super Circuit and Wii are challenges. 64 and 7 are rewards
Best reward ever: waste 6 minutes of your life doing nothing.
Great video! Just one thing, Mario Kart Tour isn’t half as bad as you make it out to be. I got used to the controls and I played it for over four years every day without spending a single cent. It’s just fun for a couple minutes every day and it doesn’t try to be more.
The only thing that comes close to rivalling the difficulty of the original SNES rainbow road, is playing literally any track on 200cc in MK8D. Best addition to the franchise since.
Or mushroom peaks on mkwii
@@emilydavidson8844mushroom what? Is that the EU name for mushroom gorge?
I personally find rainbow road on mk wii on wii to be harder than any 200cc mk8d track. I say that as someone who plays a lot on 200cc in mk8d.
@@NathanHydra it’s a custom track you’ll have to look it up on TH-cam
@@NathanHydra It's a really difficult custom track
Snaking absolutely ruined MKDS online play, long before the hackers came along. It was a blast the first few months but soon became unplayable. Fortunately nearly all my friends and family had the game so we still had tons of fun in local play
Double Dash will always be my favorite. I especially love how you can't hold items behind your vehicle. It made satisfying being able to counter items with skill. It houses some of the best memories I can remember with my older brother.
What an incredible video 👏🏻 Double Dash will always be my favourite, it’s the first game I ever owned, but I love every entry in the series
It's a breath of fresh air seeing content of someone telling how much they love something rather than how much they hate it
Oh HELL yes, this is gonna be a great hour and a half.
Phenomenal video man. You really gave every game here a moment to shine and showed you've done research with each one's mechanics. Seriously, well done.
I have a lot of nostalgic memories of Mario Kart Wii, the Wii was our first family game-console and Mario Kart was by far the game we played the most often. After I moved away from home, we would always play a few rounds of Mario Kart whenever I came back home during holidays.
One of my most treasured memories from this time being that I was playing while alone at home at one point and as I was playing Wario's Gold Mine aka one of the most difficult courses in the game, my dad suddenly calls which forces me to essentially play the entire track with just one hand. And somehow, I still finished 1st.
Mario Kart will always be one of my favorites! I put hundreds of hours into Mario Kart 7 when I was deployed, lots of good memories there. Thank you for this video~
All the memories of playing mario kart DS on the school bus with everyone as a kid came flooding back to me. Thank you for that 😊
Always love your stuff brohammed. Keep it up.... Btw that double dash red shell dodge clip was too clutch. Gave me chills
I love your videos man. It's like you figure out everything I'm nostalgic about and make video essays about it lol. If you ever want to talk about Super Mario Sunshine again I would love that, as it was my childhood mario game. :)
Your hatred of tour is fascinating since I like it quite a bit, also it's not truly a spinoff mario kart like the arcade games because tours tracks have returned, whilst arcades has not
Okay, now picture this. A roller coaster theme park dedicated entirely to Mario Kart!
Imagine, more ground level, twisty tracks for things like Mario Circuit, Toad's Turnpike, Excitebike Arena, etc.
Big, thrill rides for Wario's Gold Mine, DK Mountain, Rainbow Road, etc.
Water rides for Dolphin Shoals, Cheep Cheep Beach, Big Blue, etc.
The whole park would be divided into different sections that represent each of the cups, and with each next cup, bigger, faster, thrill-ier rides, with Rainbow Road being the biggest in the park!
When you enter the park, you're given a checklist/stamp card/whatever that the people at the end of each ride can mark off. If you can complete/ride every track in a given cup, then at the end of your visit, you can get a mini trophy for whichever cup you completed! And maybe you can get a special, secret prize if you complete every cup in the park. Any ideas for what it could be?
Lastly, you can get a shirt in the gift shop that says, "I drove on Rainbow Road."
This is an idea that I've had for a while. I don't ever expect it to become real, but it's a lot of fun to think about.
Also, you left out a rather controversial aspect of some select MK games: the Ranking system. In Super Circuit, it was infuriating, and you were forced to race with specific pilots to get all 3 Stars (not to mention all the other crap). In DS, it was primarily confined to Mission Mode, if I recall. On Wii and 7, you had to get lucky to make it to 3 stars (in Wii, it was impossible). Finally, 8 made the ranking system fair by only forcing you to place 1st on every track in a single cup.
Liam my good sir, once again you have successfully explained exactly why i love a video game series. Your hour long videos are exactly what i need whenever im feeling nostalgic. Keep doing what your doing man 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
I'm terribly sorry Liam, I seriously tried to listen to you but all I could think of was *the Birdo Stream*
You were there Liam, you can't escape it.
Erm, ackshually, on MKWii Rainbow Road, it's faster to use a Kart, so you see the balancing is perfect
If Nintendo was given more room at Universal with Nintendo World I think the Mario Kart ride would have been significantly better if it was done like the ride in Cars Land at Disney Land.
Yeah I was surprised by how mid the whole park was
You have no idea how hard 12:29 hit me like a truck
1:19:20 I don't think the solo ever actually appears in-game and just appears in the OST. It does shift dynamically to the saxophone rendition of the song, just not the solo specifically
the musicians that play in the Mario Kart 8 band are mind blowingly good
45:20, 53:18 100% agree that I don't really like when certain chars/vehicles have certain stats, which incentivises playing as the stats you like rather than the character/vehicle combo you like (not even just about how good it is from a meta point of view, but also about how much you like the control/gameplay with the combo). Tuning karts/bikes would be cooler (where the stat selection is the same, but it's just you can apply it to any vehicle).
There was an ITEM STAT in DS?!
Who the heck on the dev team thought that was a good idea???
Y'know what's a really good Mascot Kart Racer that nobody talks about?
Muppet RaceMania
It's like a perfect blend of Crash Team Racing and Mario Kart 64, with tracks that double as collectathon levels built around driving. And you unlock characters just like you unlock the chicken in Diddy Kong Racing.
Not only that but the soundtrack slaps hard.
I see anything from this channel that is n64 zelda, mario kart or mario and I immediately book myself an hour slot during my week to sit down and watch.