Ultimate Fun for Everyone
Mario Kart has been around for a VERY long time; it first released in 1992 on the SNES. It was an instant hit, and 22 years later, we've been blessed with the existence of Mario Kart 8, my favorite in the series so far.
Everyone likes Mario Kart. No matter how old you are, what era you played, ya like Mario Kart. And it's easy to understand why! Charming visuals, high-speed thrills, beating your friends, bragging rights, tight controls, chaotic, Mario themed antics; it's a blast! Everything is accessible to players of any age, with four buttons for use. It's fun! So many other games now are so focused on having a hardcore, dramatic experience, and that's great. Games like The Last of Us, and the Fallout franchise have become huge successes from this mindset, and that's great, and I love those games. Though so many now forget that games are meant to entertain, and that's what Mario Kart does best, letting you sit down with a group of buddies and spend hours tossing shells and bananas at each other, and it never gets boring.
Now that I'm done ranting about the excellence of Mario Kart as a whole, let's focus on Mario Kart 8. Now I know what you're thinking non-Wii-U-owners, is it worth buying a Wii U for Mario Kart 8?
I'm happy to say that yes, Mario Kart 8 made owning a Wii U worth my while.
When you first open up Mario Kart 8, any fan of the series will sense the familiarity of it, though the streamlined menus make getting ready to go race simple and fast. There's a large roster of characters to choose from, now introducing people like Metal Mario and the Koopalings. Characters unlock quickly, and so do kart customization items. Taking Mario Kart 7's great kart customization system, feeling like a cartoonish vehicle engineer is a great joy. Mixing teddy bear bikes with sponge wheels is funny, and actually effects how your kart handles. It has tons of categories and sub-categories on how your kart handles, whether it's what character you choose and their weight class, or the kart, wheels, and glider you use and their stats. It's a simple concept that's more complex than at first glance,
When I opened up the very first track of Mario Kart 8, I was taken aback at its gorgeous visuals. The game uses the Wii U at full power, and it looks stunning. I can't think of a more colorful and vibrant game I've ever played. Once I started driving, the first thing I realized is that there isn't an automatic drift option anymore, now you have to learn how to jump/drift and learn to experiment with that for each of the different customized karts you create. The controls are tight, on both the Gamepad and the Wii remote and Nun-chuck. The gamepad itself, pretty much does nothing besides basic controls. On the screen, there's a horn button, a list of race standings.... and that's about it. But, you can't really touch the Gamepad anyways while your driving with both hands anyways. There is a gyroscopic function for motion steering, but I preferred using the analog sticks and buttons to kick my rivals butts.
The tracks, new and old, are some of my favorite of Mario Kart ever. Most of the tracks are just so outstanding, the ones that would shine in previous versions, feel like a letdown because all the others feel so polished and fun. A few that stick out to me: Donut Plains 3, Royal Raceway, Bowser's Castle, both the new and N64 versions of Rainbow Road, and Sunshine Airport. Most tracks feature zero gravity sections, but they are used so little, and so interestingly, that zero gravity never becomes a bore. 
The soundtrack is incredible. If you have the option, pump your surround sound to listen to this jazzy soundtrack and experience it's awesomeness fully. All old themes have been revamped to a new jazzy style set. The Royal Raceway track really stood out to me due to the brilliantly subtle guitar and ever present drum solos. It's beautiful overall and to nothing but make a great experience even more memorable.
Now, all good things must come to an end, and such is so with Mario Kart 8's online features. Social restrictions are ever present in Nintendo mama bear style of online play. Group chat is only available when playing in a friends-only lobby, and in the lobby alone. You can't hear your buddies scream angrily at you hit them with a red shell and over take them, and they can't hear you laughing maniacally at their pain. Also, in my experience, connection was spotty all the time. I play with one buddy online, and there were times where we could rave multiple times, and then there were times that we couldn't even finish races due to connection errors. Another thing that bugged me was the amount of baby sized racers. They almost outnumber the normal sized people and it's weird.
Mario Kart 8 is a prime example to non-believers that Nintendo can still create things original on tried and true experiences. The graphics are absolutely gorgeous, the game play is masterfully done chaos, it's an unparalleled party game, and the soundtrack is one of the best I've heard in a video game. Though the online features are restrictive, it can't hold this polished kart racer back. Mario Kart 8 exceeded my expectations, putting it just under the N64 version in my mind.
Score: 9
+ Awesome Racing
+ Stellar Track design
+ Customization options
+ Incredible Soundtrack
+ Stunning Visuals
- Restrictive online features
- Little Gamepad use
