Games Inbox: When will Mario Kart World DLC be released?
The Wednesday letters page ponders UK video game console preferences, as a reader speculates on the release date for Splatoon Raiders.
To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.uk
Open questions
Read your review of Mario Kart World and it all made sense to me. Reviews seem to be coming out in the 8 to 9 range and from what I've played that seems to be about right. Like everyone, I'm confused as to why so little has been done with the open world, given how massive it is. So, like you say, do you mark the game down for not doing something obvious or do you just accept it's something different to what you imagined?
We all assume Nintendo is going to add more with more DLC, but when? This year? Next year? Three year's time? We literally have no idea. Nintendo is always secretive but this time I think it's really hurting them, because everyone's confused and making up their own theories. It's silly because if they'd said: 'We'll have a ton of free content coming out all the time' that would have been a real draw.
Now we don't know what they're doing, why they won't tell us, and whether the DLC will be all paid-for or not. The core game is great but this weird way they've handled the open world feels like it's pulling all the attention away from the stuff they got right.
Cranston
Secret plans
I have no problem with Mario Kart World getting a 9/10 but it is such a strange experience. Knockout Tour is probably the most fun I've had with a video game in several years and yet the open world stuff is just sitting there staring at me blanky, without anything to say.
It seems such an unlikely mistake for someone like Nintendo to make, that I feel there must be a reason and purpose to it, but while it's easy enough to guess what that might be what I can't understand is why they won't tell us.
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A roadmap for the game, that promised tons of new tracks and characters and whatever would be a great PR move. Pack it in the box as an actual poster and it becomes a major talking point and an explanation for why the game's so expensive. I just don't get why they don't do something like that.
Lumpy
Water good game
Been playing a bit of Wave Race 64 on Nintendo Switch Online.
Not only is it the best racing game Nintendo have made, it's one of the best games ever made.
I wish they would do a remaster. The handling and wave physics feels as good as ever. Just be nice to have the frame rate and graphics improved. But it does still play brilliantly in its original, nearly 30-year-old form.
Simundo
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Xbox exclusive
This whole thing about Call Of Duty on Switch 2 is so stupid. The first Switch is the only Nintendo console it wasn't on, and that was only because it doesn't have a built-up online system like the Xbox and PlayStation 5. Nobody wants to play Call Of Duty on a modern Nintendo console unless they can absolutely avoid it. And if you care that much about it… you'd already have an alternative.
So far, I see no sign that Nintendo has done anything to upgrade its online services, so Activision were actually right not to bother in the first place.
Now if you wanted to make a spin-off that wasn't so focused on online, that'd make sense, but they're never going to do that. Or if they wanted to just port over Warzone, that'd make sense too as I'm sure Fortnite is quite popular on Switch.
A few months ago, I would've said the chances of an Xbox exclusive on Switch 2 was pretty high, or at least something that was Nintendo focused and would never sell much on other formats, like Banjo-Kazooie. But now I don't know what's going on.
I guess it's because Activision Blizzard and Bethesda don't really make anything Nintendo friendly, and Microsoft doesn't want to put up the money for anything else.
Haymaker
Local pricing
Here in Hong Kong, I saw the Switch 2 plus Mario Kart bundle for around HK$4,000 (about £400). Most games were around HK$300-450 (£30-45) with standalone Mario Kart priced at HK$520 (£52). All in all, it's not the pricing bloodbath I was fearing pre-launch, but I guess it's partly due to lower taxes here in Hong Kong. I still don't plan on getting it just yet as I can't justify getting it for only Mario Kart. If it'd launched with an all-new Zelda, it would've been a completely different story!
Back I go to finishing the Switch 1 Zelda games in my backlog!
ttfp saylow (gamertag)
Now playing: Rolling Hills and Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom
Adding it all up
I guess you could've probably predicted that Splatoon would be one of the first games to be announced after launch and I'm fine with that.
Personally, I think there probably is a reasonable chance Splatoon Raiders will be out this Christmas. If I was to take a guess, I think Nintendo is packing this year with mid-sized games, like Hyrule Warriors and Metroid and this Splatoon spin-off, and they think that'll add up to one bigger one.
That makes some kind of sense and while it's probably wrong, because you can't predict Nintendo, I'm logging that as my 1 in a million chance to say I told you so.
I think for Nintendo the problem is Metroid Prime 4. It'll probably review very well but it's a Switch 1 game and the series doesn't sell that much, so it's not going to be much of a draw for the average parent at Christmas.
Since they've said it's coming out this year I think they're just planning to coast along on Mario Kart for now and rely on small fry for the fresh meat. Which does make sense because fans like me are interested in Metroid and casual gamers probably don't care about anything but Mario Kart (and aren't going to buying anything day one).
I do find the complete lack of any mention of a 3D Mario weird though. Not even teasing it in the first year is odd even for the big N.
Geln
The wisdom of youth
I overheard my 10-year-old son talking to his friends on his phone yesterday, while playing Among Us:
Him: The new GTA looks fire.[All agree]Friend: You have to be 18 to play it though.Him: [Disappointed] Oh well…Friend: Shame…Him: [said seriously] …by the time it comes out we will be.
Major Kahonas
Taste of a nation
It always amazes me how mistakes Nintendo made in the 80s and 90s are still having a big effect on their current business, such that the Switch 2 can't even outsell the Xbox Series X/S. Although how that became one of the biggest sellers I can't even imagine. But then the UK is also the only country other than America that buys into Xbox, so I guess we're pretty unique in terms of our gaming tastes.
We've never been as into PC games as the rest of the Europe either, as far as I understand, so basically we really only like PlayStation and Xbox, and mobile I guess. I wonder how that's going to change as Xbox goes third party and it becomes more and more obvious that there's no point in buying the console.
At that point we're basically going to become PlayStation Land, not that Sony ever seems to show any appreciation for out unwavering loyalty.
I guess with each passing generation (in both senses of the word) Nintendo can grow its fanbase more, as they're clearly on the up at the moment, but it's not hard to see why Sony feels so confident and doesn't feel the need to make much effort.
It's just a shame they shut down most of their British developers, because I really would've liked to see them make a new The Getaway, or something similar, because they know there's an audience for it.
Grant
Inbox also-ransSo if the PlayStation 6 is out in 2027, that means we should see Sony starting to talk about it next year? Basically, get through this Christmas with the PlayStation 5 then immediately start on the next next gen bandwagon. It's inevitable but it seems far too soon.
Austin
I picked up Fast Fusion for my Switch 2 because it was cheap and I have to say I am super impressed by the graphics, they are top end PS4 quality and super smooth and fast. Not sure about the game itself so far, seems a bit clunky, but graphically it's impressed me.
Donut More Trending
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Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Fast Fusion review – anti-gravity racer offers brings 60fps fun to Switch 2
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Metro
an hour ago
- Metro
How to unlock everything in Mario Kart World: all characters, costumes and more
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Donkey Kong – beat Mushroom CupDaisy – beat Flower CupBirdo – beat Banana CupRosalina – beat Star CupLakitu – beat Shell CupKing Boo – beat Leaf CupBowser Jr – beat Lightning CupCataquack – Kamek itemChargin' Chuck – Kamek itemCoin Coffer – Kamek itemConkodor – Kamek itemDolphin – Kamek itemFish Bone – Kamek itemPeepa – Kamek itemPianta – Kamek itemRocky Wrench – Kamek itemSpike – Kamek item Swoop – Kamek item In a similar vein to Mario Kart 8, every kart and motorbike is unlocked by collecting coins in Mario Kart World. You start out with 11 vehicles but there are 40 in total, and you unlock each one (in a random order) every time you hit a milestone, which is usually every 100, 200, or 300 coins. 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Circuit)Oasis (Popcorn at Boo Cinema) Farmer (Milk at Moo Moo Meadows) PeachTouring (Burger at Mario Bros. Circuit)Pro Racer (Cake at Crown City)Farmer (Milk at Moo Moo Meadows)Sightseeing (DK Barrel Bites at DK Spaceport)Aviator (Spicy Curry at Wario Stadium)Yukata (Sushi at Cheep Cheep Falls)Aero (Donut at Mario Circuit) Vacation (Popcorn at Boo Cinema) YoshiTouring (Burger at Mario Bros. Circuit)Pro Racer (Cake at Crown City)Aristocrat (Popcorn at Boo Cinema)Soft Server (Ice Cream at Sky-High Sundae)Biker (Spicy Curry at Wario Stadium)Swimwear (DK Barrel Bites at DK Spaceport)Matsuri (Sushi at Cheep Cheep Falls) Food Slinger (Kebab at Shy Guy Bazaar) BowserPro Racer (Cake at Crown City)Supercharged (Coffee/Chips at Whistletop Summit)Biker (Burger at Mario Bros. Circuit) All-Terrain (Donut at Mario Circuit) ToadPro Racer (Cake at Crown City)Engineer (Coffee/chips at Whistlestop Summit)Burger Bud (Burger at Mario Bros. Circuit) Explorer (Pancakes at Acorn Heights) ToadettePro Racer (Cake at Crown City)Conductor (Chips at Whistlestop Summit)Soft Server (Burger at Mario Bros. Circuit) Explorer (Pancakes at Acorn Heights) Koopa TroopaRunner (Burger at Mario Bros. Circuit)Pro Racer (Cake at Crown City)Sailor (Popcorn at Boo Cinema)All-Terrain (Curry at Desert Hills) Work Crew (Chips at Whistlestop Summit) WarioPro Racer (Cake at Crown City)Oasis (Popcorn at Boo Cinema)Wicked Wasp (Pancakes at Acorn Heights)Biker (Burger at Mario Bros. Circuit)Pirate (Kebab at Shy Guy Bazaar)Road Ruffian (DK Barrel Bites at DK Spaceport) Work Crew (Sushi at Cheep Cheep Falls) WaluigiMariachi (Chips/Soda at Dry Bones Burnout)Biker (Burger at Mario Bros. Circuit)Road Ruffian (Kebab at Shy Guy Bazaar)Pro Racer (Cake at Crown City) Wampire (Popcorn at Boo Cinema) Baby MarioWork Crew (Pancakes at Acorn Heights)Pro Racer (Cake at Crown City) Swimwear (Sushi at Cheep Cheep Falls) Baby LuigiPro Racer (Cake at Crown City) Work Crew (Pancakes at Acorn Heights) Baby PeachTouring (Burger at Mario Bros. Circuit)Pro Racer (Cake at Crown City)Sailor (Kebab at Shy Guy Bazaar) Explorer (Pancakes at Acorn Heights) Baby DaisyTouring (Burger at Mario Bros. Circuit)Pro Racer (Cake at Crown City)Sailor (Kebab at Shy Guy Bazaar) Explorer (Pancakes at Acorn Heights) Baby RosalinaTouring (Burgers at Mario Bros. Circuit)Pro Racer (Cake at Crown City)Sailor (Kebab at Shy Guy Bazaar) Explorer (Pancakes at Acorn Heights) Pauline Aero (Burger at Mario Bros. Circuit) Shy GuyPit Crew (Burger at Mario Bros. Circuit) Slope Styler (Ice Cream at Sky High Sundae) Donkey Kong All-Terrain (Curry at Desert Hills) BirdoPro Racer (Cake at Crown City) Vacation (Sushi at Cheep Cheep Falls) DaisyTouring (Burger at Mario Bros. Circuit)Pro Racer (Cake at Crown City)Oasis (Popcorn at Boo Cinema)Swimwear (DK Barrel Bites at DK Spaceport)Aero (Donuts at Mario Circuit) Vacation (Chips at Whistlestop Summit) RosalinaTouring (Burger at Mario Bros. Circuit)Pro Racer (Cake at Crown City)Aurora (Popcorn at Boo Cinema) Aero (Donuts at Mario Circuit) LakituPit Crew (Curry at Desert Hills) Fisherman (Sushi at Cheep Cheep Falls) King BooPro Racer (Burger at Mario Bros. Circuit)Aristocrat (Popcorn at Boo Cinema) Pirate (Kebab at Shy Guy Bazaar) Bowser Racer (Donut at Mario Circuit)Biker (Burger at Mario Bros. Circuit) Explorer (Pancakes at Acorn Heights) Email gamecentral@ leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader's Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. MORE: Games Inbox: Is Mario Kart World too hard? MORE: Fast Fusion review – 4K and 60fps on the Nintendo Switch 2 MORE: The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild Nintendo Switch 2 Edition – the GOAT gets an upgrade
The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
I played 6 hours of Mario Kart World – you need to know these things before you play
The Nintendo Switch 2 is finally here, and with it, the console's biggest launch title, Mario Kart World. Expectations are sky-high for the latest entry in the 33-year-old racing series, which carries the weight of a new console's fortunes on its shoulders. Even before I tried the game, there were a few big innovations on the table. Players can now roam anywhere in a wide-open world, with grand prix tournaments charting long routes that race in and between each of the main tracks. The maximum number of racers is also doubled to a chaotic 24 karts, and a new Battle Royale style knockout mode sees players competing to stay in the race, with slower racers knocked out each lap. Mario Kart World also gets a facelift, shedding some of the grit (at least, what passes for grit in Mario Kart) of the previous game. Instead, there's a bouncier and more cartoony look. Nintendo might not have given Mario Kart World a generational graphics upgrade, but the developer's recent success with a big-budget Mario movie has rubbed off. The newest entry in the series feels more characterful, more animated, and frankly, more fun. I've spent hours playing Mario Kart World ahead of its release date, many of them wasted wandering around the game's open world, but plenty of them exploring everything new and weird about Nintendo's beloved racer. Here, in no particular order, are 19 things I learned about Mario Kart World before you start. 1. The lightning item can make it rain Mario Kart World has dynamic weather effects, so it can start raining or snowing mid-race. However, this isn't just an animation. This not only changes the appearance of tracks, but slick conditions also affect kart handling. Weather patterns in Mario Kart World are fairly stable – I found it only changed a handful of times in about four hours of racing – but there is at least one way to manually encourage the weather to change. Using the lightning item, which wipes out and shrinks every other player, will sometimes trigger a rainstorm, too. 2. You can trick off dynamic waves The raw processing power of the Switch 2 can now create dynamic, splashy, three-dimensional waves during water sections. The wake from other racers isn't big enough to do anything interesting with, but a big enough explosion – a blue shell going off, for example – will create a shockwave across the water's surface that racers can trick off to gain a small speed boost. 3. You can jump on command now Jumping is one of Mario Kart World 's biggest innovations. You can use a jump to gain extra height off ramps for more time in the air for tricks, launch yourself onto the track walls to drive along them, or reach otherwise inaccessible grind rails. The jump button is the same as the drift button and works in almost the same way. Hold down the drift button, and after a few seconds, you'll charge up a jump. But Mario Kart veterans might find this frustrating at first. Steer left or right at any point while charging, and you'll start drifting instead, losing your jump. If you've played as much Mario Kart as I have, every last neuron of your muscle memory will be screaming at you. Charging takes a while, too, so you have to plan jumps some distance ahead of any walls you want to drive on. Speaking of which: 4. You can drive on the walls Mario Kart 8 went hard on the anti-gravity theme, with physics-defying, twisting, turning courses. Mario Kart World is more grounded, but you can still launch yourself onto any suitably flat track walls and race along them. Pulling this off is more challenging than it sounds, as you need to prime your jumps a few seconds in advance; fluffing the timing means colliding face-first with a wall instead of riding along it like Jet Set Radio. The outer walls of corners are rarely the shortest route around the track, but they'll often lead you to otherwise inaccessible grind rails, items and shortcuts. 5. The feather is back First seen in the original Super Mario Kart, the feather item vanished from the series for 25 years before making a shock reappearance in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe 's battle mode. Now the feather makes a full and triumphant return in Mario Kart World, allowing racers to perform a jump instantly. Used in previous games for catapulting yourself over track obstacles and skipping bits of the course, the feather in Mario Kart World can be used to initiate wallriding without having to charge up a jump. You'll also be able to use it to access hard-to-reach Peach coins in free roam mode. 6. Four-player split-screen runs at 30fps We were holding out hope that the Switch 2 might be able to handle four-way Mario Kart World with no noticeable drop in visual quality, but play with three friends on the same TV and the frame rate drops to 30 frames per second. That feels choppy compared to the silky smooth frame rate of single player mode at first, but your eyes will adjust to the difference before you've finished your first race. As an aside, if you don't think you can spot the difference between games running at 30, 60 and 120 frames per second, the Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour has a special minigame where you can test yourself. And yes, it's about as riveting as a Specsavers appointment. 7. You hang out in the open world between races This is especially useful during 24-player Knockout Tours, where an early knockout means a lot of waiting around for the race to finish. You can spectate as usual, but the open world is free to explore, acting like one giant multiplayer lobby where you can kill time with friends between races and vote on what to play next. 8. You can rewind time But only for yourself – other racers will keep going. Mess up a tricky jump or miss a shortcut, and, rather than wait for Lakitu to pick you up and place you back on the track, you can simply press the minus button, rewind time, and try again. However, this is a potentially controversial feature. It's not clear if you can rewind yourself into second place just before a blue shell arrives, for example – the ability to manipulate time at least gives novice players a chance to perfect their technique. 9. Free roam mode has stuff to do Three types of stuff, to be precise. Mario Kart World 's free roam mode sets you loose in the open world with no objective or destination, but there are collectibles and optional missions dotted all over the place. Primarily, you'll be able to find blue P-Switch blocks, which set you short, timed challenges to complete. These are mostly to do with driving through a series of tricky checkpoints or collecting coins before a timer runs out. Each challenge has an instructional title. 'Take to the skies above Peach's castle', for example, launches you into a PilotWings -style aerial gate challenge high above her house. There are also Peach coins, which hang out in hard-to-reach areas and usually require some trickery to get to, and hidden question mark panels – the classic item pick-up method from the original Super Mario Kart. 10. There's a photo mode You can take photos of yourself and your buddies in free roam. A dedicated photo mode lets you choose poses and expressions for your character, while full control over the camera means you can freely adjust things like focal distance, tilt and field of view to get the perfect shot. It's worth noting that the game doesn't freeze when taking a photo, meaning a mischievous player can spoil a group photo by chucking a few shells around. Everyone on their best behaviour, please. 11. You're always amassing stickers Mario Kart World tracks a huge number of stats across everything you do in the game, from coins collected to distance driven and miles drifted. Your reward for hitting milestones is stickers, which show up next to your player icon above your kart in races, as well as printed on the side of the kart itself. Purely cosmetic, stickers exist to show off your accomplishments to other players. They include sponsors from fictional businesses and brands around the game world, like Mario Motors and Koopa Construction. 12. Battle mode is back Specifically, Balloon Battle and Coin Runners. Balloon Battle, in which you have to pop five of your opponent's balloons while protecting your own, gets its own set of dedicated combat arenas. Like the rest of the tracks in the game, they exist in the open world alongside everything else. Some are destruction derby-style, bowl-shaped arenas, while others, like one set inside a Moo Moo Meadows farm, offer barns and tractors to take cover behind. 13. There's a day-night cycle (sort of) As you race, the time of the day will progress between a few different phases, so you'll see tracks during the morning, afternoon, evening and night. Time doesn't seem to constantly progress in Mario Kart World; instead, you'll occasionally be treated to a gradual transition from, say, sunset to night time in the middle of a race. 14. Gliders are out, wings are in More of an aesthetic change than anything, karts no longer pop out a hang-glider on long jumps. Instead, a pair of wings will spring from your character's kart to help them go the distance. Don't ask me why, but this is better. Like in previous games, karts will also transform into seaworthy vessels during water-based sections of the track, with different designs depending on the kart you choose. 15. You can see inside buildings in Crown City I'm not sure who needs to hear this, but when driving around Crown City, you can look through some windows. The interiors aren't terribly detailed – they're supposed to be raced past at high speed, after all – but if you're feeling nosy in free roam mode and want to marvel at the rendering power of the Switch 2 by peering into someone's front room, you can. On top of that, there's environmental traffic. There's plenty in Crown City, as you'd expect, but some routes between tracks also have vehicles to avoid. Car windscreens are also transparent now, revealing the Toad, Yoshi and Shy Guy drivers behind the wheel. 16. You can hijack special vehicles In certain parts of the world, you'll spot special supersized vehicles driving around with big and inviting open doors – drive inside and you'll take control of them for a short while. In my playthrough, I found two: a huge, double-trailer lorry that can be used to ram through traffic; and a zippy speedboat that looks like it could belong in F-Zero. These special vehicles show up in races as well as during free roam mode, and Nintendo suggested that there are more to discover. 17. You can put your face in the game You can use the Nintendo Camera to have your face appear above your kart during multiplayer races. This even works in a four-player split-screen, where a single camera can capture all four faces at the same time, making it easier to spot (or maliciously target) your friends during hectic 24-player races. Face tracking – where the camera will automatically adjust to keep you in frame – only works when there's one person playing. With more players, you'll see a preview of what the camera sees before each race, giving you a chance to find and manually circle your face on screen. You'll each have to sit still to stay in shot throughout the race, which is bad news for anyone who gets a bit animated towards the finish line. Whenever you thwack another player with an item, their angry face will spin around helplessly above their kart, which is good fun. 18. Cow doesn't get any outfits Hovering, glowing takeaway bags called Dash Food can be found around tracks and in the open world, usually at diner-themed pit stops, but sometimes lined up across the track so that every player gets one. These are location-appropriate and include local delicacies like burgers, curries, ice creams and kebabs. Eat one, and your character gets a cosmetic costume change for the rest of the race, and that costume is then unlocked in the character select screen. An ice cream will give Mario a pair of shades and a snazzy little Hawaiian shirt, for example, but sadly, only the main characters get outfits. If you've always dreamed of putting the cow from Moo Moo Meadows in a sombrero, you're out of luck. 19. But Waluigi gets a Mariachi costume In a possible nod to the fan-made N64 game Waluigi's Taco Stand, Nintendo has added Mariachi Waluigi as a playable character – presumably unlocked when he grabs something delicious on a Mexican-themed track. There's also a costume for King Boo that puts him in a Downton Abbey -esque monocle, moustache and top hat. Nintendo misses a trick by not calling him Boo-ritish, but apart from that, the game is a huge upgrade to Mario Kart 8.
