Latest news with #KnockoutTour
Metro
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
Games Inbox: Is Mario Kart World too hard?
The Thursday letters page admits to preferring third person Resident Evil, as a reader asks which are Suda51's best games. To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@ AI takeover Count me in the set of people that think Mario Kart World is mostly great. The open world is strange in the way it's used but I've enjoyed the actual racing a whole lot. However, one issue I've not really heard anyone talk about is that I feel the game is probably a bit too hard in single-player. I consider myself a pretty decently skilled gamer – not amazing but at least a little above average for most games – but I've really struggled with everything above 50cc. It's not even the random elements, with blue shells at the finishing line and whatever, but I find that the higher you go the less mistakes you can afford to make, as catching up is surprisingly difficult. Knockout Tour is the worst, as I even started to find that difficult in 50cc, let alone the higher speeds. It's got to the point where I feel I have a better chance of winning online, against human players, which doesn't seem right. Is it just me being terrible against the AI or is the game actually a lot harder than you'd think? Tolly See the fear Being able to switch from first to third person in Resident Evil Requiem seems like the obvious choice, now that it's been revealed. I'll most play in third person, like I always do, but I imagine first person will be better for some action scenes and aiming and such like. First person is always described as being more immersive but I'm not sure that it actually makes that much difference in a horror game. Resident Evil 7 was scary, but no more so than some of the earlier games, while Resident Evil Village wasn't frightening at all. It wasn't trying to be (except for that bit) but nothing about being first person made it automatically more tense, at least not for me. Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning. A lot of the appeal in Resident Evil is the characters and so I think it's important to see them as much as possible. I can't even remember what the main character is in 7 and Village, as I don't think you ever see his face. But I remember Rose, because she is in a lot of cut scenes. The first person-only games were a worthy experiment but I hope it's days as the only option are over. Sully The last reveal So there we have it: the Nintendo Switch 2 is the fastest selling console of all time, despite coming out at a slow time of year for games (and not during a pandemic) and being expensive for a Nintendo console. Having a lot of stock obviously helped but I still think it's an impressive achievement. What matters now is where Nintendo goes from here. I agree that their line-up of games so far is not very impressive, which is not a problem I imagined the console having, knowing how well Nintendo supported the Switch 1. I hope there is a Nintendo Direct this month but I'm not sure it would have much on anything but the games that have already been announced. I feel Splatoon Raiders was probably the last reveal for the year, which is going to leave us hanging for a long time until there's any new news. Onibee Email your comments to: gamecentral@ Bananas decision It's nice to hear from Nick the Greek! I'd be up for continuing our Mario Kart rivalry at some point if we can catch each other online. I'm not sure I have enough free time to do a photo feature at the moment but maybe at some point. I'm glad he still remembers my Zelda ones. As for the Switch 2, I have mixed feelings. Mario Kart World is superb, especially the Knockout Tour, but it's noticeable we're lacking a big new single-player at the moment. For the first Switch, we had Zelda: Breath Of The Wild which made the launch much more exciting. It's a shame Donkey Kong Bananza wasn't out for launch. I really hope it's good. It'd help if Nintendo clarified if it was developed by the Mario team. I've seen a lot of complaints about the lack of Mario game announcement, but Bananza might very well be it. Guess we'll soon find out! Ryan O'D Deferred purchase Let's forget about all this new console nonsense and concentrate on what's good. I did shelve my Switch 2 purchase for a Meta Quest 3. It was time. I'm loving the hardware and interface. This feels like the future, but I've still got feelings Nintendo-wise. Quest offers brilliant product and form and I can be the Batman or anything until I'm convinced to dip a toe into the Nintendo hype. I did double down on my Switch and got a Hori split pad and a 128GB card. I'm a Ninty boy at heart. Sorry guys but a guy's got to geek out and feel the goodness. Maybe another day. I can't, for the love of me, justify Switch 2 right now. OLED model, it shall be. D Dubya Flawed genius I thought the Romeo Is A Dead Man trailer was great, which has prompted me to look at more of Suda51's work. I know his games are always a bit rough around the edges, but which games are definitely worth playing and which are more curiosity only? I thought the State of Play had a great variety of games shown but was tainted by the spectre of Sony's profligacy in how they've managed their internal development teams. I think the most obvious reason for their silence is that they've nothing first party to show right now, but hopefully that changes from 2026 and beyond. Magnumstache GC: Our favourite thing he's done is still killer7, but we don't think it's directly available on any modern format. The first two No More Heroes games are good and so too is Lollipop Chainsaw, which just got a remaster. A lot of his stuff is quite flawed, but almost all of it is interesting. He's got a collaboration with Deadly Premonition's Swery65 coming out this year, called Hotel Barcelona, so we'll be very interested to see that. First timer I'm one of those people that has never played the two most recent Zelda games before and I'm definitely impressed by the Switch 2 Edition of Breath Of The Wild. You can tell it's an older game, a Wii U game, as you say, but the smooth frame rate is very nice and the sheer scale of the world is incredible. It seems endless at the moment and I can see from the map that I've visited maybe an eighth of it so far, which is amazing really because it already seems really big. I'm not even hating the breakable weapons that much either. Art Specialist subject Limited Run games are taking pre-orders for Toaplan Arcade Collection Volumes 1 and 2 (I'm sure both will get digital releases) for PlayStation 5 and Switch and I wondered if you could help me with the quality of the games included, I've heard of very few of them (many Truxton, which is supposed to be good?) and wondered if you thought the collections sound worth it please? Toaplan Arcade Collection Vol. 1 includes Tiger-Heli, Flying Shark, Twin Cobra, Fire Shark, Out Zone, FixEight, Dogyuun, and Batsugun. Toaplan Arcade Collection Vol. 2 includes Slap Fight, Truxton, Hellfire, Twin Hawk, Zero Wing, Vimana, Truxton 2 and Grind Stormer. Thanks for you help, keep up the great work. Beastiebat (PSN ID) Still playing: Devil May Cry 3 on Very Hard, Level 18 can do one; and just started Super Double Dragon, also surprisingly difficult GC: This is the first we've heard of this, but while Toaplan were a great developer they shut down in 1994, so all their games are pretty old. Tiger-Heli and its sequel Twin Cobra are what made their name, but Slap Fight and Flying Shark are perhaps the most recognisable to UK gamers, as they were ported to 8-bit computers. Almost all their stuff is good though, including Truxton (aka Tatsujin), the R-Type-esque Hellfire, Zero Wing (the source of the All Your Base meme), and Bubble Bobble style platformer Snow Bros. (which recently got a remake). Their final game, Batsugun, is regarded as the first true bullet hell shooter. Inbox also-ransEverything about this MindsEye game is so weird. I hadn't heard about it until this week and it seems a complete mess. Why did they release it at such a stupid time? I thought the guy in charge was some kind of seasoned industry veteran? Tacle Now that we've had a new Marvel fighting game announced, and Invincible has one, it's high time that we got a new DC game. I don't particularly want Injustice 3, but I'd love a DC Vs. Capcom game. Would be a fun way to get back at Marvel, after their betrayal. Focus More Trending Email your comments to: gamecentral@ The small print New Inbox updates appear every weekday morning, with special Hot Topic Inboxes at the weekend. Readers' letters are used on merit and may be edited for length and content. You can also submit your own 500 to 600-word Reader's Feature at any time via email or our Submit Stuff page, which if used will be shown in the next available weekend slot. You can also leave your comments below and don't forget to follow us on Twitter. MORE: Games Inbox: When will Mario Kart World DLC be released? MORE: Games Inbox: When will the Nintendo Switch 2 Lite be released? MORE: Games Inbox: Does Mario Kart World have the best Nintendo soundtrack?
Metro
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
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@ 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. Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning. 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 Email your comments to: gamecentral@ 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 [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 Email your comments to: gamecentral@ The small print New Inbox updates appear every weekday morning, with special Hot Topic Inboxes at the weekend. Readers' letters are used on merit and may be edited for length and content. You can also submit your own 500 to 600-word Reader's Feature at any time via email or our Submit Stuff page, which if used will be shown in the next available weekend slot. You can also leave your comments below and don't forget to follow us on Twitter. MORE: Games Inbox: When will the Nintendo Switch 2 Lite be released? MORE: Games Inbox: Does Mario Kart World have the best Nintendo soundtrack? MORE: Games Inbox: What are your Nintendo Switch 2 first impressions?
Daily Mirror
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Mario Kart World review – Knockout Tour brings a fresh way to race
Mario Kart World's open-world doesn't work as well as intended, but the new battle royale style Knockout Tour delivers a great new way to play. While the interconnected nature of circuits can lead to frustrating Grand Prix and open-world design, Mario Kart World's new driving mechanics and bold new mode makes it a fun time on Nintendo Switch 2. Improving on perfection is no easy feat. But it's a magic trick Nintendo has repeatedly pulled off. Just look at the jump from Zelda: Breath of the Wild to Tears of the Kingdom! And yet, if the Nintendo Switch 2 's premiere launch exclusive proves anything, it's that the Mario Kart series is a different beast. Mario Kart World isn't a bad game per se. In fact, several aspects of the formula have been creatively tweaked to the point of exhaustion, with new ways to race sprinkled in both on and off track. Yet that's also strangely part of the problem. With the exception of Knockout Tour mode, almost everything else Mario Kart World does best isn't necessarily new and ends up being a distraction. The result is a colourful kart racer that's still awesome to play in the moment. But one that undeniably pales in comparison to its immediate predecessor. Honestly, Mario Kart World's biggest problem is its need to try and usurp Mario Kart 8: Deluxe. Although originally a Wii U game eventually ported to the Nintendo Switch, the latter quickly grew to become one of the best value propositions in games ever, thanks to its (admittedly sporadic) post-launch support that saw new cups, tracks, and racers gradually arrive. Knowing this makes it totally understandable why the original Nintendo Switch never received its own Mario Kart entry. There was really no need! The Nintendo Switch 2 obviously doesn't have this same luxury, and so the race has clearly been on for Nintendo to try and push the envelope yet again. Its primary method of doing so is right there in the subtitle, yet it's hardly the saving grace of the package. That honour instead most definitely goes to Knockout Tour mode. Very much Mario Kart's answer to the ongoing battle royale trend, I was instantly taken aback at just how much racing, to, well, stay in the race, works to ramp up my competitiveness and makes taking every corner a moment of high tension and risk. Seeing the racer count whittle down from 24, to 20, to 16, and so on while trying to reach that next gate threshold brings a new degree of challenge not seen in the series before, and it's brilliant! True, the mode often feels punishing and a tad unbalanced, much like returning Mario Kart modes, but it's a thrill that really gives World a distinct new flavour. Players who have spent $80 to play at launch will no doubt be looking for it. World of difference This standout new mode is further complemented by inarguably the tightest, most complete feeling racing mechanics ever. Because, as if knowing how to effectively drift, boost jump, and deploy items didn't bring enough strategy to the act of racing, making almost every rail, wall, and train track grindable does well to make you approach tracks in a fresh, vertical sense. Mario Kart is no longer just about drifting and using shortcuts to gain the lead over your in-kart rivals, but also places a lot of emphasis on having you make the most of your surroundings. The primary way you go about doing this, of course, is by mastering what's called the Charge Jump. Although it takes a little getting used to, holding down the drift button without any directional input to charge up a jump eventually becomes second nature; the bigger challenge comes from actually using this build-up to know when to release and hit a rail or wall perfectly. Doing so incorrectly can be extremely costly, with crashes or missed surfaces often costing you a lot of momentum that you could have otherwise spent increasing your lead in the race or trying to catch whoever has managed to outpace you so far. The Charge Jump comes in particularly useful during interstitial moments during track transitions, which tend to be straight and don't offer chances to increase speed otherwise. Mario Kart World is no slouch in the strategic department, then, with plenty of planning and thought still required to maintain a lead over your other 23 on-track rivals. Does this increased racer count make racing through tracks more chaotic than before? To an extent, since tracks both old and new have been adjusted slightly to accommodate all those extra wheels with a wider breadth and fresh grindable elements. It's when Mario Kart's usual rigmarole of unpredictable item drops gets thrown into the mix that the chaos truly ensues, as Blue Shells, Lightning strikes, and Super Horns are deployed in quick succession to make you crash out and then attempt to crawl back. It would have been nice if new items like the Feather and Kamek spells had more of an effect, but it's probably wise not to upset the balance too much. Where things in Mario Kart World begin to go awry is in its attempt to make every track feel like it's part of an interconnected map. Taking the core Mario Kart experience and transplanting it onto an open-world structure isn't a bad idea in theory. The problem is, rather than learn from the racing greats who have made a similar jump (such as Burnout Paradise or Forza Horizon), Nintendo has stringently stuck to its guns to come up with its own interpretation of the concept. Turns out that it's one that's oddly stale and kind of boring, as all there is to do when driving in Mario Kart World's new Free Roam mode is to seek out arbitrary collectibles – seen here in the form of Peach Coins and Question Mark pads – that do very little else other than unlock cosmetic stickers. Far more interesting, if only slightly, are the P-Switch missions. There are well over 100 of them in total, which, when accessed, present you with mini challenges that force you to test out your driving skills in unique ways. At least, in theory. From collecting coins within a certain timeframe to performing some incredibly precise wall-riding tricks, in my 20+ hours of playtime, I found very few to be all that interesting outside of the sheer visual delight the interconnected map naturally provides. King of the road Unlike other open-world driving games that are absolutely packed with personality and things to do, finding the fun in Mario Kart World's version can sometimes feel like pulling teeth. The actual 'world' is by far the most inconsistent part of the package, which is a shame given its potential. Equally disappointing is how Nintendo's insistence on making most tracks drivable from one to the other seamlessly disrupts the standard Grand Prix game mode. Because while I have no problem with being able to choose whether I drive between, say, Sky-High Sundae to Dandelion Depths in VS mode, making this the standard in Grand Prix mode feels like a huge unforced error. It leads to huge stretches of the tournament feeling like an aimless sprint to the next true track, with only one full lap on a track making up a race – the other laps serve as these weird interstitial transition courses. Making traditional Grand Prix cups act as this way is a choice, but not the right one since it makes learning new all-timer courses like DK Spaceport and Boo Cinema much harder. It takes longer for their brilliance to settle in. Mario Kart World makes some genuinely bold attempts at reinventing its colourful karting formula. The problem is that most tend to be lacklustre and very few land with the intended effect. It's not a complete blowout, by any means, as racing against a full online group with up to 23 others is a blast and trying to three-star all eight new cups (either on the highest CC or in Mirror mode) is still a true challenge. However, it's the game's interconnectedness that detracts from the magically produced secret sauce the series does so well, with changes to Grand Prix's structure and Free Roam's inconsistent activities holding Mario Kart World's true greatness back. Knockout Tour is where the beauty of this Nintendo Switch 2 launch title truly lies, serving as the foundation for an otherwise fun but familiar kart racer. Having said that, it's packed full of potential that I'm eager to see built upon and expanded in future.
Forbes
17-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
‘Mario Kart World' Will Have Its Very Own Battle Royale Mode On The Nintendo Switch 2
Mario Kart World We learned a lot in today's Mario Kart World Nintendo Direct. The 15-minute video is below if you'd like to watch it, but some of the highlights include: Knockout Tour Perhaps the most interesting new addition to Mario Kart World is the new mode called Knockout Tour. The classic Grand Prix races will still be a major focus of the game, with 24 players per race, but Knockout Tour adds a decidedly Battle Royale twist to the experience. The new mode takes place across several maps, making these much more varied races than we're accustomed to (rather than go around the same track multiple times, you go from one track to the next across the big map).As you progress from checkpoint to checkpoint, lower-ranked racers are eliminated, just like in a Battle Royale match. You start with 24 players, but each checkpoint has a qualifying number, so after one only 16 players will be left, then 8, then 4 and so forth. This is definitely shaping up to be an exciting new Mario Kart and given that Mario Kart 8 was my favorite game across the Wii U and Nintendo Switch (tied with The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild) I'm definitely excited to pick up a Nintendo Switch 2. Here's the Direct: The Nintendo Switch 2 and Mario Kart World launch on June 5th.
