Mario Kart 8 (Wii-U)

[Indigo Rush]

At least it won't show up on the Gamepad.

 

 

 

...heh... :/

[Mando-Whirl-Wind]

Now the only question is of what build that screenshot or two was from in MK8 that featured the lack of AA. Is it a demo? The retail copy? What is it?

 

Hoping I'm not just in denial due to loving how clean MK8 looks before launch..

Again, this, also has anyone compared this to the any of the many videos we've gotten from reviewing websites, one pic from one build is not a clear proof.  

[LimeTH]

Yeah, this doesn't add up. There's been tons of footage that had the AA, many not even from Nintendo. It's either the screenshots themselves causing the illusion of lower quality, or the guy's TV has lower resolution and it showed in the screen.

 

There's only two or three AA less screenshots compared to all the millions of screens and videos with AA.

[Sami]

I don't know how one would go about manually removing an AA effect though... you'd be adding in a minute detail that wasn't even there to begin with. Maybe I'm just misinformed though. I like to think I know a bit about game specs, but I hardly know anything about image manipulation and what you can do to make a game literally look uglier.

[azoo]

Hmmm... is that 720p or 1080p for sure, or is that 480p stretched up to a higher resolution? Wii U does have the option to tweak it to whatever res you want it to be, and it does tend to look worse on a better television (as I've seen myself). 

 

It's gotta be something. Either Nintendo's been really snakey with showing off the visual fidelity, a different copy / a fluke, or something from the player's end. None of this is adding up, otherwise.

[Sami]

Yeah, this doesn't add up. There's been tons of footage that had the AA, many not even from Nintendo. It's either the screenshots themselves causing the illusion of lower quality, or the guy's TV has lower resolution and it showed in the screen.

 

There's only two or three AA less screenshots compared to all the millions of screens and videos with AA.

 

Okay, I'm curious now. Looking into this. I hadn't looked at any of the older screenshots up to this point, so I want to know how severe the supposed downgrade is.

Hmmm... is that 720p or 1080p for sure, or is that 480p stretched up to a higher resolution? Wii U does have the option to tweak it to whatever res you want it to be, and it does tend to look worse on a better television (as I've seen myself). 

 

It's gotta be something. Either Nintendo's been really snakey with showing off the visual fidelity, a different copy / a fluke, or something from the player's end. None of this is adding up, otherwise.

 

It looks way too detailed to be 480p, imo. Looks a lot like 720p as far as pixel density goes, but I'm just going by what I'm seeing with my eye. I don't know how to do a computed pixel count or anything.

[azoo]

It does look really similar to how other downres'd games look on Wii U, though. They tend to all share that same kind of AA-less look of jaggedyness. Plus, that's pretty dang blurry if you ask me. It's a safe bet it's 720p but I wouldn't be surprised if it's 480p.

[jords]

All this graphic talk is making my head spin X_X 

 

Lets watch something.

Here is the credits of the game:

http://youtu.be/N_U6jtyFNiE

[Conando]

Did anyone actually expect AA? Nintendo never uses it, and it's a huge resource hog.

[azoo]

Did anyone actually expect AA? Nintendo never uses it, and it's a huge resource hog.

 

Considering the game's footage and screenshots all had it..... yes?

[Conando]

I don't recall see it in screenshots, definitely not the early release ones. They were jaggy, and looked exponentially worse than the demo I saw at the E3 experience.

[Sami]

I don't think there was a downgrade at all. I looked back at some older screens and compared - 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now, one thing I found interesting is that some screens have a really nice Depth of Field effect, like this one - 

 

 

Others, like this one, don't.

 

 

I don't know why that is though.

[Indigo Rush]

Haha

 

 

At the end of the credits, they show the "company logos" that helped sponsor the project

 

That's legitimately a funny little addition there, Nintendo. Stay classy.

[Conando]

The Depth of Field thing could be on a course-by-course basis, which would actually be pretty interesting if they actually did that. I don't recall that being even an occasional thing, it would be rare.

[jords]

The Roy symbol reminded me of this:

 

Im not sure why......

[LimeTH]

Haha

 

 

At the end of the credits, they show the "company logos" that helped sponsor the project

 

That's legitimately a funny little addition there, Nintendo. Stay classy.

 

Goddamnit, the logo design in this game is so GOOD.

[DarkRula]

Okay. Here's how I take the resolution difference.

On Mario Kart Wii with an old CRT TV, it looks clear. Obviously you can't get past 480p, but you upgrade to an LED Widescreen TV. Now then, the LED's all have different sizes, be it 43 inch, 19 inch or somewhere in between. As the screen size increases, but the resolution doesn't, the picture is going to get more distorted. Increase the resolution [upgrade to a WiiU with MK8] and the image distortion is rectified somewhat. Going beyond native resolution of a game doesn't affect it too greatly, but it is half of what happens to native 480p on an LED TV. In some cases.

Obviously I could be wrong, but in this case, I'd say 480p, or even 720p, on a plasma 43 inch TV would cause distortion similar to MKWii on an LED TV. On the other hand, it could be the capture settings on his capture card. That's a route no-one mentioned.

 

As for the game itself, I've settled on some tracks I like, but whether I do when I actually race on them is another question. But for now, I'm just watching footage over and playing both MKWii and MK7 while waiting.

[Doctor MK]

Kosuke Yabuki interview about Mario Kart 8 in EDGE

 

Retro course design and the decision to change Battle Mode, explained!

 

Mario Kart 8 is now just a few weeks away, and the secrets of its modes and design have been stripped away in favour of anticipation as Wii U owners become keen to get their hands on the latest racer in the series. In a mini-interview with EDGE magazine, Kosuke Yabuki took the chance to explain some key differences in approach with this latest entry.

 

Though a refrain when playing any Mario Kart game can be to say "we've played it before", this new entry does have some surprises and changes for fans to enjoy. Yabuki-san has made the point that each title, from a development perspective, begins with a clean slate.

"This time around, we really did add in a lot of new elements, but we also aimed to do away with explanations or tutorials as much as possible. The Mario Kart series cherishes both depth and breadth of gameplay; it's broadly accessible and anyone can pick up a controller and start playing, but at the same time the games are also deep enough that players can achieve greater results through practice. Each time we make a Mario Kart, we make everything from scratch: programming, graphics and even the audio. Even if we're making something similar to what was used in a previous title, it will be different because of the person doing it. We think the subtle change is crucial."

 

One aspect of the title that does bring relatively dramatic change is with the retro courses. As you may have seen in video footage of these circuits, the capabilities of the Wii U and the inclusion of new mechanics has drastically changed these tracks — Yabuki-san hope there'll be a compelling mix of familiarity and discovery for players.

 

"A lot has changed since these courses first appeared, from kart behaviour to the camera and even the number of opponents, so we had to redesign the courses both in terms of their spacial layout and even the width of the tracks. We've also added in the antigravity, gliding and underwater mechanics, too, and the graphics and sound are all remade from scratch. But I hope these courses will still bring back some fond memories."

 

Yabuki-san also addressed the topic of the re-jigged Battle mode in Mario Kart 8. Unlike its predecessors this entry will not include special arenas, but will simply have racers going in both directions around specific tracks from the racing modes. It was explained as a decision to shake up the formula.

 

"We've changed the style of Battle mode for Mario Kart 8 to use circuits that lots of people can play on. Players won't know when a rival will appear from around a corner, which will bring a new sense of excitement and strategy to this mode. In terms of rules, we designed it for playing with 12 players, including the CPU. In the beginning, you have to defeat the CPU players and earn your score, and towards the end it becomes a battle between just human players. That's the real thrill of it! It should be a fresh experience for users to be able to race backwards around the circuits they are familiar with. I'm sure there will be a few people who aren't so sure about us moving away from how we've done things previously, but I hope they try it out for themselves first. I'm sure it will be a new experience for everyone, [and] like no other battles in Mario Kart before."

[DarkRula]

Unless all four human racers are just camping out on a bend, of course. I think that's what people were most afraid of when constructing criticism of the new battle mode.

Of course, I'm always up for a battle, and I'll be playing through all the battle tracks just the same as all the race courses, but I'm not sure if it will be as great as previous battles.

[jords]

I really don't see any thrill in battle mode. None

[Lady Soniko]

I like the new rules, but the mode is still fucking shit and inexcusable, there's no excuse for not having arenas, if you add more players? Make the arena's bigger. It's not rocket science.

 

Having tracks as battle areas is stupid as I and EDGE said, you'll be playing catch up to someone who is already half way around the track, it's not meant to be cat and mouse, it's supposed to be strategic in how to avoid your opponent's items or pushing your opponent into a false sense of security with them not knowing what item you have in your arsenal. There was also some level of strategy in arena design in past Mario Kart battle modes, the Coloured Blocks track for one where there were 2 levels to take advantage of to escape your opponent by climbing the specifically placed ramps around the map. Or the mansion level in DD was perfect for throwing bombs through the sky light at opponents on the level beneath you. N64's Skyscraper had a bottomless pit in the middle that you could hit opponents into for double balloon take, or riskily race along the edge to trick your opponent into falling in. Another was pipe plaza, 2 levels and pipes that warped you to different areas, it was fun to place an item box or banana peel right where they would be ejected from. Battle mode is meant to be frustratingly chaotic but a blast to play with good friends, the amount of memories I have with battle mode on Mario Kart 64 and Diddy Kong Racing with my Uncle, his Nephew-in law and Cousins is honestly really crushing my feelings for how they've approached the mode in MK8. I'm even more disappointed they didn't make use of the Zero Gravity feature in battle mode.

 

These are just tracks, race tracks. Not battle tracks.

[Willsy]

I like the idea of search and destroy, but I don't think it should cancel out the arena mode.

[jords]

I was so excited for battle mode to have the anti-gravity arenas. Like imagine another block plaza type with anti-gravity?

Well I doubt we are getting DLC for battle mode, since they wanna do something different.

[Doctor MK]

I was so excited for battle mode to have the anti-gravity arenas. Like imagine another block plaza type with anti-gravity?

Well I doubt we are getting DLC for battle mode, since they wanna do something different.

 

You never know, it might just be PR fluff. They might well know that Battle Mode is a bit lacking due to time constraints or something, but they're just talking about it in a positive light because... well, they're hardly going to criticise their own game

 

Even if Battle Mode DLC is unlikely, the year-long campaign and the fact that Mario Kart 8 will be one of the Wii U's most played titles, there's still a chance that Nintendo will hear people's wishes and add something in further down the line, whether it be substantial or just a token gesture.

[Willsy]

I'm pretty sure regular races are enough of a battle mode with two to four Blue Shells per race. By that I mean, kids hitting each other with Wiimotes until mu(o)m turns the Wii U off.