Mario Kart 8 (Wii-U)

[Sami]

Fine with me so long I don't have to pay for it.

[SuperLink]

Fine with me so long I don't have to pay for it.

If it was free, fantastic, but considering the current industry environment I don't think that'll happen.

[Sami]

Fuck that, then. I'm not paying to complete an unfinished game, and I'll be pissed if they try to do that with a $60 game. ._.

[Celestia]

It'd be nice to get some of those modes via DLC, better than nothing, but the fact that people want DLC of what used to be included in the base game kinda saddens me.

 

I think people are mostly saying that because, well, since Nintendo literally can't fix it in the base game right now, they could add it with DLC. Not that it's a good thing that they aren't in the base game, but that can't really be changed at this point...

 

...unless you're commenting on how it's sad that we have to be asking that, and the developers should've done better from the start, in which case, yeah, pretty much. XP

 

Edit: Nintendo's only recently got into DLC, but how have they handled pricing with it in other games?

Edited May 16, 2014 by Celestia

[SuperLink]

Nintendo's DLC pricing has been pretty generous and overall good thus far, especially with Mario Golf.

 

But like, 90% of the fucking industry are releasing incomplete games and making us pay to complete them (EA, Activision, Capcom, Square, etc). I'm seriously worried that Nintendo are going to be next.

 

 

Fuck that, then. I'm not paying to complete an unfinished game, and I'll be pissed if they try to do that with a $60 game. ._.

One of the reasons I'm such a big Nintendo fan is because they're one of the few developers I thought would never do that when surrounded by so many Japanese devs who do, but recently I'm beginning to feel less sure.

[Doctor MK]

Nintendo's only recently got into DLC, but how have they handled pricing with it in other games?

 

It's been pretty reasonable, really. For Mario Golf they were offering DLC packs with a new character and two new courses for about £5 each (or £10-ish if you bought all three as a Season Pass), which when you consider is around double the base game's content (which costs £30-35), is pretty good value.

 

I think I recall the NSMB2 Coin Rush DLC packs being around £2 or £3 per set which, again, is reasonable enough considering they all offered specific perks (like insane difficulty or just easy money).

 

So, on the whole, Nintendo has played it sensibly with DLC so far. If they apply a similar structure to MK8 that they used for Mario Golf, offering (for example) a new character and some new tracks or battle arenas in a series of 'packs', I'm sure people would be willing to cough up some money for it. Obviously it would be far preferable to not have to buy DLC to fix the issues in the first place, or have them offered for free in an update, but as long as it's not extortionate and they give you some additional perks so it's not just "pay this much money to get the mode you should have had from the start!", I guess you can't really blame Nintendo for wanting to milk the Mario Kart cash cow for as much as it's worth in these tough financial times. Assuming they even do DLC, of course.

[Carbo]

World Tour's DLC was handled in a way enough that instills plenty of confidence that Nintendo can very well pull off a DLC plan for Mario Kart 8 with flying colors. Considering Kart 8 is said to have a "year-long marketing campaign", DLC seems quite possible.

Hardly think that will be indicative over "removed content" though. While leftover material very much serves as a basis in further development there is usually a very valid reason as to why it's cut, as development can't go on forever. In World Tour's case, the DLC was proved to not be locked to the cart.

In any case, Kart 8 has been built entirely with online infrastructure in mind so I'm expecting news at E3 about it.

[SuperLink]

Yeah honestly they haven't announced any DLC yet let alone "day one DLC" so I'm pretty sure that any potential DLC MK8 gets will be "after the fact" developed, and not content that was purposefully held back.

 

Well.. unless you consider "content purposefully held back" to include things that would have been in the game had the game not been rushed to release/absolutely refused any further delays, which I'm almost certain is what happened. MK8 doesn't seem rushed, it seems solid and beautiful, but in terms of features and playable characters I get the feeling it probably wasn't what it was originally planned to be simply so Nintendo could get it to store shelves as quickly as possible. The Wii U kinda.. needs it as a breathing apparatus right now.

[Sami]

World Tour's DLC was handled in a way enough that instills plenty of confidence that Nintendo can very well pull off a DLC plan for Mario Kart 8 with flying colors. Considering Kart 8 is said to have a "year-long marketing campaign", DLC seems quite possible.Hardly think that will be indicative over "removed content" though. While leftover material very much serves as a basis in further development there is usually a very valid reason as to why it's cut, as development can't go on forever. In World Tour's case, the DLC was proved to not be locked to the cart.In any case, Kart 8 has been built entirely with online infrastructure in mind so I'm expecting news at E3 about it.

I think the best part about Golf's season pass is that it resulted in a cheaper MSRP for the cartridge itself. I'd be perfectly happy to pay $49.99 for the base product and an extra $10 for a season pass that'll bring in new modes, but charging full price from day one eliminates the most important factor in making Golf's pricing model as reasonable and fair as it was, IMO.

Edit - Though I suppose I can be a bit lenient considering they're giving out free games alongside a purchase of MK8. Forgot about that.

[Doctor MK]

In any case, Kart 8 has been built entirely with online infrastructure in mind so I'm expecting news at E3 about it.

 

Same here. By the time of Nintendo's digital event, the majority of players around the world will have been experiencing Mario Kart 8 for just under two weeks and probably seen most of what it has to offer - so, alongside all the other announcements that they'll make, revealing some additional content to extend the longevity of the console's (likely) best performing game would be the cherry on top of the cake.

 

And they can do it in some clever ways that make it so that you don't feel aggrieved you're just buying "cut" content, too. Throw together special bundles like Golf's DLC packs with a variety of new content, or have everything listed or grouped individually for those who just want new characters/race tracks/battle arenas, but with discounted prices for those who buy the aforementioned bundles to entice them into spending a few more of their hard-earned pennies and eventually splash out on everything that's being offered.

 

I think the best part about Golf's season pass is that it resulted in a cheaper MSRP for the cartridge itself. I'd be perfectly happy to pay $49.99 for the base product and an extra $10 for a season pass that'll bring in new modes, but charging full price from day one eliminates the most important factor in making Golf's pricing model as reasonable and fair as it was, IMO.

Edit - Though I suppose I can be a bit lenient considering they're giving out free games alongside a purchase of MK8. Forgot about that.

 

Admittedly MK8 won't have the pricing thing on its side in that sense, but as I say, you can't really blame Nintendo for making the most of what is likely the Wii U's best chance of survival. They need to squeeze every penny out of it as they can without making it notably unfair to the consumer, that's why there's so many console bundles and pre-order bonuses and limited editions being offered. And yeah, as you say, you're essentially getting two games for the price of one anyway, so that kinda balances it out in the long run.

[Dantemustdie00]

I bet their waiting for the final week before they announce anything else, likely gonna be part of the Launch Trailer

[Doctor MK]

I bet their waiting for the final week before they announce anything else, likely gonna be part of the Launch Trailer

 

I honestly doubt we'll see anything before E3 seeing as it's so close. Besides, launch trailers are usually just snippets of gameplay we've already seen cut up with a load of review scores and quotes anyway.

[Dantemustdie00]

Oh yeah I heard some rumors about Mario Kart stuff at E3, don't know if it's true or not.

[Mando-Whirl-Wind]

even more commercials *Warning minor spoilers*

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvJFV8tbDfg&feature=player_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqEpNRFaaFU&feature=player_embedded

[jords]

I'd love to drive down a water fall.

[Autosaver]

Did someone tell Nintendo what the definition of a commercial was?

[Dejimon11]

So mario kart 8 is being accused of racism(and possibly poor sales and ruined battle mode) http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2014/05/reaction_mario_kart_8_accused_of_poor_sales_potential_ruining_battle_mode_and_racism. Ummm I really don't know

[jords]

Mario Kart 8 Gameplay - Lightning Cup - Tick-Tock…: http://youtu.be/Af-HRDZwKPQ

Notice a small detail in this stage.

The gears moving in the background move with the stages music. Once the guy reaches third lap and the music plays faster, the gears also play faster.

[SIXTH-RATE SOMA]

So mario kart 8 is being accused of racism(and possibly poor sales and ruined battle mode) http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2014/05/reaction_mario_kart_8_accused_of_poor_sales_potential_ruining_battle_mode_and_racism. Ummm I really don't know

 

This is just utter nonsense. Nintendo takes a bold step by being the first to bring proper representation of sapient turtles to gaming, and this is how the industry pays them back? Disgraceful.

[LimeTH]

No colored people? Do you not notice the Pink Gold representation this game has?

[DarkRula]

What. The. Insidious. Reaction.

Including Toad and Toadette as humans is ridiculous for a start. They are mushrooms with sentinent life. So that's two of the fourteen humans knocked out of the equation. And then, if you please, five of the characters are just baby characters of the main stars. So what, they went through metamorphosis or some other physical change during puberty have they? That then leaves us with a supposed seven humans left. Now, are Nintendo really going to go all out to change the colour of skin for already accepted characters to "reflect the diversity of it's audience"? Of course not. What? New characters? Oh, so that's it is it. Just another jab at the poor character roster with a different spin. That's all I'm seeing this as. Now, the person of that article might believe that diversity in video games stuff, but the Mushroom Kingdom is clearly diverse in a different way. In fact, I'd say non-humans practically outweigh the humans [which also explains why Mario and Luigi are only ever around Peach's Castle]. I'm all for diversity, but calling out a video game that is simply a mash up of favoured characters brought together for a bit of sporting fun seems a strange way to attack.

Now then, that's out of the way and done with. Just my thoughts. [And also no personal attacks on anyone either]

[TearForFear]

even more commercials *Warning minor spoilers*

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvJFV8tbDfg&feature=player_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqEpNRFaaFU&feature=player_embedded

 

Is that Mike Pollock's voice? If not he sounds a lot like him...

[Ratcicle King]

The Achievement Hunter/Rooster Teeth crew got an early copy of the game, they're showing off a bit of it 

[Lady Soniko]

Oh my god, Ryan had me in stitches the whole time, he hasn't got a clue lmao.

[PSI Wind]

Why are people so terrible at video games that are extremely simple?