Mario Kart Tour Beta Impressions Thread

BennyWhatever · May 23, 2019

So I'm about 3 hours in, and I'm honestly loving the game. It's addicting and fun and I like upgrading every little thing.

HOWEVER, my biggest beef so far is the points system. It's really bugging me that you're almost penalized for getting 1st place. You get better items in 4th or 5th place, and you can rack up way more points by wrecking other racers than you can by placing high.

RobotHaus said:
Also, does anyone have any tips on the "hit 5 people with green shells" challenge? I feel like it's unobtainable for me.

You probably need someone that can get 3 items so that you can Frenzy, and get lucky by getting green shells. That'd be the easiest way.

garion333 · May 23, 2019

StraySheep said:
But at what point do you risk damaging the brand?

If Mario Run didn't damage Mario then nothing likely will.

Deleted member 2791 · May 23, 2019

StraySheep said:
But at what point do you risk damaging the brand?

What would damage the brand is releasing unpolished game with predatory or excessively greedy mechanics.

Nothing shown so far in Mario Kart Tour indicates that it's the case. It seems in line with the previous mobile efforts.

Deleted member 18807 · May 23, 2019

StraySheep said:
But at what point do you risk damaging the brand?

Their core market is still happy with a Deluxe port of a last gen title, so I don't think this damages it in the slightliest. It's not the same case as SEGA, for instance, that damages Sonic's IP with bad console games at the same time that the well-received Sonic Runners mobile game was shut down.

roly82 · May 23, 2019

V_ac said:
You don't race any real people. The PVP thing is a Score ranking board for the Koopa Troopa cup.

What a missed opportunity, with no online it's going to be a new failure like SMR.

brooklynb_jp · May 23, 2019

Just started playing. I think the gyro controls are a must. It allows you to control your drifting more precisely.

JershJopstin · May 23, 2019

Why are blue shell frenzies a thing

WHY ARE BLUE SHELL FRENZIES A THING

brooklynb_jp · May 23, 2019

The game tries really hard to keep you on the track. You can use that to your advantage to get more boosts from drifts and gather more points.

Sanchoco · May 23, 2019

JershJopstin said:
Why are blue shell frenzies a thing

WHY ARE BLUE SHELL FRENZIES A THING

TIL this is a thing

Holy shit, thank God this is in beta because I would have quit the game if this was in the final build. I hope they don't put it in.

brooklynb_jp · May 23, 2019

It's interesting that the goal is not even to get first place. That's just a means to an end. If you can get the amount of points you need without getting first place, then it doesn't really seem like it matters.

Also funny that you will get an item box simply by touching the spot where an item box is programmed to be. The actual item box doesn't matter, so you can't prevent others from getting items.

JershJopstin · May 23, 2019

Sanchoco said:
TIL this is a thing

Holy shit, thank God this is in beta because I would have quit the game if this was in the final build. I hope they don't put it in.

I'm pretty sure there's frenzies for everything. I've gotten a few coin frenzies. I'm also 90% sure I saw a bullet bill go by with the rainbow effect, implying a bullet bill frenzy.

But the blue shell frenzy is something else. The blue shell spam combined with traveling on the ground almost feels like 10 seconds of MKW hacking chaos.

RobotHaus · May 23, 2019

JershJopstin said:
I'm pretty sure there's frenzies for everything. I've gotten a few coin frenzies. I'm also 90% sure I saw a bullet bill go by with the rainbow effect, implying a bullet bill frenzy.

But the blue shell frenzy is something else. The blue shell spam combined with traveling on the ground almost feels like 10 seconds of MKW hacking chaos.

I got that once, but I still think there's nothing that makes you feel invincible quite like a boomerang frenzy. You're just a tornando rolling through EVERYTHING.

Tahnit · May 23, 2019

When is this coming to iOS?

Brazil · May 23, 2019

garion333 said:
If Mario Run didn't damage Mario then nothing likely will.

What? Super Mario Run was a cool and generally well-liked game.

AndreGX · May 23, 2019

Brazil said:
What? Super Mario Run was a cool and generally well-liked game.

Heck yeah, Mario Run was surprisingly great

brooklynb_jp · May 23, 2019

I don't completely understand why people think there's not going to be multiplayer. Why would they even implement a rank system for you and some AI? Why have titles if other people aren't going to see it in some capacity? It seems like a weird assumption for a game that's centered around a multiplayer experience.

Isn't it possible that they're simply testing with AI-only races at the moment?

From a more cynical/business perspective, putting players against each other would also make them spend more money on the gacha, the hearts, etc.

garion333 · May 23, 2019

The store ratings and reviews would show otherwise. Granted, Nintendo isn't likely putting up fake reviews like most mobile titles to boost their score.

That and the way they structured the pay. Now they're full-on gacha, etc., with their mobile titles.

I don't think Mario Run was anywhere near as successful as what they expected and it ticked tons of mobile users off. The game itself was fine, the package wasn't.

That's what I meant.

Camjo-Z · May 23, 2019

Waiting for the King Boo cup to unlock now, only four more cups to go in the tour after that. I'm just barely making progress by the skin of my teeth at this point, every grand star counts and the increased point requirements means getting five stars on a course is now entirely dependent on having ++ loadouts. It's also pretty hard to come by new characters and gear outside of the occasional tour gift because free emeralds have slowed to a crawl.

Lan · May 23, 2019

PROTIP: You can use the challenge in the DK Cup to grind out the destroy pipe badge.

RobotHaus · May 23, 2019

Lan said:
PROTIP: You can use the challenge in the DK Cup to grind out the destroy pipe badge.

I used Mario Circuit since I had a higher than usual amount of Mega Mushrooms, then I'd just drive through the 4 pipes.

The only challenge I have left is the 8000 pts with a mustached character. And the only option I have is Luigi on Luigi's Mansion. I swear there's a RNG for points since sometimes I'll get 8000+ with some characters, then ~3000 with the next race.

Shoichi · May 23, 2019

JershJopstin said:
Why are blue shell frenzies a thing

WHY ARE BLUE SHELL FRENZIES A THING

Watch Nintendo add this to the main series...

I had a Red Shell Frenzy before I knew what it was and was wondering why i could spam red shells lol

Sanchoco · May 23, 2019

It's nice that at 150cc and higher the points you earn when you reach 1st place increase with each win.

The grinding is real, took a while for me to get some 4 stars because the drivers I have only give me 1 item and the karts and gliders get no change as well(aka fuck Kalimari Desert).

RNGesus has forsaken me

JershJopstin · May 23, 2019

Honestly, the more I play this, the more I like it. It's no main series replacement, but it's a pretty good way to kill time if I need to without my Switch for 15-30 minutes.

RadzPrower · May 23, 2019

Hot damn...just saw like 7 Bowser shells pass me by because somebody got a frenzy. That was a kinda surreal moment.

AnonymousApple · May 23, 2019

I was watching a video online and it looks like there are 'reverse' versions of each course introduced at some point. Do you literally play each course from back to front, or is it just mirror mode?

EDIT: Wow, you actually do just do the courses from back to front! Probably explains why it seems like only some courses have 'Reverse' versions, as some courses are likely impossible backwards.

Hailinel · May 23, 2019

I've played a little bit of it this morning. Seems like a competent mobile Mario Kart, honestly.

Gartooth said:
To be honest, I expected something a little crazier on mobile with all the secrecy surrounding this game. It seems to be gacha Mario Kart with heavy asset recycling from 7 and 8D, and simplified mechanics.

This is pretty much what I expected it to be, really. The only surprise to me is that it's played in portrait mode and not landscape.

TheUnseenTheUnheard · May 23, 2019

pikablu said:
Not having that issue on a moto z3 play

;-;

Deleted member 8593 · May 23, 2019

Brazil said:
What? Super Mario Run was a cool and generally well-liked game.

AndreGX said:
Heck yeah, Mario Run was surprisingly great

I wanted something like Remix 10 in NSMBUDX, badly. :(

RobotHaus · May 23, 2019

AnonymousApple said:
I was watching a video online and it looks like there are 'reverse' versions of each course introduced at some point. Do you literally play each course from back to front, or is it just mirror mode?

Back to front with some minor changes. But it is fun. I could see this being implemented in future installments.

Deleted member 6730 · May 23, 2019

garion333 said:
The store ratings and reviews would show otherwise. Granted, Nintendo isn't likely putting up fake reviews like most mobile titles to boost their score.

That and the way they structured the pay. Now they're full-on gacha, etc., with their mobile titles.

I don't think Mario Run was anywhere near as successful as what they expected and it ticked tons of mobile users off. The game itself was fine, the package wasn't.

That's what I meant.

That's still not brand damaging. Predatory mechanics have a bigger chance at damaging the brand than a straight $10 price tag. Mario Kart's probably their biggest F2P mobile game yet in terms of recognition so poorly implemented monetization would cause more controversy than usual. Hell, loot boxes weren't that controversial until Star Wars was attached to them. A bad thing attached to something considered good is very brand damaging.

r_n · May 23, 2019

RobotHaus said:
Back to front with some minor changes. But it is fun. I could see this being implemented in future installments.

Interestingly, a Reverse Mode was planned as far back as Double Dash

In one of Double Dash's demos we have this, which is present alongside mirror mode so it wasn't necessarily replaced by it

Complete with upsidedown trophies

The limited course selection combined with constantly redoing the same tracks in this might've caused them to revisit the idea to add more variety rather than just flipping the courses with mirror.

ChaosZeroX · May 23, 2019

Damn this sucks. I didn't get an email from them with a code. Anyone else on Android still waiting?

Skyfireblaze · May 23, 2019

r_n said:
Interestingly, a Reverse Mode was planned as far back as Double Dash

In one of Double Dash's demos we have this, which is present alongside mirror mode so it wasn't necessarily replaced by it

Complete with upsidedown trophies

The limited course selection combined with constantly redoing the same tracks in this might've caused them to revisit the idea to add more variety rather than just flipping the courses with mirror.

Wow this is mind-blowing, is there any footage of these Double Dash demos?

r_n · May 23, 2019

Skyfireblaze said:
Wow this is mind-blowing, is there any footage of these Double Dash demos?

judging from tcrf, it wasn't implemented in the demo, just all the icons are there and we have map listings https://tcrf.net/Proto:Mario_Kart:_Double_Dash!!/Multi-Game_Demo_Disc_Demo

Shoichi · May 23, 2019

ChaosZeroX said:
Damn this sucks. I didn't get an email from them with a code. Anyone else on Android still waiting?

Did you get the initial email regarding you were selected and to wait for the followup instruction email?

It's not an email with a code. It's an email with instructions on how to access the closed beta and the link to click.

ChaosZeroX · May 23, 2019

Shoichi said:
Did you get the initial email regarding you were selected and to wait for the followup instruction email?

It's not an email with a code. It's an email with instructions on how to access the closed beta and the link to click.

Yes I got the first email earlier this week but, not the follow up email with the link. Thought it was a code.

edit - Nvm

I found it. I deleted for some reason.

Skyfireblaze · May 23, 2019

r_n said:
judging from tcrf, it wasn't implemented in the demo, just all the icons are there and we have map listings https://tcrf.net/Proto:Mario_Kart:_Double_Dash!!/Multi-Game_Demo_Disc_Demo

Ah I see that's a bummer, it's something I've wanted from Mario Kart since 64!

Atheerios · May 23, 2019

Datamines are starting. Looks like the game base is the same s MK8 and have an equivalent texture / model quality.

TurokTTZ · May 23, 2019

Is it just me or is steering really difficult in this? wish they improve steering sooner rather than later.

also how does the ranking system work? I see you can get gems from it but my understanding from playing this so far is that ive been up against bots only. is the ranking collecting points from other beta testers or is it all bots?

MondoMega · May 23, 2019

Atheerios said:
Datamines are starting. Looks like the game base is the same s MK8 and have an equivalent texture / model quality.

Hopefully that guy won't need to bother porting the karts...

Nintendo please, let me pay to have these in 8 Deluxe.

r_n · May 23, 2019

MondoMega said:
Hopefully that guy won't need to bother porting the karts...

Nintendo please, let me pay to have these in 8 Deluxe.

MK8's dlc should have had more classic karts instead of just the B Dasher (DLC) & Koopa Clown (DX)

I feel like they think the bdasher is more iconic and distinctive than it actually is, even if it is on MKDS' cover

Sanchoco · May 23, 2019

TurokTTZ said:
Is it just me or is steering really difficult in this? wish they improve steering sooner rather than later.

also how does the ranking system work? I see you can get gems from it but my understanding from playing this so far is that ive been up against bots only. is the ranking collecting points from other beta testers or is it all bots?

I'm curious about this right now, so on mine it says I'm number 1

In any case, it adds the total amount of points you've earned from the 3 races in that cup(meaning, after unlocking the leaderboard, you have to race in those courses again). After the event ends you are given emeralds based on the rank you are given.

MoogleMaestro · May 23, 2019

No online multiplayer?

I'm sure this will still be successful because, you know, Mario + Mobile and all that. However, I'm just not sure this really appeals in the same way they want it to. They could have at the very least provided some local multiplayer options but I guess that ship has sailed.

I'd be curious to see some footage, all of the Youtube footage has been shut down.

Falchion · May 23, 2019

Had no clue they were doing a beta, signing up now.

Orange Piccolo · May 23, 2019

Ah man, knowing there's no online against real players is a gigantic bummer. I get WHY they did it that way logistically, but it's still disappointing.

Wowfunhappy · May 23, 2019

StraySheep said:
But at what point do you risk damaging the brand?

This is my feeling. Who is going to buy a Switch to play Mario Kart when they already played Mario Kart on their phone, and discovered it was actually crap?

Mario Run at least made it quite clear that it was not full fledged Mario. (It was also a legitimately great game in its own right, albeit short)

Deleted member 5535 · May 23, 2019

garion333 said:
The store ratings and reviews would show otherwise. Granted, Nintendo isn't likely putting up fake reviews like most mobile titles to boost their score.

That and the way they structured the pay. Now they're full-on gacha, etc., with their mobile titles.

I don't think Mario Run was anywhere near as successful as what they expected and it ticked tons of mobile users off. The game itself was fine, the package wasn't.

That's what I meant.

You mean they're full on gacha... on markets that accept those mechanism? Pretty much all of their games on mobile have the majority of the revenue coming from Japan, which unlike the west, don't have such complaints about it. Even here this isn't that big on a backlash but still has it's detractors, which in Japan and Asia in general, that don't bother them.

Which is why they'll use it normally as that's the way to make money on the market as people don't like to pay for the full thing in comparison.

Shoichi · May 23, 2019

It is definitely disappointing that the game doesn't have real online against others. Just bots using usernames that others (I'm guesing) use.

I hope it was more Nintendo deciding to close off real online matchmaking for now because the code wasn't ready and not that it won't be in the game. If anything they should introduce a mode for challenging others

Sanchoco · May 23, 2019

I'm just now noticing that Blue Shells will switch to whoever is 1st place before it decides to land

I was in 1st when the blue shell was flying around me expecting to get hit again only for a Luigi to get in front of me and have the blue shell land on him instead.

RobotHaus · May 23, 2019

Wowfunhappy said:
This is my feeling. Who is going to buy a Switch to play Mario Kart when they already played Mario Kart on their phone, and discovered it was actually crap?

Mario Run at least made it quite clear that it was not full fledged Mario. (It was also a legitimately great game in its own right, albeit short)

These aren't complete versions of their console counterparts. If anything the mobile Nintendo games have made me want to play the console versions more.

Mario Kart Tour Beta Impressions Thread

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