Zelda And Animal Crossing Packs Are Mario Kart 8's First Paid DLC

[mitchell271]

If I had the game, I'd definitely pick this up. If it came from anybody else, it'd be $15 for the 2 tracks! Nintendo is embracing DLC and they're doing it right

 

[144_v1legacy]

Wow buy 1 DLC pack to bring Mario Kart 8 to the same number of tracks as Mario Kart Wii what progress /s

Talk about cutting up the main game for DLC as normally a new game should have more content not less content.

From whose ass are you pulling that untrue statement? MK8 had the same number of tracks as MKWii out-of-box. This would bring it to 150% the number of tracks as that game (or MK7), or triple the number of tracks of any other MK game.

I used Wikipedia were it stated MK8 had 24 tracks to MK Wii's 32 but using the Mario wiki it says MK8 also has 32 tracks so I was wrong.

(but your still a dick with your comment)

I'd rather be an honest dick than a smug liar.

EDIT TO THE MODS: I don't think youji needed a warning for that post. It was tame at worst, and we can all handle a little name-calling. Please don't be too suffocating with the warnings.

 

[Dragonbums]

It is amazing how all the comments on Nintendo sites seem to be offended by the idea of non Mario characters being able to be played with.

To be fair, the people on the Nintendo centric forums....are kind of...crazy. Off putting to say the least.

Also it is amazing how some people are getting mad that they will have to pay for this. Yes DLC can suck but this stuff is worth the price. Well as long as the price is max fifteen dollars and not twenty or thirty. I would hope ten bucks each. Maybe a deal that you can buy both at a reduced price.

I don't think it's so much the mad part but how easily Nintendo can slip into the money grubbing paid DLC territory after keeping this kind of stuff relatively free for the most part.

Then again, they did make a $20.00 DLC that had Luigi, Nabbit, and 100 some levels. So maybe they won't go to EA levels of bullshit.

 

[Akisa]

Wow buy 1 DLC pack to bring Mario Kart 8 to the same number of tracks as Mario Kart Wii what progress /s

Talk about cutting up the main game for DLC as normally a new game should have more content not less content.

From whose ass are you pulling that untrue statement? MK8 had the same number of tracks as MKWii out-of-box. This would bring it to 150% the number of tracks as that game (or MK7), or triple the number of tracks of any other MK game.

Ah I remember when skins and maps were free.

I don't ever remember that. I remember a time when games could be considered "complete" with only one purchase (which MK8 does), but I never remember the existence of free DLC.

For pc games there use to be free maps and skins to keep its community live and well.

 

[V da Mighty Taco]

So far I kinda like this, since it's clearly not a case of cutting crap out of the base game ala the new Sims, but of content created post-launch being added to the game. However, I do take issue with the characters in the Zelda pack - in particular how Cat Peach and Tanooki Mario got in but not the titular Zelda herself. In fact, Link is the only one of said DLC's characters from the Zelda franchise at all, which is awfully weird in a DLC that's suppose to be Zelda themed. Anyways, let just hope Nintendo doesn't go EA on us at some point.

 

[Maze1125]

And because I haven't already painted enough of a giant target on my head, I'll ask what makes 8+ nearly identical mario cart games so OK that people want to buy the map packs just to show gratitude, but yearly CoD is "OMG LITERALY WORSE THAN HITLER!1!!1". Or for that matter why is 3+ plus maps for 15$ almost always reviled, but Nintendo farts out 8 zero effort race tracks and its the salvation of the industry? Just more examples of how amazingly selective gamer outrage is.

Do you really not see the difference or are you just trolling?
Anyway. The difference is that Nintendo brings out a new Mario Kart every three years, not every single year.
And the difference with the DLC is that Nintendo is releasing 16 tracks for $12, not 3 maps for $15. That's $0.75 per track not $5.00 per map.

That really is a pretty damn big difference.

 

[major_chaos]

Do you really not see the difference or are you just trolling?

Having issues with Nintend'oh is trolling now? mmm'k.

The difference is that Nintendo brings out a new Mario Kart every three years, not every single year.

You would think they could use that time to make them, you know, not totally interchangeable. Or add some actual content beyond race the AI, race friends, or a VS mode that has never been good and hasn't even been fun since 64.

And the difference with the DLC is that Nintendo is releasing 16 tracks for $12, not 3 maps for $15. That's $0.75 per track not $5.00 per map.

First off you are comparing the bundle price to the single purchase price, its more like 3 maps for $15 vs.8 maps for $8, which seems like fair a price to me seeing as those shooter maps probably took about twenty times the effort compared to some kart racer tracks.

 

[jFr[e]ak93]

Does anyone else find it odd to have a Zelda DLC... without Zelda? I mean, come on, Cat Peach?

I find it weird to have Link in Mario Kart .

This is like having dirt bikes... seems to be misplaced...

OT - I will likely buy the DLC in the end. As weird as I still find it...

 

[Maze1125]

You would think they could use that time to make them, you know, not totally interchangeable. Or add some actual content beyond race the AI, race friends, or a VS mode that has never been good and hasn't even been fun since 64.

That's all entirely opinion.
You don't like this game? Good for you! That doesn't change the fact that CoD games are released 3 times as often as MK games.

First off you are comparing the bundle price to the single purchase price, its more like 3 maps for $15 vs.8 maps for $8,

Oh my lord! That's means it's a comparison of $1 per track to $5 per map. You've completely overturned my point there! How could I have failed to see that coming?!? Woe is me, I must commit Seppuku now to retain my honour!

which seems like fair a price to me seeing as those shooter maps probably took about twenty times the effort compared to some kart racer tracks.

Where's your evidence of that? Or is it a claim you just pulled out of your arse?

 

[EHKOS]

I was a bit befuddled when I zoomed in and what I thought was Princess Zelda turned out to be a Peach skin. Still, that there is some good DLC. Nintendo handled this very well, and I'm pleased to see that. I'm also pleased by the majority of approval around me.

 

[xaszatm]

And don't forget, its Nintendo DLC, so expect store navigation to be pain, the download to take roughly 30x longer than it should, and to have to rebuy it if you replace your WiiU or play at a friends house. Because Nintendo is still going "daqfaqu is this inter-nets thingy? meh, I'm sure it'll never catch on, lets just half-ass it.

And because I haven't already painted enough of a giant target on my head, I'll ask what makes 8+ nearly identical mario cart games so OK that people want to buy the map packs just to show gratitude, but yearly CoD is "OMG LITERALY WORSE THAN HITLER!1!!1". Or for that matter why is 3+ plus maps for 15$ almost always reviled, but Nintendo farts out 8 zero effort race tracks and its the salvation of the industry? Just more examples of how amazingly selective gamer outrage is.

...Because these "map packs" are the entire purpose of the game? Besides 8 tracks, 3 characters, and 4 race vehicles for $7.99 or double that for $11.99 is a much better price than $15 for 3 maps. Like, can you not see the differences in both pricing and content?

And what the hell do you mean zero effort tracks? Have you seen Mario Kart 8? It has been praised as one of the most beautiful games in style and substance of this generation. Even the Retro courses were given such an overhaul that many people don't recognize them.

 

[Alfredo Jones]

From what I've seen people aren't so much mad about their being paid DLC as much as their is fear that Nintendo will go the route of other AAA developers and start cutting off important chunks of their games to sell later. While the possibility is there, I highly doubt it will happen. Nintendo's DLC has be fair so far, offering lots of extra content for a reasonable price. Plus if a game is getting multiple DLC packs (like with MK8 here and Mario Golf World Tour before it) they offer bundle packs at a discount price. Other developers would just wait for a year and release the main game and the DLC together as a "Game of the Year Edition" or something.

 

[DrOswald]

And don't forget, its Nintendo DLC, so expect store navigation to be pain, the download to take roughly 30x longer than it should, and to have to rebuy it if you replace your WiiU or play at a friends house. Because Nintendo is still going "daqfaqu is this inter-nets thingy? meh, I'm sure it'll never catch on, lets just half-ass it.

And because I haven't already painted enough of a giant target on my head, I'll ask what makes 8+ nearly identical mario cart games so OK that people want to buy the map packs just to show gratitude, but yearly CoD is "OMG LITERALY WORSE THAN HITLER!1!!1". Or for that matter why is 3+ plus maps for 15$ almost always reviled, but Nintendo farts out 8 zero effort race tracks and its the salvation of the industry? Just more examples of how amazingly selective gamer outrage is.

16 courses for $12. That is half again as many courses, plus a bunch of other goodies, for 1/5 the retail price. 8 years ago this amount of additional content would be called an expansion pack and priced at 50% of the retail price. Nintendo is giving great value for money here.

Also, 8 Mario Kart games over 22 years and 8 platforms. Contrast to Call of Duty with 8 games over 6 years on a single platform. That is nearly 4 times the saturation.

Plus, Call of Duty belongs to an already over saturated genre, the FPS. Mario Kart, on the other hand, belongs to the very sparse kart racer genre. Mario KArt and Sonic All Stars Racing is pretty much all there is, and Mario Kart is the only long term franchise we have in the genre.

So, 1/4th the saturation on an under saturated genre. Do you really not see the difference?

 

[JoJo]

So far I kinda like this, since it's clearly not a case of cutting crap out of the base game ala the new Sims, but of content created post-launch being added to the game. However, I do take issue with the characters in the Zelda pack - in particular how Cat Peach and Tanooki Mario got in but not the titular Zelda herself. In fact, Link is the only one of said DLC's characters from the Zelda franchise at all, which is awfully weird in a DLC that's suppose to be Zelda themed. Anyways, let just hope Nintendo doesn't go EA on us at some point.

Yeah, that's the one point I'd disappointed on in an otherwise perfect DLC package. We already have Metal Mario and Pink Gold Peach, did we really need another pair of reskins? As well as Zelda, there's quite a few old MK racers such as Diddy Kong, King Boo, Dry Bones etc that would have been cool to see again. Link and Dry Bowser are cool though.

 

[AJ_Lethal]

So 16 tracks, 8 vehicles, and 6 characters for 12 bucks?

That's a hell of a deal

 

[CaitSeith]

Am I the only one who finds hilarious to see Link riding a motorcycle? He has rode a horse, a giant bird, a magic train, a talking kangaroo, a talking dodongo, a talking winged bear, a talking sailboat and a steam boat that ripped through the fabrics of time itself; and somehow I can't keep a straight face when I look that image.

 

[Alfredo Jones]

Am I the only one who finds hilarious to see Link riding a motorcycle? He has rode a horse, a giant bird, a magic train, a talking kangaroo, a talking dodongo, a talking winged bear, a talking sailboat and a steam boat that ripped through the fabrics of time itself; and somehow I can't keep a straight face when I look that image.

I find the image of him in a kart to be more hilarious. The way he looks sort of curled up in order to fit in the kart looks kind of silly. Plus I'd imagine that given his experience with riding horses he would probably have an easier time on a bike.

 

[major_chaos]

Oh my lord! That's means it's a comparison of $1 per track to $5 per map. You've completely overturned my point there! How could I have failed to see that coming?!? Woe is me, I must commit Seppuku now to retain my honour!

Truly your ability to use sarcasm and be unsubtle has convinced me of my failure as a human being, I if I go buy mario kart anotherfuckingone right now can you forgive me sensei?

Where's your evidence of that? Or is it a claim you just pulled out of your arse?

I have played shooters, have played kart games, I don't see how you can keep a straight face and say a circle/loop/square with a backdrop is more intricate than a shooter map. Never once when playing mario cart did I see the name of the upcoming level and think about how I needed to adapt the way I play because it a fucking cart track, turn the corners, dodge the penguins don't drive on the grass, seen one, seen em all. yawn. I played Mkart 64 a ton when I was a kid and I still can't name or describe a single track other than Rainbow Road and Yoshi valey, and I only remember those because they were fucking awful. On the other hand I still remember where the good weapons are on each map in TimeSplitters 2.

Like, can you not see the differences in both pricing and content?

No, I really don't. It will take me hours to adapt to those 3 new maps, the eight tracks with all blend into eachother in my mind within a single playthrough of the cup.

And what the hell do you mean zero effort tracks? Have you seen Mario Kart 8? It has been praised as one of the most beautiful games in style and substance of this generation. Even the Retro courses were given such an overhaul that many people don't recognize them.

I was talking about from a technical perspective, not a graphics one, but please do tell me who these people are, because any journalist calling a Mario game on the WiiU a graphical achievement is someone I can safely ignore as a former Nintendo employee.

16 courses for $12. That is half again as many courses, plus a bunch of other goodies, for 1/5 the retail price. 8 years ago this amount of additional content would be called an expansion pack and priced at 50% of the retail price.

What expansion packs were you buying that had an hour of content in them? Because when I think expansion pack I think Rainbow 6 Athena Sword, Oblivion: The Shivering Isles, Diablo 2: Lord of Darkness, C&C3: Kane's Wrath, Dawn of War 2 Chaos rising, ect. All of which added massive amounts of content, all gamechangers. New areas, new story, new challenges, new everything. Calling some Kart tracks and some cosmetics an expansion pack is a joke.

Also, 8 Mario Kart games over 22 years and 8 platforms. Contrast to Call of Duty with 8 games over 6 years on a single platform. That is nearly 4 times the saturation.

Again, you would think that would make a difference, but I saw a screen at an electronics store playing a trailer and I honestly had no idea if it was Mario kart Wii or Mario Kart WiiU. I have never had that problem with any shooter before. Also according to Wikipedia their big innovations that they managed in those three years are ATVs, which don't appear to affect gameplay much if at all, and the tracks sometimes going upside down. Whop-de-fucking-do.

Do you really not see the difference?

I see exactly what I said in my first post, gamer rage is selective. I don't believe in "genre saturation" and the amount of other games in a genre has no effect on my opinion of the individual game I'm looking at. And my opinion of Mario kart 8 is that its barely even a roster update.

 

[xaszatm]

Snip

It's literally half the game for $12.00. A game, that in its current state, is $60. How is this zero effort laziness?

Hell, for that matter, what people complaining about Call of Duty DLC map packs? I know a lot of people complaining about Call of Duty micro-DLC, but the map packs themselves? People who like the games find them great. And I think that's the problem. YOU don't like Kart games, so you don't appreciate what 8 tracks means for such a game. And that's great. It's not for you. You clearly have other games close to you in comparison. But there is a difference between not understanding and insulting everyone else. Stop the latter.

 

[DrOswald]

16 courses for $12. That is half again as many courses, plus a bunch of other goodies, for 1/5 the retail price. 8 years ago this amount of additional content would be called an expansion pack and priced at 50% of the retail price.

What expansion packs were you buying that had an hour of content in them? Because when I think expansion pack I think Rainbow 6 Athena Sword, Oblivion: The Shivering Isles, Diablo 2: Lord of Darkness, C&C3: Kane's Wrath, Dawn of War 2 Chaos rising, ect. All of which added massive amounts of content, all gamechangers. New areas, new story, new challenges, new everything. Calling some Kart tracks and some cosmetics an expansion pack is a joke.

Diablo 2: Lord of Destruction only managed about 1/3th again the content and yet you list it is an expansion pack. Why is 50% additional content not an expansion pack? When the base game contains roughly 2 hours of content by your ridiculous measure 1 hour of content by the same ridiculous measure is a fair sized expansion pack.

Also, 8 Mario Kart games over 22 years and 8 platforms. Contrast to Call of Duty with 8 games over 6 years on a single platform. That is nearly 4 times the saturation.

Again, you would think that would make a difference, but I saw a screen at an electronics store playing a trailer and I honestly had no idea if it was Mario kart Wii or Mario Kart WiiU. I have never had that problem with any shooter before. Also according to Wikipedia their big innovations that they managed in those three years are ATVs, which don't appear to affect gameplay much if at all, and the tracks sometimes going upside down. Whop-de-fucking-do.

And I have never been able to tell apart Call of Duty games. They all look the same to me. But guess what? That doesn't mean they are all the same.

Your inability to tell the Mario Karts apart does not mean they are all identical any more that my inability to tell the Call of Duty games apart means they are all identical.

Do you really not see the difference?

I see exactly what I said in my first post, gamer rage is selective. I don't believe in "genre saturation" and the amount of other games in a genre has no effect on my opinion of the individual game I'm looking at. And my opinion of Mario kart 8 is that its barely even a roster update.

Oh, I get it. You have a different opinion from nearly everyone else, in this case that genre saturation does not matter, so naturally you draw the conclusion that everyone else must be stupid or hypocritical. You, in fact, know exactly what the difference is but since you personally don't think that factor is important everyone else in the world is a hypocritical fan boy. It couldn't be, say, that different factors matter in different ways to different people.