In Mario Kart 8, most vehicles have other counterparts that have absolutely identical stats across the board. For example, the Mach 8, Circuit Special, Sports Coupe and Gold Standard all have the same stats. Well, I've seen people say that since high-end competitive play will probably revolve around one specific combination, as it did in Wii and 7, this will create more variety since you won't see the same vehicle all the freaking time.
But can we really call it variety? Those vehicles are just reskins of each other, they do the exact same thing, they just look different. So functionally they're the same, no variety at all involved. For me, real variety would involve different stat spreads all being viable and commonly used at the same time. A pipe dream, when you consider that Flame Runner Funky's advantage in MKW over Flame Runner Rosalina and Mach Bike Daisy was quite negligeable, with the results that we all know. But still, I don't think reskins count as real variety. It's like saying, hey, Keldeo has two forms that do the exact same thing, but they look different, so variety!
Am I the only one who thinks that way?
I really don't get your point about everyone being the same character/kart. When I play on Wifi, there'll be a Funky or two, but there'll also be a bunch of Miis, some Luigi and Yoshi, and occasionally a really bad Mario whose name is Dad. Unless if there's some sort of "professional Mario Kart" scene that I'm unaware of, it doesn't exactly cause the kinds of problems you're making this out to be. And if there is a professional Mario Kart scene, then they'll there's probably a bunch of them that want an even playing field stat-wise anyway. You know, Fox only, no items, Final Destination.
ReplyDeleteAs for Mario Kart 7, I'm pretty sure the reason half of the people play as him is because he's the final unlockable character (Him and Lakitu) and all of the noobs want to show off that they have him.
According to Slowflake, he combines a smaller hitbox with the advantages of being a heavy racer...
DeleteWell there isn't a pro scene like what you see in Starcraft or LoL where it's what the players do for a living, it's more like Pokémon. And there, people DO use Funky all the freaking time. I've heard a story about someone who was going to join a clan, but then he raced someone from that clan and used... I forget which character, but it wasn't Funky, or Rosalina, Daisy or Baby Daisy for that matter, and at that point he was denied entry just because he didn't use a top-tier character. It's THAT bad, trust me.
DeleteAnd yes, people used Metal Mario in 7 because of the hitbox. Aside from that he was identical to Bowser, Wario and Honey Queen in every way. As a general rule, high-end players won't use something just for the e-peen if there's an advantage to be gained, no matter how small.
...That is really dumb. Wow.
DeletePurely visual variety is still variety in my book. If I really like a certain stat spread, it'd be nice to also have a few options in terms of appearance for that stat spread.
ReplyDeleteIf I may make a loose comparison, it's like having the choice between using the regular or shiny coloration for every Pokemon in simulators. You have two palette options for the same stat spread and moveset! Having a bit of choice is always welcome, even if it is small.
Granted, I completely understand your questioning of this. I think it's kind of silly as well. But, honestly, Mario Kart would need some heavy revamping for speed to not be, by far, the most important stat. So this, while still kind of stupid, is welcome in my book.
I honestly don't care that much about the vehicles so long as people don't use the same one character. MK8 looks like it's going to satisfy me in that regard with a whole THREE characters that "professionals" will choose from.
I think it's not that speed (and acceleration, with SSMTs gone) have too much of an effect, but that the other stats don't do enough. Low handling should mean you have a really hard time taking turns (maybe not as bad as the majority of the cast in the original, but still), and low traction should mean going off-course almost brings you to a halt. Not to mention weight apparently being even MORE worthless than it used to be. If Lemmy rams into Bowser, he should come to a full stop. No questions asked.
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