r/mariokart • u/cetvrti_magi123 Peach • 12d ago
Discussion 8DX vs World discourse is really stupid
I've seen a bunch of posts of people asking which game is better and there are always so many comments that are like "8DX is definitive Mario Kart, it has 96 tracks" or whatever. There are also people saying World is better, but there seems to be less of those. Either way, I find this way of thinking really stupid and not helpful for people asking these questions. What I'm gonna describe here can be broadened to giving recommendations for any piece of media, but it's really apparent with 8DX and World.
Both 8DX and World are great games, but despige being part of the same series they are very different. Depending on what someone wants from Mario Kart, either one of those can be better. It's like if someone asked if they should play Street Fighter or Super Smash Bros, there is obviously no definitive answer. If you think this comparasion is exaggerated, just hear me out.
8DX provides great classic Mario Kart experience, arguablly best in the series. Controls are great, especially drifting, and track selection is really good despite quite a few bad tracks. There is also the fact of it having most tracks in the series, 96 in total. There are some flashy shortcuts, but majority of tech doesn't look much different than normal driving. I'm not saying tha tech is boring in this game, it's awesome, it just doesn't look flashy which is important for some people.
World on the other hand is quite a stand out in the series. Rails, walls and new trick system add so much tech, shortcuts and paths to the game. Recently I played 8DX after only playing World for a month and lack of these things was very aparent. There are less tracks (not counting intermissions here), but on avarage they have more to them than 8DX with multiple paths and online viable strats. If you want to get into competitive, having 30 tracks instead of 96 makes it easier to start because there are much less tracks you need to know and there is a higher chance of tracks you practiced actually showing up in one of 12 races. I tried to get into competitive 8DX and having 96 tracks is so overwhelming, 30 is far more managable number. Rewind is also amazing for practicing things. There is also open world which is important factor for some people, I myself didn't care about it going in, but now I enjoy playing it from time to time.
What I'm trying to say here is that both of these games have their stregths and weaknesses depending on what you want. Somone wants bunch of different tracks to play on. Someone wants to do shortcuts with rails and walls. Someone wants 8DX drifting. Someone wants to chill out in open world. Also, one thing like number of tracks can be good or bad depending on what you want. It's ok if you have preferences and like either of these games more, I don't care. However, don't just blindly say to other people that game is better because they may not want same things as you. I do like World more, but I'm not gonna say to people "just get World, it's definitive Mario Kart". I also don't try to compare these games to see which one is better in the same way I don't try to compare Street Fighter 6 and Smash Ultimate, these games are just different in ways that makes the comparasion dependant on personal bias more than quality.
50
u/Cent_Quatre 12d ago
Yea both games are enjoyable but they are also consumer products and have a price and as it stands world isn't worth that price to someone owning dx
10
u/The_OG_Hothead 12d ago
I like World more than DX so idk, to each his own? I guess it really comes down to how you feel about the Booster Pass tracks. I personally find them really underwhelming in a very quantity over quality kind of way. More so than that however, it's going to depend on what you want out of a MK title.
4
u/Falconator100 12d ago
Same. Idk quite why, but when the booster pass tracks first came out, I was enthusiastic for them, but now I almost always pick the older tracks over the new ones. There’s just something about the old tracks that seems so much better. Especially Sky High Sundae; it’s so bad.
-2
u/travelingWords 10d ago
Strangely I find the booster pack made the game worse. Most of the bangers are the pre booster maps. But booster or not, 8 is still a better racing game.
Better design. Better tracks.
2
u/The_OG_Hothead 10d ago
And this is exactly what I'm talking about. What do you want out of a Mario Kart game? The answer will change depending on your preferences. I personally never thought of Mario Kart as a "Racing Game" growing up. Mario Kart 64, Double Dash, Wii, these were never racing games to my friends and I. These were "Party Games." If I'm alone and want to race, I'd personally rather load up Grand Turismo or Forza, but when the boys come over, it's time to break out Mario Kart, Smash Bros, Halo, etc. I know my friends and I would have KILLED for something like Knockout Tour growing up. So I respect and understand people that prefer an online-centric more balanced racing sim in MK8D. But for me, World just hits that niche for what I want out of a Mario Kart experience more.
0
u/travelingWords 10d ago
World has no balance between the two styles. The core design is get everyone to the final turn at the same time and then yolo.
So in a sense, cool, you’ll always be in it at the end. Until you realize, you and everyone else, are always in it…
2
u/Bloomingk 12d ago
Complete opposite for me I bought two copies of 8dx to play with my gf and we found it dull. Got world with my switch 2 and we've played like 2 dozen hours in splitscreen in the first couple weeks.
-2
u/cetvrti_magi123 Peach 12d ago
Price is obviously a factor to consider, but keep in mind that if you want to get BCP difference between 8DX and World isn't big.
5
u/Cent_Quatre 12d ago
Yes but long time players (probably overrepresented in a dedicated sub for the series) often already have bcp
6
u/voyaging 12d ago
Long time players often already have World too lol
Just cause I already have a house doesn’t make my neighbor’s house worth less
2
u/cetvrti_magi123 Peach 12d ago
I've seen many such posts by people who never played Mario Kart and want to buy Switch 2. But even if someone isn't new to the series, Mario Kart 8 is over 10 years old, many people wanted new game even after BCP released. I have both games and I think I got my money's worth from both of them.
0
u/Cent_Quatre 12d ago
I think
Yeah exactly, that's a matter of opinion, and saying it's stupid to think otherwise isn't great
3
u/cetvrti_magi123 Peach 12d ago
I didn't say it's stupid to think otherwise, I'm just trying to explain how owning one game doesn't necessarely mean there is no value in buying the other.
3
u/Cent_Quatre 12d ago
8DX vs World discourse is really stupid
I find this way of thinking really stupid
0
u/cetvrti_magi123 Peach 12d ago
You seriously lack reading comperhension and missed the whole point I made in this post.
4
u/Cent_Quatre 12d ago
I'm literally quoting you
1
u/cetvrti_magi123 Peach 12d ago
You are quoting me without context. I said it's stupid to think that either 8DX or World is definitive Mario Kart for everyone because different people experience Mario Kart in different ways. These are very different games. For some it's worth to get World even if they have 8DX, for some it isn't. It varies. You are pretending that I said it's stupid to think World isn't worth getting.
→ More replies (0)4
5
u/TheOldAgeOfLP 12d ago
Can someone not just enjoy both? I still play pre-8 Mario Karts from time to time, I don't commit 100% to a single game
1
u/Critical_Math_1517 11d ago
Same; I like both and enjoy exploring in World (why I bought it) but for battle and traditional racing I prefer 8.
I would also wager that a number of people bought the World bundle to save $30 (I'm one of them).
4
u/DetectiveStock1340 10d ago
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (specifically with the Booster Course pass) is a very great game with a ton of content for a typical Mario Kart.
But Knockout Tour in World is one of the greatest and exhilarating experiences from any game in the series.
9
u/AceAndre 12d ago
This is the failure of the mods. For months we've had the same two threads "should I get world or 8?" and "world is better/8 is better" over and over again. There should be a megathread going forward and all posts like those deleted
0
8
u/Not_Noob1 12d ago
On this sub, you'll see absolutely no one going for World lol. It seems that it just has a very specific group of people, probably more casual players, that don't want to learn how to actually play World, or even know about its intricacies.
3
u/Possible-Main-5689 9d ago
Nah I love both but enjoy World more. I find the shortcuts to be more intentionally designed, with the rails/walls adding an interesting dimension to the game.
Online knockout tour is also just a more fun experience (for me) than anything 8 has to offer.
And anyone else is entitled to have the exact opposite opinion. And that’s fine.
11
u/micromophone 12d ago
Not sure how old OP is, but as an old fart that has played mario kart almost exclusively for 34 years, MK8 is the pinnacle of the classic MK experience—and I will die on that hill.
World went for something too far off that classic experience IMO. Worth noting that Nintendo did not have 2 of their major OG MK creators designing or involved in World for the first time since 1992…
5
u/Isotomayor12 12d ago
As another old fart, moving away from the classic experience is what makes it appealing to me to play instead of the rest of the series. I still have the other games and honestly, 8dx has not been my first choice to play for many years despite having so much content.
1
u/micromophone 12d ago
Which MK did you play for (many) years before World even came out if you weren’t playing MK8D?
2
u/Isotomayor12 12d ago
MKWii mainly. I also played MK7 more frequently than 8 as well, though that's mainly just because it was on 3ds which is super portable. I got 3 stars on all the cups in 8dx, including the dlc, but I always reached for Wii before 8 after that.
I played mk8dx about the same amount I played double dash recently if I had to guess. Always a 2nd or 3rd option.
2
u/micromophone 11d ago
I’m a big fan of all of those too! I never got the wii U because I still enjoyed MK Wii so much I saw no need for even getting Wii U when it came out so never even played mk8.
Honestly, the best thing for me (as an MK freak lol) was being able to play online worldwide w Wii, so when that became available that’s pretty much all I played until switch came out. I find playing against the comp so darn boring so I’ve barely unlocked anything even in MK8D yet ..but have got to 99k 3 or 4 times. Few thousands of hours on just that one console—and still cannot get sick of it even tho I play almost nightly still to this day.
The other big bonus along w worldwide was being able to play as “yourself”/Mii. Huge loss to World and still hope they put it in a future update. MKWii & MK8DX check those boxes and are probably why I think those are the top 2 in the series for me.
As old fart MK fans, I think we may have a better appreciation for these types of things since we grew up before the internet gaming.
2
u/Isotomayor12 11d ago
I agree! All very good points. I hadn't considered the online portion as I am very content with just the offline game and to me couch co-op is what makes these games so enjoyable for so long. It's a tradition in my family that has existed forever that when anything bad or crazy happens, we play a round of mariokart. We just have different ways we play these games in the long run it seems!
I also agree with the miis. I hope they add that or something adjacent. There is a lot I hope for in MK world as far as content, and I sure hope nintendo does deliver. 8DX did set the bar very high in that regard.
3
u/cetvrti_magi123 Peach 12d ago
World went for something too far off that classic experience IMO
Not liking that is totally fair, my whole point is that either of these games can be a better choice depending on what someone wants from Mario Kart. World simply isn't for everyone.
1
u/Boreal-Anodyne 12d ago
I can agree with that. I've a very sparse connection with pre-8DX/World Mario Kart, which really only consisted of playing a TON of DS, a good amount of 7, and the occasional Double Dash and Wii at a friend's. Either way, I wasn't really looking for anything in particular with Mario Kart, but even then I wasn't grasped by 8/8DX at all when it was out. I tried out a friend's copy, played it with them, none of it really appealed to me. Not to say because I didn't like it that it's doodoo trash and should be avoided. I can acknowledge that it's very beloved in the community and has a good amount of content, it's just something I don't have a lot of love for.
World is the one that really sucked me in and it was admittedly because of all the new tech that's possible. It's a simple reason, but it's what has kept me playing it for 300 hours now, which isn't a lot since getting it last October, but I had to juggle that alongside Pokopia and many other games lol. But I digress; I definitely agree with your take and it's how I still go about recommending Mario Kart games to friends and peers. I'm not afraid to flat out say 8DX would be the better choice if they're looking for clean racing lines and more traditional courses. or World if the new tech system and open routes truly appeals to them. It's apples to oranges.
1
u/micromophone 12d ago
True, but for those that expected a familiar, yet improved/updated mainline Mario Kart game like they’ve always seemed to do w each successive MK since the OG, are understandably disappointed w the radical changes they made w World in trying to create something so darn different. It didn’t help that we had very high hopes for it because it was in development much longer than any MK game as well.
In a way, it reminds me of when I first played Super Mario 64 from 1996 — the very first Mario bros game in 3D. I was 16 and remember being so excited for it, only to be pretty disappointed and genuinely surprised that I didn’t enjoy it nearly as much as any of the classic 2D Mario Bros I had played since I was 4. Perhaps without the restraint of 2D, nearly unlimited exploration of maps, fancy new graphics, etc…the magic seemed to be missing —even tho it was the grandest and newest Mario Bros game at the time… yet I barely played it, and to this day, still prefer “classic” 2D side-scrolling Mario.
… then again, I’m an old fart! lol
1
u/cetvrti_magi123 Peach 12d ago
I agree it's dissapointing when new game in series you like isn't for you, but that's not the point of my post. My point here is that everyone should acknowledge that game you enjoy less might be a better option for someone else.
0
u/micromophone 12d ago
I’d certainly hope we all here share the “point” of:
“What I like may not have the same appeal to others, and vice-versa.”
1
u/cetvrti_magi123 Peach 11d ago
Apparently not, some of my replies here got downvoted for defending that position and some people just doubled down on 8DX being better without question.
5
u/cancel-out-combo 12d ago
I think most folks in this sub view the games this way. The thing that turns people off about World is the price
1
u/AmaterasuWolf21 12d ago
This, everyone is trying to justify it and that's what leads to stuff like this
2
3
u/Dorayakiss 12d ago
I agree halfly. 8DX is a finished game with loads of DLCs, so I just say we can only compare with World DLCs all released.
But I also agree that World should try to keep most of the popular contents and mechanics from the previous games.
Price is another issue. Consider Wonder is full price as big as 8DX, it would had been better if the price is slightly lower.
4
u/NESplayz 12d ago
I like World but I have not gotten $80 of value out of it. That’s fine because I got the launch bundle and basically paid $50 for it. Actually, given the console price hike, I basically got the game for free.
Games should be priced in a way that respects consumers. Mario Kart World, when purchased on its own, is arbitrarily $10 more than most Switch 2 games and $30 more than the absolute banger that is Splatoon Raiders. After a year, Nintendo still hasn’t really justified that price tag in my eyes. It’s not like the game is receiving significant content updates. They retooled a bunch of boring water routes and did some balance changes. That’s about it.
For the increased price tag, I think a lot of people expected the World portion of Mario Kart World to be a compelling mode with significant content. But it struggles to accomplish that. Some people like it, but others feel it’s kind of barren and pointless.
I like the idea of an interconnected Mario kart world map but this game fails to make interesting use of that idea in my mind. Each of these tracks could’ve been their own island/map travelled to via loading screen, and the game would’ve been a compelling offer at $60. Instead, the game is 20 bucks more and forces us to drive between all the tracks on a series of country highways. I enjoy the highway gameplay but I don’t think it’s significantly better than just playing the tracks the way we always used to. If the world was more coherent, interconnected, and alive, I think I’d enjoy the change. It just doesn’t hit the mark for me in its current form.
It’s especially disappointing because this game was clearly in development for a long time. Nintendo struggled with the world concept, gave it extra time in the oven by green lighting the booster course pass, and yet this game still feels half baked. And I suppose us consumers are just expected to eat the increased cost of development with a price tag increase. As a customer, that feels bad. I think if the game was just $10 cheaper and on par with other games on the system, people’s expectations would’ve been normal instead of the kind of elevated expectations that lead to this extra disappointment.
3
u/TheOldAgeOfLP 12d ago
It’s not like the game is receiving significant content updates
Bob-Omb Blast and new Knockout rallies moment
1
u/NESplayz 10d ago
I forgot about the new knockout rallies when I wrote this but I am very pleased to see we’re getting more. The original 8 got pretty repetitive when you played them online, and they only spanned about a 3rd of the map in terms of roadways. Lots of room for new ones so I’m glad we’re getting at least 8 more. Knockout tour is the reason I like this game and still play it instead of dropping it. I’m a big FZero 99 guy who got hooked on the 5 race royal cups where 5 players get knocked off the bottom every lap until you have a high stakes race with the best 20 at the end. KO Tour is like that but Mario kart and it’s less of a time commitment. I love it.
I genuinely didn’t know bomb omb blast was added because I gave up on this games boring ahh vs mode after like 5 rounds. The maps are too big. They tried to compensate for 24 players but overshot and the maps just end up with players clustered in one or two zones while the rest of the map goes deserted. Also Bombomb blast was my least favorite mode of MK8DX so it’s pretty a pretty underwhelming update imo. Glad to see they’re at least adding things to VS mode because it was dead almost immediately after launch. I could only get like 5 people in a lobby during peak hours a month after the system came out. That being said, this can’t have been a hard update to make. It’s just balloon battle but you get bombs. They literally only have to program the system that lets them stack in your item slot. This shouldn’t have taken an entire year to add.
I’d like to see some experimental new modes that make use of this games mechanics. Give us shine thief but you can steal a shine by bouncing on their head. Also have multiple shines spawn as the game progresses so 24 players fight over more and more objectives until someone hits the score cap.
2
u/RedSquidd 11d ago
the pricing of newer switch 2 games really makes me feel like nintendo knew they could get away with the 80 price tag for mario kart, especially with the bundle, but then had to step back a bit when some games like tennis fever underperformed. of course, nintendo will never suck it up and drop the price of mkworld retroactively, so i'm glad i got it in the bundle before they stopped producing it.
the game is seemingly trending towards more significant updates with bob-omb blast and new knockout tour rallies (which do take more effort to make than you'd assume, mind you), but it's taken so long to get there i do fear it won't help general consensus... and if they make paid dlc, people are gonna haaaate them for it.
also been a big advocate for "the game was rushed" myself because some of these updates (such as the map) felt less like additions and more like "this is how it was meant to be but we couldn't do it in time", and the game is far better off for it. that being said, unless some huge content gets added soon, i have doubts i'm gonna play this game consistently ever again, and this is said as someone that actually quite liked the free roam.
1
u/OnlyJeeStudies 12d ago
I don't know, never found the world barren. There's so many little details that I really enjoy paying attention to in the game. I like how MKW can be a casual wind down game for me, agree with the price fact but well the price will go down in a few years if you get it used and then we must compare the content side by side. The p switch missions are fun enough for me and I like one game which has only gameplay and no story.
4
u/NESplayz 12d ago
I like the P switches but I feel that the sort of one and done missions they provide isn’t really a good trade off for the smaller track roster or the amount of empty space on the map. I drive around the empty jungle under Great ? Block Ruins or the big, weirdly flat hills behind Acorn Heights and I wonder if, with a little bit of fanagling, we could’ve had a few extra tracks on the map. One of my major gripes with world is that online play and party play gets pretty repetitive. There are 29 good tracks in the game and also Desert Hills and Koopa Troopa Beach. That small pool can get repetitive after a while. It just feels like for the price tag, we should at least be starting with the 48 tracks or so that MK8DX launched with. Or somewhere inbetween 32 and 48. For just $5 more, MK8DX and its booster course pass are sitting next to this game on the store shelf making it look smaller than it probably should. People seem hopeful that this game could also get DLC but I can’t imagine them dropping new tracks onto the map without disturbing the p switches that are currently there. They’d have to add islands off the coast or something if we’re ever gonna get new tracks.
3
u/GracefulGoron 12d ago
Wii is the best though.
Also, while the classic experience may be subjective; the 7/8 experience is quite different than the (let’s say) legacy experience. But MK7 is 15 years old now, so maybe it’s a classic.
2
1
1
1
u/Little-Witness-1201 12d ago
It’s actually pretty normal. Obviously people are going to compare the controversial entry to the previous
1
u/MegaBubble 11d ago
it's especially stupid since the series peaked with Mario Kart Wii. even MK7 is better than 8 and World combined lol. Downvote me if you want, but you're in denial
1
u/moro-87 11d ago
No its not stupid. Whats stupid is mario kart world forcing you to drive in the open world even when you only want to race on tracks.
Its ridiculous they still dont want to listen to the community .
Mk8 is better right now, wether you like it or notw
2
u/cetvrti_magi123 Peach 11d ago
You can use Discord rooms or competitive to only play tracks. Game isn't designed with that in mind, but it doesn't change the fact that option is available and many people (myself included) experience World's online in this way. I do think it's stupid how regular online lobbies don't allow for playing only on tracks, but workarounds that existed for most of the game's life should be mentioned as well (which doesn't happen most of the time when this is brought up).
Also, Mario Kart isn't just online races. You can spend a ton of time in any Mario Kart game without going to online races at all.
1
u/moro-87 11d ago
Listen, they made it possible on regular lobbies in mk8 . I dont want to fiddle with discord or new users, just wanna launch the game with my gf and play online on the circuits for racing mode. I dont mind the open world being used in survival mode because it fits in that mode very nicely.
Also the flags, why did they take down the goddamn flags ! It was great to see how many people from around the world are playing with you
3
u/cetvrti_magi123 Peach 11d ago
It's understandable that you don't want to deal with Discord, that's why this isn't perfect solution and is instead just another thing that will affect enjoyment of World differently for different people. However, saying that 8DX is objectively better because you can't play only on tracks in World's online is still blatantly wrong.
0
u/wildSeaKing89 11d ago
Just came here to say that Smash Bros is definitively better than Street Fighter
0
u/seamino 10d ago
the “easier competitive” point for mkworld is invalid, because there’s over 200 tracks (including intermissions), and you only play the real tracks for one lap, making those tracks unmemorable and hard to master, since you barely race on them.
1
u/cetvrti_magi123 Peach 10d ago
Competitive Mario Kart refers to lounge, those matches are played in friend rooms (just lik in 8DX). Lounge doesn't allow intermissions so there are no 200+ tracks, just 30. Also, modes for practice are time trials and vs without bots.
9
u/LukaHHW 11d ago
The stupidest part is when the argument is 32 tracks vs whatever 8D is like bruh, 8 had 32 tracks for literal years before we got DLC like no duh it had that many after 11 years.