This is another one of those games that's really strange to think about for me. This is obviously the highest-quality Mario Kart game to date, in terms of mechanics, physics, track design, item balance, sound design, music - literally everything. Nintendo was on their A-game with this to try and keep the Wii U afloat, and it shows. Mario Kart no longer was a budget side-series, but a showpiece with the best graphics on the console (and even their subsequent console) and a lavish live-recorded soundtrack (a series-first) featuring big Japanese jazz talent like Yoichi Murata and Eric Miyashiro. It's really a sight to behold, and an excellently-designed game aside from the Battle Mode. I put hundreds of hours into this in Time Trials and Online.

But it feels too good. It's too smooth. All the edges have been sanded off. It feels too natural to drift along each and every curve with ease, even on 200cc. Lakitu will get you back on track immediately, and track hazards aren't as punishing. Items aren't as much of a hindrance compared to Wii or before, but there aren't any fancy techniques to gain huge leads either. The ones that are there, like fire-hopping, are mostly inconsequential. It's a remarkably even experience with little frustration or elation. It may feel like there are surprising things happening sometimes, but it's never pronounced. Eventually, I reached the point where the game felt like it was playing itself.

The chaos has been polished away, leaving behind merely a very simple, balanced, fun kart-racing game. Double Dash, DS, and Wii I think are much more interesting despite their more rough design. The trickier, sometimes awkward, driving mechanics give more room for skill expression, and the bad item balancing makes casual racing much more intense and frantic than anything in 8.