Mario Kart 8- Wii U Review

On Friday, the 30th of May, Nintendo released the newest entry into their flagship series, Mario Kart, on the Wii U. How does the newest installment stack up to previous titles? Find out below.

Mario Kart 8 follows the tried and true formula the series has followed from its origins on the SNES, which entails the introducing a few new elements item, kart, and character wise, introducing many new and retaining old tracks from previous entries, and an addition to the racing formula to keep the series fresh. While the bulk of the actual racing formula doesn't stray from the well known of previous entries, the new element added in this installment is anti-gravity. The anti-gravity portion of Mario Kart 8 allows for 90°, upside down, and other impossible portions of new and old tracks to be navigated with ease, which makes for new exciting twists in an array of different tracks. While the anti-gravity element is interesting, and can change certain tracks' whole dynamics, overall it doesn't impact gameplay as heavily as previous titles' changes have in the past, such as introducing gliders, underwater tracks, and 2 racers to a kart.

Apart from the new racing element introduced in new Mario Kart entries, a highly anticipated feature of new installments is the character roster. However, while 8 features 30 characters (an overall rise of 4 from Mario Kart Wii), a large portion of these 30 consist of each and every Koopaling. While featuring the Koopalings is a bonus for fans of the 7 member clan, they and 2 metal versions of regular characters are the bulk of newly introduced characters, and many newcomers from the Wii and 3DS Mario Kart installments were left out of this game, making for an overall less diverse cast of characters. However, with the array of new tracks and items present in Mario Kart 8, character diversity is made up for.. for the most part.

Overall, I really enjoyed Mario Kart 8. With new racing elements, new tracks, new sharing features, and more reliable online play, Mario Kart 8 really does mark a high for the series, and really could become a system seller for the struggling Wii U.

What did you think of the new Mario Kart 8? Do you have a Wii U, or will this convince you to pick up one of your own? Post in the comments below, and I'll see you in the next review!

The Walking Dead Game: Season 2 Episode 3 Review

On the 13th of May. the third installment of the second season of Telltale's critically acclaimed Walking Dead series was released in the US. How does it compare to previous installments? Find out below.

In the previous episode, it seemed as if most choices left you, not really in control, as playing it twice and picking different answers mainly left you in the same place as before. However, in this installment of the season, there was a large amount of choices, that seem to leave you more in a lot more control of what happens.

MINOR SPOILERS FROM PREVIOUS EPISODES BELOW

When Clementine and the rest of the group were captured in the last episode, I wasn't sure what was going to happen. However, very shortly into this episode, I realized this was even worse than I thought, and that the group had to get out as soon as possible. This entire mood added a huge level of suspense over the entire episode, keeping me on the edge of my... beanbag chair... the entire episode. The tension only built through out the level, peaking multiple times through out the level.

Clementine also seems to develop this episode, as she grows even harder as she realizes just how much evil there is in this world. The episode contained a multitude of tough choices through out, and with many, I had to make sacrifices to my character, lie, and make friends with people I hate (Bonnie anyone?) just to survive. Through out a large portion of this episode, I was sitting there in awe that Clementine was able to keep so calm all the time. I'd basically be totally insane at this point.

Every time there was a serious choice to make (don't worry, there's a plethora of them!), I was constantly wondering, "What will this result in?", and "Is this right?" and for the first time out of both season, I chose silence as an answer, a few times too. Like, Clementine is basically four, why is she constantly making life altering decisions for a group of adults?

Overall, this episode definitely packed a punch. With many edge of the seat moments, plenty of gasps from yours truly, sights I'll never unsee, let alone Clementine, and overall an aura of oncoming danger, This is by far the best episode of this season. What did you all think of the episode? Post your thoughts in the comments below, and I'll see you next time!