Mario Kart World - June 5, 2025

[ChadFL]

OK, make your predictions for Metacritic average for Mario Kart World.

For reference...
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Switch) - 92
Mario Kart 8 (Wii U) - 88
Mario Kart 7 (3DS) - 87
Mario Kart Wii (Wii) - 82
Mario Kart DS (DS) - 91
Mario Kart: Double Dash (GameCube) - 87
Mario Kart 64 (N64) - 83

I'll go with a 94. Early impressions seem to be that the game is even better than MK8 Deluxe was when it released.

[bradnoyes]

I'm guessing high 80s. I think the score will get dragged down a big by click-baity low scores (unfairly) and receive increased scrutiny for the price (fairly).

[redxrebellion]

Double Dash will always be the best in my book. Nothings ever come close.

[heyadol]

I’m guessing…I’m going to play it no matter what the review average is.

[ZombAid]

I'm guessing we get a 87 Metacritic.

[Jay Mammoth]

DD was my least favorite, this could beat MK64 as the best Mario Kart game.

[ChadFL]

Originally Posted by bradnoyes

I'm guessing high 80s. I think the score will get dragged down a big by click-baity low scores (unfairly) and receive increased scrutiny for the price (fairly).

I've never noticed any significant click bait low scores for past Nintendo games from actual critics factored into Metacritic. Obviously, users always F around with user scores for stupid stuff like politics, but I never pay any attention to those.

[dyne]

I'm expecting this will get grand reviews at launch like the console and other software to beat the hype train out of the gate and then be looked at with proper lenses and have the usual "you can tell stuff was held back for dlc" "not much different except for the open world map" impressions down the line.

[prkchopexpress]

Originally Posted by Jay Mammoth

DD was my least favorite, this could beat MK64 as the best Mario Kart game.

not without the 64 battle mode

[Jay Mammoth]

Sooo fun, barely scratched the surface. Just doing some cup races with my daughter. Haven’t tried free roam or battle modes yet.

[master gandhi]

I’ve played Grand Prix and Free Roam. Both are really fun. I enjoy unlocking all these stickers. The visuals are very solid, and free roam is a nice change of pace after a lot of racing.

[prkchopexpress]

tried playing with the joy cons, wii style last night. not bad. but i couldnt get the power slide down. you got me nintendo. off to go find a pro controller.

havent bought a wireless one since the wavebird

[master gandhi]

Finished Grand Prix and started Knockout Tour. Really like the seamlessness of going from one track to the next in Knockout Tour. All six tracks are over before you know it. Digging the way you collect different outfits. The all-terrain outfits are my favorite.

[bradnoyes]

I don't want to play too much before my son gets home from school so I just tried out one quick tournament. Feels like a solid Mario Kart. My first impressions are that this is not as good as MK8--it just feels a bit slow to me and the rails feel like a fairly half-baked addition to the gameplay. But it also felt like there could be a lot of neat secrets and wild moments in the various tracks that should keep the races exciting. I'm looking forward to playing more with the family later.

[prkchopexpress]

free roam is huge. really like a whole separate game. does that justify the $80 physical price? maybe.

you never really got to explore the tracks because you were only them while racing.

[ChadFL]

Originally Posted by ChadFL

OK, make your predictions for Metacritic average for Mario Kart World.

For reference...
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Switch) - 92
Mario Kart 8 (Wii U) - 88
Mario Kart 7 (3DS) - 87
Mario Kart Wii (Wii) - 82
Mario Kart DS (DS) - 91
Mario Kart: Double Dash (GameCube) - 87
Mario Kart 64 (N64) - 83

I'll go with a 94. Early impressions seem to be that the game is even better than MK8 Deluxe was when it released.

Mario Kart World has a 91 on Metacritic, with 8 critic reviews. Not a huge sample size, but the reviews have very little variation. That does tend to make me think it'll end up in that 90-92 range, which is in line with the top rated Mario Kart franchise games.

[ChadFL]

Worth noting that the Switch Mario Kart games, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, had the advantage of being an improved version of the Wii U game that had already been out for several years. So it was released as an extremely well polished game. Mario Kart World is an entirely new entry to the series, so it'll likely take time and a few expansions and patches to feel as polished as Mario Kart 8 was on Switch. I do think in the end, this game will probably be considered on par with the most well liked games in the franchise when all is said and done.

[bradnoyes]

I really like Knockout Tour. I think that will be my preferred way to play. I don't play online much but I actually enjoyed a round of KT. I managed to finish in second, which was a nice surprise. I've only dabbled a bit in free roam but the challenges have been interesting and seem like a nice way to learn the new mechanics.

The moment to moment racing isn't as good as MK8 but I think this is a very nice foundation. It's going to be awesome when they release some expansions. It will be a massive disappointment if they don't do an entire Zelda map and/or an F-Zero island.

[master gandhi]

Originally Posted by bradnoyes

I really like Knockout Tour. I think that will be my preferred way to play. I don't play online much but I actually enjoyed a round of KT. I managed to finish in second, which was a nice surprise. I've only dabbled a bit in free roam but the challenges have been interesting and seem like a nice way to learn the new mechanics.

The moment to moment racing isn't as good as MK8 but I think this is a very nice foundation. It's going to be awesome when they release some expansions. It will be a massive disappointment if they don't do an entire Zelda map and/or an F-Zero island.

Since it’s three dimensional, F-Zero island could be in the sky.

I’m pacing myself with it at this point. I’ve played Grand Prix, Knockout Tour and Free Roam, and Free Roam is what I plan to focus on right now. There’s obviously a ton of missions to do and lots of items to collect. The game appeals to me, even more than Forza Horizon’s free roam concept. It feels like a Mario game where I just happen to not be able to exit my vehicle.

[ophone]

How are the game's online features?
Any good and are there many people competing?