Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Nintendo Switch) Review

Even though the Nintendo Switch is a very popular new console, ironically the first two big games could also be found on the WiiU. While Breath of the Wild was co-launched Mario Kart 8 was certainly out for years. Now granted Mario Kart 8 was one of my biggest disappointments in the series, and if they needed to re-tune any of them, it would be this one. Since I no longer have a WiiU or my old copy of Mario Kart 8 I figured I'd get this mainly because of multiplayer. Now granted it never feels right spending the dough to get the same game twice, so are the new upgrades worth it in the long-run?

Photo: Tanukis in Atlanta

Tanukis (also known as the raccoon dog) is a species native to Asia that inspired the Tanooki suit in the Super Mario games by Nintendo. They were a little hard to see at Zoo Atlanta but I got a decent look. They're more related to dogs than raccoons. They weren't very active though. 

My Top 5 Nintendo WiiU Games

 Nintendo has had good and bad years, but I will say with confidence that the WiiU was its weakest system. Without a true 3D Mario adventure or an exclusive 3D Zelda game, the library wasn't the greatest. Even though I had one for years, I played an awfully small amount of WiiU games. Even Mario Kart 8 wasn't nearly as good as the series usually was. So what five games were the best for me?

Yoshi's Woolly World (WiiU) Review

Yoshi's Woolly World is yet another sequel in the Yoshi Island sub-series of the Mario franchise. While I didn't get to play it, I remember Kirby's Epic Yarn which more than likely inspired the graphical style of Woolly World especailly as the same team is behind the new Yoshi game. Yoshi's Island was one of the best games on the Super Nintendo and easily one of the best of all-time. The original sequel, Yoshi's Story was terrible but the next one Yoshi's Island DS was a lot better. Yoshi's New Island on 3DS was decent but certainly not close to the original. Does Woolly World finally compete with the original or is like the two portable sequels? Or even worse is it like the N64 mistake from the 1990's?

Question: Sonic Vs. Mario?

 While not truly the first console war, the first big video game debate I think was between the Sega Genesis vs Super Nintendo with the other question being Mario vs. Sonic? Not many kids were fortunate to have both consoles which led many to pick a side and ask the parents for that system alone. Sonic was actually intended by Sega to be Mario's bane and his first few games were good enough to rival Mario. It worked out for Sega and Sonic gave the Sega Genesis enough popularity to make up for their low-par games on the Sega Master System.

New Super Luigi U (WiiU) Review

It's sometimes hard being Luigi, who's often just the character little brothers had to play as since their older brothers would always choose Mario. I had heard of New Super Luigi U. which is like an expansion of New Super Mario Bros. U for WiiU. I got the game years late, so New Super Luigi U was included on the same disc.

New Super Mario Bros U (Wii U) Review

 Super Mario Bros. has been one of my favorite games ever since our dad got us a NES when I was about two years old. The series had seen its ups and downs, but none of them have bad games. Though some of the Mario spin-offs could not say the same. The portable New Super Mario Bros have been too easy, but I loved New Super Mario Bros Wii. So I was looking forward to its true sequel very much.

Mario Kart 8 (WiiU) Review

 I've been a fan of Mario Kart even since the original on Super Nintendo. I played every game in the series except Super Circuit on GBA which I only played the demo version. I thought Mario Kart DS was really good, but I thought Mario Kart Wii, and Mario Kart 7 could have been better. Will Mario Kart 8 keep the series fresh again?

Ultimate NES Remix (3DS) Review

 I had heard of Ultimate NES Remix shortly after learning of the WiiU counterpart NES Remix Pack. They're both about the same, except I hear the WiiU version has more games they based missions off of. I should have opted for the WiiU version but I got the 3DS one instead.

Super Mario 3D World (WiiU) Review

Super Mario 3D Land was a really cool and unique game that came out on 3DS a few years ago. I was surprised to see them make a sequel on the WiiU. Despite the better graphics, it now offered four-player multiplayer at the same time. Which is better than waiting your turn like we all did back in the NES and SNES days.

Yoshi's New Island (3DS) Review

Yoshi's Island is one of my favorite games of all-time. However the first sequel Yoshi's Story was one of the worst games by Nintendo to grace the N64. The only other true sequel was Yoshi's Island DS, which was actually pretty good. Yoshi's New Island seems to be what New Super Mario Bros. was to the classic 2D Mario games.

Link Joins Mario Kart 8

Even though I don't have a WiiU yet, I'm excited to see Link from The Legend of Zelda join the Mario Kart racers for the first time. Ever since Super Smash Bros., I've wanted to see some non-Mario characters in the series, especially Link. It's suppose to come out in November as DLC. 

Nintendo Unveils Yoshi Wooly World (WiiU)

Nintendo has shown some very creative games lately and I'm really excited for this new Yoshi game. It looks like it plays like the Yoshi Island games except with different graphics and instead of eggs Yoshi uses yarn. Each color seems to have a different ability, and to make things even better you can play co-op with a buddy. 

Mario Tennis (GBC) Review

While Mario Tennis is one of Nintendo's best known Mario spin-offs, I missed the one for Game Boy Color since it came out in 2001. It had received a lot of critical acclaim back then, and some said it was even better than the N64 Mario Tennis.

New Super Mario Bros. 2 (3DS) Review

The original New Super Mario Bros. was a good game for the original DS. Though it was a little plain and ridiculously easy. New Super Mario Bros. Wii was much better with challenging levels and plenty of innovative additions. As a Mario fan playing this was inevitable.

My Top Ten RPGs #5: Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga

While Mario has had plenty of spin-offs, this was the first time Mario had two spin-offs of a similar game. While Paper Mario was a great game, in 2003 a new sub-series was born with Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga. Instead of graphical style that looks like artistic paper, the graphics were generally the same as any other 2D Mario game.

My Top Ten RPGs #6: Paper Mario

For much I adore the Mario RPGs, Paper Mario was ironically one of the last ones I had played. I missed out on it when it came out on N64, but managed to play it when it came for the Wii's Virtual Console. While I thought the sequel The Thousand Year Door was a good game, this was beyond awesome.

My Top Ten RPGs #9: Super Mario RPG

While generally over-looked by American gamers in the 90's, Super Mario RPG was the original RPG starring Nintendo's Mario. It was also developed by Square, the same guys behind the Final Fantasy series. It came out in 1996, and with the N64 and Super Mario 64 releasing later that year it wasn't hard to guess why it was "ignored". Despite that, it had quite the legacy among fans considering it to be a masterpiece. I was more than excited when it came out for the Wii's Virtual Console.

Princess Zelda Confirmed For Super Smash Bros. 4 (3DS/WiiU)

 While it's no real surprise that one of Nintendo's most famous princesses would be yet again in the newest Super Smash Bros. game, it's interesting to see her appearance in the fourth. She's is yet again based on her appearance in Twilight Princess. Though it seems that is may be likely that she won't be able to turn into her Sheik persona. A move that may be unpopular for some, but I don't think I'll mind.

My Top Ten Nintendo Wii Games #3: Super Mario Galaxy

 While Super Mario 64 is considered one of the best Nintendo games of all time, the sequel Super Mario Sunshine was not as adored as it's predecessor. I loved Sunshine, and I will even say I liked it more than Super Mario 64. Though the FLUDD water jetpack did make it a lot different than it's predecessor. I was ironically happy to see Super Mario Galaxy be a little more traditional.