Yeah that's why heavys dominated that race in the OP... oh wait!

This isn't a problem, as Mario Kart is supposed to have luck factor! That's what makes it addictive and widely appealing! The Blue Shell has become a bit less relevant, but Red Shells have become more OP, so really it's still pretty similar to before!

Green shells are a lot worse:

- They're a lot more common

- They bounce about like crazy

I usually get hit 3-4 times after the first item boxes and can't catch up anymore after that. Pretty lame. I wish green shells stopped bouncing about, bananas became a lot more common and green shells rarer together with red shells. 

There was only one heavy and he didn't have an optimal kart. It is clear there were no skilled players there. Surely you must have noticed that the top 5 is almost always 5 rosalinas and that is only because people like her more than guy like bowser or morton.

I love being targeted by red shells when I'm in second-fourth when I'm close enough to someone to line up behind them for short boost and let them take the heard.

I've been consistently impressed by the item balance in Mario Kart 8. EAD did its homework.

That being said, I have noticed the deadliness of red shells, especially after last night when one clipped me before the finish line. Part of me misses the good ol' Double Dash!! days when I could dodge red shells more often than not, but I also appreciate Nintendo's efforts to recalibrate the game. I thinks it's been a home run.

I finally got my copy of MK8 yesterday, and I can already tell I'm going to enjoy this far more than I did MKWii (which I did enjoy plenty as well). At least in MK8, you can actually get useful items if you're in first! Do you know how elated I was last night to get more than fake item boxes and the occasional single banana?

MKWii did it's damndest to punish you for being in first. MK8 lets you feel like it's something to be desired. Yeah, red shells pop up at an alarming frequency for 2nd-4th, but I've noticed that I can use the environment defensively without too much difficulty. I also didn't get pelted with blue shell after blue shell for being in first for more than 30 seconds. Sure, I caught it a few times, but gosh, at least it didn't force me into the "stay in 2nd place until the last 15 seconds of the race" playstyle that I so hate.

I like that the game only allows you to carry one item at a time. Seems like it's going to make it more about racing and skill and less about dumb luck and spamming crap nonstop. It's going to be less about "hang out in the back and load up on good stuff until the last lap" and more about actually trying to freaking stay ahead and manage things wisely.

Well hey, atleast all the herp derp items like Starman, Blue Shell, Lightning, Bullet Bill, etc. got nerfed, so there's the trade off!

It actually just means that once you're unlucky enough to fall at the back, you're almost never going to catch up. I always get useless junk when I'm at the back. I can't race for 20 seconds without getting hit by a shell, fireflower, boomerang or super horn. 

Like I said:

- Green shells should stop bouncing around

- Shells shouldn't be able to follow you in the air

- Make green and red shells rarer and bananas more common. 

Plus I need the good bikes and karts, but I'm only unlocking crap and I have 2200 coins or something at the moment. 

Firstly Rosalina is indeed part of a heavy weight group sub-category, secondly there is no one optimal kart, and lastly and most importantly, player skill has nothing to do with what combo they use. The better players are gonna beat the lesser players more often than not regardless of their combos, just as it should be! Also I've seen all different kinds of characters and vehicles topping, including myself with Lakitu, Daisy, and occasionally Yoshi!