I specifically mentioned Mario 2D. Not 3D. Funny you think I'm talking about everything Nintendo does. I am not. They innovate with some games. The points I made were in relation to their franchises that DO stagnate, and the reasons why I believe those games score lower than what you and some other people here would expect.

And Mario Kart 8 isn't different in any substential way from prior games. The magnetic tracks are the only addition, and they don't really add anything to the gameplay. They add to the presentation of the tracks, nothing more. The game is a more polished version from what came before, without any game changer.

I actually think NSMBU scored too high, especially in comparison with DKC: TF.

MK8 has tracks, characters and vehicles from different franchises. That stirs things up quite a bit imo. It also added 200CC and being able to break while drifting, it really changes the way you ride these tracks. They ruined battle mode though.

No, Mario Kart 8 is the biggest improvement the saga has seen. The gameplay is much more hardcore than in previous installments thanks to some gameplay changes and the magnetic trails actually add to the gameplay, because you can hit some objects and others players to get a boost and run faster, and the visuall feeling change the experience a lot. Furthemore, this is the most customizable Mario Kart ever, there´s tons of combinations, this is the first Mario Kart with tracks and characters that are not part of the Mario universe. And this game has the most ambitious and imaginative tracks of all the Mario Karts, ever. The online is also 3 times better, this is the longest MK ever made and the first with a 200c mode, that changes the game a lot. Also, the graphic jump between the wii one and the new one is one of the most impressives to date on wiiu.

Your criticism would be valid for Mario Kart wii, not for MK8, that game is a masterpiece that improves the series a lot.

"Just remake Ocarina of Time, Mario Kart 64, Super Mario 64, etc... with a new coating of polish and call it a day. Or make one game of each franchise and then sell DLCs until the next gen..."

Doesn't sound like 2D Mario here. Btw I don't care about scores, only what's said in the review itself if I even bother to look at them.

@Bolded: So you admit it is infact different then, good good! And yeah, that's the point, not to be the best innovator or whatever but to be the best Mario Kart it can be, though MK8 failed at that due to surprise surprise, a change in the formula, among other things, but that's a different topic.

To me, it's a more polished Mario Kart. I hadn't played a MK game extensively since Double Dash, and I felt right at home when I started playing MK 8. 

So, forgive me if I don't feel I'm playing that much of a new game when I play MK 8 over the other entries in the series. Most of what you brought up are nothing more than presentation aspects over gameplay changer. 

I disagree. MK8 is the best in the series because it's the most polished and the most jam-packed with content so far. By quite a margin. I don't see any change of formula in MK8.

What do you want to change from the Mario Kart chore mechanics?

There´s some things that can never change man, it´s obvious. Do you want to turn Mario Kart into a platformer or something that Mario Kart is not? Or you only want them to kill the franchise? I mean, there´s not so much you can do with a Kart racing game, (there´s also not so much that you can change with ANY racing game, specially realistic ones) and Mario Karts has evolved a lot since GC. You can´t be asking for a revolution coming from a Mario Kart game. You can ask for that on games like Splatoon though.

You didn't notice a difference in the number of items you could hold? If you just play casually then yeah this may not change much, but when playing online at a high level even the most subtle of changes can have a significant effect on gameplay, and the one item thing is no subtle change. Any seasoned player would tell you that races in MK8 generally play out much differently than in MK7 and MKWii, and in many's opinion, for the worse.

How did this thread become about Mario Kart?

Well that's probably because you're a nub.

The item system's distribution is no longer based on racer's current placement, ex: you get a greenshell while in last yet the guy in 2nd get's the crazy 8. This hinders the comeback factor and dynamic races that Mario Kart is known for. There are also more problems with stat balance, general gameplay depth, and the battle mode.