Nintendo often launches new consoles with a few strong first-party titles. Unfortunately, the Nintendo Switch 2 launch lineup is underwhelming. With only one first-party game, Mario Kart World, that seems worth playing excluding the Welcome Tour, which I’ll conveniently ignore. The rest are mostly third-party games you can already play on other consoles. What’s not to like? 🙁
Too Many Racers, Too Much Chaos
Mario Kart World lets 24 racers compete simultaneously, both online and during Grand Prix events. For me, that’s just too many, resulting in chaotic races that I really don’t enjoy. To accommodate this number, the tracks have been made longer and wider, which sounds logical but means sharp corners lose their importance and many long straight stretches feel boring. No, Nintendo, this isn’t the way!
A Mixed Bag: The Knock Out Tour Mode
Not everything is negative. The new Battle Royale-style mode, Knock Out Tour, is pretty cool! You race against 23 others on a course where players get eliminated at certain points. This adds a fun dynamic, but it also suffers from the chaos mentioned earlier. Plus, everyone tends to save their weapons for the elimination moments, making those sections feel unfair and frantic.
Mario Kart World; The Racing Feels Off
Back to the core of the game: racing itself. From the moment I started playing, something felt off. Mario Kart World just doesn’t handle the way it’s supposed to, and that’s frustrating. What annoys me most is that a fired shell barely affects opponents, they just keep driving! That’s just not right, Nintendo. I’m really disappointed.
A Normie Game Lacking Depth
Mario Kart World has become a very “normie” game. The average gamer (with questionable taste) will probably love it, but for die-hard racers, this is a disappointment. Sure, the game looks great and has plenty of characters and tracks, but the overall quality is lacking. Mark my words: this might be one of the weakest Mario Kart games ever made. Hopefully, future updates and DLC will steer it back on track, but I’m not optimistic.
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