In MK8DX, if you're holding a coin and collect another item, you will *NOT* get another coin, unless there's an unholy amount of lag. For this reason, the player in 1st will often hold their coin and guarantee a defensive item at the next box without having to go wide for a double box. Furthermore, they player in 1st generally wants to hold the coin in their primary slot (in their hand) and their protective item in their secondary slot, so that if a boo steals from them, they lose the coin but not their protection. The coin has more strategic value than most people realize.
This, exactly. It feels almost *made* for MK8DX, both for the strategic aspect you mentioned as well as preventing the first place player to be near-untouchable to everything aside from spiny shells.
10:00 - You can defend with a Bob-omb in a couple of ways. On straightaways in 200cc, you're going fast enough to escape the blast when something connects (but not on turns). And you can drop it to get a little distance on an incoming Red Shell before it gets blown up. 13:00 - Item boxes do not always appear in groups, and if you can hide a fake box within a group, you're likely wreck someone's day. It also flew a lot farther than the banana when thrown forward, and there's something very satisfying about planting a trap. Add to that that most recent games have the box colored identically to a real one right up until you're nearly touching it.
My favourite thing to do with the Bob-omb is to release it backwards because if you do it that way it'll long around and walk a bit towards opponents which 7/10 times people just aren't ready for. My second favourite thing to do is to just barely clip them with the bomb while it's behind you. For some reason the explosion doesn't hit you when you do this so they basically get eradicated for minimal effort.
I always thought that the thundercloud could be a great item if instead of it activating immediately from the item box, you can choose when to trigger the countdown, which would then set off a hot potato event and allow you to better utilise the speed boost
You actually can block red shells with the bomb omb with a well timed back drop akin to how blocking worked in double dash. Also the Piranha plant can eat the blooper which is useful and funny. Another also you said lightning doesn't come up too much but i swear mkwii has at least three lightnings per race.
I know some people will say that the FIB is a better trap item than the banana since it's bigger and stuns a player longer, but I personally don't think it deserves points for that because 1: Being a better banana is not at all the intended purpose of the item and 2: Double Dash!! literally has a giant banana item that not only has a bigger hitbox and stuns longer, but it even breaks into more bananas if someone runs into it so not only is the FIB not good at it's job, but it's also outclassed by a better banana.
10:04 i actually use bombs to block red shells all the time in mk8d, you just gotta drop it behind you right before the red shell makes contact so you have a split second to drive away from the explosion
CPUs will actually drive noticeably worse when bit by a Blooper. At least in DS, they'll start moving in a sort of wiggle, slowing them down, not sure how it affects the other games
I have an idea to revamp the fake item box, I call it the item box trap. Basically when you use it the last item box you ran into becomes “trapped” for ten seconds. People who run into it will be stunned. This includes any future item boxes you run into. So you can either trap the box right after you’ve ran into it, or you can save it to trap the next item box you run into, but then you likely don’t get a new item for a while.
Really good video but I can't agree with some things: -The FIB is really good for trapping blind corners because the hitbox is so big -The thoundercloud, maybe offline is acceptable because CPUs are bad and the connection isn't a problem but online it's just bad. For MKWii they made a mod to change the effect of the thunderclouds from the annoying and just unfair shock (yes op but everyone prefers op than unfairly bad) to the mega mushroom, so everyone tries to steal it -the mega mushroom is not a copy of the star: the mega mushroom is obtainable in better positions, if you use it to dodge the shock you return back to normal, a star can hit a mega mushroom, with it you can't hit trucks, if you hit someone with the mega mushroom you squish them and they'll go A LOT slower -the pow hits everyone in front of you and if they are on the ground, you can dodge it by pressing the up arrow or by shaking the Wii remote and you still lose the items but you'll shoot forward, you get the notification so you know if you have to use your items or not and not many people know that if you hop in the perfect frame you can completely dodge it -the coin item in my opinion is just bad, it does nothing. If you want an item that can't protect you there is the FIB! PS: yes I play mkwii regularly I don't know how you figured out For everything else the video is gooood, just keep making them ;)
yeah mega mushroom feels like it's own item, I mean how many items can you say that they will enable you to squish other opponents (besides lightning)? Plus that attack is much more damaging than what a star can do (unless it is on a track with no guard rails which you can knock out opponents into the ravines). Mega mush is just a fun item to use
Many items you may hate in a MKWii have their own purpose and design-wise, I think make a lot of sense. For example, the mega and POW are soft core versions of better items more readily available and in easier positions. They help give variety without changing up the game or over-saturating its items. While the balance isn’t the best in this game, I would argue the item selection is
@consume The POW clears all items; only the shock does also does this. It also messes up high level play, even when dodged, as the bounce it gives you often throws you off of your lines. When a pow is used, all items must be thrown out, such as mushrooms to dodge a blue or red shells, which can more easily hit. It is a good way to get a soft reset on the track, where many items of the first half of racers are widely cleared. The mega mushroom is the star, but debatably more chaotic. It causes panic in the middle placements of the race, and has a harsher punishment than the star by flattening racers. The only way way a racer can be flattened is by being squashed by a thwomp, which is very rare. Both of these items seem very similar to others on a surface level, but in practice they both have widely different outcomes when used and serve their own niches
I feel like you have an interesting take on the Coin, and I might agree with you had it not been for the fact that (in MK8DX at least) it shows up way, way too frequently in first. It feels like every time you frontrun in that game, you have to constantly be cycling through item sets just to NOT have one in first. It's an issue in that game especially where there are just about constant Red Shells coming your way, either forcing you to restart the cycle or to take a hit every time you happen to be cycling through stuff and someone gets more than one Red Shell in second. I'd like this as a balancing factor of sorts if not for the Blue Shell already existing for that, and getting use out of the Super Horn there feels extremely rare so it doesn't get in the way of it that much. Nice video otherwise, I'd have a few other nitpicks but they're really unimportant and I like a lot of the things you say here.
Also, I feel like what he said about Mario Kart 8 deluxe's double items being a bad decision in the context of coins is straight up wrong, as having no item except a coin as a possibility is a death sentence in first place, and the interesting decision making that it provides with its interactions with the second item slot actively adds to the strategy and decision making of being in first place. (you can only have one coin at once, so do you hold onto the coin until your next item box to guarantee that you don't get a coin, or use it to get the passive speed boost? Do you take a weird lane to get a double item box and thus guarantee at least one not-coin, or take the tighter lane with its added risks? Do you keep a coin in hand despite having a green shell you could drag behind so boo could steal it instead? What if someone snipes you with a green shell you could have blocked in the meantime? All of these are interesting questions that can't be asked without Deluxe's second item slot.)
I didn't even know people disliked the coin's inclusion in the game until recently. I always saw it as a necessary evil that helped the game stay interesting. If first place constantly gets protection items, that would make the game significantly more unfun. It's important to note that bad items can be balanced items, but people just don't like it because it could cost them the game, which is what makes the game interesting for everyone playing, including first place. It's fun to plan out item usage mid race and improvise on the fly if something doesn't go to plan. Most of my friends and family see it this way as well, which is why I didn't know that people hated this item cause it nerfs them instead of making first place a very hard to kill god.
@@KokonutOil I feel like the blooper does the coin's job of being a "necessary evil" way better, nobody going to be excited or happy when they get a blooper.
In defence of the super leaf: It's pretty much a star for first place. It protects you against banana peels, green shells, red shells and bob-ombs (apparently, the super leaf allows you to knock away the explosion). It also interacts with dormant items, launching green shells and banana peels in a direction opposite to where you hit it from, and red shells will seek out opponents in front of you when you hit them. Also, the leaf helps you move faster in water, so there's that too... I guess
18:08 I feel like what you say here about Mario Kart 8 deluxe's double items being a bad decision in the context of coins is straight up wrong, as having no item except a coin as a possibility is a death sentence in first place, and the interesting decision making that it provides with its interactions with the second item slot actively adds to the strategy and decision making of being in first place. (You can only get one coin at once, so do you hold onto the coin until your next item box to guarantee that you don't get another coin, or use it to get the passive speed boost? Do you take a weird lane to get a double item box and thus guarantee at least one not-coin, or take the tighter lane with its added risks? Do you keep a coin in hand despite having a green shell you could drag behind so a boo steals the coin nstead? What if someone snipes you with a green shell you could have blocked in the meantime? All of these are interesting questions that can't be asked without Deluxe's second item slot.) But anyways, great video all around!
Two things 1) The bomb can actually guard you! You just need to have enough speed to outrun the the explosion. 2)The coin can be used defensively, kind off. If you get an item stolten by a boo, it will always be the readied one, so, if you keep the coin and you have another item, you can pretect your item with the coin.
Honestly i feel like the fib should do the coin's job but better It should be used to punish people that get too close but not make it too easy to frontrun FIB at least has that dopamine factor when you snipe someone with it Why would i want a coin over something i can at least hit people with? The coin has nothing over the fake item box and i would have preferred if it replaced the coin
My one issue with the Blue Shell is that it’s basically useless to whoever got it, even in the games where it travels along the ground. Like 3 separate times, I got one near at the end of lap 3 when it usually ends up doing nothing and I really could’ve used a Bullet Bill.
I think the most beautiful thing about the Boo is when you're about to use an item and suddenly it's gone... I've spent a lot of time off road trying to use a mushroom only to have it gone the very next moment. Also, "WHO STOLE MY COIN!" is a phrase I've screamed more than I've said "Hello".
I love how this guy just talked about the use of every item, and when and how to use them. From a guy who has almost 400 hours on Mario Kart on my own switch, I can't really understand how I find it interesting, but I did, great video keep going
The bomb can actually be used for defense, but you have to drop it before the hit lands on you. i think the double item is a good idea, because of how much the 1st place needs some protection, like, yeah he is in advantage, why should he need also a good item, but also 1st place has to deal with: 2nd place probably getting from 1 up to 4 red shells (considering he's in 2nd place, it's not likely he will get double triple red shell, but it is likely he will get at least 1, and then there's the possibility of him getting to, or getting one, and a triple), the thunder, THE BOO ACTUALLY STEALING HIS DEFENSE, and of course the blue shell.
really enjoyed this video!! i'm a pretty big mario kart fan, and i really love this video analyzing its items from a game design perspective. i LOVE a good game design analysis, and agree with most of the arguments you make here. the only item i'd say i disagree on is the Boomerang Flower -- though i totally see where you're coming from and even felt the same way for a while. i feel what makes the Boomerang distinct is the fact it's a projectile that pierces through defensive items, which combined with the fact it's an item typically handed out in 2nd to 4th place that much more interesting. it's harder to aim than a red shell, but unlike a red shell, it can't be blocked, and its lack of range is made up for with multiple uses. it's one i've grown to appreciate more the more i think about it. really, i think the super horn, coin, and boomerang complement each other really nicely. the super horn gives first place the ability to nullify the most immediate threat, while the coin and boomerang make it more difficult for first to defend themself from the people most immediately behind them. hell, it could be argued that the catharsis of destroying a blue shell with a super horn and the frustration of receiving a coin and being left defenseless can work to cancel each other out? on the subject of the blue shell, i think removing the wings in Mario Kart 7 was one of the best game design decisions the series ever made. while an item that targets first is good to have as an equalizer, if you're in seventh place and you get an item that only targets the person in first, it's not gonna do much for you. someone else will be moved to the lead, and you'll still be in seventh. letting it hit other people on the way there i think both makes it more satisfying to receive and a better equalizer! sorry if this comment is a bit long and rambly. i have a lot of thoughts about Mario Kart items and i'd love to share more, but i'm gonna leave it there for now. love this video (and the rest of your channel)!!
the coin just feels a little mediocre though? even if its purpose is to be a lame item its still kind of anticlimactic. compare this to something like the lightning cloud, which has a good potential of actively slowing you down (and honestly passing it to others is actually rather hard, its feels like a relief option, kinda like a lite version of doging a blue shell). the coin, in contrast, is just, kind of there. doesnt add much, nor does it take either. its not even marketed as a blank item, all signs from the game and the mario franchise as a whole seem to point at the coin being a somewhat valuable item rather than the absolute nothing that it really is. itd be fun if they pulled a smb2j and added a poison mushroom or something that actively slows you down upon use im also just begging for a mario kart where you can get blue shells while on 1st place but thats for another day
This wasn’t mentioned in the video but the Chain Chomp would be interesting to bring back for the next game. I have an idea on how to bring it back without making it just a worse bullet bill Basically my idea for it is, you throw it like in Mario Kart Home Circuit. This time however it bounces off walls like a green shell until it hits someone (at first it’s the same size as a shell). Once it hits someone it grows giant and acts the same as in Double Dash where it attaches itself to your kart moving forward but you move all over the place. You can also hold it behind you and after a little while it activates on you. I think this could make for cool strategies where you can decide whether you should use it on someone else or yourself. The Chain Chomp may give the player a large boost but once it’s gone you might crash into a wall or fall off a ledge depending on the track
Something worth noting about lightning is that it applies pressure to use your items. Like, sure, you could hold onto that mushroom in first in case of a blue shell... but what if lightning strikes? You would have missed out on potentially furthering your lead with a shortcut or well-timed boost. And now, that lead is shrinking because you have shrunk. You should have used it when you had the chance. I think it's an underappreciated or simply overlooked dynamic.
A thing you didn’t bring up is the fact the modern games made it so that the triple mushroom revolves around you, like the green/red shells or the banana peels, adding further to the risk-reward angle. Should you hold onto the mushrooms for the upcoming shortcut, or use them so your nearby opponent doesn’t steal it. I just find that interesting.
Some items have different functions in tour that you didn't mention: Multi items/lucky 7: in tour all the items get used at once which makes something like L7 pretty powerful Fire flower: in tour there is 3 fire balls that you can shoot all at once similiar to the other multi items Boomerang: in tour the boomerang whirls around you instead of going vertically and homing at the opponent in the front, also it collects coins in tour which is one of its main features in that game Coin: in tour a coin counts as 2 coinsmeaning 2 actions which is usually far more useful than a banana or a green shell in tour, also it helps a lot with keeping your combo and its frenzy is one of the best ones Super horn: in tour it can as well defect a blooper before it inks you
fib is a better trap item it's bigger and brings you to a complete stop rather than just slowing you down a little it can't protect but it's better at trapping
that's a fair point. i appreciate the feedback! design-wise though i still feel like it steps on the banana's toes too much for me to appreciate it conceptually (also thank you for being my first commenter!)
1:43 as a huge giant banana fan i im offended. giant bananas mean everything to me, when i go to bed i see giant bananas, then i wake up and i eat all kinds of giant bananas for breakfast. i look for images of giant bananas and send them to my all of my teachers. later she confiscated my giant banana under lock and chain, and to be honest i enjoy the pain. anyway review giant bananas NOW.
you can use bobombs to defend yourself, you just need to release it in time to block a shell yet not hit yourself. really cool and a bit hard to pull off
Channel cjszero01 said this about the Coin in his "Top 5 Personal Favorite and Hated Mario Kart Items" video: "It's getting down to the wire. It's do or die and the item you get could decide the outcome. But if you get Coins, _stick a fork in ya, yer done._ Making the scene along with the franchise back in _Super Mario Kart,_ coins exist for one purpose: It can increase your acceleration... when you have *ten* of them. You can even pick them up off the ground, so having them as a power-up is _nothing_ special. Oh, and how about this: The item gives you two coins in both _Super Mario Kart_ and in _Mario Kart 8._ But if you get hit by something, you'll lose *three.* And trust me, _you will get hit._ In _Mario Kart 8_ you can get this in _any_ place: 1st, 5th, 8th, 9th, *even 12th.* Good luck catching up to the guy with a Golden Mushroom, or passing the guy with three red shells. Coins, really, what am I gonna do with these? *Bribe them not to hit me?* To get a better understanding of my _abhorrence_ for these, think about it like this: The reason so many people hate the blue shell is because before the Super Horn, there wasn't a power-up that could actually *block* it! Sure, you could outrun it, or find a star on the ground, but that was highly uncommon. For the most part, you were *defenseless* against it! So when you get Coins, *everything is now a leader shell to you!* You can’t attack! You can’t defend! And that pathetic little speed boost should be _ashamed_ to call itself one! I wish I could use these to buy a better power-up, or maybe even pay a toll for a shortcut! Then I could see some potential! But apparently, that never crossed the developer's mind. Even before they came back in _Mario Kart 8_ I had them as my number-one hated item, because you couldn't really _do_ anything with them! Ask yourself: Have you ever said anything along the lines of these three phrases: *_"Oh I hope I get Coins this time!"_* or *_"Good thing I had Coins to get through that!"_* or how about *_"It sure is fun to use Coins!"_* Some people like them, because other players get them and they're defenseless. But what about _your_ experience with having them? You're not the other player, and when _you_ get them, are _you_ happy? I know I'm not."
Blooper, Pow, Coin, any item that's made only to annoy the player. Honestly, the items peaked on the Nintendo 64, and yes I'm counting Blue Shell as a good item on this. Thunder Cloud at least had a strategy on it.
I think that, in a stylistic sense, the fake item box is the worst one. If you get it in first, you cannot guarantee that it will cement your lead. If you get it in 2nd or lower, it's even harder to get the lead. It's bad for offense and its bad for defense. But unlike the coin, it can do something more than be pointless. It's just that the use is too specific to actually be helpful. At least the coin guarantees that you have no defenses, the FIB is just not good enough for what it needs to be, and is the only item that fails it's design.
Honestly, I kinda wish Super Leaf made it into 8 Deluxe. Cause like, think about it, it’d be good for the Anti-Grav sections being players can get boosts off each other, this is pretty much a red flag saying “hey, fuck off”. Plus its a defense item, so overall it could work for 8 Deluxe
I actually think the blooper is the worst item, because it's borderline useless. For people who know the coruse back to front, it's useless and doesn't affect them, and for newbies it royally fucks them. Another thing that's super dumb is in MK8 if you're going around a corner, the "splat" effect may only cover a small portion of the screen which is even more useless because you can still see where to go. Coins are annoying to get considering there's enough of them on the track, but they don't bother me. The way the blooper works is so dumb and they should change it so that it affects your handling to actually give it a reason to exist.
I don’t know if you know this, but in Mario Kart Wii if you used the Mega Mushroom before get zapped by lightning, you’ll shrink to regular size so it’s not completely a star clone. It’s more of a semi clone/echo.
I disagree. The coin is bad. Front running is hard enough but the coin makes it way worse. you cant plan when you have an item you cant defend with. It removes the use of skill and makes the game too luck-based
It can be used to defend yourself back in Mario Kart DS actually. 100cc and upwards it can. Not too sure about other Mario kart games though. The Boo always stole random items. Don't know where got the fact it steals the item that is near you. So you forget that you can trick other players by putting the fake item box with other item boxes. Do you not know how many people I got with that?
Fake Item I would argue is LEAGUES better than the coin! The coin is built around an arbitrary gimmick that was supposed to be dead after the first Mario Kart: a pain to get, easy to lose, a distraction, and can potentially compromise a better item from an item block! Fake Item blocks however, while its main purpose was gimped after Mario Kart 64, can still do some damage to following and distracted drivers: only drawback being it can’t defend you from oncoming shells. I agree the banana does a much better job as the FIB; however, I would take Banana Rip-off over Coin any day!
The blue shell is not an equaliser. If you're last, it won't make you first. The lightning is an equaliser. All the blue shell does is taking the podium away from someone who evidently deserved it
Can't you block a green or red shell with a fake item box with the right timing? I've heard people talk about doing that years ago and I remember trying to pull it off before, not sure if I succeeded in it though. Edit: the fake item boxes in team based games (on Wii at least) are in the teams color, red or blue. The blue one is kinda useful in that way to trick people into driving into it because from what I remember it blended in much better with the actual item boxes.
I disagree with your take about the Coin, I think the Blooper does the Coin's job of being a item you don't want to get way better since the only thing it does is put a png on the screen. I don't think we need two items that pretty much do nothing. I wouldn't mind the Coin if the blooper wasn't in the game and if it showed up less frequently.
I disagree with the idea that you should be disappointed by some items. Im not saying every item should be as useful as eachother, but that every item have some usefullness. The coin and the blooper are useless. The coin has no stratgic value I would rather have one of my two defensive items get stolen than have a coin in first to potentially be taken by the boo item. The blooper is only good on cpus or bad players it adds virtually nothing to the game other than annoy the person who gets it.
I'm going to be honest there are mostly a lot of items I don't like but I'm going to be honest no questions asked the spiky shell is the worst item I hate it so much
I prefer the fake item box to the coin. Sure, it's not great at it's original purpose, but it combines both the risk and unsatisfaction of getting it with the fun of placing it in cool tricky spots.
![Kodak Black - Catch Fire [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/A4ch-olIuZo/mqdefault.jpg)
In MK8DX, if you're holding a coin and collect another item, you will *NOT* get another coin, unless there's an unholy amount of lag. For this reason, the player in 1st will often hold their coin and guarantee a defensive item at the next box without having to go wide for a double box. Furthermore, they player in 1st generally wants to hold the coin in their primary slot (in their hand) and their protective item in their secondary slot, so that if a boo steals from them, they lose the coin but not their protection. The coin has more strategic value than most people realize.
This, exactly. It feels almost *made* for MK8DX, both for the strategic aspect you mentioned as well as preventing the first place player to be near-untouchable to everything aside from spiny shells.
Not just that, if you take a double item box there's always a chance you'll get at least 1 not a coin.
This strat helped me out in getting 200cc all trophies.
Also it helps with unlocking parts
If I had a nickel for the amount of times A Boo screwed me over, I'd have enough money to fund the next 8 entries myself.
10:00 - You can defend with a Bob-omb in a couple of ways. On straightaways in 200cc, you're going fast enough to escape the blast when something connects (but not on turns). And you can drop it to get a little distance on an incoming Red Shell before it gets blown up.
13:00 - Item boxes do not always appear in groups, and if you can hide a fake box within a group, you're likely wreck someone's day. It also flew a lot farther than the banana when thrown forward, and there's something very satisfying about planting a trap. Add to that that most recent games have the box colored identically to a real one right up until you're nearly touching it.
My favourite thing to do with the Bob-omb is to release it backwards because if you do it that way it'll long around and walk a bit towards opponents which 7/10 times people just aren't ready for. My second favourite thing to do is to just barely clip them with the bomb while it's behind you. For some reason the explosion doesn't hit you when you do this so they basically get eradicated for minimal effort.
Plus you could use it to defend yourself against shells in Mario Kart DS 100cc and upwards
I always thought that the thundercloud could be a great item if instead of it activating immediately from the item box, you can choose when to trigger the countdown, which would then set off a hot potato event and allow you to better utilise the speed boost
Thing is nobody would set it off while away from the pack and would only use it if they can guarantee they can pass it off.
@@MC-bo6ql But that way they won't be able to usr an item unless they use it, or get rid of it some other way
@@MC-bo6ql you say that like it's a bad thing. Remember you can't get any defensive items with that hot potato clogging your inventory.
You actually can block red shells with the bomb omb with a well timed back drop akin to how blocking worked in double dash. Also the Piranha plant can eat the blooper which is useful and funny.
Another also you said lightning doesn't come up too much but i swear mkwii has at least three lightnings per race.
The Thunder Cloud is a guilty pleasure of mine as well. The idea of a "Hot Potato" in Mario Kart really spices things up for me 😁
I think people don't like the thunder cloud because online it's laggy so it's hard to pass
that's an interesting point! i hadn't considered that. thanks for the input!
I think MK8D's online mode wouldn't have as much of an issue with it
I know some people will say that the FIB is a better trap item than the banana since it's bigger and stuns a player longer, but I personally don't think it deserves points for that because 1: Being a better banana is not at all the intended purpose of the item and 2: Double Dash!! literally has a giant banana item that not only has a bigger hitbox and stuns longer, but it even breaks into more bananas if someone runs into it so not only is the FIB not good at it's job, but it's also outclassed by a better banana.
10:04 i actually use bombs to block red shells all the time in mk8d, you just gotta drop it behind you right before the red shell makes contact so you have a split second to drive away from the explosion
Or just be on 200cc
CPUs will actually drive noticeably worse when bit by a Blooper. At least in DS, they'll start moving in a sort of wiggle, slowing them down, not sure how it affects the other games
Sometimes in 8DX, if I see a blue shell coming at me, I'll purposely try to get hit by another item if I don't have the Super Horn
That Celeste joke in the green shell segment has earned you a sub alone. Love this content and hope to see you grow
I have an idea to revamp the fake item box, I call it the item box trap. Basically when you use it the last item box you ran into becomes “trapped” for ten seconds. People who run into it will be stunned. This includes any future item boxes you run into. So you can either trap the box right after you’ve ran into it, or you can save it to trap the next item box you run into, but then you likely don’t get a new item for a while.
Really good video but I can't agree with some things:
-The FIB is really good for trapping blind corners because the hitbox is so big
-The thoundercloud, maybe offline is acceptable because CPUs are bad and the connection isn't a problem but online it's just bad. For MKWii they made a mod to change the effect of the thunderclouds from the annoying and just unfair shock (yes op but everyone prefers op than unfairly bad) to the mega mushroom, so everyone tries to steal it
-the mega mushroom is not a copy of the star: the mega mushroom is obtainable in better positions, if you use it to dodge the shock you return back to normal, a star can hit a mega mushroom, with it you can't hit trucks, if you hit someone with the mega mushroom you squish them and they'll go A LOT slower
-the pow hits everyone in front of you and if they are on the ground, you can dodge it by pressing the up arrow or by shaking the Wii remote and you still lose the items but you'll shoot forward, you get the notification so you know if you have to use your items or not and not many people know that if you hop in the perfect frame you can completely dodge it
-the coin item in my opinion is just bad, it does nothing. If you want an item that can't protect you there is the FIB!
PS: yes I play mkwii regularly I don't know how you figured out
For everything else the video is gooood, just keep making them ;)
yeah mega mushroom feels like it's own item, I mean how many items can you say that they will enable you to squish other opponents (besides lightning)? Plus that attack is much more damaging than what a star can do (unless it is on a track with no guard rails which you can knock out opponents into the ravines). Mega mush is just a fun item to use
However, eveyone knows that the POW Block can be avoided if the player is airborne while it goes off.
"The coin does nothing"
That's the point. FiB is a useless item that also gives an advantage to first place
It makes you faster
Many items you may hate in a MKWii have their own purpose and design-wise, I think make a lot of sense. For example, the mega and POW are soft core versions of better items more readily available and in easier positions. They help give variety without changing up the game or over-saturating its items. While the balance isn’t the best in this game, I would argue the item selection is
@consume
The POW clears all items; only the shock does also does this. It also messes up high level play, even when dodged, as the bounce it gives you often throws you off of your lines. When a pow is used, all items must be thrown out, such as mushrooms to dodge a blue or red shells, which can more easily hit. It is a good way to get a soft reset on the track, where many items of the first half of racers are widely cleared.
The mega mushroom is the star, but debatably more chaotic. It causes panic in the middle placements of the race, and has a harsher punishment than the star by flattening racers. The only way way a racer can be flattened is by being squashed by a thwomp, which is very rare.
Both of these items seem very similar to others on a surface level, but in practice they both have widely different outcomes when used and serve their own niches
What I consider the worst items in Mario Kart can be said in just six or seven words: Mega Mushroom, POW Block, and Thunder Cloud.
I feel like you have an interesting take on the Coin, and I might agree with you had it not been for the fact that (in MK8DX at least) it shows up way, way too frequently in first. It feels like every time you frontrun in that game, you have to constantly be cycling through item sets just to NOT have one in first. It's an issue in that game especially where there are just about constant Red Shells coming your way, either forcing you to restart the cycle or to take a hit every time you happen to be cycling through stuff and someone gets more than one Red Shell in second. I'd like this as a balancing factor of sorts if not for the Blue Shell already existing for that, and getting use out of the Super Horn there feels extremely rare so it doesn't get in the way of it that much.
Nice video otherwise, I'd have a few other nitpicks but they're really unimportant and I like a lot of the things you say here.
Also, I feel like what he said about Mario Kart 8 deluxe's double items being a bad decision in the context of coins is straight up wrong, as having no item except a coin as a possibility is a death sentence in first place, and the interesting decision making that it provides with its interactions with the second item slot actively adds to the strategy and decision making of being in first place. (you can only have one coin at once, so do you hold onto the coin until your next item box to guarantee that you don't get a coin, or use it to get the passive speed boost? Do you take a weird lane to get a double item box and thus guarantee at least one not-coin, or take the tighter lane with its added risks? Do you keep a coin in hand despite having a green shell you could drag behind so boo could steal it instead? What if someone snipes you with a green shell you could have blocked in the meantime? All of these are interesting questions that can't be asked without Deluxe's second item slot.)
I didn't even know people disliked the coin's inclusion in the game until recently. I always saw it as a necessary evil that helped the game stay interesting. If first place constantly gets protection items, that would make the game significantly more unfun. It's important to note that bad items can be balanced items, but people just don't like it because it could cost them the game, which is what makes the game interesting for everyone playing, including first place. It's fun to plan out item usage mid race and improvise on the fly if something doesn't go to plan. Most of my friends and family see it this way as well, which is why I didn't know that people hated this item cause it nerfs them instead of making first place a very hard to kill god.
@@KokonutOil I feel like the blooper does the coin's job of being a "necessary evil" way better, nobody going to be excited or happy when they get a blooper.
In defence of the super leaf: It's pretty much a star for first place. It protects you against banana peels, green shells, red shells and bob-ombs (apparently, the super leaf allows you to knock away the explosion). It also interacts with dormant items, launching green shells and banana peels in a direction opposite to where you hit it from, and red shells will seek out opponents in front of you when you hit them. Also, the leaf helps you move faster in water, so there's that too... I guess
18:08 I feel like what you say here about Mario Kart 8 deluxe's double items being a bad decision in the context of coins is straight up wrong, as having no item except a coin as a possibility is a death sentence in first place, and the interesting decision making that it provides with its interactions with the second item slot actively adds to the strategy and decision making of being in first place. (You can only get one coin at once, so do you hold onto the coin until your next item box to guarantee that you don't get another coin, or use it to get the passive speed boost? Do you take a weird lane to get a double item box and thus guarantee at least one not-coin, or take the tighter lane with its added risks? Do you keep a coin in hand despite having a green shell you could drag behind so a boo steals the coin nstead? What if someone snipes you with a green shell you could have blocked in the meantime? All of these are interesting questions that can't be asked without Deluxe's second item slot.)
But anyways, great video all around!
On the feather their has recently been a mod made in Mario Kart Wii, and it works great for short cuts
it still sucks in that mod lol
Not really since you can use it to dodge items...like red shells
Two things
1) The bomb can actually guard you! You just need to have enough speed to outrun the the explosion.
2)The coin can be used defensively, kind off. If you get an item stolten by a boo, it will always be the readied one, so, if you keep the coin and you have another item, you can pretect your item with the coin.
Honestly i feel like the fib should do the coin's job but better It should be used to punish people that get too close but not make it too easy to frontrun
FIB at least has that dopamine factor when you snipe someone with it
Why would i want a coin over something i can at least hit people with?
The coin has nothing over the fake item box and i would have preferred if it replaced the coin
My one issue with the Blue Shell is that it’s basically useless to whoever got it, even in the games where it travels along the ground. Like 3 separate times, I got one near at the end of lap 3 when it usually ends up doing nothing and I really could’ve used a Bullet Bill.
I think the most beautiful thing about the Boo is when you're about to use an item and suddenly it's gone...
I've spent a lot of time off road trying to use a mushroom only to have it gone the very next moment.
Also, "WHO STOLE MY COIN!" is a phrase I've screamed more than I've said "Hello".
I've had 4 red shells taken away from me by boos in the span of 30 seconds
I love how this guy just talked about the use of every item, and when and how to use them. From a guy who has almost 400 hours on Mario Kart on my own switch, I can't really understand how I find it interesting, but I did, great video keep going
2:37 "anyone can land a red shell"
Mkwii grumble vulcano.
I think MKWii bc3 all 90° Turn explains it much better, that MKWii Red Shells suck
The bomb can actually be used for defense, but you have to drop it before the hit lands on you.
i think the double item is a good idea, because of how much the 1st place needs some protection, like, yeah he is in advantage, why should he need also a good item, but also 1st place has to deal with: 2nd place probably getting from 1 up to 4 red shells (considering he's in 2nd place, it's not likely he will get double triple red shell, but it is likely he will get at least 1, and then there's the possibility of him getting to, or getting one, and a triple), the thunder, THE BOO ACTUALLY STEALING HIS DEFENSE, and of course the blue shell.
really enjoyed this video!! i'm a pretty big mario kart fan, and i really love this video analyzing its items from a game design perspective. i LOVE a good game design analysis, and agree with most of the arguments you make here.
the only item i'd say i disagree on is the Boomerang Flower -- though i totally see where you're coming from and even felt the same way for a while. i feel what makes the Boomerang distinct is the fact it's a projectile that pierces through defensive items, which combined with the fact it's an item typically handed out in 2nd to 4th place that much more interesting. it's harder to aim than a red shell, but unlike a red shell, it can't be blocked, and its lack of range is made up for with multiple uses. it's one i've grown to appreciate more the more i think about it.
really, i think the super horn, coin, and boomerang complement each other really nicely. the super horn gives first place the ability to nullify the most immediate threat, while the coin and boomerang make it more difficult for first to defend themself from the people most immediately behind them. hell, it could be argued that the catharsis of destroying a blue shell with a super horn and the frustration of receiving a coin and being left defenseless can work to cancel each other out?
on the subject of the blue shell, i think removing the wings in Mario Kart 7 was one of the best game design decisions the series ever made. while an item that targets first is good to have as an equalizer, if you're in seventh place and you get an item that only targets the person in first, it's not gonna do much for you. someone else will be moved to the lead, and you'll still be in seventh. letting it hit other people on the way there i think both makes it more satisfying to receive and a better equalizer!
sorry if this comment is a bit long and rambly. i have a lot of thoughts about Mario Kart items and i'd love to share more, but i'm gonna leave it there for now. love this video (and the rest of your channel)!!
I need a full version of this meme! 6:29
the coin just feels a little mediocre though? even if its purpose is to be a lame item its still kind of anticlimactic. compare this to something like the lightning cloud, which has a good potential of actively slowing you down (and honestly passing it to others is actually rather hard, its feels like a relief option, kinda like a lite version of doging a blue shell). the coin, in contrast, is just, kind of there. doesnt add much, nor does it take either. its not even marketed as a blank item, all signs from the game and the mario franchise as a whole seem to point at the coin being a somewhat valuable item rather than the absolute nothing that it really is. itd be fun if they pulled a smb2j and added a poison mushroom or something that actively slows you down upon use
im also just begging for a mario kart where you can get blue shells while on 1st place but thats for another day
I like the Boomerang Flower a lot, to me it's a good way to destroy triple item shields
Mk7 fans:
Tanooki is awful
This wasn’t mentioned in the video but the Chain Chomp would be interesting to bring back for the next game. I have an idea on how to bring it back without making it just a worse bullet bill
Basically my idea for it is, you throw it like in Mario Kart Home Circuit. This time however it bounces off walls like a green shell until it hits someone (at first it’s the same size as a shell).
Once it hits someone it grows giant and acts the same as in Double Dash where it attaches itself to your kart moving forward but you move all over the place. You can also hold it behind you and after a little while it activates on you.
I think this could make for cool strategies where you can decide whether you should use it on someone else or yourself. The Chain Chomp may give the player a large boost but once it’s gone you might crash into a wall or fall off a ledge depending on the track
Something worth noting about lightning is that it applies pressure to use your items.
Like, sure, you could hold onto that mushroom in first in case of a blue shell... but what if lightning strikes? You would have missed out on potentially furthering your lead with a shortcut or well-timed boost. And now, that lead is shrinking because you have shrunk. You should have used it when you had the chance.
I think it's an underappreciated or simply overlooked dynamic.
A thing you didn’t bring up is the fact the modern games made it so that the triple mushroom revolves around you, like the green/red shells or the banana peels, adding further to the risk-reward angle. Should you hold onto the mushrooms for the upcoming shortcut, or use them so your nearby opponent doesn’t steal it. I just find that interesting.
I don’t think near by racers can steal it, but it does give opponents a boost.
Mariokart - The only game where receiving money makes you sad.
5:05 triggered my fight or flight!
Some items have different functions in tour that you didn't mention:
Multi items/lucky 7: in tour all the items get used at once which makes something like L7 pretty powerful
Fire flower: in tour there is 3 fire balls that you can shoot all at once similiar to the other multi items
Boomerang: in tour the boomerang whirls around you instead of going vertically and homing at the opponent in the front, also it collects coins in tour which is one of its main features in that game
Coin: in tour a coin counts as 2 coinsmeaning 2 actions which is usually far more useful than a banana or a green shell in tour, also it helps a lot with keeping your combo and its frenzy is one of the best ones
Super horn: in tour it can as well defect a blooper before it inks you
fib is a better trap item it's bigger and brings you to a complete stop rather than just slowing you down a little
it can't protect but it's better at trapping
that's a fair point. i appreciate the feedback! design-wise though i still feel like it steps on the banana's toes too much for me to appreciate it conceptually (also thank you for being my first commenter!)
@@indigo_f no wayyyyy let's goo
you're definetly right btw, I just wanted to bring that up
1:43 as a huge giant banana fan i im offended. giant bananas mean everything to me, when i go to bed i see giant bananas, then i wake up and i eat all kinds of giant bananas for breakfast. i look for images of giant bananas and send them to my all of my teachers. later she confiscated my giant banana under lock and chain, and to be honest i enjoy the pain. anyway review giant bananas NOW.
The blue shell with wings is so much cooler
you can use bobombs to defend yourself, you just need to release it in time to block a shell yet not hit yourself. really cool and a bit hard to pull off
You missed the character exclusive items from Mario Kart Double Dash and Tour.
Figuring out you could hide a banana in an item box on Mario Kart DS made me feel like a God, glad other people figured that out as well lol
Please do the special items from double dash, those are some of the most fun items to use!!
Channel cjszero01 said this about the Coin in his "Top 5 Personal Favorite and Hated Mario Kart Items" video: "It's getting down to the wire. It's do or die and the item you get could decide the outcome. But if you get Coins, _stick a fork in ya, yer done._ Making the scene along with the franchise back in _Super Mario Kart,_ coins exist for one purpose: It can increase your acceleration... when you have *ten* of them. You can even pick them up off the ground, so having them as a power-up is _nothing_ special. Oh, and how about this: The item gives you two coins in both _Super Mario Kart_ and in _Mario Kart 8._ But if you get hit by something, you'll lose *three.* And trust me, _you will get hit._ In _Mario Kart 8_ you can get this in _any_ place: 1st, 5th, 8th, 9th, *even 12th.* Good luck catching up to the guy with a Golden Mushroom, or passing the guy with three red shells. Coins, really, what am I gonna do with these? *Bribe them not to hit me?* To get a better understanding of my _abhorrence_ for these, think about it like this: The reason so many people hate the blue shell is because before the Super Horn, there wasn't a power-up that could actually *block* it! Sure, you could outrun it, or find a star on the ground, but that was highly uncommon. For the most part, you were *defenseless* against it! So when you get Coins, *everything is now a leader shell to you!* You can’t attack! You can’t defend! And that pathetic little speed boost should be _ashamed_ to call itself one! I wish I could use these to buy a better power-up, or maybe even pay a toll for a shortcut! Then I could see some potential! But apparently, that never crossed the developer's mind. Even before they came back in _Mario Kart 8_ I had them as my number-one hated item, because you couldn't really _do_ anything with them! Ask yourself: Have you ever said anything along the lines of these three phrases: *_"Oh I hope I get Coins this time!"_* or *_"Good thing I had Coins to get through that!"_* or how about *_"It sure is fun to use Coins!"_* Some people like them, because other players get them and they're defenseless. But what about _your_ experience with having them? You're not the other player, and when _you_ get them, are _you_ happy? I know I'm not."
The fake box should always give you a coin but when you use it you take a hit
i have concluded this is the best video ever made
>mario kart
>celeste reference
You definitely deserve more than 23 subs! great video!
hello from 2023
Blooper, Pow, Coin, any item that's made only to annoy the player. Honestly, the items peaked on the Nintendo 64, and yes I'm counting Blue Shell as a good item on this.
Thunder Cloud at least had a strategy on it.
I think that, in a stylistic sense, the fake item box is the worst one. If you get it in first, you cannot guarantee that it will cement your lead. If you get it in 2nd or lower, it's even harder to get the lead. It's bad for offense and its bad for defense.
But unlike the coin, it can do something more than be pointless. It's just that the use is too specific to actually be helpful. At least the coin guarantees that you have no defenses, the FIB is just not good enough for what it needs to be, and is the only item that fails it's design.
Honestly, I kinda wish Super Leaf made it into 8 Deluxe. Cause like, think about it, it’d be good for the Anti-Grav sections being players can get boosts off each other, this is pretty much a red flag saying “hey, fuck off”. Plus its a defense item, so overall it could work for 8 Deluxe
By the way, if you drop the bomb JUST before the item hits it can in fact be used defensively.
I mean people did take offense to Hamlet
I actually think the blooper is the worst item, because it's borderline useless. For people who know the coruse back to front, it's useless and doesn't affect them, and for newbies it royally fucks them. Another thing that's super dumb is in MK8 if you're going around a corner, the "splat" effect may only cover a small portion of the screen which is even more useless because you can still see where to go. Coins are annoying to get considering there's enough of them on the track, but they don't bother me. The way the blooper works is so dumb and they should change it so that it affects your handling to actually give it a reason to exist.
I don’t know if you know this, but in Mario Kart Wii if you used the Mega Mushroom before get zapped by lightning, you’ll shrink to regular size so it’s not completely a star clone. It’s more of a semi clone/echo.
Fake Box has the same utility as the Coin expect it can do something sometimes unlike the Coin
Me: throws a banna but it hits the mario kart lap sign and then bounces right back to me and I slip
In one word : Coin.
Great video :) What song did you use for your intro? It sounds familiar
3:32 I will readily admit to doing that.
15:10 _You get a boost?_
3:18 but... potassium...
Btw love the doom sound when the items appear
You forgot to post a link to your petition :(
Bombs because it it always blows up on me even when I have it
My least favorite item Is the lighting bolt because it takes away your item and hurts you
I disagree. The coin is bad. Front running is hard enough but the coin makes it way worse. you cant plan
when you have an item you cant defend with. It removes the use of skill and makes the game too luck-based
It can be used to defend yourself back in Mario Kart DS actually. 100cc and upwards it can. Not too sure about other Mario kart games though. The Boo always stole random items. Don't know where got the fact it steals the item that is near you. So you forget that you can trick other players by putting the fake item box with other item boxes. Do you not know how many people I got with that?
I literally forgot the super leaf existed.
Fake Item I would argue is LEAGUES better than the coin! The coin is built around an arbitrary gimmick that was supposed to be dead after the first Mario Kart: a pain to get, easy to lose, a distraction, and can potentially compromise a better item from an item block! Fake Item blocks however, while its main purpose was gimped after Mario Kart 64, can still do some damage to following and distracted drivers: only drawback being it can’t defend you from oncoming shells. I agree the banana does a much better job as the FIB; however, I would take Banana Rip-off over Coin any day!
The blue shell is not an equaliser. If you're last, it won't make you first. The lightning is an equaliser. All the blue shell does is taking the podium away from someone who evidently deserved it
Mario Kart Wii. The Thundercloud.
You are very underrated
Can't you block a green or red shell with a fake item box with the right timing? I've heard people talk about doing that years ago and I remember trying to pull it off before, not sure if I succeeded in it though.
Edit: the fake item boxes in team based games (on Wii at least) are in the teams color, red or blue. The blue one is kinda useful in that way to trick people into driving into it because from what I remember it blended in much better with the actual item boxes.
Fake boxes dont even interact with shells and stuff. No way to time it
coin apologist
11:09 Bam! Shock dodge!
ok. where is the signature sheet for those powerups!
Next talk about the arcade items
tbh i prefer the fake item box being the shitty kinda useless item you get in first over the coin
Subbing before you blow up. This is nicely put
I disagree with your take about the Coin, I think the Blooper does the Coin's job of being a item you don't want to get way better since the only thing it does is put a png on the screen. I don't think we need two items that pretty much do nothing. I wouldn't mind the Coin if the blooper wasn't in the game and if it showed up less frequently.
Why did you go monotone when announcing the items
the outro
Celeste reference SPOTTED
At 150 cc and above u can guard with bobomb but the timings weird
Coins, theres no other choice, fin.
The coin.
I disagree with the idea that you should be disappointed by some items. Im not saying every item should be as useful as eachother, but that every item have some usefullness. The coin and the blooper are useless. The coin has no stratgic value I would rather have one of my two defensive items get stolen than have a coin in first to potentially be taken by the boo item. The blooper is only good on cpus or bad players it adds virtually nothing to the game other than annoy the person who gets it.
Thundercloud
the piranha plant
👌
blue shell
show this video to people who sandbag they will lose it
thunder cloud is the worst item in the whole series
In my opinion the blue spiny shell is the worst
I'm going to be honest there are mostly a lot of items I don't like but I'm going to be honest no questions asked the spiky shell is the worst item I hate it so much
Blooper is the worst item
I prefer the fake item box to the coin. Sure, it's not great at it's original purpose, but it combines both the risk and unsatisfaction of getting it with the fun of placing it in cool tricky spots.
Those lesbian identical twins tho…
Bad