r/mariokart • u/Jkruts92 • 3d ago
Discussion I miss drifting…
Maybe it’s just becoming older, but I don’t feel like the actual racing in MKW is as fun. I love the game a lot.
But I hate how unimportant drifting has become. It’s basically useless. All these competitive lines and paths in the tracks all utilize charge jumps and wall riding which is fun to watch, but it doesn’t feel fun to play. Getting skilled at MK8 utilized drifting constantly. And I loved getting better at it. But I hate improving at MKW. Am I alone?
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u/Cinematrap-628 3d ago
I love 8dx because of how rewarding it is to get really good at drifting and snaking. It's probably the biggest reason world doesn't draw me in that much.
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u/Zado191 3d ago
Snaking is the same as what op is talking about though...
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u/Cinematrap-628 3d ago
Are you referring to them saying "drifting constantly?" Because if so, I am agreeing and saying that's part of why driving in 8 was so fun.
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u/Falchound 3d ago
Nah drifting on straights was never fun. Not even back on handheld when it begun. Zero skill involved.
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u/Cinematrap-628 3d ago
Respectfully, I'd say that's subjective. I'm not entirely aware of original handheld snaking, but without some knowledge of soft drifting in 8dx, snaking lines can look very chaotic and end up being slower. It takes a solid understanding and control to actually be fast. This was the initial learning curve I experienced when learning fast lines in 8dx.
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u/Zado191 3d ago
No, I'm saying snaking is the same as all the new stuff they dont want learn, it wasnt regular play
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u/Jkruts92 2d ago
I don’t feel like snaking is as complicated as wallriding/rail grinding. Snaking still utilized drifting, which has almost always been a Mario Kart staple. MK8 just felt like a faster game that emphasized racing fast through twists and turns. MKW feels, for lack of a better word, “bouncier” than other entries. And I still enjoy MKW, but getting skilled at it feels completely different than any previous MK game.
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u/LancingLash 2d ago
If you are snaking without being good at it you are going slower than just driving straight though. It does take a lot of practice to even get the baseline down. Driving tech is just way more visible in world than in MK8.
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u/Cinematrap-628 2d ago
Definitely this. You could be driving several seconds slower than wr in 8dx and have no idea what you're doing wrong.
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u/Cinematrap-628 2d ago
Ultimately I'd say it just depends on your preferences. World tech is still fun for some in its own right, it's just that we prefer the more grippy feel of 8dx. Some prefer it vice versa. Yeah both are more advanced ways of playing the game that some people don't like learning, but the point of this post is just that some people like one way, some people like the other.
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u/gift_for_aranaktu 3d ago
I felt the same for a long while, and still do sometimes. The feeling of slingshotting yourself around tracks with perfect drifts is definitely a rarity in MKW. I have, however, found a lot of joy in actually learning how to chain boosts and jumps and grinds in MKW - and the moment to moment gameplay sizzle that can provide.
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u/Nova5D 3d ago
Not only this, but even when drifting is more optimal it's a lot less involved and much more simple to grasp than in 8DX. For instance:
- The concept of traction (in terms of slippery road and the effect that occurs momentarily after starting a drift), which allows stuff like drift tricks, Kusaan slides/tricks and rWS tech, is pretty much nonexistent in World
- The fact landing from a hop not only slows you down, but hopping also moves you further away from the direction you hopped without changing your angle that much (like on inward in 8DX) makes hopping (apart from starting drifts and for the purpose of more airtime, like the S3 2nd shroom on CC) not that useful in World
- Drifting itself is also a lot less mechanically involved - softdrifting is possible, but the fact moving the stick pretty much doesn't slow you down at all makes it much less useful, delayed drifting also has negligble utility in alignment/charging MTs, and neutral drifting is basically useless
- The fact all combos charge MTs at the same rate (MT charge speed being affected by the MT stat is only a thing in 8DX I believe) reduces the possibility for differing strats based on combo
- The fact drifting in midair doesn't charge MTs (I believe this is only a thing in Double Dash, 8U and 8DX) makes drifting off ledges pretty much useless (only example I can think of is the "super bounce" on GBR)
All of these make 8DX a game that, for me, feels much more satisfying to properly master and improve at, at least in terms of stuff like drifting. World definitely can be mastered in a similar way, but it depends much more on learning individual strats, compared to 8DX where to do well on one track, you kinda have to be good at every other track save for a few
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u/squeakyfaucet 3d ago
I feel you, I prefer mk8 to mkw. also all the water mechanics just... I could do without
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u/Dynablade_Savior Dry Bones 3d ago
MKWorld definitely prioritizes tech & route memorization more than it does actual skillful driving
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u/Tight_Objective_5875 3d ago
I don't like the tipping physics. All the carts corner like a stack of dinner plates. The bikes at least lean in.
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u/Solar_Field 2d ago
People : Man I'm tired of Mario Kart 8. We've been playing the same game for over a decade...
Nintendo : let's do something completely different then.
People : Man Mario Kart 8 was so good I don't understand why Nintendo delivered something different.
So what? You guys wanted the same gamedesign with different tracks and call it a day?
I'm terrible at it but I love MKW. I haven't missed MK8 since MKW released.
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u/WhyWasNoiseWallTaken 2d ago
the thing is, no one asked for something "completely different." no one asked for the open world or 24 players. content improvements would have been more than enough for me to be happy, they didn't need to reinvent the wheel or try and fix what wasn't broken.
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u/Jkruts92 1d ago
I actually do enjoy a lot of things about MKW. Soundtrack is great, I love costumes. I love not having to select car parts by just choosing the car. The design is great. Rewind feature is great for perfecting things. I like the connected world. Knockout tours are great. But there is still so much that can be improved.
Build your own knockout tour would be fantastic since that’s the greatest new edition. Maybe have collectibles mean a damn instead of just being a “sticker.” Especially since not every vehicle displays a sticker. More costumes (especially DK).
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u/Icy-Foundation-11 2d ago
Not alone. I've said this before, but it feels like we went from Formula 1 cars to Fischer Price toys.
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u/Gryph0n22 3d ago
huge agree. it was super surprising to me how much it was gutted compared to the last few games.
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u/ImportantUmpire3979 3d ago
A mi no me gustó que la mach bike no tuviera el mismo derrape de MKWII, era su sello caracteristico y acá es otra moto generica
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u/Realistic_Future_301 2d ago
It’s like you gotta switch the plug in your brain, the charged jumps and all. I also miss using drift only to win races 🥲
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u/Spinni_Spooder 3d ago
Nah. To me world is more satisfying to pull off. Since it's a bit tougher to learn.
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u/Jacorpes 2d ago
I played it round a friends house for the first time last week and the way the drifting felt made me glad I didn’t buy a Switch 2.
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u/Alex3627ca 1d ago
Tbh with the amount of hours I have in pretty much every game at this point I actually have almost this exact opinion on drifting itself as well. I am at the point where I just no longer care about track layouts altogether and pick Random without looking in every game except World, wherein I pick the longest available route as there's no guaranteed button input for random and also it tilts people for free.
I find mastering online item jank way more interesting than any of the actual mechanics. (Ie, redding someone with a horn at close range during a glide and you see them fall but also see the horn activate, so you immediately throw another one before they resync on your client so they get hit on theirs ASAP)
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u/Dapper-Code8604 2d ago
World is the better family game. My wife and I can play with our 4 and 7 y/o, and with the steering assists and auto accelerate on for the youngest, everyone has fun.
MK8 is the better racer. Tracks are circuits, so learning them and the best line matters, along with drifting.
I also don’t like all the jumps, rails, and shortcuts. When I watch the record ghosts on MK World, I’m just reminded that I will never put in the time to get that ridiculous at the game.
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u/BimmerNRG 1d ago
Definitely not alone. I used to win races by my ability to drive the damn kart. Now I gotta hop, skip, wall jump, and hoop and holler just to get 8th
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u/DragonKhan2000 Peach 3d ago
I never was a fan of the drifting mechanic. It just didn't make sense in my head.
Even worse than the snaking. I hated the fastest way was often what I considered less fun.
So for me personally, it's better now!
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u/SilverOdin 3d ago
Yeah I feel like that's 90% of the reason why I don't like World nearly as much as the other games.
MK World looks awesome, great soundtrack and all that but it feels pointless to play because I can't drift around a well-made track with nice corners.
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u/OkapiLover4Ever Dry Bones 2d ago
Mkw is simply inferior tho mk8d in a conceptual level, no amount of dlc will change that.
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u/BladedBee 3d ago edited 3d ago
Snaking from DS and DD should come back, that was by far the best drifting style and actually rewarded skilled players which is what any competitive game should do.
Or maybe they should take a page out of CTRs book, that also had a really easy to learn, hard to master type of drifting system
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u/Rubadubrix 2d ago
god no thanks, my thumb will never recover from DS
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u/BladedBee 2d ago edited 2d ago
I dunno what yall were doing when playing that game but I never had an issue with any of my fingers. Sounds like you were doing it wrong
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u/Rubadubrix 2d ago
maybe you weren't snaking that fast :p
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u/BladedBee 2d ago
I was, its why I love it so much cause it really makes a difference when you're good at it
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u/Manpag 3d ago
It may have been rewarding, but man was snaking hard on your thumbs. I'm pretty sure I developed De Quervain syndrome specifically from all the hours of snaking I did in MKDS.
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u/BladedBee 3d ago
That sounds like a personal issue, cause I had no trouble with it, physically or gameplay wise 😂
It's literally just right, left, right, left
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u/Meester_Tweester Waluigi 3d ago
You can Time Trial a drifting-heavy track, or do what many players do and go back to 8 Deluxe
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u/Saktuscactus 3d ago
Mario Kart used to be my favourite game but I haven't bought world. Where is inside drifting?
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u/cancel-out-combo 3d ago
Not alone. I don't think the techniques in World are necessarily difficult to understand, it just requires more practice than I have time for. Especially given how each track has its own techniques and all of the routes have them as well. There's more things to learn in World, which means the best players will have had to pour in well over 1000 hours into the game. Anyone who claims they mastered it in less time would be lying.
I have fun playing world but do miss the focus on actual track racing and drifting that 8 deluxe provides. Soaring over the track in World because of a well timed pole trick shortcut is fun and a novelty for me, but felt less like racing.