Mario Kart Tour: Difference between revisions

Initial impressions of the beta were mixed. Journalists praised the gameplay and graphics, but criticized the free-to-play gacha elements of the game. Sam Machkovech of Ars Technica compared the game's in-app purchases to Spiny Shells, blowing up the classic ''Mario Kart'' experience. He suggested that "the developers pick a side: attach an annoying economy to a deeper control scheme and more legitimate online options, or make it cheaper and less obnoxious to watch Mario drive himself."<ref name=Arstechnica>Machkovech, Sam (May 22, 2019). [https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2019/05/mario-kart-tour-beta-hands-on-microtransactions-land-like-a-nasty-blue-shell/ ''Mario Kart Tour'' beta hands-on: Microtransactions land like a nasty blue shell]. ''Ars Technica''. Retrieved May 23, 2019.</ref> Ethan Gach of Kotaku also stated that the game is "a mostly faithful but stripped-down recreation of ''Mario Kart'' decked out with all the microtransactions and lottery mechanics mobile games are infamous for" and also lamented the lack of a multiplayer mode.<ref>Gach, Ethan (May 22, 2019). [https://kotaku.com/mario-kart-tour-is-pretty-good-when-it-s-not-nickel-and-1834948363 ''Mario Kart Tour'' Is Pretty Good When It’s Not Nickel And Diming You.] ''Kotaku''. Retrieved May 23, 2019.</ref> Steven Asarch of Newsweek complained about the game's "freemium greed" and that it is "ruined by microtransactions".<ref>Asarch, Steven (May 23, 2019) [https://www.newsweek.com/mario-kart-tour-microtransactions-emeralds-racers-1434574 ‘''Mario Kart Tour''’ Beta Potential Bogged Down By Microtransactions.] ''Newsweek.'' Retrieved May 23, 2019.</ref>

The game's reception on release was mixed to negative. Andrew Webster of The Verge praised how intuitive using items is, while criticizing the controls, calling them imprecise, and the game's monetization, stating that "The problem is so much of the game feels designed around monetization, as opposed to just being a fun game."<ref>Webster, Andrew (September 26, 2019). [https://www.theverge.com/2019/9/26/20884989/mario-kart-tour-review-android-iphonem ''Mario Kart Tour'' is too cynical to be fun]. ''The Verge''. Retrieved March 31, 2020.</ref> Chris Scullion of Nintendo Life gave a positive review, praising the lack of an energy system, the points system, and the large amount of cups, while criticizing the time required to get used to the controls, the gyro controls, and listing the game's monetization as a con, stating that opinions on the game's monetization will vary for each person, while arguing that "It's rubbish to an extent, absolutely, but despite the outrage you may be seeing in some circles, it's no different to any other game with a loot box system; it's always nearly impossible to guarantee you'll get the exact thing you want" when talking about the game's gacha mechanics, and that "More than the gacha system, the Gold Pass is gaining a lot more controversy than it really should be, with some misunderstanding what it does and assuming this subscription service is necessary in some way. To be clear, it really isn't, and absolutely won't be of interest to 99% of the player base." when talking about the game's Gold Pass subscription.<ref>Scullion, Chris (September 26, 2019). [http://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/mobile/mario_kart_tour ''Mario Kart Tour'' Review]. ''Nintendo Life''. Retrieved March 31, 2020.</ref> Michael McWhertor of Polygon gave a negative review, stating that the game "lacks the joy of its fully-featured counterparts", criticizing that the steering feels inconsequential, stating that "the game can feel as if it's playing itself", the lack of difficulty when playing against computers, the lack of motivation to continue playing, and the game's microtransactions.<ref>McWhertor, Micheal (September 27, 2019). [https://www.polygon.com/reviews/2019/9/27/20887100/mario-kart-tour-review-nintendo-iphone-android ''Mario Kart Tour'' review: ''Mario Kart'' just doesn’t feel right on a phone]. ''Polygon''. Retrieved March 31, 2019.</ref> CJ Andriessen of Destructoid gave a negative review, criticizing the game's microtransactions and how the game rarely gives the player Rubies, stating "''Tour''{{'}}s fatal flaw is it's continually pushing players into ham-fisted situations where they have to spend money rather than creating a game so exceptional they'll ''want'' to spend money.", the limitations on unlocking, collecting, or upgrading certain things, the game's controls, stating "There are three control options, none of which are completely sufficient.", while praising the variations to courses, though noting that "there is still a bit of disappointment when you wait a day to unlock a new cup only to find it's Daisy Hills ''again''.", the New York Minute track and that Nintendo at the time of the article's publication planned to add more new tracks to the game, though noting that "One of the great joys of any ''Mario Kart'' title is seeing what types of new courses the developers have designed and that joy just isn't present in ''Tour''."<ref>Andriessen, CJ (September 29, 2019). [https://www.destructoid.com/review-mario-kart-tour-568088.phtml Review: ''Mario Kart Tour'']. ''Destructoid''. Retrieved March 31, 2020.</ref> Kyle Hilliard of IGN, in a mixed review, praised the series' transition from consoles to mobile phones, stating that "during those moments where I was speeding down the track expertly launching turtle shells at my opponents I felt like I was playing a real ''Mario Kart'' game" though stating that ''Mario Kart Tour'' is an "undeniable downgrade from ''Mario Kart 8''", praised how items are used, the game's bonus challenges, and the brevity of the races, cups, and bonus challenges, while criticizing the game launching without multiplayer, the game's microtransactions and their cost, having to wait for later cups to unlock, and the quantity of Grand Stars unlocked being affected by the kart or character the player unlocked.<ref>Hilliard, Kyle (October 1, 2019). [https://ca.ign.com/articles/2019/10/01/mario-kart-tour-review ''Mario Kart Tour'' Review]. ''IGN''. Retrieved March 31, 2020.</ref> Jon Cartwright of GameXplain, in a negative review, stated that "''Mario Kart'' is better than this", stating "Because it's so similar to the core games, it becomes comparable to them, amplifying its faults even further.", criticizing the controls, calling them "extremely unintuitive", and "a huge, restrained, letdown" after stating that the controls felt "extremely simplistic"; the game's monetization, stating that "This may be a free game compared to a full sixty dollar release, but money has never felt so intrusive in ''Mario Kart''"; and the track New York Minute, stating that "this track is not good enough for ''Mario Kart''", while praising the game's bonus challenges and the game's Reverse tracks, calling them "really cool ideas", while also praising the game's roster of playable characters and its graphics.<ref>GameXplain (October 2, 2019). [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpsB74smp1o ''Mario Kart Tour'' REVIEW - Free to Play but Money Has Never Been More Intrusive]. ''YouTube''. Retrieved March 31, 2019.</ref>