Home Circuit ‘and 4 reasons why you should wait

Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit it comes out today. It is the newest in the Mario Kart franchise and the first to use augmented reality and “toys that come to life” to bring kart racing to life in your home.

I reviewed the game before its release and found it absolutely delicious, and my kids, especially my 10-year-old son, loved it.

You can read that review right here. But I wanted to go into a little more detail on the game’s pros and cons to help potential buyers (or gift givers) determine whether to buy it this holiday season. We’ll see.

The professionals

# 1 – The camera is the star of the show.

Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit it’s such a creative use of Nintendo’s hardware and software prowess. The Kart’s own camera is the real star of the show. It captures the world directly in front of the cart and transports it back to the Nintendo Switch screen, creating a wide view of your kitchen floor or wherever you end up playing.

The fact is, while you may think you’ll be spending your time watching the physical Kart drive through the cardboard doors you installed, you will rarely take your eyes off the screen. You will see the world from Mario’s point of view, driving his little Kart through your house or driveway. It is really remarkable how well it works and how simple everything is. Setting up a course at your home is easy, but seeing it come to life like a real Mario Kart race is amazing.

# 2 – It’s a legit Mario Kart experience.

While it all seems like a gimmick, it really isn’t. The gameplay itself, while using the Kart camera to create the stage and the cardboard doors to create the parameters of the field, is just what you would expect from a Mario Kart game.

In fact, with a few small changes, this looks a lot like Mario Kart 8. You scroll to get boosts, you grab cubes to find items and you can use them on opponents (AI or other players if you have two Karts) and items like mushrooms give you a speed boost. The speed increases in the game also make the physical Kart faster.

It is funny. Seeing the Kart move around the physical field you created looks something like this. . . boring. It doesn’t move that fast. There are no other karts visible. But when you look at the screen, the Kart is tearing down the track. Other runners rush past or lead you with red shells and bananas. Obstacles like ice blocks and goombas dot your way, not to mention the physical objects on the course, from chairs to cones and any toys or other objects you want to include.

All of this makes racing a lot of fun.

# 3 – It is ideal for parties or gatherings.

Like virtual reality, the best way to play an augmented reality (AR) game is with other people. I hardly ever take out my Oculus Quest unless we’re having a get-together or the whole family is playing games, because it’s almost always more fun to play VR with friends and family. (This is my personal opinion and I know many others share it, but not everyone feels that way.)

The same is true for party games (obviously) and I would rate Mario Kart Live like a party game. It’s fun showing your friends a family. It’s cool that people swap races and help set up tracks and get out and about as obstacles on the tracks. It’s one of those games that works best when there is a group. And it’s definitely something that will impress people, because the hardware and software are really great.

# 4 – It will be a great gift for children this holiday.

Returning to the subject of gifts and the upcoming holiday season, Mario Kart Live it really is an excellent gift idea. I can’t imagine any young children being disappointed when they open this gift. You can choose Mario or Luigi and you get the physical Kart along with the game. Very soon you will have a happy boy or girl preparing a course made up of all their other Christmas presents, driving the little Kart around the house happily while grabbing their Nintendo Switch. It will be a success. Trust me.

Okay, now let’s …

The cons

# 1 – It’s a lot of money.

You can get Mario Kart 8 Deluxe for around $ 40 or $ 50 depending on where you are looking and if there are good sales. On Black Friday you can probably find it for less.

Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit It costs $ 100 and while it’s as cool and delicious as I described above, it’s still a less solid racing experience than Mario Kart 8. The races are limited to a smaller number of runners and are limited by the physical limitations present in their space. There is no flight or jump. It relies on the cool stuff of augmented reality for variety and novelty, but it will never be as comprehensive as a more traditional game.

Also, to play multiplayer at home, you will need physical Karts, doubling the price. In Mario Kart 8 you can play in splitscreen for four players as long as you have enough controllers.

I’m not saying it’s too expensive, mind you, it’s just expensive and that’s a reasonable consideration. The problem with waiting for the price to drop is that this is Nintendo. Prices rarely drop much.

# 2 – You need a reasonable amount of space.

You don’t need an absurd amount of space to organize courses, but you will need something. A cluttered and cluttered apartment or one without a hard surface floor won’t be ideal. Ideally, you would have a large living room with hardwood floors and plenty of space between furniture (or your own indoor gym).

But you can make this work well with a smaller kitchen or living room, and in a way, the more obstacles the better, up to a point.

Just keep in mind that if you have rugs most of the time or your space isn’t that open, this might not be the game for you. It could be more frustration than it’s worth.

# 3 – Doesn’t work well in bright light.

To make matters worse, the bright sunlight renders the Kart’s camera absolutely useless. We tested the game in our driveway and it works fine in the shade, but as soon as the Kart enters a patch of sunlight, you’re blinded. This makes playing outside very limited. (At one point, we installed a trash can in the driveway to create more shade in a particularly sunny area.)

Still, if you have a driveway or outdoor space with a reasonable amount of shade, you will be able to play outside. We had fun:

Depending on your outdoor situation, this may or may not be an option.

# 4 – It will probably end up in a closet sooner rather than later.

I have a persistent suspicion that our copy of Mario Kart Live it will soon gather dust. Once the novelty wears off and it’s more effort than it’s worth installing the doors, tidying them up and all that, the doors are likely to find their way into a closet, shed, or garage shelf or who knows where. The Kart itself might remain a fun toy in its own right, and I’m sure we’ll get the rest out from time to time, but just like my VR headsets and other more time-consuming party-style games. computer, it is destined to end in hibernation.

That may not be the case for everyone, but it’s something to think about.

And that is all friends!

Hopefully these points will help you decide whether to buy or not Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit for yourself or as a gift for a loved one. It really is a fun, novel, and incredibly creative little game. Whether it is worth the asking price remains to be seen.

You can read other reviewers’ opinions on the game on Metacritic, where it is currently at 74/100 (just below my 8/10 review score).