[REVIEW] ‘Mario Kart 8 Deluxe’ Update: Nintendo Switch Mario Kart Brings New Features That Wii U Doesn’t Have

 "Mario Kart 8 Deluxe isn't quite enough a sequel from the 2014 Wii U original. The core racing in "Mario Kart 8 Deluxe feels exactly like the Wii U version, along with its excellent selection of 48 courses stands largely comparable from the Wii U version.

According to The Verge, one of the most important updates to "Mario Kart 8 Deluxe" comes in the Battle Mode. The Wii U version frustratingly put battles on just regular courses for lap-based races. Fortunately for Nintendo Switch, the company has taken the time to craft five new battle arenas such as the new Lunar Colony course, which let players jump high off of crater lips with the credits to the low gravity. However, these five new courses are well designed for fast-paced claustrophobic battles intended for 12 cars on track.

As most noted from reviewers, "Mario Kart 8 Deluxe" also brings a few variations on the usual balloon popping battle mode which is a most common thing from the series. Renegade Roundup is the only completely new mode; it's a cat-and-mouse team-based battle where one side tries to lock up other by swallowing them with piranha plant items while captured players have to sit in jail while waiting for a teammate to bust them out, as noted by Kotaku.

gotta say these alternate Mario Kart 8 Deluxe title screens are so much more clean than the Wii U version pic.twitter.com/cO8TYcC7XI

— Stonepa (@Stonepa11) April 22, 2017

Aside from the new Battle Mode of "Mario Kart 8 Deluxe," it also features new internal changes. The game now runs at 1080p resolution when docked to a TV while at the Wii U version it only runs at 720p resolution. The biggest change for the game is the ability to carry two items, the Mario Kart: Double Dash; add some interesting strategy for the game.

One of the biggest differences in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe comes not in the game itself, but in the hardware, it's played on. In the Nintendo Switch, "Mario Kart 8 Deluxe" is now easily the best portable Mario Kart experience that's available, with its comfortable analog sticks and triggers and high-resolution that still being compared to DS and 3DS. "Mario Kart 8 Deluxe" is also the first Mario Kart to offer a portable, split-screen multiplayer experience with just a single console.