To think I should be able to win Mario Kart at least once

[TheEverdelightfulsamantha]

Given that I’m a grown up and quite a good driver in real life. But DS is always 1st, and I’m always 9th or 11th or something. It’s so hard to steer, and that annoying sideways wheel thing, ugh!

any tips? What car and wheels should I choose? Techniques? Which of the stupid things you collect should I throw at who when? Does pressing the buttons make any difference at all? (I did once do something all round and the result was the same)

so YABU - what do you expect? It’s nothing like real life and frankly with your hand eye coordination you have no chance, plus your DS plays way more than you - winning is a pipe dream

or YANBU- you can do this, with a subtle change of approach and a few sly tactics you will one day be the winner

No 1: practice. Just like anything.

Also as a 33 year old gamer I'm not as adept at the controls as I once was with my ps1/nintendo 64, could well be an age thing.

No 2: each character has their own pros/cons. For example I like Toad. He is light, speedy and nippy. However if someone taps him he flies off the course. Mario or peach are a good general all rounders I believe.

No 3: you hit the ?boxes for ammo basically which reflects how well you are doing. So if you are 1st place you pick up traps to lay, if you are last you get speed boosts.

No 4: be bloody ruthless. Yes he is your DS but hit that bugger with a shell whenever possible to knock him out your way!!

Also practice once again and learn the tracks, rainbow is the hardest. But seriously practice against the AI and learn the game.

HTH

You need to use the weapons and learn the track shortcuts. YouTube is your friend here.

My secret is to start pressing go as soon as the traffic lights turns orange - don’t press too early or it will penalise you but if you press as it’s going orange to green you’ll be first off the mark. I also choose Peach as my fave character because I think she’s quite nimble and the best balanced.

I always go for a question box if I can see it. I spent many years playing as a kid so have some muscle memory. Agree with PP you need to practise!

My 5 year old has the same problem. Her solution was to throw a big strop and refuse to play with DH anymore. Just a suggestion

@sayanythingelse thats probably the best approach 😂🤣

or I can quit my job to watch You Tube all day and treat this like a professional would - very tempted… if only for the feeling of smugness

this is all good stuff - thanks, I’m like a sponge…

boxes, wheels and characters are pointless if you can’t drive fast. If you can’t do the power slide thing you’re stuffed, though there’s auto steering and auto acceleration (that my dc won’t let me use) that makes it easier.

Definitely loads of practice when they are in bed. I lost days to it at university and was amazed to find I was able to pick it back up like I'd never stopped 20 years later 😎

What console are you playing on? Ive found when playing on the switch on the tv my son has track and steering assist on which helps massively

Are you playing on a switch?

if so, make sure you have auto acceleration switched on, and also auto steer (or whatever it is called, the one that stops you falling off most of the time). if possible, for extra advantage, suggest your dc has these turned off (I play with them on, ds has them turned off. I win maybe 50% of the time). You can also select whether to use the joystick as steering, rather than the tilt controls (I prefer joystick steering)

you can also check the stats when you are selecting car/bike/wheels etc. make sure you are at least evenly spread with attributes. I like to have slightly more acceleration than speed, and also find weight helps a bit. Different characters have different weights themselves, so will react differently with different vehicle setups. I prefer bikes to cars/karts.

Learn the different power ups, and how to use them to your advantage.

I’m here for the tips , I really want to win Mario Kart just one time 😄

Handling and grip are everything.

Also:

learn to drift. It gives you a huge speed boost.

learn to do the tricks when jumping off things - press the other top button (not the one for power ups, the opposite one) when jumping off anything, and you will get a speed boost as you land. These help lots.

Practise drifting! It makes taking tight corners way easier and it gives you a little boost if done for long enough. I drift round every curve/bend (not just tight corners). This will make the biggest difference.

Learn the tracks. The more familiar you are with them the fewer mistakes you'll make, and you'll end up taking the quickest route round them too.

Use objects wisely. If you get a mushroom (or golden mushroom) which gives you a boost, use it on a straight rather than when going round a corner (you won't take a corner tightly if you boost around it). If you're out in front and get a projectile like a shell or a banana, hold it behind you (just keep the use object button held down, don't release it), so it protects you against other players' projectiles.

I think your son probably has an advantage in that the younger you get into gaming the better you tend to be, not sure real life driving has anything to do with Mario Kart unfortunately! 🤣

This is all golden - we are on a switch and I did not know about auto accelerationa and auto steer

Tips. (MarioKart 8)
First two laps try to stay in the top 4 and not get dragged into 8th or something
Boxes are either weapons or defensive or both. When you get a green or red turtle shell hang it behind you rather than immediately firing. This will protect you.

Boxes will be better the worse you are doing. Ie if you are first then you are most likely to get a coin.
It's often best to hold on to 2nd, until the final lap then shoot down the player in 1st and immediately defend by hanging a shell/ banana behind you .

Use the boosts to take short cuts over areas that are slow. Ie. You need ro practice the tracks.

Pick a character who isn't very big or very small. Try to pick a car (or bike) that both accelerates well/ has a good average speed but also handles well.

Practice and know the turns

When you win rub it in their faces. No mercy.

My hand eye coordination isn't great but I grew up playing Mario Kart, the sound of the race starting is imprinted deep within my brain so I always get the fastest possible start. Try to practice the different tracks and use your items judiciously.

To get a good start, press and hold acceleration when the countdown turns to 2. If you do not too early (when countdown is on 3), you will stall. If you do it too late, you won’t get the speed boost. On 2, you get a good speedy start.

Definitely start pressing acceleration when the beeps start (a split second after otherwise you stall)

Agree I prefer joystick steering not tilt steering

Drift round the corners

I was amazing at sonic the hedgehog 2 on my sega megadrive back in 1993/94 probably could've been the world's number 1! lol.
Now I'm absolutely rubbish at gaming really cannot get to grips with modern games. Think I'm just too old and retro.
Dcs have got Mario kart and I'm rubbish always come last I just can't play games anymore.

Do the practise courses against ghost data - the ghost data will show you a good line to
aim for. Turn off auto accelerate and smart steering and learn the controls.

MARIOKART RULES!!!

When you win rub it in their faces. No mercy.

This is sound and essential advice 👍🏽

My combo is toad, teddy car and button wheels! Started as a cute joke but it's a great combo to try.

My son has ADHD and gets upset if he loses. We tend to do a tournament together as a 'team' against the others and don't throw items against each other. Might be worth a try (depending on your sons age), he likes coaching he too, as he's a 'pro' apparently!!! 😂

Have a wine. I always win when I have a wine!!