As of yesterday, Nintendo rolled out a new update for one of itsNintendo Switch 2exclusives,Mario Kart World. Although it’s anticipated that new releases, especially launch titles, will see small patches coming through in the weeks following their release, Nintendo’s most recent one has left a sour taste in the mouths ofMKWplayers.
As part ofMario Kart World’s open world design, one of the highlighted features was that players would be able to drive right from the end of one race and into another through transitional tracks that seamlessly connected the racing tracks across its vast open world. While this is great for a mode like Knockout Tour, players weren’t too thrilled about the feature in VS Races.
MKW’s Update “Fixed” Something That Wasn’t Broken
A Strategy To Make Mario Kart World’s Online Races More Fun Is Now Gone
As was the case withMario Kart 8 Deluxe,players have the option inMario Kart Worldto vote on the next track when in online races. However, givenMario Kart World’s attached tracks, the votes are limited to the tracks that connect to the one you’re currently on. This, unfortunately, left little room for variety and guaranteed that players would have to spend time on the pretty lackluster connecting segments.
However, as withMK8 Deluxe, there is also the option to pick Random, which is typically selected if you simply don’t care or don’t like any of the options presented. That being said, forMario Kart World, Random also served a somewhat extended purpose.By selecting Random,MKWwould then pull a selection from any of its tracks, not just the ones available through intermission tracks. This allowed players to have variety, avoid those segments, and have an overall better time.
Now, as part of the new1.1.2 update toMario Kart World, that is no longer an option. Although the patch did fix some minor bugs, the main point of it was that it “adjusted courses selected in “Random” when selecting next course in a wireless VS Race”,so players could no longer utilize the Random method mentioned above. Instead,selecting Random will now only pull from the tracks connected by intermission tracks and not from the general tracks.
Nintendo Wants Games Played Its Way
Despite Following The Rules, Players Were Still Somehow Found To Be In The Wrong
Whileit would make sense to patch something like this out if it were a cheat that offered players an advantage they weren’t intended to have, this wasn’t that. An example of that would be theFrozen Meat glitch inZelda: TOTKthat allowed players to do something to earn money quickly that was never intended by the developers. That example was not a workaround but a glitch that could drastically affect gameplay, so there was more immediate justification for a fix.
No part of using the randomizer to have a chance at selecting general 3-lap tracks gives one player an advantage, nor does it keep the game from being played the way it’s intended to. Intermission tracks were still part of the possibility, so it wasn’t as if the random option did away with them; it just offered a larger mix that included some of thebestMario Kart Worldtracksso that players could enjoy the game without getting burned out on the less interesting and repetitive intermission tracks.
Patching this out, and to make it so intentionally obvious as the main part of the patch, just conveys the feeling thatMario Kart Worldshould only be played if it’s played the way Nintendo wants it to be played.A better option would perhaps have been to look into why players are selecting Random in the first place and seek out a solution that solves the problemrather than punishing players for finding a way to enjoy the game more.
Players Are The Heart Of Gaming
Developers Should Take A Moment To Remember Who Games Are For
Ultimately,games should be created with one main goal in mind, and that’s to provide an experience for players to enjoy. Though it can be disappointing if a game doesn’t turn out exactly as hoped, that doesn’t have to be the end of it.Starfieldis one of many examples that didn’t have the life or longevity that it was originally expected to, but since there’s a dedicated community of modders out there making things directly shared through Bethesda Creations, the game maintains some sort of player base.
That’s not to say that I expect Nintendo to start allowing mods, but it’s more so to say thatdevelopers should embrace the way players play their games, whether that be mods, workarounds, or otherwise. As long as it’s not breaking any rules or providing one player an otherwise fair advantage in a public online setting, players enjoying a game their way should be celebrated, especially if Nintendo hopes to see theSwitch 2’s best-selling gamehave as long a lifespan asMario Kart 8 Deluxe.
At the moment, theNintendo Switch 2lacks a large selection of games, so players may be more willing to deal with the added annoyance for now, butMario Kart 8 Deluxestill exists. As more games release, players likely aren’t going to be willing to stick with something that seemingly punishes them for simply wanting to have fun and enjoy the game.
Sources:Nintendo
Nintendo Switch 2
The Nintendo Switch 2 is the successor to Nintendo Switch, scheduled for release in 2025. Confirmed as backwards compatible, it will play both physical and digital Nintendo Switch games. A full reveal is pencilled in for July 08, 2025.
