>>713150803 (OP)
I got Mario Kart 8 DX in June 2018 with my original Switch. I played it for a few hours and never touched it again. I was so disappointed even though it was a bundle and therefore I didn't even really pay for it. That's how jarring it was compared to my memories of the last one I'd played (N64).
My wife got the Switch 2 for me and our son with Mario Kart World so I thought 'fuck it, it's gonna be shit but my son might like it'. Over a week later and I'm playing it with him almost every day. I already know what the difference is. Back in the day you picked your racer and CC level and jumped right in. In MK8 DX I hated picking vehicle, tyres, and wheels coz I knew these things are merely cosmetic but in an annoying way, coz they are presented as being significant. Here you just pick your racer, vehicle and you can also choose a sticker. It's blatantly pared back to some minimal cosmetic choices without trying to appear more deep than it is.
I will say this though, I booted up the N64 on Switch Online to show my son Mario Kart 64 and I was shocked by how much better the power sliding feels. There's a real challenge to getting it just right, and I forgot how if you powerslid in both directions too quickly you spun out of control, penalising you. Stuff like that made it more rewarding to master.
One thing I do like about MK World a lot is the item balance. It's incredibly frustrating in a fun way to go from 1st to last just before the finish line, and incredibly exhilarating to go from last to win in the same way. But the real fun comes from learning strats to avoid the former and ensure the latter.
