A Universal Truth
(click to enlarge)
From ExtraLife comes this rather excellent one-frame comic that sums up a truth we all knew as children. Who thought Mario Kart could have taught us such biblical lessons?
I never did understand the concept behind the blue shell. I get that Nintendo wants all their games to be a pile of everyone wins, feel good-ery, but in trying to make it an even playing field between those who sucked and those who didn’t, they managed to end up creating more thrown controllers and cursing rants in the process.
I’m sorry was I being too good at your game for you? It’s like if in Smash Bros, they just started floating hearts and hammers down to the losing players. Oh wait, that totally happens every time I play.
And that’s why hearts and hammers (and a few other things) get turned off when me and my buddies Smash.
That’s why ALL items should get turned off…
That’s why Mario Kart is more about strategy than people realize. I would often sit next to the person in first place if I knew there was a really bad player who was likely to get a blue shell.
It’s actually a pretty good analogy to real life. Sure, you may be the best at something, but you can still fail if the circumstances are right. Sadaam Hussein was in first place until the US Army blue shelled him into a spider hole, then blue shelled him again into an noose.
The blue really added something to the game play. As Jim said, there is much more strategy then you might think. As soon as we saw a blue shell coming up we would be fighting for second place.
The only thing I hated about Mario Kart was when my brother would fire his red shell just as I was about to clear a big ramp. Which would almost surely end up in a fight.
Hammers and hearts in smash bros aren’t nearly as big of an issue as the blue shell in mario kart.
The problem with the blue shell wasn’t because it was an auto-hit that couldn’t be dodged (although it didn’t help). The problem with the blue shell is it has no purpose. Every other item in Mario Kart directly helps the player that used the item. The blue shell is the only one that doesn’t help that player in anyway whatsoever.
The only time you get a blue shell is when you’re in 6-8. Now what good does attacking first place do for someone who is in 6-8? So someone who is in 6-8 throws an item that only helps second place.
And then it also becomes a competition for 2nd place. Except that in some of the games, the blue shell chooses its target as soon as its thrown (instead of changing based off a person entering a new position).
It’s just an item that has no purpose.
and no mention of the more infamous lightning bolt that is given to last place? this was just a complaining post. If you are in first place the probability to get something good goes substantially down and there are ways to avoid the blue shell if ya didn’t know either. 😛 these are the kind of players that are fun to beat.
this is just a complaining post. so you automatically don’t get first place if you happen to be in first and get taken out by a blue shell? It’s possible to avoid the shell and even if you are hit have a chance at redeem yourself. waaaaaaaaaaaah! why not complain about the more infamous lightning bolt if you are going to complain about items in games. I bet i could still beat somebody like this in games like wave race or diddy kong racing too.
i’m just going to keep saying the same thing no matter how repetitive. THIS IS JUST A COMPLAINING POST so be more constructive like the no longer a star wars fan post now that was brilliant.
Ummm… The blue shell can be dodged. It’s just tricky. I’ve pulled it off a few times. Rather amusing when everyone looks at you like, “You are so evil, and yet a Mario Kart GOD! We hate and love you for this…”
Blue shells = laughs. Getting upset over it is just dumb. Its inevitable when the games get crazed. Just work around it when it happens to you. And just think “Payback’s a bitch!” If you ever get one yourself. 😀