Like Burnout and Pure, then.
Yes!
Now, been wondering about this for awhile. Are the items balanced? Any blue shell-like crap? Can anyone here give a small description of the items?
The items are completely fair, well thought out, and balanced IMO. I'll give a little more info on the weapons...
Missiles
LVL1 - Missile shoots straight ahead, does not lock on, ricochets off walls about 2-3 times before exploding into wall.
LVL2 - Two missiles shoot out, lock on to opponent ahead of you.
LVL3 - Macross missiles shoot out, missile targets every opponent in front of you.
Lightning
LVL1 - A bolt shoots out straight ahead of you, does not lock on, slightly stuns opponent
LVL2 - Chain bolt shoots out, locks on to opponent ahead of you, will stun opponent plus person right next to him as well (not sure if it's everyone or just 1 person)
LVL3 - A missile shoots into the sky, sky goes dark, a lightning bolt comes down and strikes every opponent in front of you, stunning opponents even more
Sonic
LVL1 - A small sonic ring appears around your cart, stuns opponents next to you
LVL2 - 3 sonic mines launch in front of you, unleashes sonic bombs, slightly stuns opponents
LVL3 - A sonic wave fires in front of you, stunning all opponents in front of you
Boost
LVL1 - Limited boost forward
LVL2 - Longer boost forward
LVL3 - Creates a warp tunnel in front of you, you warp forward and appear several racers ahead of you depending on your position, opponents behind you can also use warp tunnel if drafting behind you (last part is according to Lou)
Weapons are leveled up like Copy X said. Also, weapons can be lost as well. I know the Sonic definitely gets rid of weapons, but I'm not sure about the Lightning & Missiles. LoL, up till 4:30AM playing last night and I forgot!
I do know that sideswiping your opponent lowers the level of your weapon as well. That much I do remember.
But like I said, the items are completely fair and are not cheap in any way. This is where the beauty of the strategy aspect of the game comes in. You can hold onto your weapon to level up, but then you run the risk of losing it. You can store up your shields, but they can still run out. To me, THIS is what Mario Kart lost after MK64, and what I miss about the game the most. This is why I love the game so much. It actually brings challenge, strategy, and effort back into kart racing games, instead of just blind luck. Although, some of the challenges in Career Mode definitely give you the MK A.I. out to get you aspect!
