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Mario Kart World is in trouble—and fans are furious. The latest update (version 1.1.2) just dropped, and now the game is getting review bombed across the internet. But what actually changed in this patch, and why is it sparking so much backlash?
In this video, we break down why Nintendo’s decision to increase intermission tracks in online play has ruined the fun for many players. Metacritic scores are falling, fans are demanding the return of Grand Prix mode, and the community is divided. Is this a one-time backlash, or could it affect the future of Mario Kart on Switch 2?
📉 What’s happening with user reviews
⚠️ Why this update broke online play
🔥 What Nintendo should’ve done instead
If you’ve played Mario Kart World lately—or were planning to—it’s time to find out what’s really going on.
👇 Drop your thoughts in the comments—has Nintendo finally gone too far?
🎮 Subscribe for more Nintendo Switch 2 news, updates, and honest takes.
#MarioKartWorld #NintendoSwitch2 #ReviewBombing #MarioKartUpdate #NintendoControversy #Switch2News #GamingDrama #NintendoFails #IntermissionTracks #MetacriticReviewBomb
DISCLAIMER: This video contains opinions and humor based on publicly available information. It is not intended to harass or defame anyone.
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0:00
you know it takes a lot to get Nintendo
0:02
fans to turn on one of their own but
0:05
that's exactly what's happening right
0:06
now with Mario Kart World the newest
0:09
update didn't just ruffle a few feathers
0:11
here guys and outright wrecked how most
0:14
people enjoy playing online and now the
0:18
game is getting review bombed pretty
0:20
hard but here's the thing the backlash
0:23
isn't toxic it's actually earned because
0:26
Nintendo just took a fan favorite
0:28
feature broke it and didn't even warn
0:30
anyone so taking a look at the
0:33
Metacritic yeah it's still sitting at a
0:35
7.6
0:36
generally favorable so not all hope is
0:40
gone but there is quite a noticeable
0:43
change as far as user review goes if you
0:45
go to the user review section you can
0:47
see there's 288 as of this video that
0:50
I'm recording negative reviews from
0:53
users and uh they all say the same thing
0:57
toned depth execution of game modes
0:59
which removes the joy of online play
1:01
completely
1:03
you see this game has the potential to
1:05
be great the open world is generally fun
1:06
to explore however the recent change to
1:09
online mode has made being able to play
1:11
these greatly designed tracks impossible
1:14
i sadly cannot give a higher score to
1:16
this game while online play which is the
1:18
main method of playing this game for
1:20
many people allows players to enjoy the
1:22
amazing track design only 1/4 of the
1:25
time at best
1:28
so much potential such a failure give us
1:30
three threelap races online no one likes
1:32
the highway tracks this game is just a
1:34
collection of wide straight lines with
1:36
no real interest all the players used to
1:38
pick random to play on Ederson maps and
1:40
Nintendo instead of fixing the straight
1:41
tracks by adding turns chose to change
1:43
how random works so players end up
1:46
racing on ultra wide straight tracks
1:48
instead i mean we got zeros in here we
1:51
got ones here you can see Monier Kono
1:54
says a horrifying first for Nintendo a
1:57
lowquality overpriced game masquerading
1:59
as a addition to one of the classic
2:01
franchises and the open world is barren
2:03
and empty but at least you can play the
2:05
classic Mario Kart experience via the
2:07
via the online mode and random option
2:08
right wrong nintendo stripped the
2:11
classic Mario Kart experience away from
2:12
the game weeks after millions already
2:14
bought in with the eye watering $500
2:17
price tag people are not happy here this
2:21
is wild straight Road Simulator i don't
2:24
know what they were thinking with
2:25
intermissions they are so bad the recent
2:28
update to Mario Kart World has put me
2:30
off from buying the Switch 2 instead of
2:32
listening to player feedback Nintendo
2:33
has essentially killed online with the
2:36
1.12 update
2:39
nintendo saw that everyone in the mother
2:40
was picking random and online play but
2:42
instead of improving the overall
2:44
experience by offering a threelap mode
2:46
they went and removed a lot of people's
2:48
major reason to play so yeah this update
2:51
has people
2:53
pissed mega pissed let's break it down
2:56
guys this is all because of the update
2:59
the version 1.12 update that dropped
3:02
June 25th for Mario Kart World on the
3:05
Nintendo Switch 2 and if you read the
3:07
patch notes you'd be forgiven for
3:09
thinking if it was nothing right like a
3:11
nothing burger just a few bug fixes some
3:13
adjustments to random track selection
3:15
and versus race what does that really
3:17
mean well here's the actual issue guys
3:20
selecting random when playing online
3:22
used to reliably give players one of the
3:25
core traditional threelap tracks you
3:28
know the meat and potatoes of Mario Kart
3:30
where strategy shortcuts and items and
3:34
how you use them matter the most but now
3:36
thanks to this update random is far more
3:39
likely to drop you into what's called an
3:41
intermission track and guess what they
3:45
suck now what are intermission tracks
3:48
these are basically glorified loading
3:50
zones quick onel drives between major
3:53
courses they're short they're shallow
3:55
they lack all the fun intension of an
3:58
actual Mario Kart race you know what
4:00
makes them great is you have to try to
4:02
do the three laps without getting
4:03
knocked over with your weapons and the
4:05
enemies weapons and all that these laps
4:08
these intermission laps literally exist
4:10
to connect parts of the world in this
4:12
new format of Mario Kart World but no
4:15
one asked for them to be in the regular
4:18
online race track rotation especially
4:21
not this frequently before the patch you
4:24
might get one occasionally here or there
4:26
but now it feels like literally half of
4:29
your online matches are these watered
4:31
down throwaway tracks and the
4:33
community's patience on this is wearing
4:35
thin so this is where the main reaction
4:38
and the review bombing begins guys what
4:40
players did is they did what angry
4:42
players do you go to Metacritic when
4:45
devs don't listen you go to Metacritic
4:47
and you basically review bomb which is
4:49
what we're seeing here since this update
4:51
hit Mario Kart World's user score went
4:55
from a 8.3 to a 7.8 now that on paper
4:59
doesn't sound like much guys but for a
5:02
Nintendo game that's a huge drop again
5:05
there's over 288
5:08
negative reviews in just a matter of a
5:10
few days guys and keep in mind this is
5:13
just user backlash from the latest
5:15
update the total number of mixed reviews
5:18
is also rising pretty fast guys again
5:21
over 200 logged by just just this
5:24
weekend this came out on the 25th it's
5:26
the 29th now that means over 30% of all
5:30
the user feedback for Mario Kart World
5:32
is now negative or mixed that's not good
5:36
for a Nintendo title much less Mario
5:39
Kart the game that is literally like the
5:41
backend game for the Switch 2 console
5:44
that's not good and again it's not just
5:47
salty players whining here okay these
5:50
reviews have receipts people are begging
5:52
Nintendo to bring back features for
5:55
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe the Grand Prix mode
5:57
the classic versus race setups and most
5:59
importantly a way to opt out of this
6:02
intermission races right people want the
6:04
classic style and in their eyes is that
6:07
too much to ask and to be honest no it
6:09
it's it's fair all right why does this
6:12
matter well the value of choice gamers
6:14
want choice the worst part of all this
6:16
situation is that this was avoidable
6:19
nintendo could have just given players a
6:21
toggle some kind of setting where you
6:23
could toggle off things if you want the
6:25
scenic one lap races in the transition
6:28
intermission races whatever you want to
6:30
call them cool let people opt in to be
6:32
able to do it you want the regular
6:33
threelap highintensity races with real
6:36
pacing and skill expression let players
6:39
choose that instead they silently forced
6:43
a gameplay shift onto everyone and acted
6:45
like it was just a small fix the the
6:47
adjustments right that they say in the
6:49
update notes it's honestly classic
6:52
Nintendo right this toxic relationship
6:55
we have with Nintendo where they're
6:57
stubborn to a fault they're unwilling to
6:59
communicate and they're convinced that
7:01
they basically know what's best for
7:02
everyone i guess since they sell like
7:04
hot cakes and everything sells out yeah
7:06
sure maybe they know what's best for
7:07
everyone but the bigger picture here is
7:11
that this isn't just about Mario Kart
7:13
World it's a pattern a pattern that
7:15
Nintendo has had and they've had a habit
7:17
of taking away player choice in favor of
7:20
streamlining or modernizing features all
7:23
the time but when that design you know
7:26
that design philosophy that they have
7:27
clashes with what players actually want
7:30
it creates moments like this moments
7:32
where fans finally say enough is enough
7:35
and they start review bombing and let's
7:37
be real though if you're jumping into
7:39
Mario Kart after a long day of work
7:41
right you you hop in you open a cold one
7:43
you're not hoping for a 45se secondond
7:45
intermission track that's just a
7:47
straight highway lane you want a race
7:50
you want something fun you want the
7:51
thrill of cutting corners dodging shells
7:55
uh outplaying your rivals over three
7:57
laps of total chaos that Mario Kart
7:59
magic here and Nintendo diluted it in
8:02
online mode which to me that I play more
8:04
online than single player and lots of
8:06
people do will Nintendo listen to this
8:09
response though looking at the
8:11
Metacritic scores and everything
8:12
historically no nintendo hasn't
8:14
responded to review bombing in the past
8:17
they just kind of do their own thing
8:19
march to the beat of their own drum but
8:20
this time they might want to pay
8:22
attention cuz Mario Kart World isn't
8:24
just some spin-off guys it's supposed to
8:26
be the major tent pull of the Switch 2
8:30
it's the pack-in game this is like the
8:33
Switch 2's online ecosystems like tent
8:36
pole game this is the app if they want
8:39
players to stay engaged over time they
8:41
can't just bulldoze over feedback and
8:44
pretend that it's all fine right that
8:46
meme oh this is fine with the fire and
8:48
everything especially when competitive
8:50
players casual fans and longtime
8:52
supporters are all saying the same thing
8:55
this update made the game worse now is
8:58
it broken no but it is a nuisance it's
9:01
It's not a feature that helps anybody
9:03
it's quite annoying and I mean the
9:05
proof's in the pudding here guys so
9:07
where does this leave us if you're like
9:09
me you're probably a little annoyed a
9:11
little frustrated you want to love Mario
9:14
Kart World it's a fantastic game you
9:15
want to grind online though like me i
9:17
stream with you guys all the time i want
9:20
to play this i want to play Knockout i
9:22
want to play versus races and I want to
9:24
get better but right now it feels like
9:25
the game's actively fighting against the
9:27
fun and I swear to God they did some
9:29
nerfing on some of the items and also on
9:32
the races cuz it seems like now I can't
9:34
even separate myself from the pack did
9:36
they did they nerf being able to be in
9:38
front like now it feels like rubber
9:40
banding is even worse so let me know in
9:42
the comments how you feel about this
9:44
update so far are intermission tracks
9:47
ruining your online races have you left
9:49
a review on Metacritic yourself or are
9:52
you just hoping that Nintendo walks this
9:54
change back either way if you care about
9:57
the future of this franchise and how
9:58
Nintendo treats its players consider
10:01
subscribing to this channel i'll be
10:03
covering every major update every fix
10:05
and every screw- up from Nintendo until
10:07
we get the version of Mario Kart World
10:09
we actually deserve and I want battle
10:11
mode to be better as well i want some
10:13
actual arenas so anyways see you in the
10:15
next race uh thank you for watching
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