Mario Kart Tour Launches With Oodles Of Microtransactions (VIDEO)
Mario Kart is one of Nintendo’s most popular flagship franchises, not only for its lineup of Mushroom Kindom characters but for its solid and distinct kart-racing gameplay. The series’ recent debut on mobile platforms with Mario Kart Tour was expected to more-or-less maintain that traditional racing-centric experience, but it appears the free-to-play title has instead fallen victim to microtransaction madness.
The gameplay of Mario Kart Tour follows a similar road as pervious games, though not when it comes to its implementation of microtransactions. For starters, the title sports multiple in-game currencies, one of which, Rubies, is mainly available through regular play or simply purchasing with real-world money. These premium gems can be exchanged for a chance at earning random characters, karts, and gliders; each arriving through a warp pipe in a very loot box-like fashion.
Mario Kart Tour really encourages you to, err, hit the pipe. pic.twitter.com/ylkBOoghZV
— Jason Murray (@JM77) September 25, 2019
In addition, Mario Kart Tour outdoes itself with the inclusion of a premium paid subscription service, which grants access to all-new content for the price of $5.99 per month. Called the ‘Gold Pass,’ extras such as the 200cc racing mode, an updated selection of rewards, as well as a batch of bonus goals made exclusive to subscription members. While the price tag might seem to warrant it (especially with the recent release of Apple Arcade), microtransactions will still remain in the game–subscription or no.
Microtransactions are as prevalent as death and taxes these days, especially in free-to-play titles, but Mario Kart Tour might be laying it on a little thick by the looks of disappointed fans on Twitter. Many players have taken issue with the game’s aggressive in-game monetization, having found the entire endeavor to be unfair and surprisingly greedy on the part of Nintendo. Gold Pass was also a considerable point of concern, with few finding value in the premium subscription’s offerings.
speaking as a beta tester i am under obligation as a human being with thoughts and feelings to tell you
please don’t play mario kart tour, it’s disgustingly greedy and you would be better off playing the actual games
and if you do, please be careful about the microtransactions— Ivan (@seeqadvocate) September 25, 2019
I spent all my rubies and still no Pauline! ?#MarioKartTour pic.twitter.com/Qo9GJJ6iw3
— StanleyTroopers (@StanleyTroopers) September 27, 2019
Oof. These loot boxes aren’t good. It’s pretty easy to get the same character multiple times and the game is monetised to hell. #MarioKartTour
— Liam Robertson (@Doctor_Cupcakes) September 25, 2019
For the record, if you were to pay for the gold pass in #MarioKartTour for one year. You would be paying 3 times as much as you would for Nintendo Switch Online. That’s ridiculous. And the fact that they locked 200cc behind that paywall is absurd. Disappointed in Nintendo today.
— Maz (@Mazidox_) September 25, 2019
#MarioKartTour demands you to buy a pass in order to play 200cc and have loot boxes… nice! pic.twitter.com/TzSE46X9mj
— Erk köwalewicz (@erk3357) September 25, 2019
Mario Kart Tour is out now for Android and iOS.
What do you think? Are you having trouble finding the fun in Mario Kart Tour, or are these microtransactions not that bad in your opinion? Let us know in the comments below and be sure to follow Don’t Feed the Gamers on Twitter and Facebook to be informed of the latest gaming and entertainment news 24 hours a day! For more headlines recently featured on DFTG, check out these next few news stories:
Eric Hall2712 Posts
Phone-browsing Wikipedia in one hand and clutching his trusty controller in the other, the legendary Eric Hall spreads his wealth of knowledge as a writer for Don't Feed the Gamers. Be sure to catch his biweekly "Throwback Thursday" segment for a nostalgic look at trivia from the past.
