Day: October 26, 2020

Wheel of Fortune Results 10/26/2020

Delilah: $6,950

Craig: $16,050

Margaret: $10,400

Tonight’s Bankrupt Trash: $24,250 (all from Craig)

Scary moments:

-Craig spun a SCARY BANKRUPT NEAR $650 TO SEND $24,250 TO THE GRAVE
-We got a $0 prize puzzle win for a second episode in a row

Bonus Round Win: No ($50,000)

Dismal episode for Pat’s birthday. Craig’s massive bankrupt + $50K loss sure threw this episode down the toilet.

Adam’s Grade: D+
Adam’s Rating: 4

Grade: F-
Rating: 1

First Impressions: Mario Kart Home Circuit

Release Date: 10/16/20
Platform: Switch
Rating: E

Once again, it’s another game that Nintendo has released for the 35th anniversary of Super Mario – Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit. Basically, like Mario Kart Tour, it is a spinoff of the Mario Kart series. Instead of racing on tracks made by the company, you race on the tracks you make in your actual home. Don’t believe me? I’ll explain for you.

When you get the set (about $100 – I got the Mario one), you have the kart itself (that has a camera and a rechargeable battery), four gates, a pair of arrow signboards (that glow up virtually) and a USB Charging Cable. The game is a free download on your Switch, but you need the kart set to make it work.

How you make the tracks is that you put down four gates and drive through them in numerical order. Then you go back to the first gate and your course is created! You can customize music tracks (from MK8DX), environments and what the gates look like.

When getting the set, I was bursting with excitement when it arrived because I could now make my own track of my dreams using the bottom floor of my house. Originally, it covered the entire span of the ground floor (with a screen showing S24 episodes of WHEEL). While it worked out great the first time, it was quite faulty the second time I played it. Granted, the kart can only move away 30 feet from the Switch (it’s best to play on handheld here), which is why track design is EXTREMELY flat and limited (since the kart cannot do most inclines). Now, it consists of just using the kitchen floor (with my grandpa acting somewhat of an obstacle at times) and the carpet in the family entertainment room to make it more challenging to get through (with the TV turned on to MSNBC for some visual eye candy):

@adamalam6

My life now. #mariokartlivehomecircuit #nintendo

♬ Circuit Theme (From “Mario Kart: Double Dash!!”) – VGR

The main mode in Home Circuit is Grand Prix (technically, its explorer mode where you can drive freely, but I’m not counting that as an actual mode). You race against 4 Koopalings (Bowser Jr. included) on the same 5-lap course you created 3 times (you can change the layout between races, but it takes too much work) with different environments such as underwater, desert, and even one based on World 1-1 in the original Super Mario Bros. There are 9 cups with one acting as a random cup (where the track environments are quite mismatched) and 4 cc classes to choose from (50-200 in 50 increments; all classes have a mirror version if you put some serious focus in playing this game).

Time Trials can also be played at any cc class unlike the previous main-line Mario Kart games with customized themes and can also have a customized number of laps (3, 5 or 7). Custom race also works that way, but it’s a normal race against the Koopalings. Also, if you collect coins, you get to unlock other kart bodies, costumes and even horns. This give the game more replay value than it should.

Multilplayer is quite costly here. You cannot go online with this game (understandable, given that it takes place in your own house) and separate karts/Switch systems are needed for this to work. For a true four-player experience, you’re taking out an extra $900 out of your wallet (that is if you purchase the Nintendo Switch Lite). Plus, given the current situations of this country, I doubt anyone will come to my house with a separate kart just to play Home Circuit.

Another glaring issue is that the battery on the kart takes a long time to charge and only lasts a couple of hours on charge. This means that playtime per day on the game will be severely limited and race sessions will come to a rather abrupt end.

Overall, this is a rather cool toy to own. While it may have its shortcomings and it could fade into obscurity in the near future, it is quite fun to control this kart (especially when you’re annoying your pets/family members). I’d say it’s worth your 100 bucks, even if you live in an apartment.

7/10