You SHOULDN’T hate the Blue Shell
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- čas přidán 13. 08. 2022
- The Blue Shell is Mario Kart's most HATED item. In every single Mario Kart game since 1996, this one item attacks players and causes RAGE. But if everyone hates it, why won't Nintendo get rid of the Blue Shell from Mario Kart? Well, it turns out that the Blue Shell fixed one of the biggest problems in Mario Kart 64!
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SOURCES
Super Mario Kart
- guiguilegui.wordpress.com/201...
- www.mariowiki.com/Super_Mario...
- shmuplations.com/supermariokart
- Polygon’s History of Fun Podcast - Super Mario Kart
Mario Kart 64
- shmuplations.com/mariokart64/
- www.mariowiki.com/Mario_Kart_...
- kotaku.com/the-maker-of-mario...
- web.archive.org/web/201306220... (Mention MK64)
- • Mario Kart 64 - Rainbo... (Cheating CPU video via superluigikart)
Mario Kart 8
- www.eurogamer.net/arms-yabuki...
CREDITS
- • Longplay of Super Mari... (Super Mario Kart Footage)
- • Nintendo 64 Longplay [... (Mario Kart 64 Footage)
- freesound.org/people/Iwiplopp... (Explosion Sound Effect)
- www.deviantart.com/railroadnu... (Kalimari Desert Train Diagram used with permission) - Hry
WARNING: There are spam accounts in the comments pretending to be me. Please do not call any phone number or follow any link from the comments, unless it's pinned at the top like this!
ALSO before anyone corrects me, I know that the "official" name for the Blue Shell is actually the "Spiny Shell" but nobody on the entire planet calls it that. Nintendo have even accidentally called it the Blue Shell before, so I think that Blue Shell is fine!
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Awesome video
First
I9k
Yes
I call it the blue shell as well
What's more frustrating than someone else's blue shell, is your own green shell.
The ultimate betrayal 🤣🤣
Lol real talk right here
Like I always tell my friends "It be your own items"
Own
I disagree, green shell is the most reliable item. Red shells will often target the wrong player or get destroyed to a wall whereas green shells just becomes better the better you are.
The blue shell isn’t there to help the last player win it’s there to help the first player lose horribly
This is true, because a star is usually more helpful at catching you up.
@@brads8143 yup
@@brads8143 bullet bills and piranha plants too
*Dunkey entered the chat*
Lol
I like how Nintendo's solution to feeling unfair is.. making other players feel unfair
Exactly!
Well said. Same thing that's happening F1..... winners should remain winners, losers shouldn't be given unfair advantages cuz their ego can't handle that they're slower
Not really surprising. They got rid of the Fake Item Box in 7 because it was frustrating to get it when you're in first, as it's useless as a shield. Then they added the Coin.
they decided to follow their vision and make the game dynamic instead of leaving a static, mostly unfun system where the fast cpu or the luckiest player always wins
it defeats the purpose of a racing game IMO, but at the end of the day, thats for sim racing. MK is an arcade game, its expected to have the dynamical factor. You can always find a group of people who think the same as you and host item-less races.
Strangely, the blue shell is not there to make the person in last place have a chance to win because, if you think about it, it shouldn’t make a difference for you. There are other items that are there for that. The blue shell is there for something that is mentioned only once in the video which is to make the player in last feel like they have some agency in the race and not give up halfway. That would have made a very short video though 😂
Yeah Mega Mushroom, Star power and Bullet Bill are infinitely better at recovering lost ground. Blue shell is really only satisfying if i see the guy get hit or if it hits like two other people
The blue shell is really only useful when you’re in 2nd.
Lightning bolt. Slows everyone else WAY down and allows you to jump 4 spots if you're not far behind.
@@MrGreen-jx2kw drop rate for it in second place is terrible
@@Geno2733 which is precisely my point. The lightning bolt can actually have an effect in your position in the race. The blue shell is there to do nothing but tickle your spite.
I feel like the other items like the Bullet Bill, Super Mushroom, and Star, were always more fair slingshoting. The thing with blue shells is that they often benefit the player in third and second more than the player who actually got it in sixth. It makes it one of those items where you might just be better off holding onto it and trying to get much closer.
Not necessarily in 8 and 8DX, seeing as how the blue shell also hits players in its path before exploding on the 1st place racer.
@@hb-robo true but its very easy to dodge so it still benefits 2nd and 3rd unfortunately
@@Springbayoutrackman2 Sure, but not every item for those racers 4-9 need to directly benefit their immediate standing. disrupting the top along with the bevy of other items they get like triple reds, bloops, triple mushrooms, etc adds up to an equalizing effect.
If it smashed along the ground like it used to homing a bit as it went like in 64 it would disrupt the mid pack way more
But unfortunately even that isn’t foolproof, the lightning can hit you on their way and prevents it from benefiting anyone.
Fun fact: In Yoshi Valley, the blue shell will sometimes go to the wrong path and will go in circles until it finds the first player.
Another fact: the blue shell will still hit you if you're holding it in 1st place.
ye it happens to me
Funny, so does the game not know who's in first since the leaderboard is filled with question marks?
There's also the chance that it'll time out and despawn entirely
@@appleducky5234 in Mario kart 8 the blue shell always follows a specific path, so if you're not on that path it's not gonna be able to find you and it keeps going on until it completes a lap and eventually disappears without hitting you
@@mohawkmaster5728 This happened to me in Mario Kart 8
I like that the Blue Shell has been around for so long that most people have learned to hate getting hit by it without hating the item itself. Plus, the counterplay game is super fun. I love watching people hit the brakes to take the 2nd or 3rd placeman with them, or find other ways to dodge the hit. Sometimes having an incoming Blue Shell turns into a "Watch this Flex" moment 😆
Bananas. Used to flex on my buddies by tossing a banana. Fun fact, the game can only process one animation at a time. The blue shell hits you and finishes its animation in less time than it takes for the "I've just hit a banana" animation to run. But the recovery from a banana is much much faster than the recovery from a blue shell. Incoming blue shell? Toss a banana forward and drive over it. Watch your buddies' jaws drop when you brush off a blue shell like Luke Skywalker from The Last Jedi because your banana spinout was still playing, but still win because you recovered before ot could matter.
@@RaindropsBleeding You sir, are a genius.
Or hold on to the horn it breaks up the shell
In some new versions you can get rid of the blue shell with that loudspeaker item when its right above you
@@RaindropsBleeding it's not that the game can't process multiple animations, it's that you get invincibility frames when you take damage to prevent you from being constantly hit by items
It's one thing to be frustrated over one spiny shell, but it's quite another when you're getting blasted by 5 of them from the AI. Maybe not at the same time but getting hit in 5 incremental moments is a tad extreme.
Yeah, I was about to get first place on mirror Bowser's Castle when a red shell came at, but blocked it with a banana peel. Then the blue shell hit me. All on the last cliff before the finish line. My first place became 3rd, which was enough to kill my chance at getting the stars I needed for the cart unlock. Argh.
The most annoying part is when the blue shell targets you, you fall behind, and it still hits you even though your 2nd or 3rd place
I know! It is so anoyyinggggggggg
Yes
It only does that if you're in 1st place when it passes the person in 2nd. I've hit the brakes, let the shell hit the dude that was just in 2nd, and then take first again.
I thought it can switch target after fired. This never happened to me before 🤔
Bots in the finish didnt get hit, they retarget you right before the finish😑😑
Funfact: There is a speedrun category called "Blue yourself" where you try to hit yourself with a blueshell as fast as possible.
I’m afraid I prematurely shot my wad on what was supposed to be a dry run, if you will, so now I’m afraid i have something of a mess on my hands.
Anyone get the reference?
@@GeorgeJonnie no leave.
The Blue Yourself category is currently optimized as hell.
Why ? Because you can only obtain a blue shell if you pick an item box 30 seconds or later into the run. And the current world record is around 34-35 seconds.
I wasn’t speedrunning but I was playing with CPU’s and I threw a blue shell, only for it to come back right at me and I get knocked out, I almost threw my joy-cons
@@ABlueyFan .
HAHA LMAO, but seriously, if that's a bug, Nintendo should deal with it as SOON as possible
The blue shell is a chaos item. It's not there to benefit those at the back, but to ensure the person in first can never feel totally secure. I think that's fine, it fills a role.
it’s like the F-ZERO 99 skyway, prevents the person in first from just cruising along and gives them a reason to stay focused
9:37 I love how they made an entire speech to justify the blue shell’s existence
I had no idea people wanted to remove the blue shell. I always saw it as an iconic and hilarious item in-game
Same here
It's the absolute worst in Mario Kart Tour since that game's all about combos and high scores.
Exactly. I'm the kind of player who will run other players off the track in Nascar just to get an unfair advantage. The blue shell is there to give the less skilled players some additional assistance when racing a better skilled player. It also allows for some stupid gameplay hilarity like trying to shell yourself as you cross the finish. Time it right and you'll get hit at the completion of the race.
I guess you were never in first place lol
@@joshlikesfood1673 and I guess you were never in last place. It's usually hated when you're in first and loved when you're behind. It kind of encourages the ones behind to not pass first place until the end but the first place player can hold one just in case someone overtakes him.
When I played Mario Kart 7, I remember I took a look at the bottom screen from time to time, because it displays every character's item list. So if I saw someone got a blue shell, I'd intentionally fall behind in 2nd place so I wouldn't be targeted by it
omg i used to do this alllll the time
Same on mk8!
I did the same on Mario Kart DS
Omg same I love trolling the person in 2nd and let them take the blue shell and laugh at their defeat it's makes happy when the person in 2nd gets hit before me
i actually do this unless im in the final lap where i accept my fate lmao
Blue Shells add too much comedic value and must never be removed
They should be. They're stupid and clownish.
It's part of Mario Kart culture, it is Iconic.
The thing that makes me upset about the blue shell is how frequently someone can get it, like bro at the end of the day, the guy benefitting from it the most is the one in 2nd or 3rd
exactly. It's not the fact I got hit by it that makes me mad, it's how MANY times someone throws a blue shell. In Mario Kart DS it happens 1 to 3 times per race and that's fine and all of that. In Wii, however, it almost feels like the computers are spamming it. It goes from 2 to 5 times in a single race. And lastly, in 8 deluxe it feels more balanced because it gets thrown 1 or 2 times per race. But if you play 50 or 100cc expect A LOT, and I mean A LOT of lightning shocks. They are really spamming it
Mario Kart 8 has pretty cool tactics to avoid the blue shell. Like jumping off the course so Lakitu hovers glides you to another spot and helps you avoid a blue shell explosion on certain courses. Or spinning out on a banana peel to avoid a worse blue shell explosion.
And the blue shell was also nerfed compared to MK Wii
Or you can let second place take first for a little bit
Or going backwards into second place or farther before the target is locked in!
@@Juan_blooms hey you stole me method kind of
@@Juan_blooms Actually, it'll still go to you I think
The Blue Shell does not do the job they say it does. The Shock does. It's a much better item to bring the pack in closer together. The Blue Shell is just there to ruin your vs. CPU attempts to get 3-stars on every cup.
It's made to keep the races entertaining, and not have one person dominate the whole race. It does exactly what it's meant to do, but because you are better than the computers, you always get hit by it.
@@clowntown5768 You can only dominate if you are good
@@R.O.T.C._SEEM
I don't get the point of this comment.
@@Teknanam Read the first comment. He says it's to keep one person from dominating the race but the only reason why a person would be dominating the race is because they are better
@@R.O.T.C._SEEM
Mario Kart is explicitly designed to go against "the better player always wins" thanks to its item system favoring lower placed racers and especially the blue shell. That's why I'm not getting why you're responding with "only good players dominate". Its true, but its not really saying anything IMO.
The blue shell's only role is to say to the person in 1st "You don't get to win, the guy in 2nd does." Because people just hoard them until the end of the final lap. It doesn't benefit the guys in 5th to 8th, just gives the guys in 2nd and 3rd (sometimes 4th even) time to become the new 1st and 2nd place right at the finish line. Things like Bullet Bills, mushrooms, stars, etc all help out the ones trailing, and red and green shells can allow the user to pass up whomever is directly ahead. If the guy in 2nd red shells me and passes me for the win, cool. (More impressive if it's a green shell. Seen some great bank shots. I digress.) But if some rando in 6th or 7th Blue Shells me to hand the guy in 2nd the win...
The problem with blue shells is that the CPU players get them. If it was only humans, I wouldn't mind so much.
I will say that I have won at least one race after I got a blue shell. Not sure how much difference it made... I think it was in a figure 8 item pull after I'd run an impressively awful course to that point.
I love how there’s an option now in 8 deluxe. But to be honest, if you were playing with some friends or family and there’s a blue shell, it gets exciting
There is? Where is the option?
@@Swiftbowin versus, you can customize the item pool now
@@dreamcream3738 That's cool, and I should have known that, lol. But it annoys me the most when the computers use it in Grand Prix mode.
@@Swiftbow Honestly, the blue shell is not as bad as it's memed to be.
Sure, it's annoying to be on the receiving end of one, but not only is there counter play for it, but usually the AI is programmed to use it in the middle of a race.
Three methods of counterplay;
1) the Super horn, which exists to destroy the blue shell
2) Use a mushroom boost at the right time. The mushroom is specifically programmed to make you invulnerable to the Blue Shell
3) Bagging and Smuggling; the practice of lagging behind purposely to get power items, only to carry them closer to the front and snatch victory at the final lap.
While racing games reward good driving, Mario Kart rewards you taking on the mentality of "The only lap that matters is the last one."
@@dreamcream3738 I've played it enough, yeah. Definitely been hit by a lightning bolt and then a blue shell within sight of the finish line in the last lap, though. Counters are good... but one does not always have them.
I actually think the lightning bolt does a much better job of even-ing out the game for lower placements. It effects players in a lower placement for a shorter duration than those in a higher placement, giving everyone in a lower placement more time to catch up. A lot better than a singular "fuck you, first place" item.
Lightning's purpose is helping you overcome your low position, but it goes about it in such an overcorrective manner that just comes across as unfair and toxic, especially since it indiscriminately attacks everyone, even those behind you, and the "shorter duration" against players in lower positions is generally inconsequential given the time/space difference from 1st Position.
When we have options like the Golden Mushroom and Bullet Bill that do wonders for the user's position, Lightning being so absurdly overtuned and indiscriminately caustic just makes everyone but the user feel bad, especially if they didn't do anything to warrant it, and don't have any means to counter it.
Lightning needs a nerf like the feather should be re-added to main races
I’m happy that you said this. I thought I was crazy. I would get hit with lightning and it seemed like my blast would last so much longer than other players. It didn’t occur to me that it was because I had a better placement. Thanks for that tidbit.
the lightning is well balanced for lower players
but its doesnt account for those who get back in position while holding the lightning
a simple solution would be that any player ahead of you gets shocked and their duration will last depending on position, basically how it currently works
WITH AN ADDITION that ANY PLAYER behind you does not get shocked
similarly to how ink does not affect any player behind yourself and only those ahead
As the first place player, I vastly prefer getting hit by blue shells
I don’t think Nintendo should outright REMOVE the blue shell, but I do think they should give us the option to turn it off, like how items in Smash work
That’s an amazing idea.
Tbh I just want more customization in Mario Kart in general. Let me pick the items that're on the course, or let me pick the CPU characters so I can have a themed Team Mario VS Team Bowser battle, or something like that.
@@kadachinova5302 that's a good idea, with options like that, I'd take out the lightning item everytime 😂
@@kadachinova5302 Yeah. Smash did a great job with that, MK could and should, too.
That already exists…take MKWii for example. You could adjust the settings to allow for “All Items” , “strategic items” (only allowing for things like mushrooms, stars, green shells, etc.) or just outright turn items off. I could see the appeal if you could do this online, but it would really make matchmaking times skyrocket trying to match you to people with the same settings.
The thing about blue shell is it doesn't really help you get back in the race. It helps whomever is in 2nd or 3rd/4th. Super Star or Billy do a way better job at placing you back on track, but it's still hard. Maybe what we needed was a speed up, being bigger the farther you are from the first (not saying like this HUGE increase, just a little boost, or maybe bigger boosts, to compensate the good players that actually know how to use them. Oh, and the thunderbolt item as well, the one that makes everyone small for some time depending on your position. Blue shell feels just like "Well I'm may not be winning, but neither will you, random dude!"
8:30 Interesting music choice in the background. One of my favorite hymns! 😂❤🎉
I feel like we should really consider calling unfair moments in life a "blue shell".
"And then, for no reason, she dumped me! Didn't I do everything right, Eric?"
"Man, you absolutely did. That's such a blue shell."
A blue shell right to the balls.
Lmao
Haha lol
Blue shell = non-racist version affirmative action
this is genius
“The Blue Shell is the most hated item from all of Mario Kart”
Thunder Cloud and Coin: am I a joke to you?
Seriously, I don't get why people tend to hate on the blue shell so much when the thunder cloud is easily 10 times worse.
i think the coin item is fine but this is for the lightning item: 🖕
Exactly, the lightning removes your items, slows your speed, and has a longer effect on higher places plus you can't even see it coming.
Lightning is worse than thundercloud
@@BeDatAPickle Lighting fucks everyone though.
The blue shell used to fuck first place with a heavy amount of stagger, but in addition to that it caused first place to lose their items. So even if they don't lose first place they're then a sitting duck for any red shells second place has.
You could probably just have the blue shell's stun scale with the distance between players, so it's way more effective if the lead is absurd but barely noticeable if it's neck and neck. Then give the user of the blue shell a speed boost that also scales with their placement to a lesser degree.
Or just make the blue shell advance you to the first place instantly.
Blue Shell: screw the best
Red Shell: screw the next
Coin: screw yourself
Lightning: screw everybody
Blooper and POW Block: screw everyone ahead of you
Thunder Cloud: screw you
I would rather remove the Item in the Mario Party series which takes you directly to the Star. I always felt it was cheap to get a Star that way, even though that Item costs a lot of money in shops. But in some Mario Parties you can even get that Item for free, even though this rarely happens!
I think both items are fine. At least as of superstars it doesn’t get introduced until more than halfway through the party (if that), and I think it’s a very good reward for people who happen to win a lot of minigames, since that’s the main way of getting lots of coins. I think at the very least though they could increase the cost of it or introduce it a bit later
The star teleport item is one of the few tactical tools a good board player can use to prevent RNG from deciding the game almost entirely The star teleport item is awesome and adds far more to the skill cap of the game than one might think at first glance.
depends on the kind of runs you do. it's really entertaining sometimes.
@@FiresplitterSpeedrun This. Items that bring players to the star have actually incredibly high skill ceiling. They arent just a cheap, cop-out star. They also move the player across the board in a very defined, non-random manner. They change the location of the star. The very existence of these items is very important to the game's economy, allowing richer players a strategic outcome rather than depending on dice multipliers, which are heavily reliant on random rolls. I've seen and played many games where multiple players sat and strategized "should I use it now, or wait till someone moves the star into a better position" or "if I use it then don't buy the star, i might manage to reach boo with just the right amount of coins before the game ends". No other item has this level of strategical depth. If you wanna complaing about free stars, then hidden blocks are right there.
Welp, anyway, thanks for coming to my ted talk.
@@lukijez exactly. Hidden blocks are the absolute worst and have literally no balance at all. In a game of heavy rng, hidden blocks are WAY too heavy on rng and just feel like a complete copout
Okay, but I feel like the thunderbolt does the whole equalizing thing better since the further ahead you are, the longer you’re shrunken. Plus the player in first usually doesn’t get completely screwed; they just come closer to every other player. Equalization without frustration.
Okay the video did a horrible job explaining why the blue shell is important. The 1st place is a very powerful position to be in terms of game state and making progress similar to the last places. Now in the last places you get very powerful power ups that ensure that you catch up as long as your driving is okay. In first place you primarily get items that slow down players behind and block disruptions. Now if it is a close race between 1st, 2nd and 3rd place there is no problem.
HOWEVER should the player in first place manage it to get a solid lead then he will have plenty of time to react from disruption attempts from 2nd place. This makes it a easy to task to keep a banana at the ready to block red shells. So the first place gets to drive at their own pace without having to worry about any form of disruption. Meanwhile the 2nd place is unable to slow down the 1st place and is stuck in a constant war with 3rd and 4th place. 3rd and 4th place are constantly slowing each other down and 2nd place allowing the 1st place to get a even greater lead. Eventually it boils down to being a impossible task to finish a race with 1st place and you have to be content for fighting for 2nd place despite the race having barely started and the 1st round is about to be finished.
This is were the blue shell gets in. It massively disrupts the 1st place while also getting rid of their defenses against further minor disruptions from 2nd place. This will allow 2nd, 3rd and 4th place to catch up and maybe even pass the formerly 1st place. This ensure that the player in 1st place gets dragged back down into the battle and helps slow down the players on the front.
@@rayzuke1232 Ok, but still Nintendo seems to love to punish you for playing well which makes no sense. Why not just make mushrooms a more common pull in second or third? That way, they can take shortcuts and catch up to first. Better than just saying “hey you’re winning? How about no.”
@@thunderd7904 The problem is that not all race tracks have meaningful shortcuts and any distance you can gain from the mushroom can get taken by a red shells. Make the boosts too powerful for 2nd to 4th place and it becomes unfair for 5th to 8th place to catch up and so on.
A better solution would be removing the ability for first to block all minor disruptions and even then the effect will be more limited and it would basically remove the entire itempool for 1st place. And now that seems like a weird design decision on its own. So even then the blue shell is still the best bet.
As unfair and unfun as it is I truly can not think out of the top of my hat of any solution for this problem that would in theory effectively work. Not with the current game mechanics in place that is but I also can't think of a game mechanic that would work WITHOUT triggering the effect that trying to be in first place is counterproductive when you are not about to finish the race within 3 seconds.
The only other way I can think of is removing literally all items that can cause disruption in the first place until all we are left with are different numbers of mushrooms. But who would want that?
@@rayzuke1232 maybe make it so that mario kart 64 computer rubber banding is applied to the players? Kinda like rage in Smash Bros; the farther back you are, the higher your max speed becomes. Think that could work?
I think an item you could get in second place that when it hits it makes the person drop all their items and slow down a little bit for a second then you can capitalize on that by then throwing a red or green shell
Never hate me.
The blue shell is the one thing that makes being first fun
The limitations you describe really impress me with just how much power developers were able to squeeze out of the N64 later in its lifespan. They went from 8 2d sprites running at 20fps to THIRTY fully 3d machines running at 60FPS in F-zero X.
And that's not because f-zero has simpler tracks than mariokart. There are often more polygons on screen in f-zero X than mariokart 64 at any one time. They figured out how to optimize the rendering and code so much by that point that it was amazing what they could get the n64 to do.
Never knew how complex F-Zero was. That's fascinating! I'm curious as to the technicalities of how they pulled if off :O
Also, F-Zero X had to streamed the music from the cartridge to save on CPU resources because N64 didn't have a dedicate audio chip.
@@giorgiomoroder604 That's the same for all games that stream audio. I think what're you're thinking about specifically is how some earlier games used a section of what's technically the gpu for audio processing. For later games, almost every developer just opted to pay nintendo for the cartridge audio chip to make their games more impressive and more competetive.
(I don't remember where I read this so take it with a grain of salt, maybe.)
Another kart racer that pulls off a similar style of item is SRB2Kart and its Self-Propelled Bomb. It's like a blue shell, but it can only hit you when you deviate from your top speed. It increases the pressure of frontrunning while also rewarding skilled gameplay!
That's.. pretty smart design, actually.
There is a mario kart game where the blue shell functions exactly in that matter-super circuit for the GBA. If you're going top speed with a blue shell on your tail, it will keep following you and strike the moment you mess up, but if it can't get you in time it just disappears.
@@yumecoca Oh of course it's the worst Mario Kart that has the best blue shell
@@Forzamon42069 MK7 is right there reintroducing grounded blue shell to spite anyone that isn't first
ALSO YEAH GO PLAY SRB2KART
The blue shell was different on Mario Kart 64. In that game, it tries to get every single racer who is ahead of you, not iust the first.
Only if you're in its way in the process.
9:44 LiFe ISnt FaIR, oh so that means we shouldn’t try to improve the fairness
And the good thing is that players in a high position have less effective power-ups and low position players have more effective power-ups which gives them a chance to use the spiny shell.
the bad news is that mari kart 8 items are also based on distance. i saw a character in 2nd place get lightning once
There's a reason players shouldn't be comfortable being in 1st place for too long. Also, we have the horn in "Mario Kart 8" that can break all shells.
Yeah the horn that’s impossible to get in first place. You only get bananas and coins in first place
You don't get good power-ups in 1st or 2nd place in MK8. You'll need to be in 2nd place or lower for better items.
@NickyAm not really, that's kinda unfair to have overpowered items in 1st don't you think?
@@breadisyummy_ That's not true. I'm pretty sure I've gotten the horn in first place several times.
WAIT THE HORN CAN BREAK BLUE SHELLS?!!!
I love the spiny shell, especially in the ds version. it was always hilarious when you're far in front, see through the corner of your eye someone getting the spiny shell and seeing it disappear offscreen (the bottom screen kept track of everyone's power ups), then there's the moment of "OOOHH SHII-"
it is certainly a very interesting and very funny item, especially in custom games
That's why I love the honk honk item in Mario Kart 8 so you get super excited when you get it and can dodge the blue shell
I remember playing super mario kart on the switch and seeing how mario/luigi use a star every place and opportunity they have. Like, I was in second place, tried to hit mario with a red shell in first and he used a star out of nowhere.
It's not fair, why do you play it then?
@@timoyjonsen5428 nintendo switch online, plus I like old games
Use the built in rewind and save states to cheat back at the game.
@@Tmaster2590ha, nice. I like to emulate the game then enable cheats so I can go through walls.
That dramatic reading of "Re: Blue Shell" at the end was amazing haha
half the reason I made this video was to give me an excuse to read out that truly incredible quote
@@ThomasGameDocs Well it's gold as usual. Thanks!
@@ThomasGameDocs I like that you read it like it's a sermon
@@2MKcreations appropriate given the soundtrack
Giving players far behind a blue shell helps with nothing from them to catch up. Stars, BB, mushrooms are what help.
The only function of the blue shell is to reduce the lead of the 1st player "ideally" when he is too far ahead, thats it. Originally i thought that it was because you can body the CPU so hard that they needed it so you face a challenge.
this is the first of your videos ive come across. this was great! youve earned a sub.
The Blue Shell is a poorly balanced item because it doesn't help the user. If you are in last why would hitting the person in first help you?
They changed it so it can hit any user in the way now
@@shannonmikko9865 that still doesnt make it balanced because its still just as easy to avoid since its presence is marked on the map. just dont be at the center of the track. not to mention the knockback received is no different than getting hit by a shell, vs the 1st place racer who would receive explosion knockback which lasts more than twice as long. the blue shell rarely ever benefits the user. at best all it does is shuffle the first 3 positions. but what good does changing the podium do when youre still trailing a half lap behind in 6th? just seems like an item to use out of spite above all else because you arent good enough to keep up.
It's about sending a message
That isnt really how it works
That's so my father and my mother who are both god awful at Mario Kart have the chance to 'get back' at their children who are occupying the first place. They are always so proud of themselves when they are lagging so much behind but manage to hit the on in 1st place. Especially if that person lost their spot because of the shell
"You shouldn't hate the blue shell" proceeds to outline exactly why everybody hates the blue shell 🤔
Someone didn’t watch the video
@@caked429 Good thing you outed yourself.
Yea preety much
The thing that weirds me out the most is that the item manual graphic you showed, doesn't at all mention how sometimes bananas stick to you and randomize your steering for a moment before causing you to spin out, but when this happens you can also break to avoid spinning out.
This was unique to MK64. I did this a lot after hitting a banana while at least steering straight to prevent spinning out and getting the "note" symbol and relief voice from recovering from a banana (or even sometimes just turning too abruptly!) No other Mario Kart game since has had this mechanic.
1:33 yoooo "Logic & Trick" from Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney!
Problem with blue shell is it doesn't help the person that gets it. It's just they get to pull the trigger on screwing over the person in first at that time. It's not fun for the people in front because they are getting third partied by someone not even involved.
Depends when it is fired
On 64, I Usually liked to stock up a ghost if I am in first or second
Steal the blue shell in multiplayer or just disappear at the right time
Still some tactics you can use but it slows you down to use them
that’s like saying the red shell also doesn’t help you and just screws over the person in front of you
@@orangehatretro This is a flawed argument. The red shell helps you overtake the person that it is targeting, the blue shell does not help the person in 8th overtake the person it’s targeting in 1st.
@@orangehatretro red shell helps you pass the person in front of you. You get more points based on how high you place and get a better start position on the next race.
@@SwoleTommyPickles in this game everyone is your oponent, no matter which place he holds. If you are on lets say the 7. Place how much does it use you to slow down the player in front of you if you could slow the first player down?. Sure, if you slow down the 6. Player you take his place but the distance to the 5-1 place didnt change because of it, they are still far ahed of you and the 1. Is still miles ahed of you. ( you usually want to get on the 1. Place and if the 1. Finishes the race you cant get the 1. Place anymore, thus he is the main oponent for you and the player you should want to slow down most. ) The blue shell on the other hand helps you to close the gap to the top easier (in fact it make it easier for everyone but the first) by shortening the distance.
for the counterargument: "but this dont benefit you it only benefit the 2.,3. Place " well in this case the former 2. Will eat the next blue shell until he is close enough for you to throw other stuff at him :).
Oh the blue shell also brings the first places closer together so that they can eat more items from each other thus slowing them even more down for you.
Blue Shell is not so bad on lower difficulties. It's only when you are on the harder difficulties and trying to get a perfect score that the blue shell becomes a problem.
In my experience, there are strategies to curb this effect preemptively. Specifically, using bananas and green shells only as defensive items since you can’t really aim them, and only using red shells in an offensive manner when you either have another defensive item lined up or you’re really in a bind and need to hit someone. While not 100% effective, using a defensive strategy means you’ll get hit by fewer RED shells and GREEN shells, meaning you (ideally) won’t be as vulnerable when hit by a blue shell
@@c.r.blankenship9040 exactly, in the new Mariokart on the switch, you can use the weird sound pulse thing that will destroy the blue shell it’s amazomg
@@stashthecash2392 it’s kinda hard to get them when all the game wants to give you Is coins. For me at least
@@stashthecash2392 Yes! I like that - unfortunately you don't get it that often when you're in first place! I * think * since the air horn has the same basic (albeit weaker) functionality as the POW block in previous games that it might be possible to do it on Wii with a POW block, but I've never tried it. Again, it would be a rare situation to be in to have a POW block while you're in first place, and then you'd have to wait until somebody threw a blue shell.
I did, just one time, manage to OUTRUN a blue shell by using a mushroom right as it was about to hit. It happened completely by accident and I've never been able to replicate it, so it's possible it was a glitch
Just give me an option to turn the blue shell of when going for perfect scores in single player and then I wouldn't hate it so much
The blue shell is one of those things that when you’re on second you absolutely love it, when you’re in first you absolutely hate it. I’ve tried to still hate it when it helps me, but that’s kinda hard lol
The custom item update for Mario Kart 8 is one of the greatest things ever added to a game. Vs mode is the only mode I play and now I never have to see a blue shell or coin item ever again.
I don't think I've ever experienced a single moment when playing any of the Mario Kart franchise where the blue shell has benefit me when I'm in last place. I certainly don't get any excitement of getting a last second win because someone or something performed better than me and the game decided to punish them for it. Absolute insanity.
its the same excitement you get when you're a dickhead to somebody just because they're doing better than you
The blue shell is fun.
Frankly for last place, the Lightning Bolt is the Blue Shell in every way but better.
The Blue Shell seems like a much better item for 5th-3rd place, but would impede the selection for better items to get other racers out of the way. Red Shells, Bob-ombs, and Fire Flowers are all much better in those positions than a Blue Shell would be. Really the only advantage a Blue Shell has over a Red Shell is that it ignores most items.
Pretty sure in Mario kart you can get blue shells in fifth place
@@ralsei7820 Depends on the distance from the first place racer
I know the items toggle wasn't out when this video was made but i love how in certain the thing with blue shells that is hated is solved with a comprimise
The funny part is that the player who pulls the blue shell never even wants to pull it when they do, except for maybe in clan wars in certain situations
The easiest fix, and one that fits with their philosophy, is to just add the option to disable certain items in custom races. This would open the door for innovation and introduction of new non-compulsary items as well that may in the future become mainstays.
A prophet
This aged well
Well you can actually do that
Now you can play Mario kart and make your dream come true
“The blue shell is the most hated item from all of Mario Kart.”
Coin: nervous sweating
I like the coin. I prefer coin over shells or banana peels every day of the week.
@@FiresplitterSpeedrun Why, exactly?
@@imreallybadatnamingthings Because of the speedboost it offers. Even if you are at 10 coins it gives you a slight speed increase, which is enough to be significant.
@@FiresplitterSpeedrun so you would rather be redded than get two coins??
@@lordnoobiest6578 This is a tricky one, the thing is that red shells are not as common as you think they are. They are about 1/3 during the best of circumstances (which is far from always the case mind you), so ideally I want 2/3 item boxes to contain coins in first place (assuming I am unable to dodge them, which is far from always the case). But if the question is whenever or I would rather always get coins or defensive items is a more interesting one.
I think that only getting defensive item wins out over only getting coins though, but if I got to chose the content of one indiviudlal item box only, I would say that picking coin wins out over time. I think people really undervalues the coins.
Awesome video. Definitely have a love- hate relationship with the blue shell.
I certainly didn't expect to hear the tune "Crusader's Hymn" (sometimes called Schönster Herr Jesu) in a Mario Kart video. Especially not with that harmonization either. I'm an organist and have played the tune hundreds, if not thousands of times. The altered harmonization definitely got my attention (as it subverted my expectations for what I was expecting to hear).
I always thought it was essential to prevent snowballing. If you are first you rarely get hit by anything (or can defend quite easily), whereas when you are in the pack you get screwed over way more often and to balance it out you need the blueshell. These kind of "unfair" ways to balance a match are actually a pretty common thing in strategy game design. It's also not fair if you are first and never get hit by anything all match long
Oh so wait the game acting weirdly when I did 4 player wasn't actually the fault of the emulator, that actually is what happens to the game? (I mean it went a lot faster likely because of forcing the framerate to stay the same but still)
I think the blue shell actually does its job better in some games where it can actually hit racers besides the one in first if it runs into some on the way there (by going on the ground)
Now how does the blue shell solve the rendering issue of 8 characters at a time? As you explained, the blue shell will keep the playes closer together, so you will more often see more karts on the screen at once. So that sounds like it made it worse.
He was a bit backwards. It's not being close it's being far. Game needs everybody close by to render less. Game has trouble loading things far apart. And in 4 player it's rendering 4 little screens and unlike single player you can't unload an off camera character to save rendering. It's forcing clusters to render less. The video had it backwards.
@@cartergamegeek Okay. The player sprites don't even look 3D but rather 2D as in Super Mario Kart so is that even the issue? Or is it about rendering a bigger part of the track?
@ For 64 they are sprites but the render problem is keeping track of everybody in 3D while keeping the game logic up and tracking who has what item at any given time. So in 4 player that is 4 things to track and we can't make them invisible to save on rendering. It's the worlds being huge that is eating up memory like crazy.
6:34 Did the blue shell just. allow the N64 to show eight players at once or
8:30 bro this feels like on the same level as a speech to make everyone rise to battle in the darkest of moments
In my opinion they should add a update that allows you to disable powerups
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe booster course pack 3: allow me to introduce myself
They do actually if you do a vs race you can custom items
@@donutlover2893 I didn't know
@@thomaspau211 It was added VERY recently
isn’t that already in wii-
When he said “it’s not about drive,” all my mind thought of was “it’s about power.”
Clarkson has entered the chat:
I think the main thing about the about the blue shell is that it is good at keeping first place in check. If they get to far ahead blue shell. There are plenty of items to help people in the pack catch up. Shrooms, stars, shock, bullet just to name a few.!
Great video, makes sense for the blue shell, although, it can still be a bit stressful sometimes, anyways, keep it up!
“Blue shells of life”? Tell that to my controllers 😅 the Blue Shell is the grim reaper of Mario Kart.
The blue shell is completely OK in the beginning or the middle of the race but in the last lap close before the finnish line, it feels unfair getting hit by it while your victory gets "stolen" without a Chance to retake it. But this feeling could be prevented if you reduce the propability for the blue shell in the last round.
I think the solution should be that u can mess with the item loot-tables like in smash bros because I’ve found it quite fun to mess around with all the loot tables and see what happens or even just turning them off when I feel like playing a more competitive and less luck based game
"The blue shell is the most hated item in Mario Kart"
Thundercloud slowly backing away:
I actually like the Spiny Shell, but you know Nintendo can add customizable rule sets and remove items when they play with friends. That's always an option so Nintendo doesn't have to feel like a bad guy. Nintendo could always say, "You want to remove the Blue Shell so bad, now you can do it yourself and others who like it can continue to play using it. When your are online you have to play using the Blue Shell because we like the Blue Shell."
0:20 Wasn't sure if I misheard when you said "Get RED of the blue shell", but then you said it again later in the vid... nice. 😂
Now may I present, the Thundercloud.
The thing is, I'm usually in the front of a race so getting hit by blue happens othen. It's not that big of a deal imo. However, the times I'm in the back of the pack, and I pull a blue shell, I'm quite frustrated because it doesn't add value for me. It doesn't help me getting closer or overtaking my opponents. It only affects the first place player, which you give 0 fucks about if you are in 8th or 10h
I've actually started intentionally going into last place to get the good items and drive up to 1st with a power star item
Yeah, if you can help it, it's better to sandbag your own performance to either get god-tier item drops in the bottom ranks, or just to avoid the dreaded first place.
Here's the thing, I like the blue shell. I like having to avoid it, or to hold my mushroom in 1st, just in case a blue shell comes. It fun having the blue shell. I have actually played mario kart tour where only mushrooms do anything (glitched multiplayer rooms, where the items don't show up on anyone else's screen), and it's not really fun. I like the blue shell, even when I'm in 1st.
I like games with a little luck or chaos. The devs are right, the game would feel empty without it. This is a party game at the end of the day, it's for laughs, and you don't have to take it too seriously. And ever since they added the super horn, it adds more strategy too, since I have to think about saving the super horn for when I'm in first, but I might have to use it on a red shell or someone else and end up getting blue shelled anyway... Love the depth that it adds.
One of the best gaming moments I've had actually came from a blue shell. I was in first, saw a blue shell coming, so I decided to slow down just enough so that I was in the path of my friend in second place... Boom, we both got hit by the shell, meaning neither of us could secure first place. The look on his face was priceless!
@@Ferrichrome nice! I agree. I also just thought up something that I want to mention. The blue shell is pretty much a staple of the mario kart series. If nintendo removed it, I'm pretty sure fans would complain about it, forcing nintendo to put out an update that adds the blue shell back in.
This world is rapidly passing away and I hope that you repent and take time to change before all out disaster occurs! Belief in messiah alone is not enough to grant you salvation - Matthew 7:21-23, John 3:3, John 3:36 (ESV is the best translation for John 3:36) if you believed in Messiah you would be following His commands as best as you could. If you are not a follower of Messiah I would highly recommend becoming one. Call on the name of Jesus and pray for Him to intervene in your life - Revelation 3:20.
Contemplate how the Roman Empire fulfilled the role of the beast from the sea in Revelation 13 over the course of 1260+ years. Revelation 17 confirms that the beast is in fact Rome. From this we can conclude that A) Jesus is the Son of God and can predict the future or make it happen, B) The world leaders/nations/governments etc have been conspiring together for the last 3000+ years going back to Babylon and before, C) History as we know it is fake. You don't really need to speculate once you start a relationship with God.
Can't get a response from God? Fasting can help increase your perception and prayer can help initiate events. God will ignore you if your prayer does not align with His purpose (James 4:3) or if you are approaching Him when "unclean" (Isaiah 1:15, Isaiah 59:2, Micah 3:4). Stop eating food sacrificed to idols (McDonald's, Wendy's etc) stop glorifying yourself on social media or making other images of yourself (Second Commandment), stop gossiping about other people, stop watching obscene content etc. Have a blessed day!
Once I actually stopped a blue shell with a sound box
I don't actually know whether it's called a sound box
All they have to do is make the blue shell appear in the power boxes when a player is too far infront because there are actual short cuts in the game which can make any good player basically laps you if they take them all the time
I find the blue shell a great inclusion in multiplayer Mario kart, but it is INFURIATING in single player. It makes getting the 3 star rankings in Wii and DS a total nightmare and almost completely out of your control. It’s much less of a problem in 8 though since it’s stun time was nerfed, it no longer makes you drop items, and the super horn exists, plus it spawns way less (maybe even not enough for multiplayer you could argue). Plus you get 3 stars just for hitting 1st in each race and not having to hit some invisible time gate.
Simple solution: Make the CPUs unable to get them in single player Grand Prix. Or at least not on the final lap of the race.
MK8: oh no, one blue shell is coming, I'm doomed!
MKTour: Hold my beer, *BLUE SHELL FRENZY*
As much as how frustrating the Blue Shell is, looking back at our races and how it made us feel can give us a good laugh.
I love blue shells. Not because I rely on them, but because my kid loved them. She always felt like she could compete when she got them. Her goal started out as "I just want to blue shell dad".
The first time she beat me, she did it with a blue shell. Within a few weeks of her forst win, I was never able to beat her without one.
Watching her go from struggling to exceeding was beautiful. Knowing that she is now worlds ahead of me, I now get to play casually and mess up her races the way she used to mess up mine.
Blue shells are my favorite part of any racing game ever. I hope they stay in the games as long as they'll stay in my heart.
I like the blue shell, I've never had a problem with it. In my family iam always the front runner so iam always having the blue shell hunt me down, sometimes I even get as many as 4 in a single race but it helps my family keep close enough to not give up. And sometimes them being able to steal a win because I got blue shelled is what keeps them playing, otherwise they feel like I just win every time.
Thank you for adding accurate captions to the video! I wanted to watch something, but I’m in a very loud room atm and can’t hear the audio. I’m very grateful! Super interesting video as always, too 👍
I think that the blue shell shouldn´t be removed but rather only appear in someone´s item box when the 1st place player is a minimum of a certain number of units ahead of the 2nd place player. So if the player in 1st has a tight lead, there should be no blue shell.
Also, for players in the last places, getting the blue shell doesn´t help them move up at all. Only the bullet, star, and mushrooms help. So only players in 4th to 6th place should get blue shell to use.
There's nothing more satisfying to me in Mario kart than keeping a blue shell up until 2nd place and then using it
Not being shitty at the game and then being punished for being in first feels very bad, man.
Only getting coins the entire race because you're in first place feels worse though....
Exactly... it's deflating to get continuously punished for actually being good at the game... no other racing or vs games have such a punishing design for taking the time to become good at them.
Hold your coins, then your next item will normally be an item. Better then nothing, but still horrible.
When playing with my friends we tried turning off the coin and then we learned why it's super important to have it on.
Our games would always have someone get ahead early and get a huge lead while the rest of us use our items on each other. Meanwhile the guy in first would just cycle for shooms or a horn to dodge blue.
And no this wasn't just one of our group being better. It was a different person each time.
Having first place lose out on items means they can't cycle for defensive items while everyone else needs to balance their defense with their offense.
Here’s a tip: Make the Mushrooms work like they’re supposed to and increase the speed boost.
Why would I hate the blue shell?
What I hate is the bullet bill.
honestly playing DS singleplayer make me love the blue shell, seeing one pass by me and homing on the mf 10 seconds ahead in first place feels like a blessing from heaven
Funnily enough, the game Crosscode has the most apt description referencing this controversial MK item: describing that the Blue Shell "Is fabled to be the bane of many a conqueror."
In that turn of phrase, it's place in the game makes perfect sense - if anybody can win at any time, the person whose been driving superbly with a large gap at 1st place shouldn't feel safe until they've won. Even if it means that player 4's blue shell from 9th place costs you the first place in favour of an AI. It is, if nothing else, a hazard that exists to humble the player on top, and prevents a game from becoming *too* one-sided.
crosscode is awesome
@@Robbery_omg yes!
I hold it in Hi! Regard
As a side note, this item is actually known as the *Spiny Shell.*
- The Blue Shell already exists in the form of a power-up in _New Super Mario Bros._
- The Spiny Shell is name dropped in the item selection for _Super Smash Bros. for 3DS, Wii U, and Ultimate_
- One of the cups in _Mario Kart 8 Deluxe_ is literally titled "Spiny Cup" and is represented by the aforementioned Spiny Shell.
🤓
@@KokonutOil yeah, that's a fair enough response
this is such a “uhh, actually” *pushes up glasses*moment
Blue shell
One time in MKWII I was racing on grumble volcano and I was 6th on the last lap, at the end of the track, but then I pulled the most OP blue shell of all time that hit all 5 players in front of me and I ended up in 1st place. That was the best blue shell ever pulled
"Blue shells?" Back in my Mario Kart 64 days, we called them "spine shells."
I like the motivation you put in that quote at the end. Keep up these videos because they’re masterpieces.
The blueshell.. only a true gamer can dodge it
speeding past it, one of those shockwave things, driving off the edge
I remember when i got one of these shells when playing Mario Kart Wii... and I was in first place. I, for some reason, used it. It sent me all the way back to 8th, and I raged so much I threw my Wii Wheel with the controller across the room. Somehow, both the Wii Wheel and the remote are still intact to this day. Also, when you read "blue shell of life" I noticed a Game Theory video titled: How Deadly Is Mario's Blue Shell? and the thumbnail said Shell of Death. How ironic.
I like that shell and I’m normally the good player against my friends, but the adrenaline you feel in the last gap it’s amazing, and when I get the hammer while been first I don’t use I just keep it to blow a potential blue shell threating me