Mario Kart 8 is, as the name suggests, the latest instalment in the Mario Kart franchise. This Nintendo Wii U game is the successor to Mario Kart 7, a popular Nintendo 3DS title. Mario Kart 8 was a big hit at the E3 Expo in Los Angeles earlier this year and was, for many of the lucky journalists and industry employees that got their hands on it, a huge face-saver for Nintendo at what was seen as an otherwise lacklustre show for them.
Mario Kart 8 is not much of a deviation from other Mario Kart games. It's clear that it takes a lot of inspiration from previous titles in the series, offering familiar settings and controls, but taking advantage of the extra power of the Wii U to provide better graphics.
The controls have been tweaked slightly. Driving handles in much the same way it did for Mario Kart 7, with the karts being slick and responsive but not too twitchy. There are tilt sensor controls for the Wii U gamepad, but using them is optional.
Anti-Grav Racing
The big addition for Mario Kart 8 is anti-grav racing, which adds an interesting new challenge to an already fast-paced and exciting game. Instead of just driving on roads, you can now drive on walls and ceilings and enjoy fast loops and roller-coaster style racing sections. If you thought that older Mario Kart games were busy, you're in for a big surprise with this one. In fact, if you're a fan of the series and don't have a Wii U yet, now is a good time to Get cash for your old Nintendo Wii so that you can take advantage of the Wii U price drop and be ready for this game.
The Wii U gamepad integrates well into the game. If you're playing on a TV and have the gamepad on hand, you will be able to see opponent positions on the gamepad and it also offers an on-screen horn. This frees up TV real-estate for all of the stuff that is going on in-game, which is more important than you might think when you're barrelling through busy scenes.
On release the game will have multiplayer modes supporting up to 12 players and will also allow players to share their favourite racing moments via MiiVerse. This is a part of Nintendo's on-going push to improve multiplayer.
In Conclusion
Overall, Mario Kart 8 is a satisfying update to a much-loved franchise. It's unfortunate that Nintendo does not have a huge list of first party titles of this calibre, although maybe that will change by holiday season. It looks polished and entertaining and manages to achieve one of Nintendo's biggest goals, that of being accessible enough for the masses whilst still providing a decent challenge for the core gamer. This is the kind of game that enthusiasts have been waiting for and it could be enough to kick-start big sales of the Nintendo Wii U.
