Mario Kart 8

Mario Kart 8 is a Mario Kart game for the Wii U, which has been released in Japan on May 29, 2014 and in North America and Europe on May 30, 2014 but it has to be released in Australia on May 31, 2014. The game can be played both physically and digitally through the Nintendo eShop, with the digital version requiring 4949.8 MB (approx. 4.83 GB) of memory to be installed. Being the follow-up to Mario Kart 7, the game is the eighth installment in the mainstream series, and eleventh overall in the Mario Kart series.

A prominent new addition is anti-gravity, allowing players to drive on almost any surface. Bikes, gliders, and underwater driving also return. In addition, ATVs join the returning karts and bikes as a new class of vehicle.

Gameplay
The gameplay maintains the traditional elements of previous Mario Kart games, mostly from the two recent installments on the Wii and 3DS respectively. Karts, which feature similar designs from Mario Kart 7, can be customized once again, alongside the returning bikes, which handle similar to the karts now and can only perform a wheelie via a boost, and the newly introduced ATVs, as well as, according to an interview, more customization options that have yet to be revealed. . The hang-glider and underwater mechanics also return, as well as Coins, with the player being able to collect up to ten in one race as in Mario Kart 7. Like Mario Kart Wii, twelve racers are present in normal races. Tricks and the ability to look behind also return in this game.

The newest feature for the series is anti-gravitational segments that not only allow for more dynamic track design, but also for racers to drive across walls, ceilings, and other seemingly unusual places. When in anti-gravity, if a racer bumps into another racer, the kart spins rather than just bumping and both racers receive a speed boost. This technique is called "spin boosting".

The game is also to feature Wii U GamePad integration. In addition to the standard Off-TV Play, players also have the option of displaying the course map, and when neither the Off-TV display nor the map are being displayed, the GamePad can be used as a horn button. Players have the option to toggle between these features at will. The GamePad can also be used to toggle on and off the gyroscopic steering.

Point management works similar to Mario Kart Wii, except that every racer gets at least one point in Grand Prix mode. Below is a chart of the point spread comparison between these eight games:

It has been confirmed that there will be Miiverse integration, which will allow players to share their replay videos and comment on others' videos, in a feature called Mario Kart TV. Another change is that in 2-player mode, the screen will split vertically instead of the horizontally in the other console Mario Kart games, a feature that was originally intended to be in Mario Kart 64 but was removed from the final game.

Game modes
Various game modes have been announced for Mario Kart 8. All modes available on singleplayer (some also on local and online multiplayer) are listed here.

Grand Prix
Mario Kart 8's Grand Prix works similar to past installments. Only the Mushroom and Shell cups are available at the start of the game, the others which can be unlocked by completing them. There is the usual four-race marathon. However, players now have the option to do a multiplayer Grand Prix. This feature returns from Mario Kart 7.

Time Trials
Time Trial mode lets the player complete a selected course in the fastest time possible. Among the new features included, the user can upload ghosts onto Miiverse and other players can give their comments about it. Additionally the user gains a stamp once he or she has competed a race against a Nintendo Staff member ghost. Leaderboards as seen in Mario Kart Wii also return.

VS Race
VS mode can be played locally with up to 4 players. Players can set rules like which items appear, the difficulty level of the CPUs, and Team or Solo racing. Players can also set how the courses appear, choose a course after one is finished, or play all tracks randomly or in order.

Battle
Battle mode now features race tracks remixed to fit battle mode rather than contain all-new separate arenas. Balloon Battle can be played in teams or in free-for-all mode. It combines survival battle mode from Mario Kart DS and earlier installments and the timed points battle mode introduced in Mario Kart Wii; all players start with 3 points and 3 balloons each. Successfully making an opponent lose a balloon awards the player a point, and losing a balloon through any method will cause the player to lose a point. Balloons can never be regained (unless one is stolen from another player with a Mushroom), and if all balloons are lost, points can no longer be lost or gained. Players are can still drive and attack players as a Ghost however, so a player with a high score and no balloons can still win. Players can also now adjust the time limit from one to five minutes.

Mirror mode
Mirror mode returns in this game, as an unlockable mode. It also can be used as a set rule for online tournaments.

Online
Just like in some previous Mario Kart games, players can race matches online against each other. This time players can race with random people both Worldwide and Continental, they can play in a Friend lobby, and they can start and participate in Tournaments. Players can set their own rules for tournaments.

Drivers
There are 30 playable characters in Mario Kart 8, consisting of 16 default characters and 14 unlockable characters. There are 9 characters that make their first appearance as playable characters in the series, including the Koopalings (indicated by an * in the gallery), and 2 of them making their overall debut in the Mario franchise: Baby Rosalina and Pink Gold Peach (indicated by an **). There are 3 weight classes dependent on the size of the kart the characters ride on (with the exception of Metal Mario and Pink Gold Peach): light, medium, and heavy, though a group of certain drivers in a class have differing stats to another group.

Unlockable drivers

 * Mii's weight is determined by the height and weight of the Mii.
 * The drivers making their first appearance in the Mario Kart series are indicated by a *
 * The drivers making their first appearance in the Mario franchise in this game are indicated by a **

Unlocking criteria
Characters are unlocked at random by completing cups, unlike previous Mario Kart games. Additionally, unlockable characters appear as CPUs during races when they are not unlocked yet, making this game the first Mario Kart game to do so.

Driver base stats
Just like in Mario Kart 7, characters in a specific group have their own stats. The units are out of 6, displaying the different stats. Just like in Mario Kart Wii, Miis can be Light, Medium, or Heavy, depending on their height and weight.

Body frame sizes
Depending on the character, the size of the vehicle can change. The size can influence how big of a target the vehicle is. The body frame size that the Mii uses depends on its weight class.

Vehicle parts
This is a list of the currently known available kart parts to customize a player's vehicle. Currently, there are 14 karts, 9 bikes, 3 ATVs (26 bodies in total), 18 tires, and 11 gliders known. The parts are listed as they appear in-game, and the stat boost/drop values are out of 6. However, it is impossible for a vehicle to have any stat less than 1 or greater than 5.75.


 * Speed: The top speed of the vehicle. Does not affect off-road travel.
 * Acceleration: The rate of the vehicle it takes to reach its top speed from a standing position.
 * Weight: The weight of the vehicle. Vehicles with higher weight knock away vehicles with lower weight.
 * Handling: The turning ability of the vehicle. A higher stat means vehicles turn sharper.
 * Traction: The grasp of the vehicle. Vehicles with higher traction slip less on certain terrain and can stay stable on the road better. Not to be confused with handling.

Unlocking criteria
Kart parts are unlocked by collecting coins from Grand Prix, VS Mode, and online races by collecting a certain amount of coins.

Special parts
The special parts must be unlocked with these criteria:
 * Gold Standard: Obtainin a minimum of one star ranking in all cups of every engine class.
 * Gold Tires: Beat all the staff ghosts on each course.
 * Gold Glider: Obtain 10,000 coins.

Courses
32 tracks have been confirmed, consisting of 16 new tracks and 16 retro tracks, featuring one track each from Super Mario Kart and Mario Kart: Super Circuit, four tracks from Mario Kart 64, two each from Mario Kart: Double Dash!! and Mario Kart Wii, and three each from Mario Kart DS and Mario Kart 7. As with the retro tracks from the 3DS installment, the retro tracks in this game will feature altered sections that incorporate the game's hang-glider, underwater, and anti-gravity features. The game will feature live-recorded music for all of the new tracks and most of the retro tracks. The tracks have been described as more narrow when compared to previous Mario Kart tracks, specifically those from Mario Kart Wii.

Battle stages
Unlike previous installments of the series, there are no stages unique to Battle Mode; instead, a quarter of the tracks in standard race modes are modified and used as stages for battles and can all be played from the start of the game, including those that are originally in cups that need to first be unlocked in the race modes. Tracks enabled for Battle mode are the following:

Items
As in all Mario Kart games, Mario Kart 8 keeps the use of items during the races. Four new items have been added to the list that are the Boomerang, the Piranha Plant, the Super Horn and the Crazy Eight. The Coin makes also a return as an item since its first appearance in Super Mario Kart.

Mario Kart 8 also features changes to the items' mechanics. While past Mario Kart games allowed the users to gain a different item from the Item Boxes while dragging some other such as a Green Shell or a Banana, in Mario Kart 8, players are restricted to carry only the item they're currently holding or dragging. Releasing the item in use will allow the player to take another from the boxes. In order to keep gameplay balance, some items are much less frequent to appear, most notably the Thunderbolt and the Spiny Shell. Additionally, the Triple Bananas and the Triple Mushroom surround the vehicle in the same manner as triple shells do, and opponents receive their effects when touching them, giving some disadvantage, or advantage in the case of the triple mushrooms. Racers no longer lose the items they have in the circusmtance they go off road or fall off and Lakitu comes to bring them back to the track. {|class="wikitable" !colspan="2"|

Items found on the track
!colspan="2"|
 * align=center|ItemBoxMK8.png Item Box
 * Gives the player a random item. Items given are based on the player's position.
 * align=center|CoinMK8.png Coin
 * Gives the player a small boost and increase top speed when more are collected, up to a max of 10.
 * align=center|CoinMK8.png Coin
 * Gives the player a small boost and increase top speed when more are collected, up to a max of 10.

New items
!colspan="2"|
 * align=center|BoomerangFlowerMK8.png Boomerang Flower
 * Can be thrown up to three times, hitting racers forward and when it returns.
 * align=center|PiranhaPlantPotMK8.png Potted Piranha Plant
 * Automatically chomps on obstacles and other racers, giving a short speed boost for each bite.
 * align=center|SuperHornMK8.png Super Horn
 * Emits a radial shockwave, destroying all obstacles and items, and hitting racers.
 * align=center|Crazy8MK8.png Crazy Eight
 * Generates eight items (Coin, Bob-omb, Mushroom, Star, Blooper, Green Shell, Red Shell, and a Banana) that circle around the player for them to use.
 * Emits a radial shockwave, destroying all obstacles and items, and hitting racers.
 * align=center|Crazy8MK8.png Crazy Eight
 * Generates eight items (Coin, Bob-omb, Mushroom, Star, Blooper, Green Shell, Red Shell, and a Banana) that circle around the player for them to use.
 * Generates eight items (Coin, Bob-omb, Mushroom, Star, Blooper, Green Shell, Red Shell, and a Banana) that circle around the player for them to use.

Returning items

 * align=center|CoinMK8.png Coin
 * Grants the player 2 extra coins.
 * align=center|GreenShellMK8.png Green Shell
 * Travels in a straight line and knocks over a kart it hits.
 * align=center|TripleGreenShellsMK8.png Triple Green Shells
 * Three green shells that orbit the player's kart, protecting them from incoming attacks.
 * align=center|RedShellMK8.png Red Shell
 * Homes in on the closest kart in front of the player and knocks it over.
 * align=center|TripleRedShellsMK8.png Triple Red Shells
 * Three red shells that orbit the player's kart, protecting them from incoming attacks.
 * align=center|BananaMK8.png [[Banana]]
 * Protects the player from incoming items, and spins out other racers that hit it.
 * align=center|TripleBananaMK8.png Triple Bananas
 * Three bananas that orbit the player's kart, protecting them from incoming attacks.
 * align=center|MushroomMarioKart8.png Mushroom
 * Provides the player's kart with a small speed boost.
 * align=center|TripleMushroomMK8.png Triple Mushrooms
 * Orbits the player's kart, providing them with three separate speed boosts.
 * align=center|GoldenMushroomMK8.png Golden Mushroom
 * Provides the player's kart with continuous speed boosts for a short time.
 * align=center|FireFlowerMK8.png Fire Flower
 * Allows the player to throw fireballs for a short time that cause other karts to spin out on impact.
 * align=center|StarMK8.png Star
 * Provides the player invincibility from all terrain and items, and also giving a speed boost.
 * align=center|BlooperMK8.png Blooper
 * Sprays ink on all racers ahead and reduces their visibility.
 * align=center|Bob-ombMK8.png Bob-omb
 * Explodes after a short time when thrown or dropped, knocking over any kart in its blast radius.
 * align=center|SpinyShellMK8.png Spiny Shell
 * Targets the racer in first place, knocking over all other karts in its path.
 * align=center|LightningBoltMK8.png Lightning
 * Causes all opponents to drop their items, shrink, and drive slowly for a short time.
 * align=center|BulletBillMK8.png Bullet Bill
 * Transforms the player into a Bullet Bill, rocketing through the track with auto-pilot, and providing invincibility from all terrain and items.
 * }
 * Provides the player invincibility from all terrain and items, and also giving a speed boost.
 * align=center|BlooperMK8.png Blooper
 * Sprays ink on all racers ahead and reduces their visibility.
 * align=center|Bob-ombMK8.png Bob-omb
 * Explodes after a short time when thrown or dropped, knocking over any kart in its blast radius.
 * align=center|SpinyShellMK8.png Spiny Shell
 * Targets the racer in first place, knocking over all other karts in its path.
 * align=center|LightningBoltMK8.png Lightning
 * Causes all opponents to drop their items, shrink, and drive slowly for a short time.
 * align=center|BulletBillMK8.png Bullet Bill
 * Transforms the player into a Bullet Bill, rocketing through the track with auto-pilot, and providing invincibility from all terrain and items.
 * }
 * Causes all opponents to drop their items, shrink, and drive slowly for a short time.
 * align=center|BulletBillMK8.png Bullet Bill
 * Transforms the player into a Bullet Bill, rocketing through the track with auto-pilot, and providing invincibility from all terrain and items.
 * }
 * }
 * }

Stamps
As in Super Mario 3D World and NES Remix, players can obtain stamps to use in Miiverse posts. There are 90 stamps in the game: 28 are available from the start, while the rest can be obtained by winning a Grand Prix with certain characters or defeating staff members ghost in Time Trial in all the stages.

Development
Development for Mario Kart 8 started in 2012. Some ideas that were scrapped in Mario Kart 8 included a drill that made drivers drive into subterranean depths. The idea was scrapped because the developers thought it was not as interesting as the anti-gravity idea. The anti-gravity concept stemmed from the Wii U being a powerful console, and with the upgraded hardware, the developers wanted to make courses with a 3D plane in mind rather than the 2D plane as the other tracks in the Mario Kart series.

The title, Mario Kart 8, is chosen to represent the anti-gravity mechanic as the "8" used in the official logo resembles the Möbius strip from Mario Circuit.

Select tracks will be orchestrated, making this game the first Mario Kart game to feature orchestrated tracks.

Limited edition
A limited edition version of Mario Kart 8 is available to pre-orders in the European and Australian regions. It includes the game as well as a Spiny Shell figurine. This limited edition is also confirmed for North American release, though it is exclusive to New York's Nintendo World Store.

Collaboration with Pennzoil
Nintendo and Pennzoil teamed up to promote Mario Kart 8. It features real-life go-karts on a specially modified track. Icons representing some of the items in the game are spread in the course as well.

Card game
Nintendo is also developing a Mario Kart-themed card game. The game features two types of cards: Mario cards (includes Peach and Luigi cards) and Rosalina Cards (includes Lakitu and Koopalings cards). These cards come with the Japanese version of the game.

Wii U Premium Pack
Nintendo is releasing a Premium Pack with Mario Kart 8. This pack is currently only available to Europe and Australia. The Nintendo UK Online store also offers two different bundles, being a Mario bundle and a Luigi bundle. Each will contain a Mario Kart 8 Premium Pack, along with a Wii Remote Plus, Wii U GamePad skin, and Wii Wheel in the corresponding brother's theme. It also contains a Mario or Luigi Hat and Mario Kart 8 guide book. Both packs will be released on May 30th, alongside the game itself, as well as Peach and Yoshi themed Wii Remote Pluses. Nintendo also revealed a Deluxe set for North American release; this one includes a black Wii U, a black GamePad, a Mario Wii Remote Plus, a red Wii Wheel, and the game.

Bonus game promotion
Nintendo is giving another Wii U game to those in Europe, Australia, and North America who register Mario Kart 8 on Club Nintendo between May 30th and July 31st. Players can choose between a variety of different Nintendo titles, that differs depending on region. In Europe and Australia, players have the choice of: Nintendo Land, New Super Mario Bros. U, Game & Wario, Pikmin 3, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD, Sonic Lost World, Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, Wii Party U, The Wonderful 101, and Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, while North American players are limited to only New Super Mario Bros. U, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD, Pikmin 3, and Wii Party U.

Downloadable content
Nintendo and Mercedes-Benz have collaborated to announce that Mario Kart 8 is set to recieve downloadable content in the form of a kart body and set of wheels based on the Mercedes-Benz GLA. The content is currently only confirmed for Japan, with a summer 2014 release, and will be available for download free of charge.

Reception
As of May 19, 2014, Mario Kart 8 has received generally favorable reviews, scoring an 89 on Metacritic based on 46 critics and an 88.37% based on 46 critics in GameRankings. Jose Otero of IGN gave the game a 9.0, praising the great graphics and sound, race tracks, antigravity, and item balance while criticizing the lack of some online features, the overload of baby characters in the roster, and the battle mode. He ended with "Mario Kart 8 is the best kart racing game Nintendo has made in a long time. It strikes a careful balance between refining old ideas while introducing fresh new ones." Tom Mc Shea of GameSpot praised the game, lauding the smooth gameplay, interesting tracks, and fair skill while criticizing the game's selection of characters and the battle mode. Though he was initially bored when first playing Mario Kart 8, Mc Shea changed his opinion after appreciating the small details in the game; his verdict was an 8/10. Thomas Whitehead of Nintendo Life gave the game a 9/10. He wrote, "The vehicles and racers have never handled better, the collection of courses is possibly the best yet, while replayability through Ghost Races or — primarily — online races and Tournaments is almost endless. A few design oddities aside, this joins the list of must-have Nintendo games on the Wii U; it’s an accomplished effort that pushes the franchise forward." Michael Damiani of GameTrailers gave the game an 8.6 out of 10. As other reviewers, he praised the stellar visuals, tight controls, and improved online experience but criticized the battle mode. He ended with, "The overall high quality of the game is so impressive that it doesn’t really matter that much that the zero-gravity gimmick barely adds anything that’s truly new. Next time around, though, Nintendo might need to come up with new tricks if it hopes to keep us coming back for more." André from GameXplain gave the game a "Liked a lot" rating, praising the tracks, online mode, visuals and battle mode, stating "it can be fun under the right circumstances". However, he criticized some issues with the interface and the item management.

On the slightly more critical side, Neal Ronaghan of NintendoWorldReport gave the game a 7.5 out of 10. He praised the graphics, soundtrack, and multiplayer but he criticized the stagnation of the franchise, saying, "Mario Kart 8 is just like any other Mario Kart game you’ve played in recent years, adding little to the franchise other than polish and some middling additions and tweaks." He also criticized Mario Kart TV and the battle mode. Andrew Fitch of EGM also gave the game a 7.5 out of 10. He praised the anti-gravity elements and the visuals of the game, but harped on the game's AI, underwhelming new tracks, battle mode being a shell of its former self, and the roster. He noted, "Mario Kart 8 is a rarity for Nintendo in that regard—it looks better than it plays."

References to other games

 * Famicom Grand Prix II: 3D Hot Rally: The Mario's Motors logo is seen at the starting line of Mario Circuit. In addition, Mario's artwork from the game can be faintly seen above the logo itself.
 * Super Mario Bros. 2/Doki Doki Panic: The Shy Guy Metals sign seen at Toad Harbor says that they've been around since 1987, which is the year of the Shy Guy's first appearance.
 * Super Mario Bros. 3: Many aspects of Cloudtop Cruise, particularly the airships, are inspired by this game. Gray Bowser Statues that shoot lasers appear in Bowser's Castle.
 * Super Mario Kart: Donut Plains 3 returns as a retro track. Also the Coin item returns with the same function as it did in this game. Rainbow Road and N64 Rainbow Road have their design similar to the Rainbow Road from that game. Parts of the title screen music is a cover version of the Super Mario Kart title screen music.
 * Mario Kart 64: Toad's Turnpike, Royal Raceway, Yoshi Valley, and Rainbow Road return as retro tracks.
 * Mario Kart: Super Circuit: Mario Circuit returns as a retro course. Cloudtop Cruise has some references from Sky Garden, which appears in this game, including its Japanese name and concepts.
 * Super Mario Sunshine: Sunshine Airport has a Shine Sprite in its logo. The European release date is used as a serial number on some storage crates in Sunshine Airport (55402MS= Oct 4th, 2002).
 * Mario Kart: Double Dash!!: Like in this game, characters hold items in their hands. Dry Dry Desert and Sherbet Land return as retro courses. N64 Rainbow Road is set above a city like the Rainbow Road from this game.
 * Mario Kart DS: Cheep Cheep Beach, Tick-Tock Clock, and Wario Stadium return as retro courses. Courses with anti-gravitational segments are similar to the corkscrew and the loop, in Rainbow Road, that allow racers to drive upside down.
 * Super Mario Galaxy series: An image of a Luma can be seen on an airplane (from Galaxy Air airlines) in Sunshine Airport. Also, part of Cloudtop Cruise's music is a cover of Gusty Garden Galaxy's music and Sky Station Galaxy's music.
 * Mario Kart Wii: Twelve player races and motorbikes return. The ability to perform stunts on ramps and boost panels returns. Like from this game, Rainbow Road is set above the Earth and the course has launch stars that launch racers in the tunnel to another section of the course. Moo Moo Meadows and Grumble Volcano also return as retro courses.
 * New Super Mario Bros. Wii: One of the planes in Sunshine Airport has a logo for Propeller Toad Transport with an insignia of a Propeller Mushroom. The Red Case first featured on the game's box art will return as a North American exclusive.
 * Super Mario 3D Land: Goomba Towers appear as obstacles in Mario Circuit. The Biddybuggy resembles a Para-Biddybud. The Boomerang Flower appears as an item.
 * Mario Kart 7: Gliders and underwater areas return. Music Park, Piranha Plant Slide, and DK Jungle return as retro courses. Vehicle customization returns from this game. The remixed music that occurs when the player is first place also returns from this game. Two of the courses are split into three sections just like the three courses from that game. In N64 Rainbow Road, when the player gets to the final section of the course, the last part of the music starts, just like how the last part of the music in  Rainbow Road starts at the final section of the course. Just like from this game, Rainbow Road has one section that is not rainbow-colored. It also has Mario Kart 7's point system where each racer gets a point regardless of their position. Various kart parts that originated from this game return.
 * New Super Mario Bros. 2: Twisted Mansion's entrance has a statue of a Boohemoth above it, an enemy from this game. Bone Piranha Plants also make an appearance in Bone Dry Dunes.
 * New Super Mario Bros. U: The Mecha Cheep appears in this game and there is a glider based on a Waddlewing.
 * Super Mario 3D World: The Potted Piranha Plant appears as an item. Fireworks are seen in some courses. Furthermore, most of the fireworks in N64 Rainbow Road course use stamp images from this game. An ad on Toad Harbor for Tropical Grocery has a Double Cherry on it. Stamps can be unlocked just like how stamps are unlocked in this game. Part of this games' beach-level music is remixed in Mount Wario.

Trivia

 * This is the first Mario Kart game since Mario Kart: Super Circuit to feature no new Donkey Kong courses or retro Bowser's Castles. Since Super Mario Kart, it also features no Luigi-themed tracks.
 * This is the first Mario Kart game where each course features its own background music, with no tracks sharing music. All previous titles in the series included at least two tracks sharing the same music, most commonly the regular circuit music.
 * Instead, Mario Circuit's music is a cover of Mario Kart Stadium's music, as Mario Kart Stadium serves as a replacement for the Mushroom Cup circuit.
 * Unlike in Mario Kart DS, Mario Kart Wii and Mario Kart 7, the results screen shows the name of the player's character, instead of the player's own name.