Mario Kart 8

This article is a short summary of Mario Kart 8. Super Mario Wiki features a more in-depth article.

Mario Kart 8

マリオカート8 Mario Kāto 8

Cover artwork of Mario Kart 8

Developer(s): Nintendo EAD Bandai Namco Games Publisher(s): Nintendo Platform: Wii U Category: Racing Players: Offline: 1-4 Online: 1-12 Predecessor: Mario Kart 7 Successor: N/A

Release dates N. America: May 30, 2014 Japan: May 29, 2014 Europe: May 30, 2014 Australia: May 31, 2014

Ratings ESRB: E CERO: A PEGI: 3 USK: 0 ACB: G

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Mario Kart 8 is the Wii U installment in the Mario Kart series, and its eight main installment. The game was originally confirmed to be in development during the January 2013 Nintendo Direct before being officially revealed at E3 that year. Selling over 5.87 million copies, Mario Kart 8 is currently the best-selling Wii U game.

Blurb

North American box

Defy the laws of gravity in the wildest Mario Kart game yet!

PAL box

MARIO'S TURNING MUSHROOM KINGDOM UPSIDE-DOWN!

Race your friends online and upload your favorite moments on Mario Kart TV

Australian box

Up walls!
Across ceilings!
Race without limits.

Gameplay

Basic gameplay is retained from the previous installments, in that players race across various tracks while using items spread across the track to gain an edge over opponents, though it is most similar to Mario Kart 7. Like Mario Kart Wii, twelve racers are able to race at once instead of eight, though like in Mario Kart 7 players are once again able to fly through the air with gliders and driver underwater, though new to this installment is anti-gravity, allowing players to drive across the walls and ceilings of a track at specified points. Kart customization also returns from Mario Kart 7, though this has been expanded upon to include bikes, returning from Mario Kart Wii, and a new kart type, ATVs. In addition to races, a battle mode is also available.

When playing online, players can race or battle against a group of random players online or with friends, or join tournaments, which are similar in setup to Mario Kart 7. Players are also able to save their replays and post them online via the "Mario Kart TV" feature.

Technical details

Technical details Media: Wii U optical disk Digital download Download size: Game: 4949.8 MB DLC: 2 GB Supported features: Nintendo Network (1-12 player online play, online sharing, Miiverse), local play (2-4 players), amiibo, Off-TV Play Input / compatible controllers: Wii U GamePad, Wii U Pro Controller, Wii Remote (+ Nunchuk), Classic Controller

Additional content

Updates

Version Number	Date Released	Description
2.0	August 27, 2014	Adds a "Shop" menu to the main menu to download DLC, the option to display the course map on the TV screen with the Wii U GamePad, increases max online VR rating to "99999", allows players the view their stats from the main menu, saves the last used vehicle combination (minus DLC parts), swaps the positions of the "Next Race" and "View Highlight Reel" buttons after a race.
3.0	November 13, 2014	Enables the first DLC pack, adds amiibo compatibility, allows the game to save vehicle combinations using DLC parts, light karts pushed by heavier karts are not bumped as far, losing a race is not as punishing to the player's VR rating, allows players to set course limitations when playing online or creating a tournament.
4.0	April 23, 2015	Enables the second DLC pack, adds additional amiibo compatibility, adds a 200cc engine class, adds new Miiverse stamps, allows players to display the TV map while using any game-compatible controller, lets players race with CPU players while online, updates tournament settings according to the additional gameplay modes and courses.
4.1	May 1, 2015	Automatically unlocks all engine classes for players that have not unlocked them.

Downloadable content

Three downloadable content packs have been released for Mario Kart 8. These packs can either be purchased on the Nintendo eShop, or through the in-game Shop menu accessible from the main menu:

• Mercedes-Benz × Mario Kart 8 - A free pack that adds three karts based on Merceded-Benz vehicles.
• The Legend of Zelda × Mario Kart 8 - Adds two additional cups with four courses each, four vehicles, and Link, Tanooki Mario, and Cat Peach as playable characters.
• Animal Crossing × Mario Kart 8 - Adds two additional cups with four courses each, four vehicles, and Villager (male and female options available), Isabelle, and Dry Bowser as playable characters.

Players can purchase the paid DLC either individually, or in a singular bundle for a lower price. In addition, by purchasing the latter two packs, eight color swaps for both Yoshi and Shy Guy are also unlocked.

External links

• Mario Kart 8 on Wikipedia
• Mario Kart 8 guide on StrategyWiki