Launch Station: Mario Kart 8

Not everything has to be saving princesses and stomping giant turtles for the world's most famous plumber.  From time to time, Nintendo's mascot is not afraid to pick up a baseball bat, hit the tennis court, play a few rounds of golf or dance all over the Mushroom Kingdom.  Before Mario did everything and anything under the sun, his first foray outside the confines of the platforming genre came in the form of Super Mario Kart for the SNES.  That little kart racer sparked a global phenomenon that has become a staple of every Nintendo system as a new Mario Kart game only comes once in a system's lifetime, be it a console or a portable.  Such a limited release schedule makes the release of a brand new Mario Kart feel like a huge event.  Mario Kart 8, the latest in this long-running series, is among the most anticipated titles for the Wii U and the wait for this huge game is just about over.

Mario Kart 8 looks to flip Nintendo's kart racing franchise on its head literally.  The newest addition to the Mario Kart formula is anti-gravity sections a la F-Zero.  At specified areas of the track, the wheels on the kart will turn sideways in order to engage anti-gravity mode which allows karts to travel on surfaces parallel or perpendicular to the regular track.  During anti-gravity sections, racers can bump into each other or special bumpers to receive a spin boost.  Careful timing and chaining of these spin boosts can be the difference between victory and defeat in the more difficult races.  These anti-gravity sections can be found on most of Mario Kart 8's tracks including some of the sixteen classic tracks which have received some tweaks to take advantage of the new mechanics.  Apart from the new anti-gravity mechanic, much of Mario Kart 8's improvements come in the form of online multiplayer.  Mario Kart 8's online multiplayer supports up to twelve people at a time, friends and random people across the globe, totally customizable rule sets and voice chat in the lobbies.  On top of those features, players can set up tournaments that can be put on a schedule, download ghost data from friends and expert Mario Kart players including the developers themselves, earn Miiverse stamps by beating developer times and share their online exploits through Mario Kart TV.  In particular, Mario Kart TV allows players to share, edit and view replay data from races.  Players can take some initiative in creating some cool looking clips to share on Miiverse and even upload to Youtube.  Aside from all the additions to the gameplay and online multiplayer, Mario Kart 8 introduces new characters such as the Koopalings and Pink Gold Peach and new items like the racer and item chomping Piranha Plant and the shockwave-inducing Super Horn.

There is no doubt that Mario Kart 8 will be packed to the brim with content for players to indulge in.   The more Nintendo shows this new kart racer, the more this writer cannot wait to gather some friends together to create some brand new Mario Kart memories.  Also I look forward to diving into the online multiplayer in order to see where my Mario Kart skills rank on the world stage.  For those looking to pick up Mario Kart 8, Nintendo is offering a special bonus for registering the game on Club Nintendo before the end of July.  Register Mario Kart 8 and get a digital copy of New Super Bros. U, Pikmin 3, The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD or Wii Party U for free.  An excellent bonus that even counts when registering the Mario Kart 8 Wii U bundle on Club Nintendo.  With all these great incentives, it is better time than ever to pick up a Wii U so do not hesitate.  See you on the track.