All Articles: Mario Kart 8

Nintendo Download: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Puyo Puyo Tetris, TumbleSeed, more

Posted on April 27, 2017 by John Scalzo

After being on store shelves for almost two month, Nintendo’s next wave of major new releases for the Switch are ready to launch this week on the Nintendo eShop.

Leading things off is Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, the ultimate version of the kart racer that was originally released for the Wii U in 2014. Players will receive all the content included in the base game and both DLC Packs, as well as Switch-exclusive content including five new characters (Bowser Jr., Dry Bones, King Boo, and Boy and Girl Inklings), a brand new Battle Mode, new weapons, and the ability to carry two items at the same time. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe will be available to download tomorrow, April 28.

Also available to download for the Switch this week is Puyo Puyo Tetris, a crossover puzzle game that’s built for multiplayer play. But don’t worry, single-player Adventure and Challenge modes are also on the menu.

Finally, TumbleSeed will be available to download for the Switch early next week, on May 2. Designer Greg Wohlwend (who also contributed to Threes and Ridiculous Fishing) describes the game as “a deceptively deep roguelike about balancing a seed up a dangerous and ever-changing mountain.”

You can learn more about all of these games (and a few other new releases on the Switch and Wii U) after the break. (more…)

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New Retail Releases: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Puyo Puyo Tetris, Dragon Quest Heroes II, More

Posted on April 23, 2017 by John Scalzo

Spring has sprung, flowers are in bloom, and a huge batch of new releases will be sprouting on the shelves at your local game store this week.

Nintendo Switch owners have the biggest reasons to celebrate this week as Nintendo will bring Mario Kart 8 Deluxe to the console, while Sega will release Puyo Puyo Tetris. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe includes all of the downloadable content from Mario Kart 8’s original release, as well as several new racers, a brand new Battle Mode, and improved graphics. Meanwhile, Puyo Puyo Tetris mashes together the two puzzle game franchises to create a multiplayer title that features nearly a dozen different ways to play.

Also available this week is a pair of terrifying new titles, including Red Barrels’s first-person horror compilation, Outlast Trinity (which contains Outlast, its expansion, and the brand new Outlast II) for the PS4 and Xbox One. Bandai Namco will also release their creepy puzzle platformer, Little Nightmares, for the PS4 and Xbox One.

Elsewhere on store shelves, fans of big swords and big guns will be able to get your fix with the Square Enix/Koei Tecmo collaboration, Dragon Quest Heroes II (PS4), and CI Games’s shooter sequel, Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3 (PC, PS4, and Xbox One).

Finally this week, the Syberia franchise comes in from the cold with Syberia 3, which will launch for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

You can find a complete list of this week’s new retail releases after the break. (more…)

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New trailer details additional features and revamped Battle Mode in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

Posted on March 10, 2017 by John Scalzo

Nintendo has begun preparing fans for the April 28th launch of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe with the release of a brand new “Overview Trailer,” as well as more details about its new Battle Mode.

Every racer and course from the original Mario Kart 8 (including the content from both downloadable expansions) will be carried over to Deluxe, but the racing game’s Switch debut will also include five new characters (Inkling Girl, Inkling Boy, King Boo, Dry Bones, and Bowser Jr.), the ability to hold two items at once, returning items like the item-stealing Boo and jumping Feather, a Smart Steering control option, and five ways to play the revamped Battle Mode:

Battle Modes Available in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

  • Renegade Roundup: Making its debut in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, this new mode has one team trying to capture the other and put them into jail before time runs out. The opposing team must try to escape and can break their own teammates out of prison by pressing a button under the jail cell.
  • Balloon Battle: In this oldie but goodie, players earn points by popping balloons on the back of their opponents’ karts.
  • Bob-Omb Blast: Originally seen in the Mario Kart: Double Dash!! game, this mode finds players throwing a barrage of Bob-Ombs at opponents.
  • Coin Runners: By racing across the Battle course, players try to collect the most coins as possible in this fast and frenetic mode introduced in Mario Kart Wii.
  • Shine Thief: Steal the coveted Shine Sprite and try to hold onto it for a 20 count in this classic multiplayer Battle mode.

And if you’re in Boston for this weekend’s PAX East convention, you’ll be able to try out a demo of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe if you visit Nintendo’s booth.

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Nintendo’s first-ever Super Bowl commercial will feature the Switch

Posted on February 2, 2017 by John Scalzo

Nintendo has existed as a company for more than 127 years, and in all that time they’ve never produced a Super Bowl commercial. Though to be fair, the Super Bowl has only been held since 1967, and the world only really started to embrace the spectacle of it all in the early 90s.

But this is 2017, and Nintendo’s Switch console will be available on store shelves in just four weeks. So what better way to sell it to the public than with a splashy Super Bowl LI ad?

“The most anticipated video game system and video game of the year will be seen on the biggest stage of the year,” said Nicolas Chavez, Nintendo of America’s Vice President of Marketing. “Nintendo Switch will change how, when and where people play games. It’s only fitting that we’re changing how, when and where we advertise those games.”

The commercial uses the same “Play Anywhere” style of marketing that Nintendo has used for the Switch so far, and features clips from a wide variety of games including The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Arms, 1-2-Switch, Just Dance 2017, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Splatoon 2, and Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers. And in case you were wondering, the Switch’s Super Bowl ad was soundtracked by “Believer,” the new single from Imagine Dragons.

The Nintendo Switch will be released worldwide on March 3, and if you hurry, you might still be able to secure one for launch day. A 30-second version of Nintendo’s Switch commercial will air during the fourth quarter of Super Bowl LI.

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Nintendo’s Mario Kart 8 Deluxe commercial wants you to play the Switch on the toilet

Posted on January 28, 2017 by John Scalzo

Nintendo is using the tagline “Play Anytime, Anywhere” to sell their upcoming Switch console in Europe. And they mean it too. A recently-released commercial for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe opens with a disheveled-looking man enjoying some Mushroom Kingdom kart racing while also partaking in his morning bowel movement.

Now, to be fair, the advertisement also showcases the portability of the Switch with an intense Battle Mode contest in a living room and an impromptu multiplayer session on a college campus. Still… eww.

The Nintendo Switch will launch worldwide on March 3. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe will be available on April 28. And if you take your Switch with you into the bathroom, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, never tell me.

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Nintendo will bring eight Switch demos to this weekend’s PAX South

Posted on January 23, 2017 by John Scalzo

The Nintendo Switch will launch on March 3, but Nintendo wants to give all gamers a chance to play it before its available in stores with a whirlwind North American tour that’ll roll into San Antonio this weekend.

This morning, the consolemaker revealed plans to bring demos for eight games to the annual PAX South expo. The list includes launch titles like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, 1-2-Switch, and Super Bomberman R (from Konami), as well as titles that are a bit further out such as Snipperclips: Cut It Out Together, Splatoon 2, Arms, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers (from Capcom). Fans will also be able to try out the demos in a living room setting (on a large TV) or in the cross-section of an airplane to “show how easy it is to take Nintendo Switch with you anywhere.”

“We absolutely love bringing our games and systems directly to the fans, and PAX South is a great venue to do just that,” said Doug Bowser, Nintendo of America’s Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “PAX South will be one of the first opportunities for fans to try out Nintendo Switch before it launches on March 3.”

PAX South will open its doors on Friday, January 27.

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Nintendo Switch Presentation: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe will be available on April 28 with a real Battle Mode

Posted on January 13, 2017 by John Scalzo

The Switch’s “Sizzle Reel” constantly flashed back to a kart racer that bared a strong resemblance to Mario Kart 8. However, none of the executives would talk about it. But now that the Switch Presentation is over, we know that it’s actually Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and it’ll be available on April 28.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe will include everything found in the original Mario Kart 8, as well as all the racers and courses from both downloadable expansions. However, it’ll also feature even more new courses and characters (Inklings from Splatoon and King Boo for sure), along with a more traditional Battle Mode.

A full trailer for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is embedded above.

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Mario Kart 8 sells 8 million copies as Nintendo updates their best-selling Wii U and 3DS titles

Posted on October 28, 2016 by John Scalzo

nintendologo

Nintendo fans are absolutely giddy with excitement about the company’s upcoming Switch console, but we shouldn’t forget about the Wii U and 3DS. Earlier this week, the consolemaker updated investors on their best-selling titles for the Wii U and 3DS, as of September 30, 2016.

As the biggest-selling Nintendo-published game on the Wii U, Mario Kart 8 recently tallied total sales of eight million copies. The game’s success was measured using worldwide numbers for retail sales and digital downloads. While Mario Kart 8 is far and away the most popular game for the Wii U, Splatoon’s sales (4.57 million copies) are pretty impressive for a new franchise. Here’s the full top ten:

Best-Selling Nintendo-Published Games on the Wii U

  • 1. Mario Kart 8 — 8 Million
  • 2. New Super Mario Bros. U — 5.45 Million
  • 3. Super Mario 3D World — 5.19 Million
  • 4. Nintendo Land — 5.13 Million
  • 5. Super Smash Bros. For Wii U — 4.99 Million
  • 6. Splatoon — 4.57 Million
  • 7. Super Mario Maker — 3.73 Million
  • 8. New Super Luigi U — 2.74 Million
  • 9. The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD — 1.98 Million
  • 10. Mario Party 10 — 1.94 Million

Over on the 3DS, Pokemon X/Y proved that the RPG franchise is still first in the minds of Nintendo fans, with total sales of 15.64 million copies. Once again measured using worldwide numbers for retail sales and digital downloads, it finished slightly ahead of Mario Kart 7, which almost lapped its console-based big brother with total sales of nearly 14 million copies. Here’s the full top ten:

Best-Selling Nintendo-Published Games on the 3DS

  • 1. Pokemon X/Y — 15.64 Million
  • 2. Mario Kart 7 — 13.94 Million
  • 3. Pokemon Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire — 13.18 Million
  • 4. Super Mario 3D Land — 10.98 Million
  • 5. New Super Mario Bros. 2 — 10.6 Million
  • 6. Animal Crossing: New Leaf — 10.34 Million
  • 7. Super Smash Bros. For 3DS — 8.35 Million
  • 8. Tomodachi Life — 5.3 Million
  • 9. Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon — 5.03 Million
  • 10. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D — 4.52 Million

The Wii U has struggled on store shelves since it was released in late 2012. The console currently has an install base of just 13.36 million, which is just a shade over 10% of the Wii’s final sales total. Meanwhile, the 3DS can claim an install base of 61.57 million, which is impressive, but still a far cry from the record-breaking sales of 154.02 million units for the DS.

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