All Articles: Mario Kart 8

Remember the creepy live-action Mario Kart 8 commercial promoting the Mercedes-Benz GLA downloadable content? Well… Mercedes-Benz Japan is back with two new entries in the series and they’re just as crazy as the first one.

In these new spots, live-action Luigi emerges victorious against Mario and decides to do some kind of not-quite robot dance in celebration. Meanwhile, Peach stares down the plumber and then does a dainty hop-step to avoid a green shell. That stare… she’ll stare into your soul.

You can check out the Luigi commercial above while the Peach advertisement is available after the break. Don’t say you weren’t warned. (more…)

Not content to release just one trailer, Nintendo has uploaded a second trailer highlighting everything you’ll find in Mario Kart 8‘s first batch of downloadable content: “The Legend of Zelda X Mario Kart 8 DLC Pack.”

The trailer includes new footage of all three racers (Tanooki Mario, Cat Peach, Link) and the four new karts (B Dasher, Tanooki Kart, Blue Falcon, Master Cycle) and the game’s eight courses, which are no longer split between retro tracks and original courses:

Triforce Cup
Wario’s Gold Mine (Mario Kart Wii)
Rainbow Road (Super Mario Kart)
Ice Ice Outpost
Hyrule Circuit

Egg Cup
Yoshi Circuit (Mario Kart: Double Dash!!)
Excitebike Arena
Dragon Driftway
Mute City

The Legend of Zelda X Mario Kart 8 DLC Pack will be available on November 13.

The time is almost here. Nintendo has announced that Mario Kart 8‘s first downloadable expansion, The Legend of Zelda X Mario Kart 8 DLC Pack, will be released next Thursday, November 13. The pack will be jam-packed with four new courses, four retro courses, three playable characters (Link, Tanooki Mario, Cat Peach), and four new vehicles (including Link’s excellent Master Cycle).

We know all along that one of the new courses would be Zelda-themed while another would take its cues from Nintendo other big racing franchise, F-Zero. But in this new trailer, Nintendo has given us our first look at the officially named Hyrule Circuit and Mute City. And they’re just as awe-inspiring as expected.

The Legend of Zelda X Mario Kart 8 DLC Pack will be available for $7.99, but it can also be purchased as part of a season pass bundled with May 2015’s Animal Crossing X Mario Kart 8 DLC Pack for $11.99.

Fans have really taken to Nintnedo’s decision to expand Mario Kart 8 into “Super Smash Kart” with downloadable content. The announcement that Link would get a kart of his own was met with huge applause from the Mario Kart community. And the return of the B Dasher and Yoshi Circuit certainly revved up the franchise’s fans as well. But I think Nintendo’s next announcement might top them all. The Legend of Zelda X Mario Kart 8 Pack, which will be available in November, will include “Excitebike Arena,” a course based on the NES edition of Excitebike.

Excitebike was famous for including one of the first track editors in gaming history and Nintendo will channel that spirit by randomizing the layout of Excitebike Arena with every race. Jumps, oil slicks, grass hazards… if you remember it from Excitebike, it’ll be included in Excitebike Arena. Check out the trailer above for a look at how the randomization will work.

In retrospect, mixing Mario Kart with Excitebike seems so obvious that a part of me is amazed that Nintendo never tried it before.

Nintendo of Japan has confirmed that Yoshi Circuit, which was originally included in Mario Kart: Double Dash!! on the GameCube, will be part of the retro Egg Cup in the upcoming “Legend of Zelda X Mario Kart 8 DLC Pack.” You can get a glimpse of the revamped Yoshi Circuit, as well as Tanooki Mario’s Tanooki Buggy, in the newly released trailer above. Link and Cat Peach will also be added to the racer roster thanks to the DLC pack, along with Mario’s B Dasher, Link’s Master Cycle, and a kart based on Captain Falcon’s hovercraft from F-Zero.

“The Legend of Zelda X Mario Kart 8 DLC Pack” will be priced at $7.99 when its released in November.

Mario Kart aficionados love the B Dasher kart from Mario Kart DS. As Mario’s main ride, it made its mark on a whole generation of players. And now it’s back.

It will join three new characters (Tanooki Mario, Cat Peach, and Link) and eight new tracks in this November’s “The Legend of Zelda X Mario Kart 8 DLC Pack.” To get you extra pumped, Nintendo of Japan has released a new trailer showcasing the kart taking curves and throwing shells.

“The Legend of Zelda X Mario Kart 8 DLC Pack” will be priced at $7.99 when its released in November.

A word of advice, if you ever find yourself playing poker with the Director of Mario Kart 8, Kosuke Yabuki, just walk away. The man will take all of your money and probably bash you over the head with a Blue Shell for good measure.

Back in May, Yabuki hinted that a Super Smash Bros.-like expansion of the Mario Kart character roster was something that he “wouldn’t rule out” for the future. Apparently, the future is now as Nintendo UK has announced two DLC packs for Mario Kart 8 that will add The Legend of Zelda‘s Link and a pair of Animal Crossing characters.

“The Legend of Zelda X Mario Kart 8 Pack” will be available in November. It will include four new courses (including at least one that takes place within Hyrule), four retro courses (including Wario’s Gold Mine from Mario Kart Wii), four vehicles (including a Blue Falcon kart from F-Zero), and three new characters (Tanooki Mario, Cat Peach, and Link).

Meanwhile, the “Animal Crossing X Mario Kart 8 Pack” will be available in May 2015 with the same variety of add-on content: four new courses (including at least one that takes place within the world of Animal Crossing), four retro courses, four vehicles, and three new characters (Villager, Isabelle, and Dry Bowser).

Each pack will be priced at £7.00 (about $11.60). And if you purchase both packs, you’ll receive eight rainbow-colored Yohsis and eight rainbow-colored Shy Guys as well.

“Super Smash Kart” is coming and it looks glorious. Lets-a-go!

UPDATE: Nintendo of America has confirmed that each pack will be priced at $7.99 on this side of the Atlantic and a special $11.99 bundle including both packs will also be available.