Mario Kart 8

[CheekyLee]

I'm not even kidding, right now I would happily pay extra to have Baby Park and the Poltergust 4000 on Mario Kart 7.

[hat]

Due out on 8 May according to a Nintendo rep. At least it's early May I guess.

[Steven]

So, in their second year, after apologising about the flow of titles, their first title arrives five months in?

[Super Craig]

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is out a week on Friday.

[Steven]

Oh, yeah, forgotten about that.

[joffocakes]

I really hope they get Mario Kart 8 right. 7 was fantastic but let itself down with the lack of leaderboards and the extremely odd decision to omit the standard camera angle replay videos; you can't really appreciate the finer aspects of a players' technique from that wild tele-cam angle.

It's a shame it won't be portable but Time Attacking while The Taste is on will be excellent.

[Guest]

How many people works in Nintendo games development? Miyamoto, Aonuma and a YTS kid?

[Hylian]

My main worry with this game is that the demos I've seen just seem a little slow. I'm hoping these were 50 or 100cc and the 150 / online is going to be a bit more nippy. Brilliant news that it is 60fps, it looks phenomenal.

[Hylian]

Like here:

But that's probably because he's out in front for the whole race.

[bTW - note that you have to watch that video on YT with the right settings, else it's .5 speed]

[JPickford]

The 2 player video is a bit more exciting looking. Lovely to see it running at 60fps. The one true framerate.

[Nespresso]

[CheekyLee]

Man, those Gamexplain videos are astonishing. How on earth does anybody notice a starfish on a track?

The demo that I played at Play Expo last year was 50cc only. It was clearly too slow, but I can see why Nintendo would want to limit it. Hundreds of kids queueing for an hour to play the game only to finish in last place wouldn't be the best marketing ever.

[joffocakes]

I hope they fix the replays with this one, so that you have the option to watch them from the proper angle rather than the camera flying all over the place.

Stop copying my opinion.

[Nespresso]

New footage!

Looks gobsmackingly good. Jesus.

[CGMF]

The music's painful. It's been that way since Super Circuit.

[CGMF]

Sorry I meant Double Dash. The music in SC was alright if I remember correctly.

[Shimmyhill]

May 30th then, can't come quick enough!

Looks great and multi items still in and spin round kart!

[Jim]

Looking lovely and out just before my sons birthday. Sweet.

[Shoes]

The music's painful.

True. It's hideous. So disappointing. Koji Kondo must be spinning in his grave.

[NEG]

Is there confirmation of how many of the Koopa Kids are playable?

Edit: Watching the trailer again, all 7. That's actually fantastic.

[angel]

It looks good, the koopa kids look brilliant. Only thing, it must dispense of cheating AI, being pelted with shit , rubber banding and random winner multiplayer. Else its pretty but pointless. It's recycling MK7 tracks too.

[KriessG]

So, since I don't have a Wii U, forgive the ignorance... if I bought one, how easy will online racers with fellow Mukkers be do you think?

[b00dles]

The unfortunate thing about this is the inevitability of the fact I'll buy this on launch, absolutely HAMMER it with my mates for about a month or two (I doubt it will take longer, none of them have been that difficult really) and then the WiiU will go back to sitting there until an occasionaly multiplayer moment or the next game comes out for it.

I can't wait for this though, it's probably one of my most anticipated games of the year, even though I can't imagine it will have that much legs Looks bloody great though, really does.

[Eighthours]

True. It's hideous. So disappointing. Koji Kondo must be spinning in his grave.

Fuck knows why they don't Galaxy Orchestra it up.

Game itself looks great, though. I hope they've updated some of the gameplay design. There needs to be a way to avoid blue shells, or at least for them not to impact the leader SO heavily if they're not far in front. A general speed bump would be nice, too - I've been playing Mario Kart 7 online a lot over the past month or so, and it's not exactly fast even at 150cc. Would be nice if the slipstream speed was the standard speed!

Also (and I know this is a forlorn hope): proper balloon battles, please!

[b00dles]

The speed has been my biggest gripe for a while, I know they're meant to be carts so therefore not super quick but the sense of speed should be higher IMHO. Also, I appreciate it's meant to be for the whole family but 50CC is barely even worth playing, I don't think I bothered with it on 7 at all. A 200CC would be nice.

Is it 5 player as well? As in 4 on the TV one on the Gamepad?

[Sprite Machine]

There needs to be a way to avoid blue shells...

There is: drop back into second place before they're launched.

(This only works against AI.)

[SpagMasterSwift]

Not sure what it does...other than follow you around the room and mess you up when you go to sit down.

[Calashnikov]

Why would anyone want a model of the blue shell for their mantle piece? Even looking at it causes abject demoralisation.

[Keiths_Dad]

Why would anyone want a model of the blue shell for their mantle piece? Even looking at it causes abject demoralisation.

So you can use it when you're losing at other games, of course. Nan won't be so keen on buying Mayfair next Christmas when you've got a blue shell aimed at her face.

[NEG]

Would have preferred a Star Cup.

Or even bananas, to me they are more the 'classic' item in Mario Kart. But of course I'm in the 'Blue Shells have always been fucking cheap' camp.