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. WW: April 28, 2017Mode(s),Mario Kart 8 is a 2014 and the eighth major installment in the series, developed and published by for their home video game console.
The game was announced at and released worldwide in May 2014.Like in other games in the series, in Mario Kart 8, players control characters from the and participate in on various, using a variety of to hinder opponents or gain advantages in the race. While incorporating originally featured in earlier Mario Kart games, Mario Kart 8 introduces sections that allow players to drive on walls or ceilings, in addition to allowing them to bump into one another for a short boost. The game features and gamemodes, including online via the.Mario Kart 8 was a critical and commercial success upon its release, and is the, with more than eight million copies sold worldwide. The game continued to receive post-release and, including additional characters, vehicles and tracks, and support for Nintendo's line of figurines. An enhanced port for the, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, was released worldwide in April 2017. It was also a critical and commercial success, selling over 22 million copies worldwide by December 2019, ranking it the Switch's.
Across both platforms, Mario Kart 8 has sold over 31 million copies, making it one of the. See also: andThe game continues the traditional gameplay of the series, in which characters from the universe race against each other in, attempting to hinder their opponents or improve their racing performance using various tools found in item boxes.
In addition, the game includes four different difficulties, which can be selected before beginning the race to challenge players. Returning features from previous installments include and twelve-player racing from, as well as, underwater racing and vehicle customization from.Mario Kart 8 's new features include racing, in which certain parts of a track can allow racers to drive on walls and ceilings. During these sections, players can bump into other racers or special bumpers to trigger a Spin Boost, which gives them an extra speed boost.
With the release of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, a splendid update of Nintendo's racer for new console Switch, players will have access to all 48 tracks.
New characters include The Koopalings and Pink Gold. There are four new items: the Flower, which can be thrown to attack players, the Piranha Plant, which attacks nearby racers and obstacles, the Crazy Eight, which gives the user eight items, and the Super Horn, which can be used both to attack nearby opponents and defend against items, including the previously nearly unavoidable. The game features 32 tracks in eight cups (Mushroom, Flower, Star, Special, Shell, Banana, Leaf, and Lightning), with an additional 16 later released as (DLC) in four additional cups: Egg, Crossing, and Bell.Along with local multiplayer, Mario Kart 8 supports online multiplayer with up to twelve players and outside of races, however voice chat is only available with friends online. Prior to the cancellation of Nintendo's social network on November 7, 2017, players could set up tournaments with customizable rules and schedules, share races automatically recorded in-game to the online video platform, and receive in-game for use on Miiverse by beating staff times and completing races. Due to the cancellation of Miiverse, these features have been removed from the game, although downloading data from friends or top players is still possible.The Wii U version of the game is compatible with the, and, and, while the Nintendo Switch version can be played with an individual turned on its side, the Joy-Con Grip controller shell, the console tablet with both Joy-Con attached, or the. Players can use figures to unlock Nintendo-themed costumes that can be worn. A free software update to the Nintendo Switch version was made in June 2018 that allows players to use the Toy-Con Motorbike from the Variety Kit as a compatible motion controller.
Development Initially confirmed in a January 2013 presentation, the game was later unveiled at. Some members of were given special thanks in the game's credits. The '8' in the game's logo was designed to resemble a, as was Mario Circuit, one of the tracks in the game. Early in development, the idea of using a drill to penetrate the ground was considered but was quickly discarded for not being as creative as anti-gravity.New features and enhancements are added via game updates. The first update, released in August 2014, includes rearranged post-race options, an optional course map on the game screen, a player statistics screen, and improved online stability.
The second update, released in November 2014 adds support for Nintendo's figures, allowing players to unlock Mii racing outfits based on other Nintendo characters. The third update, released in April 2015, added a new 200cc class, a first for the series, and additional racing suits unlockable via Amiibo.Additional characters and tracks for the game have been released as.
The first is a free set of -themed vehicles: the, and, which were released on August 27, 2014 as part of the Version 2.0 update. On August 26, 2014, Nintendo announced two purchasable DLC packs, with each pack containing three additional characters, four additional vehicles and eight additional tracks;, including (Hyrule Circuit), (Mute City and Big Blue) and (Excitebike Arena). The first DLC pack, released in November 2014, features Tanooki Mario, Cat Peach and as playable characters, while the second pack, released in April 2015, features Dry Bowser, Villager. Additional multi-colored and Shy Guys are given to players who purchase both DLC packs.
Promotion Nintendo's launch promotions of Mario Kart 8 included a Limited Edition, which included a Spiny Shell figurine, and special and themed console bundles, which included a hat, strategy guide, Wii Remote Plus controller, Wii Wheel and GamePad protector. In North America, Europe, and Australia, players who purchased and registered Mario Kart 8 on before July 31, 2014 received a free download code for a selected Wii U game. As part of a promotional campaign with, Mario, Luigi, and Peach were featured in a series of Japanese commercials for the, while three karts based on past and present Mercedes-Benz vehicles were added to the game as part of a downloadable update on August 27, 2014. In 2014, company released -branded toys based on the game's characters and karts.A soundtrack album containing 68 tracks from the game was made available as an exclusive reward available to members shortly preceding the service's discontinuation in 2015. Reception Mario Kart 8Aggregate scoreAggregatorScore(Wii U) 88/100(NS) 92/100Review scoresPublicationScore(Wii U) 9/10(NS) 9.5/109/1010/10(Wii U) 9.25/10(NS) 9.25/10(Wii U) 8/10(NS) 9/10(Wii U)(NS)9/108.6/10(Wii U) 9/10(NS) 9.3/1010/10Nintendo World Report(Wii U) 7.5/10(NS) 8.5/1096%AwardPublicationAward2014 Children's Game AwardThe original game received 'generally favorable' reception, while Deluxe received 'universal acclaim', according to.
Considered by to be 'the most vibrant home console racing game in years', the game was praised for its 'exquisite details', vast sense of scale, orchestrated soundtrack, and gameplay. Digital Foundry deemed it to be 'near perfection' with 'phenomenal attention to detail', featuring a 'magnificent visual package' and 'magical playability'. Their technical analysis attributes the game's smoothness of motion and overall gameplay, to its typically high performance of 60 (FPS), with the split-screen mode's effective 30 FPS nonetheless comparing favorably with industry standard. Generally praised the game, but criticized the game's Battle Mode for reusing the game's main race courses instead of presenting uniquely created battle arenas as prior Mario Kart games had done.
Internet meme 'Luigi's death stare' is an describing the automatic facial expression displayed by toward other characters upon attacking or passing them during a race, in which he gives them a disapproving in passing. It was featured in several viral videos and animated, and the phenomenon was covered by in early June 2014. The meme was acknowledged by Nintendo during their digital event. Praised Nintendo's handling of the meme, noting that it was a 'slick way' of acknowledging fan culture. The meme was nominated for the Best Gaming Moment at the 32nd. Sales Shortly after the game's launch in the, it was announced that week-on-week Wii U console sales had risen 662% in the country, with Mario Kart 8 bundles accounting for 82% of the units sold. In its first four days on sale, it became the fastest selling Wii U game to date, with over 1.2 million copies sold worldwide.
Within a month of the game's release, it had increased to 2.82 million. By the end of March 2019, the game had sold over 8.44 million copies worldwide, making it the. Based on the sales data, over half of all Wii U owners have a copy of the game. Awards and accolades Readers and staff of voted it as the Game of the Year, and GameSpot gave it the award of 'Best Wii U Game'. The game was nominated for 'Best Wii U Exclusive' in GameTrailers' 2014 Game of the Year Awards; for 'Best Game' in 's 2014 Game of the Year Awards; and for 'Overall Game of the Year' and 'Wii U Retail Game of the Year' in 's Reader Awards 2014, while it won both awards for both categories in their Staff Awards 2014. It won 'Game of the Year'. In IGN's Best of 2014 Awards, the game was nominated for 'Best Multiplayer' and 'Best Racing', while it won the award for 'Best Wii U Game'.
In their Best of 2017 Awards, the Switch version was nominated for 'Best Switch Game' and 'Best Remake/Remaster'. It was nominated for 'Best Switch Game' in 's Game of the Year Awards 2017, and won the award for 'Old Game of the Year' in Giant Bomb's 2017 Game of the Year Awards.
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