Nintendo has confirmed the Mario Kart 8 release date, announcing the arrival one of the biggest games for the Wii U so far.
Mario Kart 8 will be released in the UK for the Nintendo Wii U on May 30, Nintendo announced during a games-focused Nintendo Direct.
The Japanese gaming giant also released a new trailer for Mario Kart 8 that revealed some new playable characters that will arrived with the game.
You’ll be able to play as all seven of Bowser’s Koopalings in the game, which is a first for the Mario Kart series.
Mario Kart has been a consistently popular game for the Nintendo console series, and we haven’t seen a Mario Kart since Mario Kart 7 was released in 2011 for the Nintendo 3DS.
The new Mario Kart for Wii U is the first to introduce anti-gravity gameplay to the game series, which should make for some interesting races with tracks going up walls and leaving you hanging upside down.
You’ll also be able to utilise hovering karts and bikes, as well as new gliders and under-water propeller vehicles in Mario Kart 8 – all equipped with electromagnets to glue you to the track of course.
Hopefully, as Mario Kart 8 is a Wii U exclusive, the title should inject some life into the Wii U sales, which have been a little slow at best.
Earlier this year, Nintendo slashed its Wii U sales forecast to just 2.8 million for the financial year. The original prediction was for 9 million, which is quite a substantial drop.
However, the Nintendo 3DS family is still a strong seller for the company, as is software, which is where the company really makes its money.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
