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Cheer up, England fans! At least Mario Kart VR is coming home

So the England football team weren’t able to bring the World Cup back to London, but Mario Kart in VR isn’t a bad consolation prize right? OK, we’re clutching at straws here.

Anyway, today Bandai Namco announced that the Mario Kart VR Experience will be pull up in the capital on August 3. The game, which has only been available in Tokyo until now, will be playable at the Hollywood Bowl at the O2 and you can make reservations on the website from today.

Using a HTC Vive and stationary karts with steering wheels and pedals, gamers can take to the virtual world as either Mario, Peach, Luigi or Yoshi. You’ll be able to look around and see who’s about to toss a shell in your general direction and toss your own power-ups any competitors from your own eye-line.

After the London roll-out the Mario Kart VR experience will eventually be available at Hollywood Bowl locations in Tunbridge Wells and Leeds, but there’s no word on yet when it’ll arrive at those VR hotspots.

Related: Best VR headsets 2018

Here’s a look at the experience from the Japanese perspective to whet your appetite. The description alone  (via Engadget) is enough to get us excited: “The course is filled with the well-known Mario Kart traps and tricks. Dodge giant Piranha Plants and Thwomps, leap over huge ravines, and watch out for Koopa as he tries to get in your way…”

What other classic games do you think deserve the VR treatment? Let us know @TrustedReviews on Twitter.

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