The illustrious Mario Kart is a series that’s been around since SNES and has touched the hearts of millions across the globe with its simplistic-yet-addictive and sometimes-competitive gameplay. We’ve seen the series grow exponentially in features and gimmicks with each new generational entry, but there’s always been one thing in particular that they’ve all had in common that was causing the series to dwindle in its excitement and keeping it from its full potential: speed.

Now, just to be clear, I’ve always loved and will continue to love Mario Kart. It’s held a special place in my heart since I first played it as a child on the Nintendo 64, but as I’ve grown and watched it evolve with each new entry, whether handheld or console, my interest in Mario Kart began to tank, specifically after Double Dash!!. I didn’t have any animosity towards the series (except for Mario Kart Wii) – it’ll always be in a league of its own – but as I began to delve into other racing games across various platforms, quickly becoming one of my favorite genres, it was hard to go back to Mario Kart expecting an immersive, adrenaline-fueled experience games like Burnout, Need for Speed, Extreme G Racing, or F-Zero would give me. After a while, even games that had the same power-up/items mechanics it had like Wipeout, Blur, Split/Second and, in a more obscure sense, Twisted Metal started to feel superior to Mario Kart. I’d still go back and play Double Dash!! and 64 from time to time with friends, but despite the merriment of the occasion, I couldn’t play more than twenty minutes at a time before wanting to go to sleep. The excitement was lost for me. I preferred to watch from a distance.

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[Just a Chat] Monster Hunter Stories, Project X Zone 2, Mario Kart 8 DLC, and more

Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, Just a Chat, Wii U | 0 comments

There was lots of Nintendo news this week, including the announcements of Monster Hunter Stories and Project X Zone 2. Brian and Daan talk about both of these games, along with the new Mario Kart 8 DLC tracks, Smash Bros., and more!

Stuff:

Brian’s Twitter
Daan’s Twitter

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[Giveaway] Super Smash Bros. for Wii U Mewtwo DLC code

Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Giveaway, Wii U | 6 Comments

Update 2: Latest winners announced! Congratulations to NintendCoo, TheOfficialBert, and thecerealwizard.

Update: Our winner is in! Congratulations to 1upGoomba.

The Mewtwo festivities aren’t over though! Thanks to Dingledots and an anonymous giver, we have three more codes (2 3DS, 1 Wii U) to hand out. Enter the Wii U giveaway here, and the 3DS giveaway here.

Reader mrsujano was kind enough to give us a Mewtwo DLC code for Smash Bros. Wii U. That means it’s time for a new giveaway!

Entering is very simple, though you’ll need a Twitter account. We’ll choose a random winner based on those who are following us on Twitter and re-tweet this post. It will be a quick giveaway, as we’re choosing a winner tomorrow.

Good luck!

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Famitsu’s most wanted games (4/19/15)

Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News, Wii U | 3 Comments

It’s time for the latest Famitsu’s most wanted games chart! Highlights include Bravely Second at #2, and Fire Emblem If has now entered the top five.

Head past the break for the full chart. All votes were cast between April 2 and April 8.

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March 2015 NPD: Wii U and 3DS hardware sales, Code Name: S.T.E.A.M., and more

Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, New Nintendo 3DS, News, Wii U | 23 Comments

The March 2015 NPD results were reported on Thursday. Nintendo neglected to share hardware sales, but we do have a couple of very close estimates. The family of 3DS systems sold roughly 260,000 – 270,000 units while Wii U moved about 80,000 – 85,000 units.

Aside from hardware sales, we have data for two 3DS titles that debuted in North America last month. Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. sold just 31,000 units, based on a figure provided by reliable NPD leaker “creamsugar”. Fossil Fighters: Frontier also launched last month and managed to sell roughly 35,000 copies.

That’s not all on the NPD front, as cremsugar shared a few lifetime U.S. sales figures for Wii U titles as well. Those are as follows:

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker – roughly 326,000 units
ZombiU – roughly 204,000 units
Bayonetta 2 – roughly 157,000 units
The Wonderful 101 – roughly 104,000 units

Source

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Pre-order updates (4/19/15)

Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News, Wii U | 3 Comments

Below are the latest titles that can be currently pre-ordered at retailers:

Wii U

Guitar Hero Live (new) – Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop
Mario Maker – Amazon, GameStop (new)
LEGO Dimensions – Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop
Rodea: The Sky Soldier – Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop
Legend of Kay HD – Amazon
LEGO Marvel’s Avengers – Amazon
LEGO Jurassic World – Amazon, GameStop
Terraria – Amazon
Shin Megami Tensei x Fire Emblem – Best Buy
The Legend of Zelda – Amazon, Best Buy
Xenoblade Chronicles X – Amazon, Best Buy
Yoshi’s Woolly World – Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop
Splatoon – Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop
Devil’s Third – Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop

3DS

Project X Zone 2 (new) – Amazon
Senran Kagura 2: Deep Crimson – Amazon, GameStop
Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold: The Fafnir Knight – Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop
Rodea: The Sky Soldier – Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop
Lord of Magna: Maiden Heaven – Amazon, GameStop
Fire Emblem – Best Buy
LEGO Marvel’s Avengers – Amazon
LEGO Jurassic World – Amazon, GameStop
Puzzle & Dragons Z + Puzzle & Dragons Super Mario Bros. Edition – Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop
Terraria – Amazon
Hatsune Miku: Project Mirai DX – Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop
Devil Survivor 2: Record Breaker – Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop

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Media Create software sales (4/6 – 4/12) – Top 50

Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News, Wii U | 0 comments

This week’s expanded Japanese software sales are as follows:

1. [PS4] Dark Souls II Scholar of the First Sin – 20,494 / NEW\
2. [PSV] 3rd Super Robot Wars Z Tengoku Hen – 15,394 / 136,613
3. [PS3] 3rd Super Robot Wars Z Tengoku Hen – 14,582 / 123,783
4. [PSV] Minecraft: PlayStation Vita Edition – 11,842 / 84,942
5. [PS3] One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3 – 10,777 / 130,285
6. [PS4] Bloodborne – 9,780 / 184,957
7. [PSV] Sword Art Online: Lost Song – 9,037 / 171,613
8. [WIU] Mario Party 10 – 8,954 / 112,442
9. [3DS] Xenoblade Chronicles 3D – 8,905 / 65,837
10. [3DS] Assassination Classroom: Grand Siege on Kurosensei – 8,555 / 44,631
11. [3DS] Yo-Kai Watch 2: Shinuchi – 7,275 / 2,581,192
12. [3DS] Theatrhythm Dragon Quest – 7,111 / 99,965
13. [PSV] One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3 – 6,984 / 76,236
14. [PS4] Earth Defense Force 4.1: The Shadow of New Despair – 6,362 / 27,944
15. [3DS] Pokemon Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire – 6,057 / 2,593,401
16. [PS3] Pro Baseball Spirits 2015 – 5,993 / 83,131
17. [PSV] Pro Baseball Spirits 2015 – 5,251 / 62,788
18. [PSV] Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth – 5,218 / 123,656
19. [WIU] Mario Kart 8 – 4,961 / 956,963
20. [PS3] Resident Evil: Revelations 2 – 4,892 / 107,992