Mario Kart 8

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The double-sided Mario Kart 8 poster can be secured by pre-ordering

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This week’s Famitsu review scores are as follows:

Mario Kart 8 (Wii U) – 9/9/9/10
2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil (PS3/360) – 8/9/9/8
Trials Fusion (PS4) – 8/8/8/9
Nobunaga no Yabou: Souzou (PSV) – 8/9/9/8
Chou Megami Shinkou Noire Gekishin Black Heart (PSV) – 7/8/8/8
Eiyuu*Senki (PSV) – 8/7/7/*
Arcana Heart 3: Love Max (PS3/PSV) – 6/8/7/7
Mobile Suit Gundam Side Story: Missing Link (PS3) – 7/8/7/7
Motto Ane Chanto Shiyouyo +Plus (PSV) – */7/7/7
Heart no Kuni no Alice: Wonderful Twin World (PSP) – 6/*/7/7

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The Mario Kart TV feature in Mario Kart 8 took quite a bit of work to implement, director Kosuke Yabuki told EDGE this month.

Highlight reels are determined by several factors like “the way the race develops, the way items are used, as well as changes in position.” To get things working properly, Yabuki said the development team “spent a lot of time to make it what it is.”

Mario Kart 8 automatically creates highlight reels based on a number of elements, including the way the race develops, the way items are used, as well as changes in position. It may look fairly simple, but we spent a lot of time to make it what it is. In two player multiplayer, the AI focuses on moments that show the relation between these two players… I think it creates a really nice, enjoyable video, even if it does look simple.

EDGE mentioned that Mario Kart 8’s YouTube uploading ability “suggests a change of thinking at Nintendo.” When asked why the company included this sharing feature, Yabuki responded:

When we were preparing the automatic highlight reel feature, we wanted users to share these videos with others, not just watch them by themselves. For example, after uploading a reel to YouTube, you can re-watch the highlights of your online battle the next day in your office, or at school or even on your smartphone. It will definitely encourage people to keep playing, and may be a great way to invite others to join you for a game.

Thanks to joclo for the tip.

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MCV has published a few new comments from Nintendo UK’s Mario brand manager Roger Langford.

Langford first spoke generally about the racer, stating that it “really harnesses the capability of Wii U”.

“Mario Kart 8 really harnesses the capability of Wii U, it has HD graphics and runs at 60 frames per second constantly in single and multiplayer. There are lots of tweaks in the game that on the face of it might not sound like much. But we are looking to seed these bits out to the core Mario Kart fans via our online and social media campaign, and get that word-of-mouth and buzz up to launch. So that when we get to release day, we have the big TV campaign to make the big splash, but also the fans are raring to go.”

Langford also mentioned how Mario Kart in general tends to be one of Nintendo’s “killer titles” and each entry tends to take advantage of the company’s hardware.

“Mario Kart is one of our killer titles. Looking back at Super Mario Kart and then moving through the ages, you can see how integral Mario Kart is to Nintendo hardware. It always brings out the best in whatever hardware it is on. Super Mario Kart was one of the first two-player racing games out at the time. The N64 version was one of the first to allow four-player split-screen play. Then the DS version encouraged wireless download play, and Wii had its online functionality.”

From a commercial standpoint, Langford believes “that Mario Kart 8 can be the catalyst that will broaden Wii U’s horizons.”

“I certainly feel that Mario Kart 8 can be the catalyst that will broaden Wii U’s horizons. It’s very important for us that we have a successful launch and continue the promotion throughout the year and beyond.”

Last but not least, Langford spoke about Nintendo’s offer that provides consumers with an additional free Wii U title on the eShop with the purchase of Mario Kart 8.

“That offer lends itself perfectly to those people looking to buy into Wii U. You pick up the Mario Kart 8 bundle, and you can also download Wii Party U or Nintendo Land if you’re getting it for the family, or if you’re a Mario fan you can get New Super Mario Bros U. We also cater for more core gamers, as well, with Monster Hunter 3 and The Wonderful 101. We are offering that variety because Mario Kart 8 does attract such a broad demographic.”

Source

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Here’s a little bit of trivia for you: all Mario Kart games are made from scratch. Nintendo doesn’t reuse its programming, assets, or other material across entries in the series.

We know this thanks to a Mario Kart 8 interview with director Kosuke Yabuki recently conducted by EDGE. The magazine mentioned that vehicles are easy to handle once acclimatized to, but wondered if Yabuki ever worried about the possibility of making the game less immediate.

He said in response:

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