You might be wondering why Nintendo decided to implement such a drastic alteration for Battle Mode. Kosuke Yabuki, director of the title, did explain the thought process to EDGE this month.

Yabuki said the following when asked why the team replaced arenas with tracks:

We’ve changed the style of Battle mode for Mario Kart 8 to use circuits that lots of people can play on. Players won’t know when a rival will appear from around a corner, which will bring a new sense of excitement and strategy to this mode. In terms of rules, we designed it for playing with 12 players, including the CPU. In the beginning, you have to defeat the CPU players and earn your score, and towards the end it becomes a battle between just human players. That’s the real thrill of it! It should also be a fresh experience for users to be able to race backwards around the circuits they are familiar with. I’m sure there will be a few people who aren’t so sure about us moving away from how we’ve done things previously, but I hope they try it out for themselves first. I’m sure it will be a new experience for everyone, [and] like no other battles in Mario Kart before

Thanks to joclo for the tip.

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Defy Gravity: Test Drive Mario Kart 8 at Select GameStop Stores May 17-18

Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 18 Comments

Over 2,700 GameStop stores will be offering hands-on time with Mario Kart 8 this coming weekend, Nintendo announced today. Fans will be able to try out the Wii U racer between 12 PM and 4 PM local time during the weekend of May 17-18 as part of “Mario Kart 8 Test Drive Days”.

Those who pre-order Mario Kart 8 at GameStop will receive an exclusive double-sided poster. This applies to previous reservations as well.

You can find more information about the demo event here.

Source: Nintendo PR

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Mario Kart 8 team pushed Wii U to its limits, but dev says the console “still has a lot of potential left”

Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 58 Comments

Mario Kart 8 manages to push the “Wii U’s capabilities to their limits”, director Kosuke Yabuki has said. Still, Yabuki believes that the console “has a lot of potential left, and I suspect there are more ways to make use of its capabilities that we haven’t even imagined.”

Yabuki shared these remarks while speaking with EDGE this month. His full comments can be found below, which came about when asked how he thinks the team pushed the Wii U hardware.

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A look at the Mario Kart 8 digital manual

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Thanks to Tytygh for the tip.

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Video: Mario Kart 8’s alternate title screens

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Mario Kart 8 – Sherbet Land comparison (Wii U vs. GameCube)

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More Mario Kart 8 Battle Mode footage

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Source

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Off-screen Mario Kart 8 footage on the GamePad

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Mario Kart 8 special unlock, credits video

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Don’t want to give too much away here, since I know people tend to be sensitive about potential spoiler-like content. In any case, you can head past the break if you want to check out these two new Mario Kart 8 videos.

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A few quotes from EDGE’s Mario Kart 8 review

Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 0 comments

We know that EDGE handed out a 9 / 10 score to Mario Kart 8. But what did the magazine actually say about Nintendo’s new racer?

CVG picked out a few quotes, starting with the following:

“Even 2011’s effervescent 3DS outing, Mario Kart 7, feels somewhat lifeless by comparison. The new HD visuals are gorgeous, but Nintendo has also built on 7’s neatly interlaced mechanics and introduced a nuanced handling model to create the greatest Mario Kart yet.”

EDGE had some criticism for Mario Kart 8’s Balloon Battle mode’s arenas, but the publication still said that the game “is as essential a purchase as Super Mario 3D World.”