Mario Kart’s new 200cc update along with its second batch of DLC is less than 48 hours away, and with that comes some maintenance scheduled to make sure everything is working fine on release day!

This often happens prior to new updates, so you can expect the update to go live soon after the maintenance is over.

Maintenance times are as follows:
NA (PST): April 23rd, 2015 — 12:50AM-2AM
NA (EST): April 23rd, 2015 — 3:50AM-5AM
UK (BST): April 23rd, 2015 — 8:50AM-10AM
EU (CEST): April 23rd, 2015 — 9:50AM-11AM
JP (JST): April 23rd, 2015 — 4:50PM-6PM

Source 1, Source 2

More: maintenance, Mario Kart 8

Mario Kart 8 – more Baby Park, Ribbon Road, and Neo Bowser City comparisons

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

Thanks to IGN, we have yet another video comparing the upcoming Mario Kart 8 DLC courses Baby Park, Ribbon Road, and Neo Bowser City to tracks from their original games. Catch it below.

Source

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[Feature] How Mario Kart 8 continues to breathe new life into a once-stagnant series

Posted on 9 years ago by Dennis Gagliardotto(@LyonHart_) in Features, Game of the Month, Wii U | 40 Comments

The newest installment on the Wii U breathes life into a series that was quickly losing its charm and magic

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.

More: highlight, Mario Kart 8

Mario Kart 8 – Neo Bowser City comparison (Wii U vs. 3DS)

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

GameXplain has put together a video comparing the Neo Bowser City track in Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 7. You can watch it below.

More: comparison, DLC, Mario Kart 7, Mario Kart 8

Nintendo Minute – Mario Kart 8 DLC Pack 2 first look

Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Videos, Wii U | 2 Comments

This week’s Nintendo Minute gives us another look at next week’s Mario Kart 8 DLC. Take a look at the video below.

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Nintendo selling refurbished Mario Kart 8 with Wiimote Plus and Wii Wheel through its online store

Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 4 Comments

Nintendo has a new refurbished game bundle up on its online store. You can grab a copy of Mario Kart 8, a Wii Remote Plus, and a Wii Wheel for $60. A few extra dollars will probably be needed for shipping as well.

If you’re interested, place an order here.

More: Mario Kart 8

Mario Kart 8 – Ribbon Road comparison (Wii U vs. GBA)

Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in GBA, Videos, Wii U | 1 Comment

More: comparison, DLC, Mario Kart 8, Mario Kart: Double Dash

A few more videos for the second wave of Mario Kart 8 DLC

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

IGN has a few more videos of next week’s Mario Kart 8 DLC. As usual, we’ve posted them below. We’ve shared a ton of DLC videos at this point, so this will probably be the last post with footage for awhile!