Mario Kart 8 Video Preview

We recently took Mario Kart 8 for a spin, and we found the series' first entry on Wii U to be solid, speedy and beautiful. In addition to its gravity-defying mechanics – which we sampled at E3 last year – we got to try out plenty of new racers, power-ups and 16 different tracks, including 8 retro tracks pulled from previous Mario Kart games.

Get the lowdown in our video preview, and find a list of the returning retro tracks we played after the break.

• Moo Moo Meadows (Wii)

• Mario Circuit (GBA)

• Cheep Cheep Beach (DS)

• Toad's Turnpike (N64)

• Dry Dry Desert (GameCube)

• Donut Plains 3 (SNES)

• Royal Raceway (N64)

• DK Jungle (3DS)