Mario Kart 8
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Return to Excitebike Arena in first Mario Kart 8 DLC
Alongside Yoshi's Circuit and Link's Master Cycle, the first Mario Kart 8 DLC pack will also include a dirt track inspired by NES motorcycle racing classic Excitebike. For those too young to remember console games that debuted in 1984, Excitebike saw players racing from right to left and leaping off dirt ramps while attempting to speed to the finish. Think of it as a proto-Trials without the modern physics technology and you've got the basic idea. The Excitebike Arena track updates the aesthetics of the NES classic for the Wii U, but as you can see in the footage below the break, is otherwise an unmistakable homage to one of Nintendo's lesser hits. The first Mario Kart 8 DLC pack is slated to launch at some point in November. It will feature an $8 price tag, but fans willing to go as high as $12 can grab both the first DLC pack and a second, Animal Crossing-themed DLC pack to be released in May 2015. [Image: Nintendo]
Race around Yoshi's Circuit in Mario Kart 8 DLC video
Mario Kart 8's first paid DLC pack will feature the return of a track from previous Kart games, Yoshi's Circuit. Racers can catch a glimpse of the Double Dash and Mario Kart DS track in the video provided by Nintendo of Japan after the break. The trailer also shows off some of the additional goodies players will receive when they pick up the add-on content pack, such as the Cat Peach, Tanooki Mario and Link racers. It also features the multi-colored Yoshis available to those that buy both the first and second DLC pack. The DLC packs are $8 individually and $12 when purchased together. The first pack will also include F-Zero's Blue Falcon vehicle, Mario's B-Dasher kart and a special Master Cycle based on The Legend of Zelda series. The DLC will launch next month, followed by the second, Animal Crossing-themed pack in May 2015. [Image: Nintendo]
Link's Master Cycle makes spirit tracks in Mario Kart 8 DLC
The first downloadable content pack for Mario Kart 8 will include a special motorcycle inspired by the Legend of Zelda series, Nintendo revealed on Twitter. The Master Cycle features Link's iconic Hylian Shield on the side and a body shape that vaguely resembles a horse. Seen in the concept art above, the cycle also sports a blue and gold paint job and a Triforce on the front wheel. The Master Cycle is one of four new vehicles arriving in the November DLC pack, another being Mario's B Dasher kart from Mario Kart DS. The pack will also include three new playable racers, Link, Tanooki Mario and Cat Peach, as well as eight race tracks. Mario Kart 8's first piece of DLC will cost $8 on its own, though players will be able to pick it and another pack up in a two-for-one bundle for $12. The second DLC pack is Animal Crossing-themed and will arrive in May 2015. [Image: Nintendo]
Joystiq Discussion: All aboard Nintendo's Amiibo train?
Just a little more than a month to go before patient Wii U owners will finally get a Super Smash Bros. to call their own. November 21st will bring more than just HD Smash into your home, though. Nintendo will also roll out its Amiibo that day, the teensy near-field communication equipped figurines that let you summon up helpers in the game. Slam that little Princess Peach on your Wii U tablet controller, and she'll show up in Smash smacking fools around on your behalf. Here's the thing, though. Those Amiibo are $13 a pop, which is mighty expensive for toys with such limited use in the game. There isn't even a bundle option for anyone interested in collecting. It would be one thing if there was a clear picture of future functionality, but Nintendo's tight lipped about any long-term plans for the toys. Nintendo says Mario Kart 8 will support Amiibo, but still hasn't said how or when. Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker will use them as well, but even though that game's out in December, it's unknown Amiibo functionality won't be available in 2015. Why would people buy up these toys when they have no idea why they should? Are they cool enough as collectibles on their own? Will you pick up that Kid Icarus one for no reason other than it's rad? Take our poll after the break and discuss your Amiibo plans in the comments below.
Mario Kart 8 B Dasher video brings back Mario's mad moves
It's baaack. The B Dasher returns to the Mario Kart franchise in North America with Mario Kart 8's first DLC pack, due to launch in November. Here it is in action once again, with Mario behind the wheel.
Mario Kart 8 DLC revives the plumber's trusty B Dasher kart
American gamers haven't seen the aerodynamic B Dasher kart since its debut in Mario Kart DS, but that's about to change thanks to Nintendo's burgeoning Mario Kart 8 DLC plans. "The quick B Dasher kart returns in Mario Kart 8 and will be in the 1st DLC pack," reads a tweet from Nintendo of America. Beyond that details are scant, but it appears the "1st DLC pack" the tweet is referring to is the game's upcoming Legend of Zelda-themed DLC. That pack, which is slated for launch in November, also includes three new characters (Link, Tanooki Mario and Cat Peach) alongside eight additional race tracks and four new vehicles. It's priced at $8, though fans can purchase the DLC as well as a second, similarly immense DLC pack scheduled for release in May 2015 for $12. Though the B Dasher has most frequently been seen alongside Mario - the duo even grace the cover of Mario Kart DS - as you can see in the above screenshot, Mario Kart 8 will allow any character to take the B Dasher for a spin. Just keep an eye out for low-flying blue shells. [Image: Nintendo]
Nintendo reveals first Amiibo figures and prices, but no release date
Nintendo revealed an initial line up of Amiibo toys on Thursday. The near-field communication-equipped action figures compatible with Nintendo Wii U and 3DS games like Super Smash Bros. will cost $12.99 each when they launch, but Nintendo has yet to announce an official release date for the line beyond 2014. The first wave includes 12 figures, among them many that were initially unveiled at E3 2014. Metroid's Samus, The Legend of Zelda's Link, Kirby, Donkey Kong, Star Fox, Pikachu, the Animal Crossing boy villager, and Super Mario Bros.' Mario, Princess Peach, and Yoshi populate the line. There are also figures of Marth from the Fire Emblem series and the Wii Fit trainer. Some figures shown in prototype form at E3 2014, including Princess Zelda and Kid Icarus, are not included in the first wave. While Nintendo still hasn't confirmed a release date for its Amiibo, it did announce additional games that will support the figures, including Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, Yoshi's Wooly World, Mario Party 10, and Mario Kart 8. Show full PR text SUPER SMASH BROS., AMIIBO, POKÉMON AND NEW HARDWARE BUNDLES STAR IN NINTENDO'S HOLIDAY LINEUP Pre-Orders for First 12 amiibo Figures Kick off Nintendo's Holiday Season REDMOND, Wash., Aug. 29, 2014 – Nintendo has prepared a massive lineup of new games and products for the 2014 holiday season. The lineup includes new entries from some of the biggest franchises in gaming, new hardware bundles for Wii U and Nintendo 2DS, and new amiibo interactive figures featuring some of the most iconic characters in the world of video games. The holiday shopping season begins today for Nintendo fans, as the first 12 amiibo interactive figures become available for pre-order at a suggested retail price of just $12.99 each. The first dozen characters available for pre-order at select retailers are Mario, Peach, Link, Samus, Yoshi, Donkey Kong, Pikachu, Kirby, Fox, Marth, Villager and Wii Fit Trainer, with more on the way in the future. "Nintendo's holiday offerings demonstrate a combination of fun franchises and great value," said Scott Moffitt, Nintendo of America's executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. "With Wii U and Nintendo 2DS hardware bundles, classic names like Super Smash Bros., Bayonetta and Pokémon, new IP like Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, and amiibo, everyone will find something to love about Nintendo this holiday season. Whether people are shopping for themselves or they're prepping their gift lists, Nintendo has them covered." Interactive amiibo Figures: Nintendo's foray into the toys-to-life category starts today, with the first 12 amiibo figures available to pre-order from select retailers. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, which launches this holiday season, will be the first game with full integration of amiibo functionality. Other games that will support amiibo include Mario Kart 8, Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, Mario Party 10 and Yoshi's Woolly World, with more to come. More details on amiibo functionality with the various games and a launch date will be revealed shortly.
Super Mario 3D World, Walmart Mario Kart 8 Wii U bundles by mid-September
Along with a new 3DS for Japan, which is not planned for the US or Europe this year, Nintendo also revealed new Wii U bundles. Available sometime in mid-September, Nintendo of America plans on launching a Super Mario 3D World and Mario Kart 8 bundle. The Super Mario 3D World deluxe set bundle will feature a physical copy of the game and Nintendo Land for $299.99. The Mario Kart 8 bundle is a "Walmart exclusive," with a physical copy of the game along with Nintendo Land, and it will also retail for $299.99 "while supplies last." [Image: Nintendo]
Mario Kart 8 DLC packs priced $8 each, $12 2-in-1 bundle
Nintendo of America confirmed the crossover Mario Kart 8 DLC packs spotted yesterday on the company's UK site, with the Zelda pack due to launch stateside in November and the Animal Crossing one in May 2015. Both packs will be available for pre-order starting today, each priced at $8. However, if you know you're going to get both, you can save 25 percent by ordering the $12 two-in-one bundle. The saving doesn't apply if you buy both packs separately, unfortunately. On the flip side, anyone who buys both packs unlocks eight new colors of Yoshi and Shy Guy "immediately," in case you're in immediate need of some technicolor racing.
Link revs up in Mario Kart 8 this November
Link is a playable character in Mario Kart 8 with the "Legend of Zelda X Mario Kart 8" DLC pack, due out in the UK in November for £7. We're contacting Nintendo of America for more information about a stateside release [Update: The packs are now confirmed for North America]. The pack includes Tanooki Mario, Cat Peach and Link as new playable characters, plus four vehicles and eight courses (that's two new cups with four courses each). A second DLC pack for Mario Kart 8 is due out in May 2015, called "Animal Crossing X Mario Kart 8." It includes new playable characters in Isabelle, Villager and Dry Bowser, plus four vehicles and eight courses. Purchase both packs in a bundle or separately and snag eight different-colored Shy Guys and eight different-colored Yoshis. Score. [Image: Nintendo]
Mario Kart 8 sales surpass 1 million in US
Over one million players have felt the cold dead eyes of Luigi on them in Mario Kart 8, Nintendo has announced, revealing the racer has become the second Wii U game to reach the sales milestone in the United States. According to a press release, New Super Mario Bros. Wii U was the first title to sell over one million units in the region. In a filing earlier this month that showed the company post a $97M quarterly loss, Nintendo said Mario Kart 8 enjoyed a great attach rate with shipments of 2.82 million by the end of June. "Mario Kart 8 continues to drive momentum for the Wii U platform," the publisher said, claiming hardware sales have increased by "nearly" 60 per cent in the first seven months in 2014, versus the same reported period in 2013. Though official numbers were never revealed, July 2013 was notable for seeing a drastic 34-percent hardware sales slump versus 2012 results.
Free Mercedes DLC rolls into Mario Kart 8 later this month
Following word that the previously Japan-exclusive Mercedes Benz-themed DLC for Mario Kart 8 would be appearing in the West, we now have an official launch date: August 27. "An Aug. 27 game update to Mario Kart 8 for the Wii U console will deliver a variety of new features for players, including the ability in-game to download three free Mercedes-Benz cars that players can race: the modern Mercedes-Benz GLA, the 300 SL Roadster from the 1950s and the legendary Silver Arrow of the 1930s," reads Nintendo's official statement. As fits the Mushroom Kingdom setting, each of these vehicles can be customized using Mario Kart 8's selection of whimsical automobile parts, though the GLA features its own, unique wheel options. Additionally, the update will tweak a few annoyances in Mario Kart 8. Online stability will be improved, the leaderboards seen between races will offer more useful information and players will be granted more options when viewing Mario Kart TV replays. Best of all, the update will be available as a free download to anyone with a Wii U and a copy of the game. [Image: Nintendo]
Nintendo posts $97M quarterly loss, despite Mario Kart 8 racing off shelves
Mario Kart 8 enjoyed a great attach rate with shipments of 2.82 million by the end of June, but the vast majority of its success can be attributed to existing Wii U owners and not new buyers. Nintendo shipped 510,000 units of its home console across April to June, a quarter in which the company endured a 9.924 billion yen net loss, which converts to $97.2 million. The systems's total shipments as of June 30 rose to 6.68 million; Nintendo still expects to hit its target of 3.6 million units across the fiscal year, which would take the console to 9.77 million by March 2015. The company admitted in May the Wii U "still faces a challenging sales situation," and it will look to build off the success of Mario Kart 8 with the launch of Super Smash Bros. and its set of Amiibo figurines this fall.
Japanese Mario Kart 8 ad showcases the Luigi Death Stare
Is that a subtle Nintendo endorsement of the Luigi Death Stare? After the House of Mario's understated acknowledgment in its E3 presentation, a new Mario Kart 8 commercial in Japan seems to presents the plumber's ice-cold eyes with another knowing wink. Or is this just inadvertence layered over inadvertence? Meanwhile below the break, Fire Emblem: Awakening's Lucina remains unamused.
June NPD: Hardware sales up, Watch Dogs and Mario Kart top games
June was a big month for the gaming industry, according to the NPD, as hardware sales shot up by more than 100 percent, and collective sales of hardware, software and accessories grew by 24 percent. "The 106 percent increase in hardware sales was lifted entirely by console hardware sales, which were up by over 200 percent," notes NPD analyst Liam Callahan. Sony claims the PlayStation 4 was yet again the highest-selling console (for the sixth consecutive month), and Microsoft says that the Kinect-less Xbox One doubled its sales in June. Nintendo's Wii U has experienced a 48 percent growth in hardware sales for the first half of 2014, a feat the company attributes primarily to the success of Mario Kart 8. Despite a decline in overall portable console sales, the 3DS saw a 55 percent increase in sales over May, according to Nintendo. Though Mario Kart 8 has been very successful, it did not take the top software sales spot for June.
Hackers break Mario Kart 8, vow to not aid cheaters
The most basic premise of console multiplayer is the idea that everyone has a level technological playing field, but as the above video demonstrates, Mario Kart 8 is no longer the untouched, pristine walled garden its creators intended. Though this clip is described as "very basic stuff" and "a proof of concept," YouTube user MrBean35000vr is able to alter the game's soundtrack, rename tracks and alter the Wii U system's menu font. According to the video's description, all of this is possible thanks to a recently-discovered browser exploit combined with new code that allows the user to alter any data the game places into the Wii U's memory. Though this hack allows for a huge amount of control over Mario Kart 8, and may even have potential as an online cheating method, MrBean35000vr claims fans of Nintendo's latest mascot racer have nothing to fear. "None of this is in any state to be released at present, and it's unlikely that we ever will in the interest of preventing cheaters," reads a notice in the video's description, which is followed by an emoticon with its tongue hanging out - the hallmark of online sincerity. [Image: Nintendo]
Nintendo AGM: Mario Kart 8 sells 2 million, Iwata re-elected
Mario Kart 8 sold approximately 2 million copies worldwide in less than a month, as it continued to race along the Wii U sales charts. IGN reports Nintendo announced the sell-through figure at its annual general meeting of shareholders, which took place yesterday. Nintendo must be chipper about the racer's continued success, after it turbo-boosted off the grid with 1.2 million sales in its debut weekend. It'll be interesting to see how many came from new Wii U owners, given Nintendo of America said system sales quadrupled the week following release. We should get a better sense of that when Nintendo releases its quarterly financial results, which it's scheduled to do on July 30. The other major if not surprising news from Nintendo's meeting is investors re-elected company president Satoru Iwata. Despite drops in his approval rating and big fiscal losses, Iwata and the eight other directors were re-elected, while Outside Auditor Naoki Mizutani was newly elected as Outside Director. Iwata wasn't able to attend the AGM, as he was recovering from major surgery that took place the week before. The Nintendo chief came through the procedure well, and said "a little more time" is needed before he returns to his normal, Reggie-thumping work days. [Image: Nintendo]
Miiverse users can now embed posts elsewhere on the 'net
If you've ever found yourself wishing you could share your collection of Mario Kart 8 stamps with the rest of the Internet, you're in luck: The latest Miiverse update allows users to embed posts outside of Nintendo's nascent social media hub. "We've added a feature that lets you embed a Miiverse post in a web page," reads a recent Miiverse update. "Just open the web version of Miiverse, select a post and then click on 'Embed this Post' to obtain the HTML code for embedding on your web page." The only caveat attached to this new, user-friendly feature is that anyone attempting to view your embedded post must have Javascript enabled within their web browser. That's a pretty standard requirement for many web-based technologies, but keep it in mind if you opt to share your clever Miiverse musings but find you can't see the results on a decade-old smartphone. [Image: Miiverse]
Mario Kart 8's Mercedes DLC drifts toward North America, Europe
Despite jet-powered motorcycles and mushroom-fueled dragsters, Mario Kart 8 features a distinct lack of real-world bling - a flaw which will be rectified this summer when a special Mercedes Benz kart makes its Mushroom Kingdom debut. Though Japanese Mario Kart fans have long been awaiting the miniature Mercedes Benz GLA, it wasn't until today that fans in the Western world learned that they, too, would receive the fruits of this unexpected cross-company promotion. "We're planning to release a GLA-Class kart from @Mercedesbenz for #MK8 this summer," reads a recent tweet from Nintendo of America, which was then complemented by a similar notice from the Nintendo of Europe Twitter account. Neither tweet specifies a release date or pricing information for the DLC kart, though if North America and Europe both follow Japan's lead, the new ride should be available to players at no additional charge. [Image: Nintendo of America]
Joystiq Streams: Mario Kart 8 Joystiq vs Engadget! [UPDATE: Relive the stream!]
It's all come down to this! The Hells Shells have hugged their corners, held their banana peels behind them for entire laps, and surged through the finish line, never giving a damn who waited in the wings with a blue shell. We've trained up and we're ready to bring the noise to any rivals. You think the Joystiq crew is afraid? The only thing we fear is winning so many times that the children of our enemies will adopt us as their new parents. An all-star team of Joystiq racers offered up a challenge to the good people at Engadget and now, dear friends, it is time to race. Six racers enter, and it will be a miracle if even one leaves Rainbow Road alive. The Mario Kart 8 Joystiq versus Engadget Hells Shells Showdown starts at 4PM EST on Twitch.tv/Joystiq and right here on Joystiq.com. Come on down early for a heaping spoonful of pre-show smack talks as Mike Suszek (@MikeSuszek), Richard Mitchell (@TheRichardM), Danny Cowan (@db_cowan) bring the ruckus to Ben Gilbert (@RealBenGilbert) and Tim Seppala (@TimSeppala). Joystiq Streams broadcasts every Tuesday and Thursday at 4PM EST on the Joystiq Twitch channel and here on Joystiq.com. [Images: Nintendo]
