Mario Kart 8

Mario Kart 8 is the eighth console game in the Mario Kart franchise. It was released on May 30th for the Wii U. The game primarilaly focuses on the new anti gravitational mode added into the game.

Gameplay
The gameplay is similar to most traditional Mario Kart games. The main karts use a similar design from Mario Kart 7. Along with the design, glidersl return along the vehicles being able to ride underwater. Bikes, which were introduced in Mario Kart Wii are also back but cannot do wheelies like before. The game introduces anti-gravity tracks, that allow the players to race on vertical and upside-down roads, and if two anti-gravity racers bump into each other, they will both spin around and recieve a burst of extra speed. The tracks are also more narrow than other courses. Coins also return, but like Mario Kart 7, players can only collect 10 at a time.

Twelve racers at a time return from Mario Kart Wii. A new addition, bike and kart headlights turn on when the player is in a dark area. In an interview, a producer of the game, Hideki Konno, has said that a Mario Kart Double Dash!! style mode was under consideration, which means two racers can ride on one vehicle. In the final version, players hold items like they do in ''Mario Kart Double Dash!!. ''However, if the player has a triple item behind or around them, they cannot pick up another item at the same time.

Battle mode is also changed, and uses race tracks instead of battle courses because of time constraints. Coin Runners was also removed, with Balloon Battle being the only battle mode present in the game.

Characters
There are 30 playable characters confirmed, with sixteen characters are available at the start while fourteen are unlockable. There will be 3 different classes that each character will be in. Here you can see how to unlock all the characters.



Lightweights

 * Toad
 * Koopa Troopa
 * Shy Guy (including seven alternate costumes)
 * Baby Mario
 * Baby Luigi
 * Baby Peach
 * Baby Daisy
 * Toadette (Unlockable)
 * Lakitu (Unlockable)
 * Baby Rosalina (Unlockable)
 * Lemmy (Unlockable)
 * Larry (Unlockable)
 * Wendy (Unlockable)
 * Isabelle (DLC)
 * Villager (DLC)

Mediumweights

 * Mario
 * Luigi
 * Princess Peach
 * Princess Daisy
 * Yoshi (including seven alternate colors)
 * Iggy (Unlockable)
 * Ludwig (Unlockable)
 * Link (DLC)
 * Tanooki Mario (DLC)
 * Cat Peach (DLC)

Heavyweights

 * Bowser
 * Donkey Kong
 * Wario
 * Waluigi
 * Rosalina (Unlockable)
 * Metal Mario (Unlockable)
 * Pink Gold Peach (Unlockable)
 * Roy (Unlockable)
 * Morton (Unlockable)
 * Dry Bowser (DLC)

Any

 * Mii (Unlockable)

Trivia

 * This game marks the first time the Koopalings are playable in the Mario Kart series.
 * This also marks the first time that the Koopalings are playable in the Mario series all together.
 * This is the first game to make a fan-made character into an official Nintendo character: Baby Rosalina.
 * This is the first Mario Kart game to have battle mode on a regular race track.

Gallery

 * Main article: /Gallery/