10 Reasons To Get Excited About Mario Kart 8

Finally, Mario Kart 8 is going to be released on the Wii U on the 30^th May 2014! Always a big seller for Nintendo, the Mario Kart series has gone from strength to strength since its début on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (Snes) in 1992 (you can currently relive your Super Mario Kart nostalgia by downloading it on the Wii U’s Virtual Console). Nintendo's first Mario-themed racing game provided great controls, music, fun courses and power-ups, plus a chance to zip around as one of the company's well loved characters for the first time. Since then, Super Mario Kart has spawned eight console games and three arcade versions, showing that our love of this memorable racer is still as strong as ever.

Reviews have started to pour in for the game, thankfully the majority of reviews have been favourable. The embargo is lifted, but most of us have to wait until the games official release date to play. Thankfully, it appears that Mario Kart 8 holds up to its promise of blending the series' classic racing format with brand spanking new HD graphics, modernised courses, expanded online play and new ways of racing. Also, it is worth mentioning that as a special release promotion, Nintendo are offering one of ten free games as a download for anyone who registers the game on Club Nintendo before the 30^th July 2014, including titles such as The Legend of Zelda: Windwaker HD and Pikmin 3.

With pre-orders of Mario Kart 8 promising, and plenty of people picking up a Wii U console in preparation for this racing title’s release, it looks like Nintendo’s Wii U is finally finding its feet, and it definitely doesn't hurt that reviewers are already billing the game as one of the best in Mario Kart's long and familiar 22 year history.

For all of you interested in giving the latest instalment of Mario Kart a go, check out my list of 10 reasons why you should pick up this game.

10. Mirror Mode Unlocked from the Start

Previous Mario Kart games required completion of the Tournament Mode to unlock Mirror Mode, a function that mirrors the entire course so that the route is reversed, posing a new challenge for gamers left wanting more after unlocking each cup, course and character.

In Mario Kart 8 however, Mirror Mode is available to play from the start, with the option to set this as a rule when setting up matches on the Online Tournament Mode. Whilst some may argue that this means that the Mirror Mode unlocking tradition in previous games has now been broken, it is quite refreshing to allow gamers the ability to challenge themselves from the get-go. The choice to jump in as a novice or after you have fully mastered each track is now yours.

9. Mario Kart TV

A first for the series, Mario Kart TV is an in-game channel that allows players to record highlights of their races, with the choice to then upload them to their YouTube or account or MiiVerse if they desire. Other players can then watch and comment on recorded highlight reels from any race played throughout the world. This allows for a fun experience in particular for local multiplayer sessions, where you and a group of friends can re-live a race, cheer as a friend lands an amusing shot on another player, boo or cheer the victor as they cross the finish line, and so on.

Editing options allow players to choose to focus the camera on different kinds of highlights, such as items, hits and drifting, with further options to set the video duration (30, 45 or 60 seconds). This is great news for those of you who are lacking the software needed to record your gameplay footage already, as demonstrated daily on YouTube by countless ‘Let’s Play’ videos.

It also emphasises that Mario Kart is about to embrace the online social community, something that is touched upon in the next addition to the list…

8. Expanded Online Play

A stand-out feature of Mario Kart Wii, online play has returned for the Wii U. The game offers online multiplayer up to 12 people, with four main categories of opponent: Global, Regional, Friends and Rivals. This time around, Mario Kart is a much more social experience, with the inclusion of the Wii U MiiVerse’s ability to post messages, doodles and interact with like-minded fans.

New to the online function is Tournament Mode, allowing players to create and name tournaments with a variety of different changeable rules, such as duration, frequency, type of remote used (if you want everyone to stick to Wii motes only, no problem) and so on. Your courses can be shared with all other players online, or limited to your friend group only by providing friends with your tournaments unique code.

There is also the option to download player ghosts to attempt to beat their race finish time. Beat a Mario Kart 8 developers ghost and you will get a bonus MiiVerse stamp. Finally, if you are playing a game with friends, Mario Kart 8 has incorporated voice chat in the lobby between courses via the GamePad’s built-in microphone.

7. Nice Mix of Retro and Modern Courses

Let’s face it; we all like to get a little nostalgic every now and then. Thankfully, Nintendo realise this by adding a mixture of retro courses in with their new modern races in the course roster. Fans will see a return of well-loved courses such as Donut Plains 3, Dry Dry Desert, and Rainbow Road; all revamped to incorporate the changes in vehicles, functions and modes, alongside brand new courses that will make their debut on Mario Kart 8.

Although change is a good thing, it is comforting to know that much of the gameplay fans familiarised themselves with in the previous games (especially in the more recent titles) remains, with just a few modernising touches to kept the formula from getting stale.

No Mario Kart is complete without the inclusion of items. As Mario Kart veterans will know, items can be launched at other racers to knock them off course, spin them out of control and help the player to race to the finish line in a respectable place. Joining the list of classic items (blue shell, anyone?) is the Boomerang which can attack racers on its return flight, the Piranha Plant that attacks nearby racers and obstacles, the Lucky Eight that randomly selects from all eight items, and the Super Horn which emits a defensive shockwave that attacks other racers, also sucking up and spitting out incoming obstacles (including the Blue Shell) which means for the first time there is actually a foolproof way of avoiding them, allowing players to stay in first place for longer.

6. Battle Mode

A nice alternative to straight-forward racing, Battle Mode - first seen in the SNES classic Super Mario Kart - returns for the latest instalment. This mode now features race tracks remixed to fit battle mode rather than containing all-new separate areas. Balloon Battle, Timed Points Battle Mode both make their welcome return, whilst Survival Mode, first introduced in Mario Kart DS, has also been added to the list.

Players can now also adjust the duration of each battle from one to five minutes, allowing for short, sweet and highly frantic matches. Whilst not a new addition to Mario Kart 8, Battle Mode is indeed a welcome one. This is also the mode where you may notice who is the most competitive out of your friends-things can get a little crazy when shells are flying left, right and centre.

5. Multi-Vehicles Return

Mario Kart Wii took the classic kart racing formula and expanded it by adding in the ability to drive underwater on specially adapted karts, zip around on motorbikes and hand glide through certain sections of the course, making for a refreshing, ever-changing race. Thankfully, this new addition has been carried over on to Mario Kart 8, joining a new ATV-a four wheeler all-terrain vehicle to the list of available transport.

This is the perfect time to mention that Mario Kart 8 boasts both impressive handling and drifting abilities. As Mario Kart veterans will probably tell you, drifting can often be the key to winning a race. Drifting for a short period of time produces a temporary boost which will excel your character at a faster speed than normal. It is fair to say that overtaking an opponent after pulling off the perfect drift is one of the most satisfying aspects of the game.

Like Mario Kart Wii before it, the ability to pull of tricks in mid-air for boosts also adds another dose of fun to the mix, which is perhaps best demonstrated whilst riding on the motorbikes. The use of Nintendo's in-game currency of those familiar golden coins also makes a return here, allowing the player to buy new Kart parts, as shown in Mario Kart 7 on the 3DS.

Fans of customisation, rejoice!

4. The Soundtrack

You can always rely on Nintendo to produce a great soundtrack, and this is particularly evident in the Mario Kart series. Mario Kart 8’s soundtrack is no exception. The 32-track playlist contains modernised versions of classic retro courses such as Donut Plains, Cheep Cheep Beach and Rainbow Road along with brand new music for the new courses. Infectious, cheerful and catchy, this soundtrack is definitely one to stick on when you are feeling a little low.

If you haven't heard it yet, YouTuber Vini64 has posted the full soundtrack online for you all to hear. Give it a listen below.

3. Anti-Gravity Function

A new feature for Mario Kart 8, the anti-gravity function allows the games designers to create their most innovative courses yet. In the previous games, elevation was only achieved via the inclusion of big jumps or by a gradual progression up hills and mountains. With Mario Kart 8, height can be achieved almost instantly, as the standard circuit tracks can be viewed at different angles, creating a refreshing spin that was definitely needed to revamp old, tired and very basic tracks.

With anti-gravity in place, racers will now be driving perpendicular to the ground in certain sections of courses. For example, the old classic Mario Circuit will now be viewed upside down in sections, allowing players to have a brand new way of viewing the familiar Mushroom Castle and other familiar Mario landmarks.

2. Large Character and Course Roster

Mario Kart 8 will include a substantial character roster, composing of 30 characters in total; 9 of which are brand new to the game.

New entries include Bowser's seven children, the Koopalings (Morton, Roy, Iggy, Ludwig, Larry, Lemmy and Wendy), Baby Rosalina and Pink Gold Peach, a counterpart to Metal Mario. Previous series' characters Waluigi and Toadette will also be re-joining the usual Mario Kart lineup too, providing a nice balance between heavy, medium and lightweight racers all perfect for switching between depending on the cup difficulty and choice of level.

Good courses are crucial to Mario Kart’s success, so thankfully there are 32 of them that prove to be more vibrant, crazy and intuitive than ever. Courses comprise of water, air and ground racing and combine classic Mario environments with brand new landscapes, set in a multitude of environments such as snowy mountains and dry deserts. Wii U's latest offering also feels extraordinarily epic, from its giant stadium courses to those travels among the clouds - Cloudtop Cruise, set to Super Mario Galaxy's brilliant Gusty Garden theme, is definitely a great example of this. As with the other titles in the series, Mario Kart 8 draws on familiar and revamped locations from other Mario games, like the previously mentioned Super Mario Galaxy, along with the vibrant Super Mario Sunshine.

In addition to the main goal of winning the race, fun can also be found via finding secret short cuts littered in the courses, which will help to get you ahead of the other competitors in the future.

1. Mario Kart in HD...Finally!

With Nintendo finally embracing 1080p high definition on the Wii U, Mario Kart 8 becomes the first Mario Kart game in full HD. Running in 60 frames per second, this is no doubt the most visually-stunning entry in the series yet. Mario Kart’s use of vibrant colours will look even better when gamers are playing it on their HD screens. In this new display, racing is fluid, fun and downright beautiful, even if the framerate is reduced to 30fps when playing the four-player local split screen mode.

Mario Kart 8 also incorporates the use of the Wii U GamePad, allowing for a more portable high definition experience if this is your choice of controller. Of the reviews published so far, Mario Kart 8 has been praised for its beauty, with many reviewers clearly very pleased with the game's high quality aesthetic.

Deemed as a worthy addition to the series, it looks like Mario Kart 8 may well stand up to be the best Mario Kart game yet.

Have you pre-ordered Mario Kart 8? What are you most looking forward to? Post your opinions in the comments!

LBP Karting Users Create Mario Kart Tracks

LittleBigPlanet Karting opened up a one month beta, where fans have been given the opportunity to create their own race tracks. It comes as no surprise then that several Mario Kart themed tracks have sprung up on the game. 


Those on the beta will be able to try out tracks such as Rainbow Road, DK Mountain and Bowser's Castle. Check out a few of them via the video from Kotaku below.

New Trials Evolution Trailer Released

RedLynx have released a new trailer for Trials Evolution, which shows off some of the crazy gameplay. 


The game, slated for a release on the 18th April on the Xbox 360 Arcade brings players 60 new solo tracks, and 10 new challenges that seem even crazier than those in the original Trials HD. For example, challenges range from flying in a UFO to constantly blowing up a rider in the aim to reach the finish line. 


One of the changes that the trailer hints at is the 4 player race, where four players get to traverse through one of the many crazy levels all at the same time. Those familiar with the gameplay of Trials will realise how insane, but no doubt hysterical, this inclusion will be.


Check out the trailer below!

Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing Sequel Announced

Many of us probably saw it coming, but Sega have now officially confirmed that a sequel for Sega & Sonic All-Stars Racing is now in the works.


Announced to Kotaku at the Toy Fair in New York, the sequel will be out at some point later this year. No further details have been confirmed as of yet, although it is likely it will see a release on the major consoles once again. 


New characters and vehicles will be revealed later in the year, along with a name, which I'm betting will be something as simple as Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing 2. 

New SSX Himalayas Trailer Released

EA Sports have released a new video for SSX, which hits stores in the US on the 28th February, whilst Europe can grab it on the 2nd March 2012.


The trailer is about the Himalayas tracks that are included in the game, and feature plenty of great looking in-game footage. So as expected, there's plenty of snowboarders pulling off tricks, racing it down to the bottom and taking mega-jumps. You can check it out below.

Retro Review: Super Mario Kart

Lewis Terry has contributed a number of times on 8-Bit Girl, through me interviewing him on a variety of iPod games, to creating the pixel graphics seen throughout this blog. To increase the load on 8-Bit Girl (and to help me out on occasions), Lewis has offered to send me a few posts occasionally.


This post is a retro review, which we originally posted up on Retro Kingdom. As that blog is closing, as sadly we do not have enough time to update it, all of our reviews will be published up here for you all to read. I hope you enjoy his work!


Retro Review: Super Mario Kart
Written by Lewis Terry


The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) was where my childhood gaming addiction started. Before then, I had access to other games platforms, but none grabbed me as much as the SNES.  I had many favourites back in the day but one that stands out strong is the original Super Mario Kart. 

It seems common place now to have game characters star in other spin off games, such as sports or beat-em ups, however back then you would never have dreamed of it.  So imagine you are a six year old boy who loves the Mario games and you suddenly are presented with a game where they are all placed in super fast go-karts, it is a kids dream come true.

This is not saying that the game is only appealing to kids.  While it is presented in bright colours and all of its its protagonists are all cute characters, the game is highly addictive and presents some of the deepest game play and strategy that was offered on the SNES. 

Mario Kart sold over eight million copies worldwide and held the title of Nintendo's highest selling game on the SNES. Some feat, huh?

The game allows you to play one of eight characters from the Mario Brothers universe, each one possessing slightly different abilities.  You can either race against the computer or go head to head with up to three friends via a split screen mode, racing or duking it out in a battle arena, where players fire various objects at each other.

Like most games of it's time, Super Mario Kart is a hard game to master.  In order to pass the 150cc cup against the computer, one must learn all the short cuts, techniques and player attributes.  You have to learn how to powerslide and when to jump, and the best time to use those devastatingly satisfying red shells.  After many hours of investment, you will find yourself skimming water and pulling off feats you thought were impossible, only to still be beaten by the computer.

The graphics in Super Mario Kart are by todays standards dated, however they are probably the best example of Mode-7 on the SNES.  Despite all of the sprites on the screen and the frenetic action the graphics all stay nice and smooth, without flicking or clipping out.  The racers are animated wonderfully and have a nice amount of expression, when dazed or victorious they pull rather amusing faces.  But the main draw of the game graphically is the rich race tracks, their hazards and backgrounds.  From the cactus like enemies, to the Thwomps and the amazing but harsh Rainbow Road, the graphics are simply superb and are some of the best the SNES had to offer.

Like all classic Nintendo games, Mario Kart's sound was amazing and well thought out.  The audio in conjunction with the various sound effects all make the games atmosphere complete.  The background music is in part revamped versions of existing Nintendo music and part new creations, yet they are all distinctive and crisp in their own right.  No matter how relaxing the track may be when the final lap begins the music speeds up, suddenly making the game far more intense. Whether it is the background music, the coin sound effects or hearing the triumphant cries of the characters you can hear the quality of the audio.  So clear is the audio that it is always possible to distinguish one characters yell from another even if they are not on screen.

To most kids nowadays all of this will seem like old hat, yet it was Super Mario Kart was what layed down all of the foundations that modern novelty racers build upon.  Others may see the features offered as mundane or boring, yet still to this day if you pick up a controller and give it a spin, it retains the same addiction and charm as it offered back then.  There is a reason that this game sold eight million copies world wide and that is due to the games innovation and charm.

While there is no need to go out and get a copy immediately, as the newer versions of Mario Kart do the same thing, Super Mario Kart is an important piece of not only Nintendo's history, but of gaming history in general.

Mario Kart 7 Racers Trailer

Nintendo have released a new Mario Kart 7 trailer (sadly, there's no sound) that showcases a whole host of racers in action.  There is all the loveable classics as you would expect, as well as a return from Mario Galaxy's Rosalina.  However this time around, it looks like Nintendo have brought some of those characters that deserved a little more love, into the foreground.  With racers such as Wriggler and Lakitu having a chance to sit in the drivers seat, I cannot wait to see who else Nintendo have in store for us.


Mario Kart 7 is released on the 2nd of December in Europe, and the 4th December in North America for the Nintendo 3DS. 

Review: Audiosurf

There are plenty of rhythm games out there-take Rockband and Guitar Hero as prime examples, but there are many that somehow escaped the radar. Audiosurf may be pretty successful now, but upon it's release, it could definitely be classed in the underdog category.


Released on Steam, Audiosurf allows players to experience their music collection in a fun and addictive new way. Audiosurf takes (almost) any song and incorporates it into the game. Perhaps the most fun comes in waiting to see what kind of track the game has generated depending on the song, and it is so easy to get absorbed for a long amount of time in the gameplay. 


To look at, Audiosurf is very similar to racing game Wipeout, but this is no straight forward racing game. Players use either the keyboard or mouse to move a futuristic looking craft left, right or to the middle on a floating track in order to pick up brightly coloured bars. The bars coincide with your chosen musical track, and the distance between them decreases the faster the track is. Slower songs tend to make your craft float slowly uphill, whilst faster songs or segments rapidly build up pace downhill. Like other rhythm games, faster songs are definitely much more fun, but a real sense of challenge lies in many of these tracks.

To put it simply, Audiosurf's main objective is to collect points as you navigate your craft through a track. Blocks can often be cleared by matching colours into groups of three, thus allowing the bricks to disappear. Bolder colours, such as red and yellow are worth more (these are considered the trickier blocks to hit), and the more blocks you collect without crashing into a fake one, the higher your combo score will be. A little bit of fun competition between friends is added in the form of scoreboards, where players can aim to beat their friends scores on particular tracks.


Although Audiosurf is a lot of fun, it isn't without it's drawbacks. First of all, the game has a tendency to lag on some of the faster songs. This in turn makes the track fall out of sync with the music a little, which can be somewhat frustrating. Occasionally the game generates blank tracks with my chosen music file not playing, or it freezes midway through a song. Again, a little frustrating, but thankfully this is not too common. The last downside is the syncing issue. As previously mentioned, Audiosurf analyses your music to generate a track, but sometimes the blocks do not follow the beat particularly well. 

Apart from a small variety of modes to plough your way through, Audiosurf isn't a particularly large game to perhaps many people. However, this seems completely irrelevant when it is so easy to immerse yourself in this enjoyable musical experience for long periods of time. The game is not without it's glitches, which seems a terrible shame considering that for the most part, the gameplay is satisfying enough. There is never a shortage of tracks to mess around with, as Audiosurf allows for the majority of songs in a users library (I've only found two songs in my iTunes library deemed incompatible so far), as well as weekly free downloads of tracks via Audiosurf radio. 


Music fans will probably love this somewhat relaxing experience. The vivid HD colours combined with music of your choice is appealing enough. It does suffer from a few technical issues, and may chug a little if your system isn't that powerful, but Audiosurf gives you a brand new way of experiencing your own music. Oh, and it's pretty cheap on Steam too. 

Retro Review: Speed Freaks

I love looking back at games I remember enjoying throughout my childhood. For some reason, Speed Freaks always comes back to me as being one of those games. I've always had a slight competitive side when it comes to racing games, and Speed Freaks appealed to that side of me.


Developed by Funcom Dublin Ltd, Speed Freaks (or Speed Punks in America), is a Mario Kart style racing game which was released on the original Playstation. 


Just like Mario Kart, Speed Freaks involves racing around a variety of colourful and fun looking race tracks, with the ability to pick up and use a selection of weapons on opponents, as well as enhance the players own speed. For me, racing games are much more fun when competing against a few friends, and thankfully Speed Freaks allows up to four players at once to compete for the first place position.

There are four ways to play the game, which range from: 
Single player mode is a little on the easy side, and can be completed within a few hours, but the playability for the multi-player side of the game is enough to make this a great purchase. Players can choose from either a single race, or compete in a Tournament for a cup at the end. This mode also allows the player to unlock bonus features which further enhance the game play. Time Attack mode allows players to try and complete a race in the fastest time possible. The multiplayer modes are either Vs (two players) and multiplayer (for up to four players).


What makes me nostalgic about Speed Freaks is the cute and fun style. The characters are a mix of crazy looking characters, each with different abilities, pros and cons. Some of the characters may seem a bit cliché or stereotypical, but for the most part, it is a joy to scroll through each character, read their humorous biography and race away. Also, imagine this game from a child's perspective: racing around a variety of fun courses with a bunch of crazy childish characters, catchy music and bright colours is going to appeal to a lot of kids. Also, the opening track, Travelling Without Moving by Jamiroquai is undenyably catchy.  

As I previously mentioned, the game is rather simple, and this is reflected in the game configuration. The x button is used to accelerate, square to break, the analogue stick to navigate around the course, the L1 and R1 buttons are used to slide easily around corners, and L2 to fire a weapon. Judging by the look and feel of the game though, there is no denying that, for the most part, Speed Freaks is aimed at children, and children will probably take great pleasure in beating each race track in the game.


However, there is no denying that Mario Kart was definitely a significant influence in the creation of Speed Freaks, and in all honesty, the former does this racing formula much better out of the two. There are plenty more options in Mario Kart, and difficulty curve is much harder, meaning that Mario Kart appeals more to a broad audience, rather than a younger one. 


This does not mean that Speed Freaks is not a great game, because it is. The graphics (although very dated nowadays) are bright and colourful, cute and fun looking. The race tracks are enjoyable to race around, and the variety of weapons are fun to try out against opponents. Speed Freaks is a fun game to play with another 3 players especially, and if you fancy a bit of nostalgia from 1999, then try and pick this little gem up. 

Want to recommend a retro game for me to review?

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