Mario Kart 8 (Wii U) - Official Topic

Dunno if some of you have been following new info trickling out, but will try post some stuff here.

Official UK site is up with lots of new vids and details:

http://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Wii-U/Mario-Kart-8-765384.html

Has all track videos including Yoshi Valley and GCN Sherbet.

IGN saying more characters could be coming? Hope so, because it's a pretty poor list.
http://uk.ign.com/wikis/mario-kart-8/Characters
Edit: Sorry, this is apparently a Wiki page that anyone can edit. Likely was left up there before the final roster was confirmed, so I guess Nintendo hasn't said anything about more characters.

IGN confirming item sets in tournaments (and I assume friend lobbies). Bananas only, bombs only, frantic, off, etc. Disappointing there's no true SSB-style customising here.
http://uk.ign.com/articles/2014/04/30/5-reasons-mario-kart-8as-online-matters

Has some other details on tournaments in above link too. Also confirms battle course are modified race tracks. Can't say until we play it how it will pan out, but I'm quite upset by this. Thought this could be a true return with the awesome N64 Block Fort and Double Decker. Hope DLC battle courses of those come back.

I been thinking about the characters.

MK has always had unlockable characters for the last few entries. I'm thinking that there could be unlockables that they haven't revealed yet. I refuse to believe that they've flat out revealed all of the characters in the game before we even get our hands on it. I know they did this silly thing with SM3DW, spoiling an unlockable character, and if they've done the same again here - let's say Baby Rosie and Pink Gold Peach are unlockables in MK8 - they need to stop doing this.

It's possible some of the characters are unlockables, but if they're not - if all 30 of these are playable from the moment you start the game - then maybe there are still more that we don't know about. I'm really hoping that's the case.

Edit: Ah, well, people saying Nintendo put question marks previously where baby Rosie and PG Peach were, so looks like Nintendo has just flat out spoiled unlockable characters again. Cheers.

( Edited 30.04.2014 22:23 by Azuardo )

Here's a link to a complete playlist of all track music in Mario Kart 8. Some absolutely incredible stuff in there and the online waiting room music is just way too good for what it is. The main theme is also excellent.

Sorry everyone, but I won't be ready to leave the waiting room ever again. I just want to listen to that music. ;_;

Music sounds so so good, plenty of favourites in there! Bit dissapointed not all tracks got the "real instrument" treatment though, I think it's quite clear which ones are and aren't.

Can't wait till May 30th!

Am too a bit weary about the battle courses - don't mind modified tracks as extras, but where are the more open worlds like in past games? Shame really - it might be what throws this game off from a perfect score, but we shall see.

Trying to get my hands on a copy of the  game - NUK are saying there aren't any available yet, but I've seen a couple of UK based sites cover what seems to be the final build. Hmmm.

I'll deal with the modified tracks as battle stages now that we finally are back to the old knockout system, albeit one that's modified with a time limit and score so they don't drag on forever. They could make the best battle stages ever and it would still suck with the rules from MKW/MK7. I would be interested to see if the popularity of battle mode would drastically increase if they made it the same as it was back on MK64 with all the best stages. My favourite is still the Bob-omb mode from MKDD, but it doesn't look like that one will ever get revived.

Some people are getting it as early as yesterday in France and some people have got it today in the UK. They're so lucky. ;_;

( Edited 27.05.2014 12:58 by Marzy )

They get them from any specific stores Marzy or are they just lucky?

From what I've seen it's offline stores selling them early. I'm not sure which though.

I love how I was going to leave a post complaining about these lucky bastards a while ago and just now got a dispatch notice for my copy. Considering the place it's dispatched from is just a few hours away from where I live, I could potentially have it by tomorrow. The guy who never gets stuff in the same week now seems to get this one early, how's that for a plot twist?

I think I'll cry if you get your copy before me link xD

Worth it just for that now.

I might not even get mine this week because I didn't receive the payment I was expecting today, and they said it might not arrive this week at all. Don't complain.

Ah that sucks Rudy.

Might ask a friend to allow me to pay him on monday and get me a copy when he goes to get his on Friday morning though , so that I can play it this week-end already.

So I've heard talk that since there's a Bank Holiday on Thursday in Germany (and that's essentially Nintendo of Europe's HQ), they might be putting this up on the eShop earlier. Sure hope so, got my credit ready!

What controller do you guys think you'll be using? I kicked ass on MKWii with Remote+Nunchuk, but a combo of the Pro Controller and the GamePad as map screen (like Monster Hunter) has some potential.

( Edited 28.05.2014 10:47 by Phoenom )

Pro Controller or Gamepad. I'll probably use the Pro Controller, but the Gamepad is cool because it tells you what items people have and... It has a horn, a HORN!!!

( Edited 28.05.2014 11:09 by Marzy )

Really wish that the GamePad didn't show items in online multiplayer in this one, to be perfectly honest. Gives an unfair advantage to those who use it and even looking at it on my table is pretty inconvenient in a racing game, unlike The Wind Waker HD where I played with a Pro controller and had the GamePad standing in front of me to still take advantage of all its good stuff.

Oh ffs I thought the item-showing would be gone with this one. That actually hurt the online experience in MK7.

It could be gone too, just haven't seen proper proof of it on the online mode. I know it's in for offline, at least. It does take some fun out of it all, especially when there's really no point in screaming "Bluey!!" and that because everyone should have spotted the item on the list anyway. Maybe we could ban GamePad use between our little group to make things a little more interesting? Would only be possible if everyone has an alternative they can/want to play with, though.

To be honest, I'll just be playing with my Pro Controller. I'd only use the Gamepad if everyone else was using it, because then I'd feel at a disadvantage.

Still waiting for Shopto to dispatch my order. 

Same, though I think they dispatch in the afternoon, usually.

Mario Kart 8...got it!

I see you driving 'round town in a Mario Kart and I'm like,"F*CK YOU!"

Just joking, SirLink. Have fun! Hopefully we'll all get our copies tomorrow.

Edit: Reference, just in case you didn't know what it was from.