06-01-2019, 10:56 PM
Mario Kart 8 Is Now Five Years Old
<div><div class="media_block"><a href="http://images.nintendolife.com/f2c48f859596e/large.jpg"><img src="http://images.nintendolife.com/f2c48f859596e/small.jpg" class="media_thumbnail"></a></div>
<figure class="picture strip"><a title="Mario Kart 8 Deluxe" href="http://images.nintendolife.com/f2c48f859596e/mario-kart-8-deluxe.original.jpg"><img src="http://images.nintendolife.com/f2c48f859596e/mario-kart-8-deluxe.900x.jpg" alt="Mario Kart 8 Deluxe"></a></figure>
<p>Sure, <strong><a href="http://www.nintendolife.com/games/mobile/mario_kart_tour">Mario Kart Tour</a></strong> is coming to mobile devices later this year, but right now, we’re still <em>technically</em> playing the same Mario Kart game we were on the Wii U five years ago. Yep, on 30th May 2014, <strong><a href="http://www.nintendolife.com/games/wiiu/mario_kart_8">Mario Kart 8</a></strong> was released in North America and Europe on a Nintendo system that was at the time struggling to appeal to the masses.</p>
<p>The particular entry set itself apart from previous outings in the Mario Kart series with an all-new anti-gravity feature. The DLC was also a first for the series, adding in free Mercedes-Benz karts and two paid DLC packs later down the line – featuring more characters, vehicles and tracks. The 200cc was an added bonus. All of this paid off in the long-run, with Mario Kart 8 becoming the Wii U’s best-selling title and shifting more than eight million copies worldwide.</p>
<p>This followed with Nintendo releasing an enhanced version, titled <strong><a href="http://www.nintendolife.com/games/nintendo-switch/mario_kart_8_deluxe">Mario Kart 8 Deluxe</a></strong>, on the Switch in 2017. The main selling point this time around was the inclusion of a classic battle mode, which was oddly missing from the original version of the game. Since the arrival of Deluxe, we’ve received a number of unique updates such as Link’s bike from <strong><a href="http://www.nintendolife.com/games/nintendo-switch/legend_of_zelda_breath_of_the_wild">The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild</a></strong> and even <strong><a href="http://www.nintendolife.com/games/nintendo-switch/nintendo_labo_toy-con_01_variety_kit">Nintendo Labo</a></strong> compatibility. This Switch release has also become a critical and commercial success, selling more than sixteen million copies globally to make it the hybrid platform’s best-selling title.</p>
<p><em>Celebrate Mario Kart 8’s fifth anniversary in the comments and tell us if you’re ready for a completely new entry in the series.</em></p>
</div>
<div><div class="media_block"><a href="http://images.nintendolife.com/f2c48f859596e/large.jpg"><img src="http://images.nintendolife.com/f2c48f859596e/small.jpg" class="media_thumbnail"></a></div>
<figure class="picture strip"><a title="Mario Kart 8 Deluxe" href="http://images.nintendolife.com/f2c48f859596e/mario-kart-8-deluxe.original.jpg"><img src="http://images.nintendolife.com/f2c48f859596e/mario-kart-8-deluxe.900x.jpg" alt="Mario Kart 8 Deluxe"></a></figure>
<p>Sure, <strong><a href="http://www.nintendolife.com/games/mobile/mario_kart_tour">Mario Kart Tour</a></strong> is coming to mobile devices later this year, but right now, we’re still <em>technically</em> playing the same Mario Kart game we were on the Wii U five years ago. Yep, on 30th May 2014, <strong><a href="http://www.nintendolife.com/games/wiiu/mario_kart_8">Mario Kart 8</a></strong> was released in North America and Europe on a Nintendo system that was at the time struggling to appeal to the masses.</p>
<p>The particular entry set itself apart from previous outings in the Mario Kart series with an all-new anti-gravity feature. The DLC was also a first for the series, adding in free Mercedes-Benz karts and two paid DLC packs later down the line – featuring more characters, vehicles and tracks. The 200cc was an added bonus. All of this paid off in the long-run, with Mario Kart 8 becoming the Wii U’s best-selling title and shifting more than eight million copies worldwide.</p>
<p>This followed with Nintendo releasing an enhanced version, titled <strong><a href="http://www.nintendolife.com/games/nintendo-switch/mario_kart_8_deluxe">Mario Kart 8 Deluxe</a></strong>, on the Switch in 2017. The main selling point this time around was the inclusion of a classic battle mode, which was oddly missing from the original version of the game. Since the arrival of Deluxe, we’ve received a number of unique updates such as Link’s bike from <strong><a href="http://www.nintendolife.com/games/nintendo-switch/legend_of_zelda_breath_of_the_wild">The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild</a></strong> and even <strong><a href="http://www.nintendolife.com/games/nintendo-switch/nintendo_labo_toy-con_01_variety_kit">Nintendo Labo</a></strong> compatibility. This Switch release has also become a critical and commercial success, selling more than sixteen million copies globally to make it the hybrid platform’s best-selling title.</p>
<p><em>Celebrate Mario Kart 8’s fifth anniversary in the comments and tell us if you’re ready for a completely new entry in the series.</em></p>
</div>