Today, Nintendo surprised us all with an unannounced Nintendo Direct video, this time revealing even more details about the upcoming Wii U title, Mario Kart 8.

The 36-minute video, available on YouTube, interleaved brand-new announcements with some rather bizarre interludes. Highlights include new characters Baby Rosalina and Pink Gold Peach (a counterpart to Metal Mario), as well as never-before-seen items Crazy Eight (analogous to the previous game’s Lucky 7) and shockwave weapon Super Horn. Notably, a well-timed Super Horn can block any incoming projectile – even the Blue Shell.

The video detailed the new “spin-boosting” mechanic that can be used on anti-gravity sections of the racetrack. When in anti-gravity mode, colliding with other racers or certain obstacles will actually give your character a minor speed boost rather than slowing you down.

The game’s online offerings were also extensively showcased. The video confirmed that 12 racers would be able to play online at once, as in Mario Kart Wii. Players can choose to play matchmaking races around the world, only in their home region, or with people on their Wii U friends list. In addition to these standard modes, players will for the first time be able to create their own custom tournaments. Players can set the starting date and time, along with any special rules they wish to impose; for example, if you want to ban bikes, use only Mushrooms, or force everyone to use the Wii Wheel, you can.

Also for the first time in a Mario Kart game, voice chat will be available; though unfortunately, it will only be available in the pre-race lobby. From the wording in the Direct, it sounds like it’ll only be available in Friend matches, as well.

Mario Kart 8 will feature more robust social features than its predecessors. Ghost data can be shared with other players via Miiverse, and Miiverse stamps can be earned by beating developer ghosts. A new feature called “Mario Kart TV” will automatically save recent replays for you to watch; if you want to show it off, you can upload a condensed “Highlight Reel” video to Miiverse or YouTube.

Also announced was a special promotion for early purchasers. Players who buy a copy of Mario Kart 8 and register it with Club Nintendo between May 30 and July 31 will receive a free download code for one of four Wii U games; players can choose New Super Mario Bros. U, Pikmin 3, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD, or Wii Party U.

It was also confirmed that Nintendo will be releasing a bundle including a black Deluxe Wii U, a copy of Mario Kart 8, a red Wii Wheel, and a Mario Wii Remote Plus for $329.99. Players who purchase this bundle can still take advantage of the free game promotion if they register the included copy of Mario Kart 8 before July 31.

Finally, the video closed out with a trailer showing off the new characters and items. The trailer also featured some never-before-seen tracks, including the latest iterations of Bowser’s Castle and Rainbow Road (the latter of which appears to be set in and around a space station).

Mario Kart 8 launches in stores and in the Nintendo eShop on May 30.

My Opinion:

Aww yes. I was excited for this game before, and this surprise Direct has only heightened my anticipation. While the new characters aren’t much to get excited about, they’ll be solid additions to the roster. The new Super Horn item looks awesome, though I expect it’ll be rare given that it looks like a powerful offensive item in addition to its defensive capabilities.

Online tournaments were my favorite announcement in the whole video; the ability to set an enforced date and time takes a lot of pressure off the tournament holder to make sure everyone is available on time. I expect to get a lot of use out of this feature.

The sharing functionalities seem pretty cool; the ability to share and discuss ghosts and replays on Miiverse will definitely be fun. The fact that you can only share “highlight reels” of your replays (rather than the whole thing) is a bit disappointing, but it should be a fun feature all the same.

I’m also really liking the looks of the new tracks shown off at the end. Rainbow Road looks beautiful and the space station look is super interesting. Bowser’s Castle looks suitably fraught with danger, and seems like it’ll be a real test of maneuverability. That place will be crazy with twelve players.

Finally, that promotion is sweet. Getting two full-price games for the price of one is nothing to sneeze at. As pointed out in the Direct, this is a great opportunity for potential Wii U buyers to jump in, as they’ll have not one but two games to play right from the get-go.

I’ll be picking this up as soon as I can. See you on the track!

---

Aaron Dobbe is a new editor at MONG. Follow him on Facebook and pester him to get a Twitter.