Mario Kart for Wii Gets Spring 08 Release Date

Ars Technica notes, from Nintendo's Fall conference earlier this week, the news that Mario Kart for the Wii is slated for Spring of next year. The game is said to involve bikes for the first time: "It is unclear whether the bikes will be mostly an aesthetic effect or if the control mechanics will differ between karts and bikes. Mario Kart: Double Dash featured a collection of different carts with different statistics, but control was more or less the same across the board ... Despite accusations that Nintendo had nothing to offer the hardcore gamer in terms of announcements at the show, the latest incarnation of the classic kart-racing series was looking sharp in its debut."

Comments

Please make battle mode not suck

[Sciros]

Mario Kart DS was ten times the game that Double Dash was, because it was basically a MK64 clone and MK64 was a stellar game. Double Dash was WAY worse, with no character balance (if you were Boozar on his big 6-wheeler you had to pray your opponent isn't as good as you or his Koopa team would eat you alive) and the most rubbish battle mode to ever be in a Mario Kart game.

So, as long as Nintendo realizes what went right with MKDS and what went wrong with MKDD, we'll be fine ^^

Oh and let's hope Namco has nothing to do with the game at all; I've played the MK 4-player arcade while in Osaka and it's BAD.

Re:Please make battle mode not suck

[Mattintosh]

Nothing beats the original, no matter how many newbs think MK64 is better. (Note: not n00bs, just newbs. You're not lame if you like MK64, just inexperienced.)

The one thing I loved more about the original than any of the others was the lack of that annoying power slide crap. You could jump and slide, but there was no speed boost from "wiggling your stick". All that got you was some funny looks from the people around you. You jumped, slid, released the turn, and jumped again to stop your sideways momentum (a slight physics glitch that was really helpful). No boosts. No color-changing smoke. No blue sparks. (Jesus brings them, you know.) Just a good racing game. With Mario-themed weaponry.

Oh, and the simple-yet-fun battle mode... that ruled. Bring that gameplay up to 4 (or more!) players and I'm in. No timers, bombs, or blowing up your own balloons (I never thought I'd be winded playing video games, but Nintendo has proved me wrong), just head-to-head kart carnage like old times.

Re:Coding Times

[mlk]

My guesses...

Nintendo:
Working out how to use the controller well.

Everyone else:
Did not bother with it until thinking it would fall flat on its face. Now attempting to get games out that use the controller.

Missing Info

[Applekid]

One thing that's missing TFA is that online play can feature 12 players at the same time.

Words simply cannot express how badly I want this. Instead of making 3 people hate me I'll make 11 people hate me. >:)

Wait, what?

[Godai]

Despite accusations that Nintendo had nothing to offer the hardcore gamer in terms of announcements at the show... What exactly does this mean? I consider myself a pretty 'hardcore' gamer, but I love Mario Kart. Does loving somehow Mario Kart exclude from this '1337' label? I always assumed a 'hardecore gamer' meant someone who played a lot of games & spent a lot of their time playing games. I didn't realize it also carried some sort of implication about what kinds of games they play. I mean, if some kid plays Pokemon ever waking minute of his life, I'd call that pretty hardcore.

Re:So...

[netsavior]

Double Dash sucked ass
I guess we weren't playing the same game? Did you bring the blue sparks? 3rd best selling game for gamecube and a high rank even on metacritic.

Re:So...

[AuMatar]

Hi- I'm, a hard core gamer. I play video games 4 hours a day or more on average. I'm looking forward to Mario Kart, and I think the steering wheel is a great idea. So yes, it appeals to us hardcore gamers.

Oblig. PA.

[David Rolfe]

"Shit yeah, ladies. I bring those blue sparks ." --Jesus Christ