Will Mario Kart 8 Save The Wii U?

With fans raving over the new Mario Kart 8 trailer, it’s no secret that Nintendo has put itself back on the map. Watching the mind-blowing cinematic, the Mario Kart 8 audience is introduced to top of the line graphics featuring Piranha Plants, Boomerang Flowers, new courses, and more. The futuristic title is sure to take the Mario Kart experience to the next level.

What Kind Of Features Are We Talking About?

New Items

While every Mario Kart enthusiast will remember the shells, banana peels, mushrooms, and the rest of the classic items, Mario Kart 8 will up the ante by adding two new tools of destruction to the course: the Piranha Plant and the Boomerang Flower. 

The Piranha Plant will sit on the front of your cart destroying everything in its path, including other dropped items. When it reaches out to devour something, your cart will gain a temporary speed boost. 

On the other hand, the Boomerang Flower can be tossed behind or in front of you up to three times to stun every other driver in its path. 

New Characters

Joining our time-honored heroes will be Metal Mario, Lakitu, and Shy Guy. Now the streets will be paved by an even fiercer and more diverse competition. 

New Courses

Along with the 16 remastered courses, Nintendo has added another 16 new courses for your racing enjoyment. Some remastered courses include Toad’s Turnpike, Moo Moo Meadows, and a fan-favorite Rainbow Road. 

Is Wii U’s Head Going To Surface?

While the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 continue to butt heads, a lonely Wii U is still sulking alone in its corner. Not only did Nintendo fail to market its system to its fullest extent, the overall quality of the system seems to be lackluster compared to competitors.

However, it seems like Nintendo has yet to give up on its lowly contender, bringing titles to the table that some are calling Nintendo’s saving grace. These include Super Smash Bros, X, Bayonetta 2, Super Mario 3D World, and especially Mario Kart 8. 

Nintendo has the products that will sell, but what would really get them going will be intelligent marketing tactics. Not many people know that Wii U even exists, much less a separate console than the Wii itself. 

Writers at Kotaku, IGN, and others suggest that Mario Kart 8 will be exactly what the franchise need to get back on its feet, as the game trailer insists that the game itself is “worth the price of admission for Nintendo’s newish Wii U console.”