News Articles
Wednesday16th Dec 2015
News Mercedes-Benz Representative Explains the Company's DLC Deals with Nintendo
Appealing to nostalgia
In a rather strange turn of events, the first DLC ever released for Mario Kart 8 was all themed around Mercedes-Benz cars. Understandably, this put many gamers on edge and many saw it as a sign that the company was 'selling out', though this was perhaps an unfairly harsh criticism. At any rate, Mercedes-Benz DLC struck again...
Monday14th Dec 2015
It deserved better
The UK chart results are out, with these being the penultimate listings issued before the final Christmas list is released next week. It continues the status quo, largely, with a disappointing but inevitable week two drop-off for one of the year's finest games. Xenoblade Chronicles X has unfortunately dropped out of the...
Wednesday2nd Dec 2015
News Black Friday Sales Bring Little Joy for Nintendo in the UK
Three titles in the top 40, with PS4 and Xbox One dominant
The UK chart results have taken a little longer to come out this week as Black Friday numbers have been brought together, and the final results aren't brilliant for Nintendo. In a brief hardware mention Chart-Track states that hardware sales were up compared to the previous year, and that...
Monday30th Nov 2015
News Mario Kart 8 to Feature in Competitive TV Show on 5th December
Will be broadcast on the Disney big grin channel
Nintendo of America's marketing campaigns for the Holiday season take various forms, and one seems to be a partnership to promote one of the Wii U's biggest hits. This will be through "Clash of Karts: Mario Kart 8", a show that'll be broadcast on Disney XD this coming weekend. In essence it's going...
Thursday26th Nov 2015
News Nintendo Badge Arcade Gets A Mario Kart 8 Turbo Injection
Vroom vroom
We had mixed feelings about Nintendo Badge Arcade when we took a look at it over the weekend, but those with collecting streaks will likely find the arcade too cute and compelling to put down. Today Nintendo of Europe revealed that new catchers containing badges from Mario Kart 8 have just been added to Nintendo Badge Arcade
Monday2nd Nov 2015
News Super Mario Maker Still Leads the Way for Nintendo in the UK as Tri Force Heroes Stumbles
Happy Home Designer leads for 3DS
The UK charts aren't always a happy home for Nintendo, though can give an indication of which titles have the strongest long-term momentum on Wii U and 3DS. This week's results, then, show which titles are finding an audience and others that are having a tougher time. The first Nintendo game in the all-format top...
Monday26th Oct 2015
News The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes Misses Out on UK Top 10
Tri again next week
The latest UK chart results are out, with some new releases battling it out with long-established blockbusters. It's a mixed week from Nintendo's perspective, with some ever-green titles clinging on and a new release underperforming - arguably - a little. The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes has made its début in 11th place in...
Monday19th Oct 2015
News Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer and Super Mario Maker Maintain Decent UK Sales
Mario Kart 8 sneaks back onto the grid
The latest UK chart results are in and they represent a couple of things from our perspective - there are various new releases on other systems that are only modest hits, and Nintendo's two standard bearers (one each for Wii U and 3DS) are showing reasonable momentum. First of all, Animal Crossing: Happy Home...
Wednesday7th Oct 2015
News New Euro Wii U Premium Bundle Contains Mario Kart 8 And Splatoon
Launches this month, costs £239.99
Nintendo has confirmed today that it is releasing a new Wii U premium bundle which contains two of the console's most critically-acclaimed titles, Mario Kart 8 and Splatoon. The pack - which will be a limited-time offer - contains the standard black premium Wii U console with 32GB of storage and all the usual...
Sunday27th Sep 2015
Weirdness Mario Kart 8's Yoshi Bike Found In Japan
Well, kind of...
Those familiar with the latest instalment in the Mario Kart series will know that one of the available vehicles is the 'Yoshi Bike' - a motorbike shaped as Mario's long-time dino companion, obviously. As cool as it looks in the game (if that's the kind of thing that floats your boat), it looks even better in real-life. Twitter user...
Monday21st Sep 2015
News Super Mario Maker Hangs Tough in UK Charts as Splatoon Finally Bows Out
Ink-splatting shooter squeezes into individual format top 40, though
Super Mario Maker had a strong start in its debut week in the UK charts, securing second place against some tough competition. It was a good early result for the Wii U exclusive, which is likely to remain a key title for the system in the remainder of 2015. Its second week has,...
Tuesday8th Sep 2015
News Updated Mario Kart 8 Wii U Hardware Bundle in North America Includes Both DLC Packs
No plastic wheel though (sad face)
One of the most popular Wii U hardware bundles of last year was the Mario Kart 8 package, with the North American equivalent coming packaged with the game, a lovely Red Mario Wii Remote Plus and a red Wii Wheel; all in all it was a great deal. Nintendo of America has retooled its Mario Kart 8 bundle, with an...
Saturday5th Sep 2015
Video See Mario Kart 8's Mute City in a Whole New Way
GBA Ribbon Road and 3DS Neo Bowser City also get the treatment
You may remember that in the past we shared some videos from the MrBean35000vr YouTube channel. The hackers often use their skills to show off cool areas of games we haven't seen much of before, and were among the first to break into the Wii U. Courtesy of Nintendo's efforts with...
Tuesday11th Aug 2015
News Awesome Mario Kart Trophies Are Now Up for Grabs on Club Nintendo in Europe and Australia
Star Power
Club Nintendo is all wrapped up in North America and it's heading towards its end date in PAL territories, too. Fans of the service in Europe and Australia can still grab some goodies with their remaining Stars, however, and some particularly awesome rewards have just been added. All of these Mario Kart trophies are up for grabs, and...
Pokémon being the notable exception
There may be a new Call of Duty, FIFA and Assassin's Creed on store shelves every single year, but Nintendo of America's Scott Moffitt stresses that Nintendo isn't looking to pull the same trick any time soon. Speaking to The Examiner, Moffitt addressed the issue of yearly updates, something which publishers...
Monday27th Jul 2015
News Mario Kart 8 Soundtrack CD Club Nintendo Reward Powerslides Into View
The perfect driving accompaniment
Club Nintendo might be about to close soon in Europe (it's already finished in North America), but in the meantime Nintendo is still being generous with the goodies on offer for dedicated Stars collectors in the region. For only 3000 Stars in Europe (2000 in Australia) you can now grab the Mario Kart 8 Original...
Wednesday22nd Jul 2015
Weirdness Doting Dad Transforms Nursery Into The Ultimate Mario Kart 8 Tribute
Defying gravity
Reddit user troymcklure didn't want any old nursery when he created one for his newborn child. He decided that bog-standard teddies and pastel-shades were too mainstream, and decided instead to create a room themed entirely around Mario Kart 8 - and the most amazing thing is, this work follows his Zelda and Yoshi-themed
Friday10th Jul 2015
News Catch Up With the Mario Kart World Cup as it Enters the Knockout Stages
A blue shell away from glory
Mario Kart is one of Nintendo's most beloved and bankable franchises - with just one release per system and the addition of DLC on Wii U, it's an integral part of any console from the big N and a must have. Mario Kart 8 on Wii U is no different. It's also a popular game to watch, and the next two weekends bring an...
Monday22nd Jun 2015
News Splatoon Holds Its Territory in the UK Charts
Still battling it out in the top 10
Splatoon's arrival at the end of May certainly brought some hype to the Wii U, and early chart results were certainly positive for the title. As it approaches one month on the market, however, we're left to wonder how it'll fare over the summer months. It's holding its momentum fairly well, it seems. Still...
Friday22nd May 2015
Video What Do You Get When You Combine Mario Kart and Mad Max?
Mario Kart: Fury Road
It's the movie that everyone is talking about right now, Mad Max: Fury Road, starring Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron and Nicholas Hoult. Whilst you might not expect any crossover between this post apocalyptic world and the mushroom kingdom all it takes is some choice edits of blue shells, mushrooms and banana skins to the film's...
Wednesday20th May 2015
News Nintendo Focusing on Multiplayer Fun at the 2015 MCM London Comic Con
Official UK store also coming, with Majora's Mask New 3DS XL stock
This weekend brings the 2015 MCM London Comic Con at the Excel, Royal Victoria Docks in London - the event is running from 22nd to 24th May. Nintendo UK is a regular at the event, and has announced its plans for its stand and events. As was the format in various 2014 expo...
Friday8th May 2015
News Producer Of The Mario Kart Series Appointed As Head Of Nintendo’s Mobile Development Division
Likely to mean Hideki Konno
Following Nintendo's big announcement in March that it would partner with DeNA to bring popular Nintendo IP to new games on smart devices, there was much speculation about how exactly this enthralling venture would unfold. Now Japanese news outlet Sankei is reporting that Nintendo's latest financial results have shed...
Thursday7th May 2015
Hints at more MK8 extras
Nintendo has released its financial results for the past year, which brought stronger profits than expected despite sales being down; the results are testament to a leaner, meaner Nintendo. It's predicting more profits in the coming year, though the 3DS family in particular is expected to decline. Yet in its section...
Friday1st May 2015
Video Digital Foundry Puts the Mario Kart 8 DLC Pack 2 Performance to the Test
Spoiler - it's impressive
The Digital Foundry team makes its living by delving into the minutiae of detail over a game's performance, looking at visual effects, resolution and frame rate among other factors. It did just that for Mario Kart 8 last year when it launched, and was full of praise for Nintendo's racer. In addition to being an attractive...
Tuesday28th Apr 2015
News Mario Kart 8's 200cc Mode Has Apparently Negated Firehopping
"It's a legitimate strategy!"
Look at any popular, competitive video game and it's practically guaranteed that there will be a particular exploit that advanced players use to gain the edge over their opponents. Whether these exploits are "cheating" or not is very much debatable; it can certainly be argued that a glitch already in the game could just...
Friday24th Apr 2015
Video So, How Fast Is 200cc In Mario Kart 8?
Spoiler: Very - we compare it to 50cc, 100cc and 150cc
Oh Nintendo, with this free update for Mario Kart 8 you are really spoiling us! Sure, we're grateful for stability and the ability to purchase the awesome new Animal Crossing x Mario Kart DLC, but let's face it - today we are all about the brand new 200cc speed. This face-melting new difficulty...
Thursday23rd Apr 2015
Video Here's Our Own Animal Crossing x Mario Kart 8 Showcase
The Return of Baby Park
Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines....again! The second DLC pack for Mario Kart 8 is here and it is a must-buy piece of downloadable content if ever there were one. Even if Animal Crossing isn't your cup of tea, there are plenty of reasons to be excited about this pack. How about another F-Zero track? Is Dry Bowser...
Live Watch and Race With Us in Mario Kart 8's DLC and 200cc Mode - Live!
Alex will take on anyone
Today has brought lots of goodies in Mario Kart 8, with 200cc racing free for all and new DLC to get stuck into. Our video man Alex will be racing in our own online Tournaments against you, our lovely viewers - see how he gets on in the stream while watching the blog and live chat for details to join...
Live Nintendo UK Shows Off Mario Kart 8 DLC and 200cc Mode
Remember to brake
As this is Mario Kart 8 day, in particular thanks to the free 200cc mode and the Animal Crossing x Mario Kart 8 pack, we thought we'd share yet another opportunity to check it out. Nintendo UK is running a live stream from 5pm to 6pm local time, which will be showing off the new tracks and 200cc mode. If you haven't yet had a...
Play Take On 200cc and DLC Racing in Mario Kart 8 With Nintendo Life
Race for honour and opportunities to gloat
It's a fun day for Mario Kart 8 fans, with a free update bringing a 200cc race class and more Mii costumes to unlock with amiibo. On top of that there's the main attraction, with DLC Pack 2 available now and bringing eight new tracks, three characters and four vehicles. We thought we'd celebrate the arriva
