Mario Kart Features
Guide Best Mario Kart Games Ranked, From SNES To Nintendo Switch
Burn rubber
Back when Nintendo announced the very first Mario Kart game in the early '90s, there were some in the industry who proclaimed it as a sign that the veteran firm had finally lost its marbles. Sure, Mario had appeared in other games, but his forte was 2D platformers – he had no place on the racing track, and Super Mario Kart was...
Talking Point Should Nintendo Keep Releasing DLC For Mario Kart 8 Deluxe?
Or is it time for an all-new game?
We shouldn't really have been all that shocked about new DLC content arriving in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – after all, Nintendo told us it would happen a week ago. As one of the company's biggest-selling recent hits it's understandable that Nintendo wants to extend the longevity of Mario K
Video The Complete History Of Mario Kart
From SNES to Switch in 25 years
In light of the recent launch of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, we at Nintendo Life have been reminiscing about the celebrated history of the Mario Kart series. From the SNES to the new Nintendo Switch, Mario Kart has provided players around the globe with countless hours of shell-tossing entertainment. In this...
Guide How to Get Infinite Coins in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe the Easy Way
No actual racing required
As much fun as it is to race around in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe it can take a seriously long time to unlock all those kart options through traditional means, and certainly if you ploughed through the original Wii U version you might think doing so sounds a lot like needless busywork. Well, thankfully there's a clever little way...
Guide Tips for Getting Started in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Get that early boost
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is now here, and whether you're entirely new to the game or an old veteran from the Wii U original, the new title has some tricks to know in order to ensure those podium finishes. Some of them are old methods, but adjusted physics and mechanics in this Deluxe edition also mean that it's worth having a little...
Deals Get in the Race With These Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Accessories and More
Play Mario Kart in style
The release of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is only a short way off now, and it might be the first time a lot of Switch owners have played this game as not everyone had the Wii U. Still, current owners of the non-deluxe version will no doubt be delighted by the new-found portability, new characters and of course the all-important...
First Impressions Back on Track with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Switching gear
Given that a number of gamers who pick up the Nintendo Switch may not have owned a Wii U, it makes a lot of sense to have Mario Kart 8 Deluxe in the launch window for the new system. Not only is it one of the most fun games on the Wii U, but it has also been the best-selling too — with over eight million copies sold worldwide...
Feature How Mario Kart Brought Two Soul Mates Together
The road to true love is littered with red shells
From now until the start of the new year we're going to be republishing some of what we feel are our best features of 2015. Hopefully this will offer the chance for newer readers to catch up on content they might have missed and allow long-time fans to reacquaint themselves with features they enjoyed...
Mario Memories Mario Kart 8 and Discovering the Joys of Online Multiplayer
6th Place Forever
In this series of articles celebrating the upcoming 30th Anniversary of Super Mario, various members of the Nintendo Life extended family will share their memories and thoughts on the iconic franchise. This time we have our delightful reviewer Narelle Ho Sang. Some of my favourite memories of Mario are the ones I'm still making...
Mario History Mario Kart Wii - 2008
Filling the world with plastic wheels
In this series of articles we'll write about one or more Mario game per day, each representing a different year as part of our Super Mario 30th Anniversary celebrations. Mario Kart: Double Dash! on GameCube played its part in shaking up home console racing in the iconic karting series, while Mario Kart DS...
Mario History Mario Kart DS and Mario Kart Arcade GP - 2005
When snaking shook the world
In this series of articles we'll write about one or more Mario game per day, each representing a different year as part of our Super Mario 30th Anniversary celebrations. 2005 was a busy year in terms of Mario releases, with a whole host of options across portable and home console systems, all in the form of spin-offs...
Mario History Mario Kart: Double Dash!! - 2003
Seeing double
In this series of articles we'll write about one or more Mario game per day, each representing a different year as part of our Super Mario 30th Anniversary celebrations. Arriving two years after Mario Kart Super Circuit on the GBA, Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (emphasis not ours) is the fourth game in the Mario Kart series, or third...
Talking Point Mario Kart 8 DLC is a Winning Formula for Nintendo, But It Can Go Further
A real Battle Mode, Challenges and more
We suspect that the online multiplayer servers for Mario Kart 8 saw a handsome spike this week, with the launch of DLC Pack 2 and an update that includes the 200cc race class. It's a title that just keeps growing, and as we argued recently the arrival of non-Mario franchises points to a potential future for...
Bringing more gaming with less releases
Let's kick off this article with some current-day realities - not negative as such, but perhaps uncomfortable. At the moment, especially with the Wii U, Nintendo is responsible for producing the bulk of high-quality retail releases. There are partners or second-party studios producing some key efforts - like...
Poll Would You Like Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros. DLC to Expand for a Whole Generation?
Platforms within platforms
This week Super Smash Bros. on Wii U and Nintendo 3DS had its first DLC in the form of Mii character outfits, while on 23rd April we'll get to enjoy the Mario Kart 8 DLC Pack 2. We know there's more to come in Super Smash Bros. in the form of purchasable characters - Mewtwo (already available to eligible Club Nintendo...
Poll What Are You Most Excited About in the Mario Kart 8 DLC Pack 2?
Tracks, characters, vehicles, amiibo suits and free 200cc all coming
Earlier today Nintendo finally unveiled its full line-up for the Mario Kart 8 DLC Pack 2, with a whole host of lovely videos joining the announcement. We've also had a chance to go hands on with everything the DLC has to offer, including 200cc mode, to share our views on how its...
Hands On Hitting the Tracks in Mario Kart 8 DLC Pack 2 and 200cc Mode
It just keeps getting better...
When Nintendo announced that the second Mario Kart 8 DLC pack was coming earlier than promised, we were appropriately excited. Now that we've had a chance to get to grips with everything this extra content has to offer, suffice to say we're not disappointed. In this early look at the full DLC pack we check out the...
Poll Which is the Best Mario Kart Game?
Will you go retro, HD or portable?
It's a time of year in which plenty of time is spent with friends, family and fellow web gamers debating all manner of topics. Is Kirby Nintendo's cutest mascot? Has Mario's moustache become bushier in the HD era? Will F-Zero ever return? It's a time of opinions, and having checked out the Game of the Year results...
Feature Our Predictions For The Animal Crossing x Mario Kart 8 DLC Pack 2
Vehicles and tracks up for grabs
Earlier this week, ahead of the launch of the first Mario Kart 8 DLC Pack, we let our imaginations — and hopes — run free in creating more DLC packs that we want to see. It was certainly fun for us, though a common complaint was that they weren't realistic. Forgetting the fact that predicting Zelda DLC a year ago...
Feature These Are The Mario Kart 8 DLC Packs We Want To See
This is just the beginning
At the time of writing the first DLC pack for Mario Kart 8 — The Legend of Zelda x Mario Kart 8 — is just hours away. It won't stop there, either, as next May will bring a second pack to the successful Wii U racer. Yet as we eagerly anticipate blasting around Mute City while playing as Link on the Master Cycle —...
Preview Power Sliding Around The Legend of Zelda x Mario Kart 8 DLC
The great just got even greater!
Recently we were invited to Nintendo's UK headquarters to have a go at The Legend of Zelda x Mario Kart 8 DLC that's arriving on 13th November, and naturally we just had to tell you what we thought of it. This is the first time a Mario Kart game has had DLC, so Nintendo has to make an impact to convince buyers to...
Video Check Out Our Second EGX 2014 YouTube Mario Kart 8 Challenge
Twelve more YouTube gamers race to the finish line
EGX 2014 may be a fading memory for some, but here at Nintendo Life we're committed to making sure everyone remembers how truly amazing it all was. With that in mind, we bring you not one but two new videos from the EGX weekend, both of which focus on the live events we held which showcased the...
Event Mario Kart 8 UK Championship 2014 At EGX
Coverage from the big day
At this year's EGX we hosted the Mario Kart 8 UK Championship with The Official Nintendo UK Store in order to find the best Mushroom Kingdom racer in the entire country. After a series of gruelling online heats we whittled it down to 12 challengers, all of which met at EGX to decide who was the supreme talent on the track...
Guide How to Beat Everyone Else in Mario Kart 8
Pro tips, particularly useful if you're going to EGX
Over the past two months we've run qualifying heats for the UK Mario Kart 8 Championship, in which the country's fastest racer will be crowned at this weekend's EGX event in London. As part of our dedicated area within Nintendo's booth attendees of the show will also be able take part in a variety...
Talking Point Mario Kart 8's Diverse DLC Sets Up Endless Potential for the Franchise
A vehicle that could be vital in future
It's safe to say that Nintendo caught us off guard with its recent DLC announcement for Mario Kart 8, with these extras bringing new franchises into the MK world and, just as importantly, serving up a significant dose of content. Once both packs arrive the number of courses will have doubled, which is...
Mario Kart Month Nintendo Life's Team Shares Its Early Thoughts on Mario Kart 8
Share your impressions, too
Mario Kart 8 is now well and truly settled in on plenty of Wii U systems around the world. It seems that Friend Lists have never been busier, too, as a quick glance at almost any time of the day shows most are actively blasting around tracks. If you're a Wii U owner, there are decent odds this applies to you. That's also...
What about those other items?
Whilst core items such as the banana, shell and mushroom have carried the traditions of the Mario Kart series over the past 22 years, there are many other forgotten, reinvented, and even untouched items that arguably contin
Mario Kart Month What Mario Kart Means To Me
Dave Letcavage shares his experiences with the series
In this personal reminiscence, Nintendo Life contributor Dave Letcavage explains how important the Mario Kart franchise — and gaming in a broader sense — are to him, recounting events of his life in which they've been invaluable sources of entertainment, fun and escape. You don’t need me...
Mario Kart Month The Developers Who Tried To Beat Nintendo At Its Own Game
Improving On Perfection
Veterans of the 16-bit era will vividly recall the first time they played Super Mario Kart. Nintendo's seminal racer was a genuine revolution; it took what had previously been quite a staid and serious genre and turned it into something light-hearted, yet immensely challenging and addictive. While Super Mario Kart had an...
Guide Getting Started in Mario Kart 8
Don't drive into the deep end
As some of the Nintendo Life team still like discs that come in boxes, our original plan was to release a getting started guide on 30th May; then we remembered some of you trendy types may download the title as soon as it pops up on the Wii U eShop, which may or may not be at midnight. You just can't wait, right? So...
Mario Kart Month Expanding the Universe of Mario Kart
Nintendo Kart?
Back in December, Nintendo showed off a cleverly deceptive trailer for Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS that briefly showed Kirby pulling off some audacious Warp Star moves in Mario Kart's Rainbow Road. Of course, that trailer turned out to be the reveal of Rosalina and Luma for Super Smash Bros., just another fun jok
Play Mario Kart 8 With Nintendo Life in our Launch Party
Watch our chums at Eurogamer play it live today, and us on launch day
Mario Kart 8 is extremely close now, and aside from some cheeky people that have found gullible retailers the vast majority are eagerly awaiting delivery or to hit up the eShop on launch day. We figured now would be a good time to let you know of some of our plans to enjoy the new...
Mario Kart Month A Brief History Of Mario Kart Item Evolution: Mighty Mushroom
There’s a shroom for every occasion
You wouldn’t normally associate a mushroom with speed, but just look at Toad with his white and red polka dot head – he’s always zipping about. Clearly he’s got a need for speed after excessive use of the mighty mushroom out on the track. Actually, it’s hard to imagine what’s even under that...
Poll A Tale of Two Blockbusters as Mario Kart 8 and Watch Dogs Arrive This Week
How will you spend your cash?
A gaming year is often summed up by crowded, high-profile release windows, typically in November as Holiday shopping and Black Friday insanity sweep stores in multiple territories. While this week isn't quite on that scale, it does see the rather brilliant Mario Kart 8 on Wii U go up against Watch Dogs on, well,...
Interview Mario Kart 8 Director, Kosuke Yabuki, On Key Features of the Wii U's Blockbuster Release
"Not ruling out the possibility" of a Smash Bros. roster approach in future
For Wii U owners this week is about one game, Mario Kart 8. A new arrival in the franchise is always an exciting occasion, and in some respects this entry takes the series forward in more ways than its predecessors — it brings HD visuals to the franchise for the first...
Mario Kart Month Keeping the Mario Kart 8 Race Going With DLC
Are you thinking what we’re thinking?
As we’re all aware, Mario Kart 8 is just about to zoom around the corner and handbrake turn into our shiny Wii U consoles, which makes it pretty difficult to think about anything else at the moment. With the recently released Mario Golf: World Tour offering paid DLC packs – including additional courses,...
Mario Kart Month Mario Kart's Best Weapon Isn't What You Think
Green Shells For Pride and Honour
Games in the Mario Kart series — including the forthcoming Mario Kart 8 — are usually referred to as racing games, but we all know that's only half the story — the other half is gladiatorial combat on wheels, battles fought between competitors using whatever Super Mario-themed objects of destruction they can...
Mario Kart Month A Brief History Of Mario Kart Item Evolution: The Shell
When spiny blue shells grow wings
If you thought Donkey Kong’s banana-throwing antics were foul play out on the circuit, Koopa Troopa is probably worthy of mention as well – no doubt coming under fire from various animal rights groups for the exploitation of his own species. Although shells have been one of the many foundations of Mario Kart...
Mario Kart Month A Brief History Of Mario Kart Item Evolution: The Trusty Banana
Plenty of slip-ups contained within
Since the very beginnings of Mario Kart in the 1992 Super Nintendo original, items have been a truly defining aspect of the series. Little did we – and perhaps even Nintendo – know various themed items and effects originally extracted from the traditional Mario universe would go on to become such an integral...
Play Let's Race Through Mario Kart 1-7, Live!
Let's do this...
As you're hopefully aware, we announced earlier this week that we're running a marathon live stream of Mario Kart 1-7, in which two courageous souls from the Nintendo Life team will sacrifice their Saturday for your entertainment. We'll also be hoping that the elaborate setup of cables for the broadcast won't spontaneously combust;...
Mario Kart Month Mario Kart 8 Character Profiles: Koopalings Galore
Our profile series concludes with the new MK8 contestants
With Mario Kart's ever-expanding roster of eligible drivers, it can be tough to keep track of them all. When you're out there on the crowded raceway, how are you supposed to tell your Birdos from your Koopa Paratroopas? Have no fear: Nintendo Life is here to help you with handy character...
Play We'll Be Blasting Through Mario Kart 1-7 in a Twitch Marathon
Not a ROM in sight
Not long ago we took our first tentative steps into the world of Twitch when we played a bit of Mario Kart Wii live for your amusement. Now we're planning to go a step further and marathon the first seven titles in the series; before any of you say "what about the arcade cabinets", we'll have feature content about those this...
Mario Kart Month Mario Kart 8 Character Profiles - The Veterans
It's a Mario (Kart) Party!
With Mario Kart's ever-expanding roster of eligible drivers, it can be tough to keep track of them all. When you're out there on the crowded raceway, how are you supposed to tell your Petey Piranhas from your Ludwig von Koopas? Have no fear: Nintendo Life is here to help you with handy character profiles on every racer in...
Mario Kart Month An Outsider's View Of Super Mario Kart
Kerry sees if the 16-bit classic is still in pole position
Mario Kart 8’s release is now just a few weeks away and everyone here at Nintendo Life is so excited about the game that they can’t sit still without applying superglue to their chairs first. Well everyone except me; I honestly haven’t been anywhere near a Mario Kart game for at least...
Feature All the Important Details From the Mario Kart 8 Nintendo Direct Broadcasts
A perfect boost
Nintendo has pulled another Nintendo Direct rabbit out of the hat with its Mario Kart 8 videos, which were released straight onto YouTube. There were subtle regional differences, including the range of titles available in the undoubtedly attractive free Wii U game Club Nintendo promotion, while the North American broadcast had a few...
Round Table Let's Talk Endlessly About Mario Kart 8, Just Because
Tom, Ant, Daz and Damo share their hands-on impressions
Our official Mario Kart 8 hands-on preview went live yesterday — if you haven't done so already, you should really read it. We'll wait here until you get back. Done? Good. We can now move onto the next phase of our Mario Kart 8 coverage: a good old-fashioned chat around a table featuring...
The green light is nearly on
When it comes down to major, triple-A retail releases on the way that will — Nintendo hopes — lift the Wii U's sales and boost the public's perception of the system, there's currently only one show in town. While there are a number of exciting titles on the way from Nintendo and its partners, Mario Kart 8 has a firm...
First Impressions Mario Kart 8
Turning things upside down
Imagine the Mario Kart series as an enormous living being made out of adorable cars, happy drivers, delightful loops passing through volcanoes and haunted houses and vicious blue shells. Envision this being, this body of Kartdom, and now answer this simple question: where is its heart? What is the thumping engine within...
Feature 20 Years of Mario Kart
How the time, and kart, flies
Today is yet another Nintendo anniversary, in this case the 20th anniversary of Super Mario Kart's release in Japan. That's 20 years of powering around tracks and making other mascot's driving lives miserable, while infuriating their masters in multiplayer. It's a series with enduring appeal that has evolved into one...
