Nintendo is hopeful that Mario Kart 8 can bring the Wii U out of the deep hole its managed to dig for itself, so in order to get the game as much exposure as possible, they've teamed with mega retailer GameStop, which will feature playable versions of the game in 2,700 of their stores.
Everything You Need to Know About Mario Kart 8's Courses
The promotion has been dubbed "Mario Kart 8 Test Drive Days," and to anyone who samples the game and decides to pre-order, they'll find themselves with an exclusive double-sided Mario Kart 8 poster.
With close to 3,000 stores taking part in the offer, we're not going to list them all here. The best thing to do is head over to GameStop's site and punch in your zip code to find the participating store nearest you. The promotion starts this Saturday, May 17, at 12PM until 4PM local time. The offer will continue on Sunday, May 18, with the same start and end times.
Mario Kart 8 Hands-On: Just What the Wii U Needs
Now, if you checked out the first review of Mario Kart 8, then you're aware of a few spoilers here and there, including the abandonment of arenas for the game's battle mode. Recently, Mario Kart 8's Director, Kosuke Yabuki, sat down with EDGE magazine, and explained the rationale behind the decision:
"We've changed the style of Battle mode for Mario Kart 8 to use circuits that lots of people can play on. Players won't know when a rival will appear from around a corner, which will bring a new sense of excitement and strategy to this mode. In terms of rules, we designed it for playing with 12 players, including the CPU. In the beginning, you have to defeat the CPU players and earn your score, and towards the end it becomes a battle between just human players. That's the real thrill of it! It should also be a fresh experience for users to be able to race backwards around the circuits they are familiar with. I'm sure there will be a few people who aren't so sure about us moving away from how we've done things previously, but I hope they try it out for themselves first. I'm sure it will be a new experience for everyone, [and] like no other battles in Mario Kart before."
Speaking of new experiences, Nintendo had previously detailed the game's new anti-gravity feature in an episode of Nintendo Direct, which allowed them to create new types of tracks that players hadn't experienced in the many past Mario Kart titles. There's a new TV spot out that shows the mechanic in action. If you haven't come across it on the boob tube, you can check it out below.
Mario Kart 8 releases at the end of the month as a Wii U exclusive. The racer features one of the biggest rosters yet, with Mario, Luigi, Peach, Daisy, Rosalina, their respective infant versions, Yoshi, Bowser, Donkey Kong, Toad, Koopa Troopa, Toadette, Wario, Waluigi, Shy Guy, Metal Mario, Lakitu, and Bowser's kids Larry, Morton, Wendy, Iggy, Roy, Lemmy, and Ludwig as playable racers. Pink Gold Peach, a counter character to Metal Mario, rounds out the roster, bringing the total character count to 30.
Beyond the characters, Mario Kart 8 also adds in new items, anti-gravity, both new and favorite retro tracks, and the return of bikes, gliders, and underwater driving. Nintendo's World Store in Manhattan will be holding a launch party to celebrate.
