Like so many predicted, the Wii U exclusive racer Mario Kart 8 is off to a great start. The game released worldwide this past Friday, May 30, and Nintendo announced that the game is already at over 1.2 million sales.
Why Mario Kart 8 Can Pull the Wii U Out of the Muck
Early reviews had the game pegged as one of the console's few must-own titles, and as the early sales numbers show, the fans clearly agreed. “The early response to Mario Kart 8 demonstrates that the best days for Wii U are still ahead,” said Nintendo of America president and COO Reggie Fils-Aime. “This year’s E3 is just days away, and it will be all about the future games for Nintendo platforms.”
The game's sales numbers also represented a milestone for game the floundering console, and now stands as the fastest selling Wii U game ever. According to a press release, Mario Kart 8 is the the 14th Wii U game to launch in the U.S. with a Metacritic score of 85 or higher, and is on track to climb even higher is performance of other games in the series is any indication. The release also noted that each game in the series performed more than admirably, and the combined sales of all games is over 100 million. You can see the figures for yourself below:
Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Yoshi Themed Wii U Controllers Out Alongside Mario Kart 8
Super Mario Kart - 8.76 million
Mario Kart 64 - 9.87 million
Mario Kart Advance - 5.91 million
Mario Kart: Double Dash!! on the GameCube - 6.88 million
Mario Kart DS - 23.56 million
Mario Kart Wii - 35.53 million
Mario Kart 7 - 9.62 million
Mario Kart 8 boasts one of the biggest rosters in the series 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.
In addition to 16 new tracks, there are also 16 old favorites like Toad's Turnpike and Rainbow Road for a total of 32 tracks in all, spread across 8 different cups. Players have their choice of 14 different types of karts, 9 types of bikes, 3 types of ATVs, and 11 gliders each with different stats and customizable parts to cruise the courses, complete with items new and old for a variety of gameplay.
You can check out Mario Kart 8's trailer below.
