Mario Kart 8

Really? I personally thought Cloudtop Cruise looked like one of the more boring tracks shown for the game so far. But that's just me.

Also, my insane ideas for tracks not revealed yet:

Tarantox's Web
Kitchen track
Giant Crab Shell
Rosalina Spaceway (if they were to use "raceway" instead of "circuit" for the names of circuits...)
Pirate Ship

According to Nintendo of Spain, these keyrings are based on items in Mario Kart 8:



Now I don't know which ones are new due to not owning Mario Kart 7, but I think the Cheep Cheep item could be interesting.

Thinking of new, I'd think of all the Mario Kart games together and not just seven, but the ones I have no memory of are the 1-up shroom, DK barrel, or Cheep Cheep. Though I never playeed the GBA DS or SNES ones so I'm not sure if those are all brand new.

^ Well yeah, but I was only saying that due to having played every Mario Kart before 7 myself. And none of those items you mentioned were in the ones before 7...so I'm guessing they would be new items. It would be strange to not have any new items in this game at all though. I do wonder what the 1-up Mushroom would do, I can't think of anything they could do with that.

The Cheep Cheep, 1 UP Mushroom and the DK barrel have never been items before and the Boo item has t been used since Mario Kart DS.

Also Australia and Europe are getting a Blue Shell edition that will cost $99.95 in Australia.



Source

I don't see many people getting the Blue Shell edition since it's $20 more.

What is even the point in that? Just to get a special Blue Shell, I guess it's more of a collector's edition then.

I wonder why they took the Boo out to begin with. I actually never noticed they did while playing the Wii version though.

Here's Bone Dry Dunes.





It's nice to see a closer look at this course and I think Shy and Dry Bowser will be playable since flags are often times only there for playable characters and this looks like a split ownership between Dry Bones and Dry Bowser.

Normally I dislike desert courses, but that one looks really cool. I like how they're merging two different themes. And yeah I agree with Gameguy that Shy Guy and Dry Bones will likely be playable because they're on the flags, it would make sense, so I wouldn't worry about Shy Guy not getting into the roster for this game. (Fluffy XD)

Here's a link from /v/.

Bikes, Karts, and Buggies all have their uses. Some are better at certain courses. Buggies do better on desert stages, while the bikes do better on circuit and traffic courses. Karts are kind of a nice balance. I don't understand how the Buggies would only work better on desert stages when some bikes have good off road.

New items?
Peepa
It has the same effect as the Boo from the past games.
I don't why this would replace the Boo item unless they did not want King Boo to use the Boo item.

Gold Shell
It acts as a green shell, that gives a coin to the character that fired it every couple of seconds until it hits a character or bounces enough. If a character is hit by it they drop more coins than usual.
This could be cool if the 10 coin cap was removed.


Mega Msuhroom
It's back from MKW.
I don't see how this item would work in Anti gravity.


As for the courses, the new courses that you've seen go in this order:

Mushroom Cup
Rosalina Circuit I would be nice to see a Rosalina Circuit but, I see Mario Circuit being the first course.
Sweet Sweet Canyon
Twisted Mansion
Dolphin Shoals

Flower Cup
Thwomp Ruins
Mario Circuit
Shy Guy Falls
Toad Harbor

Star Cup
Club Koopaling
Sunshine Airport
Sherbet Glacier I guess this course would have ice cream all around it.
Bone Dry Dunes

Special Cup
Cloudtop Cruise
Sub Coaster
Bowser's Castle
Rainbow Road

Shell Cup
DS Figure-8 Circuit
Wii Moo Moo Meadows
3DS Cheep Cheep Lagoon
GCN Dry Dry Desert

Banana Cup
GBA Mario Circuit
SNES Donut Plains 2
Wii DK Pass
3DS Music Park

Leaf Cup
3DS Piranha Plant Slide
N64 Toads Turnpike
DS Tick Tock Clock
Wii Grumble Volcano

Lightning Cup
3DS DK Jungle
Wii Bowser's Castle
GCN Wario Colosseum
N64 Rainbow Road

There may or may not be two DLC cups with SNES and GBA courses. If so they won't be out right away. I really won't to see this but, I don't think it will happen.

Rosalina Circuit is very different than the other first courses in the other games. It takes place in space and eases you in very well. There's a flat planet you start out on in it, and the anti-gravity stuff takes you planetoid to planetoid.
The course sounds cool but, it seems to fit more into the Flower or Star Cup.

You've seen most courses in a video, but Sub Coaster is a pretty neat course. It takes you underwater and through a museum in the middle of a theme park.
I did not see a museum in the trailer.
Rainbow road takes you down at 90 degree angles. The bottom fourth level then shoots you back up to the start line. Looks like someone welded metal to the actual track. This track sounds like it would be one of the best in the game.


As far as old courses, expect new features. Toad's Turnpike can have you driving on the walls to avoid cars as a shortcut, and Figure-8 Circuit has a small twist about halfway through to go upside down. N64 Rainbow road is a little more interesting with rails missing and neon lights of all the playable characters.
As cool as the neon lights sound I don't see it happening.

As far as battle mode goes, it's better than past modes. You have Coin, Balloon Point, and Ballon Elimination. WiiBlock Plaza, N64Double Deck, 3DS Honeybee House and GCN Tilt-a Kart return.
Balloon Point sounds cool.


Characters:

Feather
Toad
Koopa Troopa
Baby Mario
Baby Peach
Baby Luigi
Baby Daisy
Toadette
Lemmy
Shy Guy
No Dry Bones would be a letdown since Bone Dry Dunes seems to be based on him.

Light
Bowser Jr.
Ludwig
Larry
Diddy Kong
Waddlewing
I would rather see Dixie over Wadlewing. Wadlewing sounds like something they would do though.

Medium
Mario
Luigi
Peach
Daisy
Wendy
Iggy
Yoshi
Birdo

Cruiser
Donkey Kong
Waluigi
Rosalina
King Boo
Roy


Heavy
Bowser
Wario
Morton
Honey Queen
Plessie
Plessie would be great to use.
Your Mii
Works like they did in MKW. They have a few suits this time around.

It sounds really fake but, some of the things may be true.

It sounds fake to me, but it's still interesting to read. And I just realized we know about all but TWO new courses, so unless there are more cups or more tracks in each cup than before, that's really disappointing since all the tracks are pretty much spoiled from the game otherwise. (and yeah I'm not counting Bowser Castle and Rainbow Road since we know those will be in the game anyway)

It looks like Japan is getting Mario playing cards as there preorder bonus.



Source

If we get those cards as are preorder bonus I would go preorder the game if they add some other characters to the play cards like Rosalina, Bowser, Yoshi and Toad. With that said I find it strange how Peach and Luigi are the joker cards. I think Mario is the A card, Bowser is the King Card, Rosalina is the Queen card and Yoshi or Toad are the Jack card.

That's a nice preorder gift, I would likely preorder it if I got those with it. Although it's probably just character art pasted onto the different cards for no reason, why would Luigi and Peach be Joker cards?

Also, I wonder what the first course of the game will be. Does anyone think Mario Circuit actually is the first course? I don't remember it being first since Super Mario Kart...

Okay, I've made my list of retro tracks for Mario Kart 8, hopefully this will become a reality, but I highly doubt I can guess them all. (in fact, I think it's pretty much impossible) But anyway:

Shell Cup
DS Figure-8 Circuit
Wii Toad's Factory
GBA Riverside Park
3DS Shy Guy Bazaar (never played but seems like an interesting course)

Banana Cup
N64 Toad's Turnpike
GCN Mushroom City
SNES Bowser Castle 2
3DS Music Park (already confirmed)

Leaf Cup
N64 Royal Raceway
Wii Grumble Volcano (already confirmed)
GCN Dry Dry Desert (already confirmed)
GBA Sunset Wilds

Lightning Cup
Wii DK Summit
3DS Pirahna Plant Slide (already confirmed)
GCN Wario Colosseum
DS Rainbow Road (the only likely Rainbow Road retro course to be in the game)

GBA Mario Circuit , DS Tick-Tock Clock and DK Jungle are also confirmed.

I guess I will also post the ones I would like to see even though I know some of them won't happen

Shell Cup
DS Figure-8 Circuit
* GBA Mario Circuit
Wii Toad's Factory
* 3DS Music Park

Banana Cup
Wii DK Summit
* 3DS Pirahna Plant Slide
GBA Ribbon Road
*GCN Dry Dry Desert

Leaf Cup
3DS Rosalina's Ice World
N64 Yoshi Valley
SNES Vanilla Lake 1
* Wii Grumble Volcano

Lighting Cup
GCN Wario Colosseum
* DS Tick- Tock Clock
* 3DS DK Jungle
N64 Rainbow Road