Mario Kart 8 Surprise Nintendo Direct

Nintendo has a knack for surprising fans with interesting videos, promotions, and games.  It happened again today.  As I ate my pre-work breakfast and scrolled through Twitter, I noticed Nintendo had posted a Mario Kart 8 Nintendo Direct.  Not a time for a direct, but a direct itself.  And it was fantastic.  If you were not excited about the game yet, prepare to be sold.

Nintendo announced a ton of new stuff via this Nintendo Direct.  First was a detailed look at how anti-gravity racing will work.  When anti-gravity mode is enabled, the wheels on the karts will turn sideways making the kart hover over the track, allowing players to drive on walls and the ceiling.  The coolest feature is the ability to receive a speed burst by hitting opponents and objects.  You heard right.  Hitting things will not slow you down in this mode, but rather speed you up.  This is an interesting new mechanic that will make playing Mario Kart 8 feel different then previous titles.  As in most of their franchises, Nintendo is staying true to the original format while innovating in very specific ways.

Kart customization is back, new characters were announced – Baby Rosalina and Metallic Princess Peach – and new items were explained.  The coolest new items are the Boomerang Flower which can be thrown three times, the Piranha Plant that attaches to the front of your kart and eats both hazards and opposing players, and the Super Eight, which gives a player eight items instead of one.

The best part of this direct, however, was saved for the end.  A new Mario Kart 8 bundle was announced.  The bundle includes a black Wii U Deluxe console, a copy of Mario Kart 8, a red steering wheel peripheral, and the Mario themed WiiMote Plus.  If that wasn’t enough, Nintendo announced that anyone who buys and registers a copy of Mario Kart 8 before the end of July will receive a free digital download of New Super Mario Bros U, Wii Party U, The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, or Pikmin 3*. 

Aside from the plethora of Mario Kart 8 announcements and game play video, Nintendo has once again demonstrated their passion and dedication for their Wii U system.  Nintendo is aware of the problems that have plagued the Wii U since launch, and are moving in the right direction to rectify them.  This begins with a dedication to efficient marketing aimed at the end users of their products.  Nintendo is giving fans what they want.  It seems like the days of generic Nintendo Directs are over.  Directs with a very specific purpose are taking over.  The last three Directs, dedicated to Super Smash Bros, Tomodachi Life, and Mario Kart 8 respectively, have highlighted the important and innovative games that Nintendo has to offer.

I believe Nintendo has understood that they need to highlight the games that will sell, not the ones they hope to sell.  The Wonderful 101 doesn’t get purchased and played unless a more prominent title entices the consumer to buy a Wii U.  By hyping franchise giants like Mario Kart and Super Smash Bros, Nintendo is opening the door to sell more Wii U consoles, and move innovative, albeit lesser known, first and third party titles via advertisements to those already in possession of a Wii U.