Here’s a marketing partnership I bet you didn’t see coming.
Nintendo has announced that it is riding shotgun with Mercedes-Benz to bring more horsepower to Mario Kart 8 in the form of three new karts modeled after a Mercedes-Benz GLA, a 1950s 300 SL Roadster and a 1930s Silver Arrow. Each ride will be able to outfit with different gliders and wheels like any other kart in the game, while the GLA will offer special wheel options of its own.
The Mercedes-Benz DLC is set to release August 27th, the 22nd anniversary of Super Mario Kart‘s original launch in Japan, as part of an update bringing new features and enhancements to the core Mario Kart 8 experience. On the same day, a “Mercedes Cup” online tournament will begin featuring the new Mercedes-Benz karts. The tournament is set to last until September 23rd.
In addition to the Mercedes-Benz DLC, the Mario Kart 8 update will add the following upgrades:
• Drivers will now have the option to display the course map on the TV screen during races.
• The order of the menu after each race will be changed to “Next Race”, followed by “Watch Highlight Reel”.
• The game will remember the most recent kart options that were selected, even if the Wii U system was powered down.
• Users will be able to change options of other players’ Mario Kart TV downloaded highlight reels, such as changing the focus to different characters or actions.
• A score screen will be added so players can see how many coins they’ve collected, the win-loss record of their online battles and their frequently used characters.
• Improved the stability of the online connection to enhance user experience during online battles.
Oh yeah, and did I mention that ALL of this content is free? Well, it is! Who’s ready to cruise around the Mushroom Kingdom in pure luxury?