When Nintendo Japan and car manufacturer Mercedes-Benz revealed a bizarre Mario Kart 8 “Free Add-on Content” (/product placement) deal a few months ago for Wii U it was uncertain if the rest of the world would get to enjoy real life motors on the fantasy race tracks of the Mushroom Kingdom. But today Nintendo UK has confirmed to us that not one but three Mercedes vehicles will be available in a download pack from August the 27th.
The three new playable rides for Mario, Luigi, Yoshi and their colourful pals to drive in Mario Kart 8 will be the previously announced Mercedes-Benz GLA, a stylish and modern motor which is joined by the ‘50s model 300 SL Roadster and vintage ‘30s model racer the Silver Arrow. All of the cars can be pimped out with crazy accessories including gliders and some seriously wacky wheels.
It’s a real showcase of the best of the motor specialist’s past century and the surreal world of the Super Mario franchise and gamers who download the pack for Mario Kart 8 on their Wii U will also be able to join players from around the world and take part in a Mercedes Cup Tournament which will be hosted online.
As well as the Mercedes themed content the Mario Kart 8 update delivers new settings and enhancements to the gameplay such as the option of displaying the course map on screen at all times, the ability to check online win/loss stats and enjoy new highlight reel options. The update also improves the game’s overall stability when playing online too.
Mario Kart 8 is available for Wii U now, with the Mercedes-Benz DLC pack with vehicles and upgrades released on August the 27th which co-incidentally marks the 22nd anniversary date of the original Super Mario Kart release in Japan on SNES (or Super Famicom as it was known there.)