1 week Ago
PARIS: Nintendo can talk all it wants about better controllers, new in-game chat and 4K resolution, but for many families interested in buying a new Switch console, the big question will be: What's the new Mario Kart like? The Nintendo Switch 2's most anticipated game is Mario Kart World and it's arriving alongside the new console at a steep new price of at least €80 (RM393), depending on the version. The biggest change is that Mario Kart World features an open-world concept, and players can simply take their go-kart out to explore the landscapes in between various new race courses. Nintendo is also setting the game up for larger competitions and parties, and up to 24 players can now compete in races simultaneously.
The Knockout Tour, demonstrated at a Paris launch event, is a particularly fun new game mode. Here, a group of 24 players races together in a linear competition. At several checkpoints, the players in the last positions are eliminated until only the best remain to compete for victory in the final segment.
The gameplay we saw at the demo in Paris was quite chaotic at the start, since everything and everyone stay close together while many items are flying around. It’s easy to drop from first to last place in a matter of seconds, but also possible to quickly climb back to the top. The tension rises significantly just before the checkpoints.
Drifting, the skidding technique used to get a boost on corners, returns in the game, but a new way to get boosts is by doing grinds on things like rails and cables. Several new characters are set to arrive as well, including Nabbit and Moo Moo, the cow from the race track Moo Moo Meadows. Players can expect plenty more wacky details.
The game's trailer shows players driving into a large semi-articulated truck and powering ahead inside it with a boost. Nintendo says the games will also feature changing time of day and weather conditions. Airplane races are also to arrive in the latest Mario Kart game, but Nintendo has yet to go into detail about this.
A further update on the game is expected on April 17. Nintendo has announced more than 50 games for the Switch 2. However, not all of them will be available at launch in June.
The initial pricing indicates that Nintendo is now differentiating between digital and physical games. Nintendo’s own titles, Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza (release: July 17), will each cost €10 more if purchased as physical cartridges. However, the game prices are more likely to raise eyebrows.
Mario Kart World starting at €80 sets a new benchmark for game publishers, which other major titles are likely to follow. – dpa/Tribune News Service.
