The power button is the same as the original, and the reset button also works.īut the eject button is fake, and the cartridge slot doesn’t actually open. But as with the NES CE, the imitation only goes so far. It’s a miniature SNES, obviously, and very like the original it is, though considerably smaller. While the below video may not quite be Mario Kart 9, it’s hopefully enough to tide you over until we hear official world from the overlords at Nintendo HQ.I’m happy to say that the SNES CE (as we’ll abbreviate it) nails it, with a few mostly aesthetic exceptions.įirst, let’s talk about the device itself. The latest bit of fun to be unveiled was the park’s Mario Kart ride, meaning fans finally got to hop in the karts themselves. Not to mention the buzz around Super Nintendo World – a theme park opening in Japan, also in February. When combined alongside sales of the original game on the Wii U, Mario Kart 8’s sales figures comes to a total of 41.86 million units. Previously, Mario Kart Wii held the pole position at a measly 37.38 units. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – an enhanced version of Mario Kart 8 for the Switch, has sold a whopping 33.41 million units. In early February 2021 Mario Kart 8 officially became the franchise’s best-selling entry of all time, as revealed by Nintendo’s fiscal reports. Perhaps in preparation, perhaps because they’re happy to simply sit on their laurels and eat up that worldwide love. Given these rumours and Nintendo’s unprecedented levels of success, they’re pushing the Mario Kart brand to the extreme in 2021. So at the very least, keep your Amiibo figurines in a safe place until we get more information! Mario Kart 9 on our minds It doesn’t seem a big stretch that Nintendo will continue this trend – mostly because it would encourage players to purchase more of their products.
For example, if you connect a Link ( Legend of Zelda) Amiibo you can choose to have your racing avatar take on the appearance of Link. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe allows players to unlock special “racing suits” that correspond to specific Amiibo figurines. While the game will surely ship with a generous number of playable racers, it seems likely that it will be able to be bolstered by connecting Amiibo figurines. Amiibo and how it might feature in Mario Kart 9 Image: Amiibo / NintendoĪmiibo, the toy-to-life platform Nintendo has pioneered, could play a prominent role in expanding the cast of characters in Mario Kart 9. Cartoonish violence has always been an important part of Mario Kart, with the battle mode being one the series’ most enduring innovations.īesides, a little family friendly rough-and-tumble might just be exactly what we all need to look forward to in 2021. The extent of this isn’t clear but it’s hardly surprising. talk leads us to our final talking point multiple sources online are getting rather excited about the prospect of finally being able to “tackle” other racers. I mean who doesn’t want to see pesky little Toad being chased down and eventually devoured by a ravenous, glowing Pac-Man?Īll this Super Smash Bros. That is, characters from outside of Nintendo franchises – as is the Super Smash Bros. custom. Ultimate we are likely to see a number of that game’s most popular characters jump into their go-karts and go vroom vroom. As mentioned above, this is a critical part of Nintendo’s marketing strategy and it is expected that Mario Kart 9 will see this cast grow to an unprecedented size.Ĭonsidering the enormous success of Super Smash Bros.
One of the most iconic aspects of the Mario Kart series is the large cast of playable characters.
With these pieces of information in mind, the generally accepted speculation is that Mario Kart 9 will eventually be unveiled as a Switch Pro launch title, much like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe was for the original Switch in 2017. The Nintendo Switch Pro was another item that remained unrevealed, despite being one of Nintendo’s worst kept secrets at this point.
Having a flagship series’ new instalment, such as Mario Kart 9, launch alongside their new console would be a typically calculated decision from Nintendo that would likely bolster sales of the console and game alike.Īs of the Nintendo Direct presentation at E3 2021, Mario Kart 9 was not revealed, despite Nintendo unveiling a great number of showstoppers including Metroid Prime 4, a second trailer for their Breath of the Wild sequel, Mario Golf: Super Rush, and more.