Nintendo has revealed the launch day numbers for Mario Kart 8: Deluxe, which shows the game to be the fastest selling in the series, pushing over 459,000 copies on April 28th alone, reflecting both physical and digital sales, and surpassing Mario Kart Wii's (433,000 launch copies sold) previous record. Nintendo also claims that 45% of Switch owners purchased the game on launch. Nintendo Switch sales are also mentioned in the press release, and at the time of writing, 2.7 million systems have been sold worldwide.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has also received more perfect review scores than any other Mario Kart game ever. With a current Metacritic score of 93, the critically acclaimed title is the highest-rated game in the series in 15 years – tying the overall review score of Mario Kart: Super Circuit for Game Boy Advance.

To continue this strong momentum into the summer, a series of great games will launch for Nintendo Switch over the next few months, including Minecraft: Nintendo Switch Edition (May 11), Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers (May 26), ARMS (June 16) and Splatoon 2 (July 21).

EDIT: Mario Kart 8: Deluxe made it's way to #1 on the UK charts as well, becoming the first number 1 physical released Nintendo game to reach that peak since 2011's Pokemon White. Breath of the Wild itself didn't even reach #1, staying a place behind to Sony's Horizon Zero Dawn.

Source: GBAtemp Press Inbox

 

[PrincessLillie]

I feel like this is relevant, so I'll leave it here.

 

[ktomi96]

This is the best local splitscreen game for me.I love playing it with my friends

 

[Sheimi]

Moved onto my switch version to stay away from hacks and fire hopping.

 

[Supster131]

Is it even good?

Indeed it is.
One of my favorite Mario Karts to date.

 

[Deleted member 388531]

"To continue this strong momentum into the summer, a series of great games will launch for Nintendo Switch over the next few months, including Minecraft: Nintendo Switch Edition (May 11)"

 

[John256145]

In my opinion, those are great numbers considering that MK8 Deluxe isn't even a completely new Mario Kart.

 

[Dr.Hacknik]

It may surpass the sales, but in my opinion; MKWii is just better overall. There's too much memories and nostalgia with MKWii from my past.

 

[Hells Malice]

Nintendo has the perfect opportunity to release a double dash sequel called Mario Kart Switch.
Don't fuck this up Nintendo, i'm serious.

Is it even good?

For a Mario Kart game if you haven't played 8 to death already? Definitely. It's a solid kart game. Good tracks, and since it also has the DLC...a lot of tracks to offer.

Doesn't offer much to people who owned it and the DLC on the Wii U though.

 

[Hanafuda]

Well Mario Kart Wii was shit, so..

Regardless, Double Dash is still the best

I am on the verge of unlocking the parade kart. It will be mine.

 

[Prior22]

I haven't played a Mario Kart game in ages, so I'm curious if Nintendo has altered the formula at all. Sega did an awesome job with their Sonic Transformed release. Career mode offered a lot of different types of race variations. As well as having to gain points to unlock more and more characters. Nintendo should consider copying this concept for their career mode.

 

[Xzi]

I haven't played a Mario Kart game in ages, so I'm curious if Nintendo has altered the formula at all. Sega did an awesome job with their Sonic Transformed release. Career mode offered a lot of different types of race variations. As well as having to gain points to unlock more and more characters. Nintendo should consider copying this concept for their career mode.

It pretty much works like that, but you only have to unlock kart parts in the deluxe version (body, wheels, glider). Gameplay-wise it's like Megaman X (skid turbo-charging) meets Mario-themed racer on a full 3D track with anti-grav, flight, underwater segments, etc. In other words a number of similarities to Sonic Transformed.

 

[|<roni&g]

I find this hard to believe but it's gotta be true right??
Just need a library of other good Nintendo roots games now
turok
Vigilante 8
Donkey Kong
A 64 style wrestling game
Duke nukem
Annual call of duty

And the list goes on

 

[FAST6191]

A 64 style wrestling game

Now I am probably the last person to be accused of being a connoisseur of wrestling games but I did play quite a few such games when visiting friends as a kid/greasy teenager. Other than not needing a multitap the Playstation wrestling games played basically the same as the N64 games from where I sat. Some had different health systems and some had a greater number of options for matches and that ultimately might have made some more desirable but gameplay wise they seemed fundamentally the same.

 

[VitaType]

I find this hard to believe but it's gotta be true right??
Just need a library of other good Nintendo roots games now
turok
Vigilante 8
Donkey Kong
A 64 style wrestling game
Duke nukem
Annual call of duty

And the list goes on

oh wow. That's a list for a completly different Nintendo. A list out of a completly different time. A Nintendo as we don't know it anymore (you forgot the N64 exclusvie Doom btw).
Reminds me how Nintendo changed over the years, but we get Skyrim on the new console. So who knows, maybe Nintendo can become that kind of company again. I hope the best for it
But where is our new Rare? We need you new Rare

 

[Zukov]

"Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has also received more perfect review scores than any other Mario Kart game ever. With a current Metacritic score of 93, the critically acclaimed title is the highest-rated game in the series in 15 years – tying the overall review score of Mario Kart: Super Circuit for Game Boy Advance."

Can't beliebe this. Mario Kart on GBA is the worst MK to me, close to the Gamecube one.

 

[Shawnj]

Well Mario Kart Wii was shit, so..

Regardless, Double Dash is still the best

how dare you insult Mario Kart Wii. No other Mario Kart game will compare with Wii.

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

2.7 systems


We have made a breakthrough here. I bought a half of a DS...

It's not a DS anymore. it's just an S.

No, it's an oversized GBA.

 

[VitaType]

No, it's an oversized GBA.

good point, but despite the fact that the GBA was able to handle basic 3D games it was made for 2D games. There're no 3D features hardware-wise (expect the Mode 7 support if you want to count that as 3D feature).
Idk much about the hardware of the recent console, but I'm 100% sure that it has alot of hardware features for 3D games implemented.
I still wonder why Nintendo hasn't not build a small wireless receiver and a basic video stream decoder into the dock. It wouldn't have cost much and it would mean we could use the TV as a second screen e.g. for DS Virtual Console while the console isn't in the dock.

 

[Reecey]

I must admit it is rather good! I've been playing it since the 28th and it is much better than the wiiu version in every possible way and at least now online is a fair game unlike the killed wiiu version. The price was good as well which I think pullled many Switch owners to buy it and at least it wasn't too expensive being made off the back of the wiiu version. I'm a bit worried about Mario Odyseey seeing it sold @£59.99p I think that's expensive and Nintendo should really look at there prices again! I think they should start dropping there games back down to the £49.99p mark for there AAA titles, £59.99p is going some for many I would of thought!

 

[MockyLock]

Hom much can it be better (no rony here, real question) ? i mean, it's pretty the same game as the WiiU one, all unlocked, a bit polished, a few more battle mode... all this doesn't change the whole game.

 

[FAST6191]

On Mario Kart I have said such things before but I don't think any are really all that good, or at least fail to live up to their potential. Step one is even smash brothers gives me a billion options to fiddle with. Mario Kart, same four cups, same mirror mode, same all cup tour. No real options for items, no real options for AI behaviour, maybe some track count options buried in a menu somewhere.

Battle mode has not been topped since the N64 version for me, some nice entries but in terms of raw fun and playability then no.

Worse is everybody wanting to get into all this looks at Mario Kart and copies rather than trying something new. Diddy Kong racing tried it and other than an ill considered world hub and adventure mode as main story thing it did very well for itself.

To that end I am willing to hear arguments on which is best but I always have the "they all failed to live up to potential" going through my head as I am hearing such things. Double Dash is probably the closest it got for me, but every time I play it I still miss the little bounce command and ability to nudge yourself that tiny bit, still playable but not what I want. Many of the later ones feel like one of those they let the inmates run the asylum things (all the pointless gimmicks mainly -- bikes, hover carts, the paraglider nonsense... all pointless cruft that adds so very little, at least in Diddy Kong it made for something that mixed it up a bit), and so do most of the ROM hacks. Handheld versions were playable enough but I am too broken and jaded from all the other handheld racing games that somehow failed in race to the horizon.