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"Mario Kart 8 is the latest in Nintendo&amp;#039;s racing series, bringing the speedy go-kart action to the Wii U. More than just a visual upgrade, Nintendo has decided to flip the series, literally, with anti-gravity races that take players on the walls and ceiling of each track.  The first track shown was a basic figure-eight shape, like the classic Luigi Raceway from Mario Kart 64. However, the track was twisted like an M.C. Escher painting so that half of the figure-eight was flipped, making for a surreal race as players speed toward Peach&amp;#039;s castle upside down in the distance. Players transform their kart into anti-gravity hovercrafts by driving over glowing blue strips on the track. On the figure-eight course every player is forced to drive over the blue strip since a large portion of the track is flipped, but other courses offer anti-gravity as a way to forge new routes and shortcuts.  A track inspired by Super Mario Sunshine made better use of the new mechanic, letting players either stick to the roads or flip 90 degrees and drive along the side of buildings.  A third track was also shown set in a haunted house, complete with drivable undulating walls and a sunken water-filled basement. The house&amp;#039;s twisting geometry made for an excellent gravity-defying track that paid homage to the ghost courses in past games. Transforming into a hovercraft isn&amp;#039;t just a gimmick for opening new pathways, as it also changes how your kart controls.  Hovercrafts in Mario Kart 8 are reminiscent of Diddy Kong Racing, with the lack of friction causing the karts to slide more around curves and require more careful handling overall. Mario Kart 8 also carries with it all of the additions Nintendo made in Mario Kart Wii and Mario Kart 7, with hang gliders, underwater propellers and motorcycles all making their return. With all of these new additions, perhaps the most remarkable thing about Mario Kart 8 is how familiar it feels. The hovercrafts offer new physics that players will need to adjust for, but they still control similarly enough to the standard go-karts that even newcomers will get the hang of it quickly.  Mario Kart 8 also supports two control schemes, letting players steer by either tilting the Wii U GamePad like a steering wheel or by using the left analogue stick. Both control schemes can be switched on the fly using a button on the GamePad&amp;#039;s touchscreen, so players can change how to play depending on the courses and obstacles they encounter. Additional players don&amp;#039;t have the same option to switch controls on the fly, but can still choose to tilt or use an analogue stick through either the Wii remote or Pro Controller.  Mario Kart 8 also looks absolutely stunning, with the iconic Nintendo worlds and characters looking the best they ever have in HD with expressive animations and vibrant colors. Hovercrafts certainly mix up the action in Mario Kart 8, but fans will find that as much as things have changed, it is also still the same core Mario Kart racing that has been a staple of every new Nintendo hardware. Mario Kart 8 will be available on Wii U in early 2014. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.digitalspy.com/gaming/previews/news/a489256/mario-kart-8-preview-the-wii-us-gravity-defying-racer-e3-2013/>