Mario Kart Is Out, Only One More Megaton Left

Filed in archive News on April 27, 2008

Video review from IGN.com

Mario Kart was released to the teeming Nintendo masses last night. Sadly, I wasn't able to participate this time. It's finals week at The Guildhall, and I simply do not have time to purchase an addictive new game that will no doubt dominate my time! It was hard enough balancing out Smash Brothers Brawl with school two months ago!

Obviously this game will sell big copies. It's getting reviewed well, though not as well as Brawl (this is no surprise: Kart's traditional "rubber band AI," which always divides the press, is back in full force). I've blogged about this before, but it bears repeating again. What is Nintendo to do now?

Well, they have probably their next big "Blue Ocean" market disruption coming in the form of Wii Fit. Coming out soon, this product is going to be plastered all over the morning TV shows and cable news. It will get the enormous mainstream, non-gaming media support that the Wii itself has gotten. It's a brilliant move, and will continue to build on Nintendo's amazing success.

After Wii Fit, though, all eyes turn towards E3 (a press only video game industry conference held in the summer). Nintendo has nothing on the horizon, at least nothing big, after Wii Fit. Obviously this doesn't mean they have nothing planned. It just means they have nothing planned that they have announced.

I've speculated before that Kid Icarus is coming. I'm more convinced than ever that this is true. The IGN boys talk about it as a course of fact at this point: this might be the most poorly kept secret Nintendo has. Jeremy parish has hinted at Punch Out! and Pikmin. All of these would be strong properties for Nintendo.