Mario Kart TV
Mario Kart TV is the fictional broadcasting system in Mario Kart 8 and the successor to the Mario Kart Channel in Mario Kart Wii. Within the game, the Mario Kart TV feature integrates with Miiverse, allowing players to view and share replay videos of races, which others from around the world can then watch and leave comments on. Players can view highlight reels at any time by choosing the View Highlight Reel option after a race/battle or from the Mario Kart TV menu. While viewing, players can edit their own replay videos by using various options, including slow motion, rewinding, and fast-forwarding, as well as changing the focus of a video to include specific players and actions, as well as the duration of the video. Players can also favorite up to six of their own replays. The videos can also be uploaded to YouTube, if the player has a Google/YouTube account, though they cannot be longer than 60 seconds. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe also features the ability to show and edit replay videos, but unlike in the original, it is no longer possible to directly upload videos to YouTube.
As of November 7, 2017, it is no longer possible to upload Mario Kart 8 highlight reels to YouTube, due to the termination of the Miiverse service.
An accompanying web app was also released on May 28, 2014,[1] and it allows users to find and view shared highlights posted to Mario Kart TV and YouTube. Users who log in with their Nintendo Network ID are also able to find things that are specific to them.[2] On March 8, 2016, it was announced that the portal site would be closed on April 4.[3]
Nintendo has planned to "send out videos of attractive reels, and hints and tips as official Nintendo videos."[4]
Within Mario Kart 8, Mario Kart TV is a sponsor on many courses such as Mario Kart Stadium. There is also a glider based on Mario Kart TV, known as the MKTV Parafoil. Mario Kart TV broadcasting vans also appear on many courses, including courses in the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass. While the vans are usually outside the track and thus of no consequence to the player, two of the vans on 3DS Toad Circuit are parked in the off-road on the side of the track, acting as walls if racers happen to run into them.
Outside the Mario Kart series, a Mario Kart TV patch appears on the front of the racing outfit in Super Mario Odyssey, and multiple Mario Kart TV banners appear alongside the Mario Motors and Burning DK banners in the racetrack area of the World of Light in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. In the Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge attraction at Super Nintendo World in Japan, the attraction queue passes by a broadcasting van and studio for Mario Kart TV where Lakitu explains the ride's interactive components. In The Super Mario Bros. Movie, the cloud in Mario Kart TV's logo is used as the news channel's logo.
Trivia[edit]
- The Miis react to events during a replay, such as falling over when a racer gets hit with an item or cheering when a racer crosses the finish line.
- There is a similar game mode in F-Zero GX called F-Zero TV.
- The music for Mario Kart TV was written by Yasuaki Iwata.
- The Miis in the Wii U version also appeared in many other Wii U games, such as Wii Sports Club, Wii Party U, and Nintendo Land, while the ones in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe are randomly generated, similarly to the "Choose a lookalike" feature from the Switch.
External links[edit]
- Mario Kart TV site (archived, February 21, 2015)
References[edit]
- ^ Nintendo Everything. (May 29, 2014). Twitter. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
- ^ Nintendo. (2014). Financial Results Announcement/IR Events. Nintendo Japan. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
- ^ Tamoor Hussain (March 8, 2016). Nintendo to Close Mario Kart TV Website. GameSpot. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
- ^ (May 8, 2014). Financial Results Briefing for Fiscal Year Ended March 2014. Nintendo. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
