
If you have 36 minutes, you should actually watch the full Nintendo Direct from earlier today. (In the UK, Nintendo is offering more than twice the number of games to choose from, including 'Sonic Lost World,' 'The Wonderful 101' and 'Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate.') Still, for new Wii U owners who are getting their systems for 'Mario Kart 8,' the free game is a great deal. If you've been a Wii U owner for a while, you may see the biggest problem with this offer: you quite possibly have all of them, or at least the ones you want. If you purchase 'Mario Kart 8' and register it with Club Nintendo before July 31, you will receive an eShop DLC code letting you download one of four games: The second piece of the promotion puzzle is a free game. (The Wii Remote fits inside the wheel.) The package will retail for $329.99. Besides the normal black 32GB Wii U Deluxe system and GamePad, the bundle will include the game and a red Wii Remote Plus and Wii steering wheel. However, those who are interested in the game but haven't picked up the system can instead go with the new 'Mario Kart 8' system bundle. When 'Mario Kart 8' releases on May 30, Wii U owners can pick it up physically or via the Nintendo eShop, as with any big new title. That need for promotion is what makes the 1-2 punch Nintendo unleashed today so compelling. While making a great game is a large part of the battle - and something Nintendo excels at - marketing and promotion in this age are almost as important.

As one of the two titles the video game giant is counting on to spur the Wii U on in the face of the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, MK8 needs to be a major success.


The importance of 'Mario Kart 8' to Nintendo can not be overstated.
