Mario Kart has been a mainstay entry in Nintendo’s franchises ever since the original on the SNES back in the early 90s. As the number in the title would suggest, this is the eighth time Mario and friends have taken to a variety of tracks for our pleasure.

What’s interesting, though, is that Nintendo’s only ever released one Mario Kart title per platform since release. There’s one on the SNES, 64, GameCube, GBA, DS, Wii and 3DS. That’s it. For a franchise that so many suggest Nintendo is “milking,” it’s odd that we only see it once per generation.

The Wii U’s version is right around the corner with a recently announced May 30 release date. It features traditional carts, as well as bikes, hang glider transformations, underwater craft and hovercraft. It even seems we’ll be able to drive on walls, as silly as that is.

Our Mario Kart 8 screenshot pile consists of official shots from Nintendo, shots taken directly from trailers and pieces of art to boot. All told, there’s over 100 pictures to flip through.

Which character do you like driving with in Mario Kart? I’ve always been a fan of Yoshi or the Koopa Troopa.

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