Equip your best turtle shell and get ready to practice your power slide because Mario Kart 8 for the Nintendo Wii U has been announced. The latest entry in the long running franchise is set for release during the Spring of 2014!

Mario Kart 8 on the surface looks like an amalgamation of Mario Kart Wii and Mario Kart 7. Motorcycles and hang gliders return from each respective game but that isn’t the only trick NIntendo has up its sleeve. A new anti-gravity mechanic allows Mario, Yoshi, Peach & Crew to race along the walls, underwater and even upside down on the bottom of tracks!

Check out Iwata-San’s explanation of Mario Kart 8’s gameplay after the jump, We’ve also got an embedded trailer shown seperately during Nintendo’s E3 live-stream.

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