Sliding around corners with Mario & friends in ...

Mario Kart 8

In 2014, Mario Kart 8 was released on the Wii U.  The biggest change in the game was the introduction of anti-gravity segments, in which bumping into other players actually gave the racer a speed boost.  Gliders, underwater segments, and customization returned from Mario Kart 7, while the Lucky 7 item was replaced with the Crazy Eight.  New items included the Boomerang, Piranha Plant, and Super Horn -- an item capable of destroying an attacking blue Spiny shell!

One of the biggest changes to the game was the virtual elimination of standard battle mode tracks.  Instead, all battles took place on standard race tracks, which made the battles a bit longer and less fun.

As part of a promotion, free DLC for three Mercedes-Benz cars were added to the game, allowing the racers to compete in oddly-realistic vehicles.

This was the first Mario Kart title to received paid DLC, in the form of additional race courses.  Two paid packs were available: "The Legend of Zelda x Mario Kart 8" and "Animal Crossing x Mario Kart 8."  The Legend of Zelda pack added two new racing cups (including tracks based on The Legend of Zelda and Excitebike), additional kart parts, and three new racers: Link, Tanooki Mario, and Cat Peach.  The Animal Crossing pack included two new racing cups (including tracks based on Animal Crossing and F-Zero), kart pieces, and the racers Dry Bowser, Isabelle, and Villager (from Animal Crossing).

In 2017, the game was released on the Nintendo Switch as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, with all DLC included and the addition of racers and tracks based on the Splatoon games.