Link Racing: Mario Kart 8 and… Epona USA?
Am I fan of racing games? Well, thanks for asking. My immediate response would be “no”, but then the ground would shake and the clouds would part as the Racing Gods look down at me from the hallowed halls of Rainbow Road. “What about all the fun you had with Road Rash?” they’d plea. “Or Speed Devils and Metropolis Street Racer for Dreamcast? Or various kart racers such as Mario Kart and Sonic & All-Stars?”
And I would look back up at them, nod and go, “Yeah, that’s right actually, sorry about that,” which brings me to my main point and it’s regarding Link from The Legend of Zelda and racing games. Who would have thought he’d ever be in a racing game of all things, even though he’s always riding about on that horse of his, Epona, or whatever you chose to rename her in Twilight Princess?
While the Sonic & All-Stars series has always been keen to mix-and-match classic characters from Sega’s history as well as those of others Mario Kart has never really be that sort of deal before. There was only really Smash Bros. for that, but no longer. The Legend of Zelda, Animal Crossing, F-Zero, and Excitebike will all be represented in Mario Kart 8 with the two November 2014 and May 2015 DLC packs that are already pre-purchasable.
Just today Eiji Aonuma posted an update on the Miiverse talking about Link’s motorbike, the Master Cycle, which will be a part of the November 2014 Mario Kart 8 DLC.
You can use many different types of bikes in Mario Kart 8, but this Master Cycle has a design that characters ride leaning forward, allowing you to make sharp turns on the course. Also, this bike is designed a little bigger compared to other bikes, so you’ll definitely leave an impression on the track when you race with it. The development team showed me how the Master Cycle races on the track, and I was overwhelmed by how great it looked. (It looked so cool that I also want it to appear in games I work on.)
But this isn’t the first time Link has been envisioned hitting up the racetrack in his truly hardcore stylee. YouTube user Twin Perfect already mashed up Daytona USA and Ocarina of Time to create the amazing EPONA USA. His video came out on 14th July 2014, and Link wasn’t announced as DLC for Mario Kart 8 until 26th August 2014, just over a month later. A coincidence? You decide.
