Nerd Alert: There Will Be Three Mercedes-Benz in Mario Kart 8
Note the sound of a million childhoods dying an agonizing death
Want to know a really great way to piss off nearly the entire fan base of a popular video game franchise? Cross-branding! Mercedes likely felt prickles of flames dancing at their neck back in late May when they announced that their GLA would soon be appearing in Mario Kart 8 as DLC. That such a wondrous thing as Mario Kart would be tainted by the presence of a vehicle that doubles as an advertisement? Just short of blasphemy.
That creepy sexy Mario commercial certainly didn’t help either.
So imagine the reaction when it was revealed that there will be not one but three different Mercedes-Benz in Mario Kart 8.
The GLA, it seems, was just the tip of the iceberg. In addition, Mario Kart 8 will be seeing the 1934 W 25 Silver Arrow and the 1957 300 SL Roadster.
Ladies and gentlemen, we’ve reached Nerd Rage DEFCON1. Please strap on your helmets and crawl beneath your desks until such a time where some terrible casting news comes along for people to get mad about.
In the meantime, just imagine that Toad is flipping you off here.
In addition to the Mercedes-Benz DLC pack, a new update also available on August 27 will:
- Allow players to display track map on TV screens
- Save the most recent vehicle combination for the player’s next race
- Allow for editing of highlight reels
- Improve online stability
Of course, many folks are not happy about Nintendo so blatantly injecting product placement into their game. Given that Nintendo posted a $92 million operating loss in the second quarter of 2014, we doubt that they can hear your complaints over the roaring sound of the company hemorrhaging money and will gladly do whatever they can to minimize those losses.
Not even the Luigi Death Stare can stop the bleeding.
Look for the trend to continue when the BMW-badged Warthog appears in the remastered edition of Halo 2 for Xbox One.
For those looking to enjoy Mario Kart 8 without having to suffer through the indignity of such shamelessness, here’s our cheat code: just don’t pick a Mercedes when you play the game.
So beauty. Much placement. Wow.
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