Mario Kart 8’s Super Horn brings balance to the Blue Shell

Mario Kart has always been a series that teaches you losers finish first thanks, in part, to the game's design which typically rewards the back-of-the-pack players with the best items — including that damn blue shell. Well, in Mario Kart 8, there is finally a way to counter the "rubber banding" design. 

"Items are what make Mario Kart games so balanced. No matter how skilled racers are, they’re just a blue Spiny Shell away from disaster. A well-timed item can also turn defeat into victory in an instant," Nintendo said.

By using the Super Horn, one of two new items in Mario Kart 8, you can literally blow away all other items, including those pesky blue shells. Sounding the Super Horn will send forth a sonic shock wave that blasts away everything in the vicinity, Nintendo explained today. For drivers that are used to being in the front, this is the item you've been waiting for.

The second item being introduced in Mario Kart 8 is the Crazy Eight, a swirl of eight different items that lucky players can use one by one.

In addition to these two new items, Nintendo also revelaed two new playable female characters: Pink Gold Peach and Baby Rosalina. Pink Gold Peach glows with a golden light and makes a nice counterpart to Metal Mario, while Baby Rosalina will fit right in with the other baby characters in the game.