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Owners of a Wii U have a whole lot to look forward to as Mario Kart 8 promises an HD installment of one of Nintendo's most reliable family-friendly, but severely competitive franchises. Fans know that the game will be worth the wait, but now they know just how long it will be until the game arrives, with Nintendo announcing today its release date of May 30, 2014.

To celebrate the dating, a new trailer has been release confirming that not one, not two, but all seven of Bowser's Koopaling children will be on hand to terrorize Mario and his comrades on the track.

Fans don't need to know to look forward to Mario Kart 8, since the game first impressed audiences when it was put on display at E3 2013, and one look at its HD graphics, depth of field, and the addition of zero-gravity levels is all it takes to want to play it with friends for hours on end. But even the presence of every Koopaling - Iggy, Larry, Lemmy, Ludwig, Morton, Roy and Wendy - can't distract from the fact that the game represents one of Nintendo's few top-tier titles on its way to release (at least for western audiences).

Some have gone so far as to claim that Mario Kart 8 could be the Wii U's last hope in certain markets, meaning the next three months could increase the game's pressure to perform substantially. Nintendo had previously confirmed that they would be delivering a helping hand to both Wii U hardware sales and software by releasing the kart racer in May, and now that the official date has been nailed down it's clear they're intent on taking as much development time as possible.

There's no question that the game will be a satisfying one, having been showcased at numerous industry events. But the question of just how many Wii U owners will be available - or willing - to pick up a copy on launch day remains.

What do you think of the new trailer? Does it further convince you that Mario Kart 8 will become one of the Wii U's must-have titles, or do your concerns about Nintendo's coming years include the software offerings as well? Share our thoughts in the comments.

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Mario Kart 8 will be released to retail and through the eShop on May 30, 2014 exclusively for the Wii U.

Follow Andrew on Twitter @andrew_dyce.