Mario Kart, Kerbal Space Program Highlights Of 2014’s SXSW Gaming Expo

Mario Kart and Kerbal Space Program are the highlights of this year’s upcoming SXSW Gaming Expo, to be held March 7 to 9 in Austin.

Kerbal Space Program is launching the event with NASA, with Kerbal Space Program: Asteroid Redirect Mission. This special mission is based on an actual ongoing NASA mission of the same name and will be playable in the event. NASA’s involvement means Asteroid Redirect Mission will be a closer approximation of what astronauts do in real life than the game has ever been before. They get to use actual NASA parts and simulate the process of the actual mission.

On Nintendo’s end, Pennzoil sought them out to help promote their new PurePlus motor oil products. In line with the pending release of Mario Kart 8, Pennzoil built a real life Mario Kart race course in SXSW, with the karts powered by PurePlus. Racers who join in will be in a real competition, but they won’t just be racing. A la Mario Kart, they’ll be collecting icons laid across the track, this time themed for Pennzoil.

Among the other events in the expo are a Dell / Intel Freeplay Arena, the SXSW Game Jam, an eSports tournament sponsored by Logitech and Monster, SXSW Indie Corner, an art gallery sponsored by the ESA, and the Video Game History Museum, again sponsored by Nintendo via NES Remix.

Nintendo has had a presence in SXSW for a while now, but there's no doubt this is their biggest push so far, and they're going to need it to promote Mario Kart 8. Still, SXSW is for all gamers, and I'm sure gamers of all persuasions will find something to enjoy in this year's expo.