"Mario Kart 8" could be one of the more fun multiplayer games to come out on a console in some time, but at the end of the day, whether you're playing against the computer, friends or family, you'll enjoy yourself a little bit more if you win more races than you lose.

Toward that end, we've put together this roundup of "Mario Kart 8" tips for you. Some tips are designed to benefit certain characters and be used on specific courses, but the ones here should be applicable across a wide range of characters and levels.

So, without further delay, here's our collection of "Mario Kart 8" tips for the Wii U.

1. Grab the coins!

With each coin that you get your hands on in "Mario Kart 8," your cart will get a minor tune-up, and a small increase in its maximum speed. However, you need to collect 10 coins to enjoy these benefits, so the sooner you do so, the better.

After you pick up any coins past 10, you'll get a brief boost. Also, the more coins you get, the more collectible items you'll get to unlock. 

When rival players crash on the course, they'll lose their coins, which are then up for grabs. Do your best to try to snatch them for yourself.

2. Be a drifter

Drifting has been a big part of mastering "Mario Kart" in the past, and that hasn't changed in "Mario Kart 8."

There are two different kinds of drifts. If you can maintain a drift long enough, you'll start to see blue sparks underneath your kart. If you choose to use this boost, you'll gain a significant burst of speed. However, you can do better.

If you can maintain an even longer drift, orange sparks will eventually start to fly from underneath your kart. Should that happen, and you use the speed boost at this point, the boost you'll get from this will push you to go even faster and farther. Drift to win.

3. Line yourself up with enemy karts that are ahead of you to get a speed boost

In "Mario Kart 8," if you line your kart up with rival karts that are directly ahead of you, you'll get a speed boost once what appear to be swirls of air start appearing around your kart. The longer you maintain this position, the longer you'll benefit from the boost in the speed.

4. Make use of information you can get from player ghosts

If you pick More Ghosts after picking out a course in a Time Trial track, download a ghost with a good score from the leaderboard.

Then, pick Race Against Ghost from the game's menu, go to the one you just grabbed off the leaderboard, and put the plus button on your controller, then hit the + button on your Wii U controller.

By doing so, you can view that player's cart, loadout and other information. This could give you tips on how to pick out better equipment for yourself, and therefore help you get better times and finish in higher positions in races.

5. When in first place, don't ignore weaker power ups

The better you're performing in any "Mario Kart 8 race," the weaker the items you'll get along the way. However, that doesn't mean you should neglect them.

For instance, green shells can be usesd to absorb hits from homing red shells launched by enemies that are behind you. By pressing the L button as the red shell is bearing down on you, the green shell will be positioned at the rear of your kart. This puts it in a perfect position to absorb the hit from the homing red shell, which keeps you moving and doesn't knock you off your pace. Disaster averted.

What do you think of these "Mario Kart 8" tips for Wii U? Do you have any that you would like to share? Sound off in the comments below.

These tips are provided courtesy of Eurogamer.net.