The next big thing we expect from Nintendo is whatever comes after the Switch. For a lot of people, what a new Nintendo console would signify first and foremost would be a new 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Mario Kart. Since 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is just an expansion of the game we got on the Wii U, it's been a very long time since we got a truly new Mario Kart game. I know Nintendo wants us to consider 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Mario Kart Tour the ninth game in the series, but that's not going to happen.
The problem is, Nintendo only tends to release one instalment of Mario Kart per console. When a system sticks around as long as the Switch, gaps between games can run pretty long. That's why Nintendo decided to meet us in the middle via the Booster Course Pass. It’s not an entirely new Mario Kart, but damn, it feels like one.
Just when I thought I was out, Nintendo pulls me back in
I've put more hours into Mario Kart than I have any other Switch game (90 hours total), but my cartridge had been semi-retired until I finally took the Booster Course Pass for a spin. Back when the plans for more tra💦cks🍃 and characters were initially revealed, I wasn't convinced I'd be sucked back in. When broken down into its six waves, the DLC doesn't seem like much. But as a whole, now all 48 additional tracks are here, it almost feels like that new game we've been waiting for.
I am now back in the race, and just as 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Tears of the Kingdom was about to surpass Mario Kart for hours played, the mustachioed plumber and his new friends raced away again. With tracks pulled from throughout Mario Kart history - and even a few brand new ones thrown in - there's a reason the Booster Course Pass makes the game feel new again, beyond just doubling the number of tracks now available.
One of the biggest reasons I fell off Mario Kart was the lack of any sort of challenge. This is by no means a brag - I was still way off finishing every race in first before my🍎 hiatus. What I mean is I knew all of the tracks so well, I was racing around them on auto-pilot. Now t𒆙here are 48 new ones, even the ones I’m familiar with require my full attention since most have been gone for a very long time.
Booster Course Pass + Mario Kart Tour = Mario Kart 9
It's not only the six brand new courses I experienced for the first time but also the ones pulled from Tour. I dabbled with the Mario Kart mobile game when it launched and, like most players, fell off pretty quickly. I was also one of the many who was skeptical about Tour tracks being added to Mario Kart 8, fearful they wouldn't be polished for use on the Switch.
How wrong I was. The Tour tracks are comfortably my favorite thing about the Booster Course Pass. Not only because they're new, but because they add something entirely different to the Mario Kart formula. They pull inspiration from real-life cities and locations, and best of all, they evolve with every lap. Since every lap on a Tour course is so different, these tracks will take some getting used to.
It's not all about the new tracks, of course. The biggest selling point for many of you on the fence about picking up the Booster Course Pass right now will be what has been pulled from Mario Kart’s back catalogue. If you've played any other Mario Kart games then rest assured, there's something here for you. Tracks I'd not thought about, let alone raced around, in years are back and brighter than ever. DK Mountain, Waluigi Stadium, and best of all – for me at least – Coconut Mall. Not to mention the Rainbow Road tracks from the Wii and 3DS. Rainbow Road rally, anyone?
The designsღ of the escalators in Coconut Mall have been changed. 𝔉That caused quite a stir when it was first revealed, but if it hadn’t, I’m not sure I’d have even noticed.
Doubling the number of tracks available is obviously the pass's biggest selling point, but the new characters starting their engines are a close second. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's roster already felt exhaustive, with characters from outside the Mushroom Kingdom being brought in for the first time. Despite this, it turns out Nintendo still had a few aces up its sleeve. Diddy Kong and Birdo are back, and Pauline makes her Mario Kart debut. Funky Kong has gotten far more track time than the other seven new additions, though. Sorry not sorry.
If you're still not sure if the Booster Course Pass is for you, 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:you can (sort of) try it for free. Although the new characters will remain locked until you buy it, you can race around some of the new tracks while playing with others online. The only caveat is at least one player in your lobby needs to have access to them. It’s not a sure thing, but encountering them is pretty likely now all six waves have been released. If there is someone in the group with access, all 48 new tracks will be added to the rotation. My only issue is the new tracks aren't labeled as such when playing online. Something indicating which ones are part of the pass when playing online would be nice.
If you're subscribed to the 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack, then you can download the Booster Course Pass at no additiona🐻l cost.
My only question now is, what's next? The Booster Course Pass will do what it was designed to do and stave off the new Mario Kart game questions for a while, but with rumors that a new Nintendo console announcement is looming, many will be convinced there must be a Mario Kart game for it already in the works. Following the struggles of the Wii U, Nintendo went all out with the Switch, and in turn Mario Kart, to make up for it. The problem now is working out where the series goes from here, arguably a peak that can't be bettered and certainly can’t be matched, since it pulls from so many past successes.
Nintendo is in a similar situation with 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Super Smash Bros, and while I argued that the next gam🌞e in the series should be a stripped-down version of what we know, I'm going to lobby for Mario Kart to get the exact opposite. I want a Super Smash Kart on the next Switch, but not simply putting characters from different games on the roster. I want them to have their own powers, their own items, and their own tracks. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is now as close to perfect as a Mario Kart game possibly can be. If the next Nintendo is backwards compatible, we can go back to Deluxe whenever we like. There's no way the series can be better, so it's time for it to be different.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass
All six waves of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's Booster Course Pass are now available. The pass brings 48 additional tracks to the game, new and old- doubling the number of courses available. It also adds new characters, including Birdo, Diddy Kong, and Wiggler.
- Doubles the number of tracks available
- Expands on an already massive roster
- The Tour tracks are more innovative than they get credit for
- Labeling Booster Pass tracks when playing online would be nice
A Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack code was provided to TheGamer by Nintendo.
