Ila Bumagin, Junior, ASSISTANT EDITOR
and Luke Menslage, Junior
For nearly a decade now, fans of the Mario Kart series of Nintendo games have been stuck playing the same characters on the same tracks. But as of March 18, 2022, everything has changed.
On May 29, 2014, Mario Kart 8 came on for the Wii U to critical success, mainly due to its breathtaking visuals. Then in 2015, paid downloadable content (DLC) was released for the game, which added four new cups, each cup with four tracks. In 2017, alongside the release of Nintendo’s new console, the Nintendo Switch, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (MK8DX) was released. Although it added a few new characters and karts, fans of the series were disappointed that it was just a port (a copy) of the Wii U game and had no original tracks. Ever since 2017, no changes were made on Mario 8 Deluxe. That is, until March 18, 2022.
That was when the first wave of the booster course pass came out, which sought to fix the major complaint many fans had about the game by releasing new tracks as paid DLC in the form of waves. Each wave has two cups, each with four new tracks, and a total of six waves will be released by the end of 2023. This means that 48 tracks in total will be added, which is double that the game had started with.
Aside from the new tracks, the fourth wave completely rebalanced the power structure of characters and karts in that game. The combination of Waluigi riding the Wild Wiggler, which used to dominate every single race, is no more. A ton of new character/kart combos are viable now, which will greatly improve the experience of players, regardless of skill level. Another welcome addition, added in wave three, was the half-pipe mechanic. Originally introduced in Mario Kart Wii, only to be excluded from the following entries, Mario Kart 7 for the 3DS and Mario Kart 8, it was added as a feature, much to the joy of the playerbase. Since many tracks felt incomplete without the half-pipes, having them back has made a huge difference.
However, there aren’t only positive things to say about these additions. One major issue with the new tracks is how they are ported from Mario Kart Tour, which is a mobile game. This is an issue because the graphics can’t compete with those in the original game. The graphics of new tracks, like 3DS Toad Circuit and N64 Choco Mountain, are not as good as the tracks from the original game, like Shy Guy Falls and N64 Rainbow Road. Newer waves have improved – with specifically Wii Waluigi Stadium and GBA Riverside Park looking closer to how the original game does – but they’re not there yet.
Despite the graphical issues, fans are still happy to have new tracks in the game. According to a local fan, some fan favorites of the new tracks are Wii Maple Treeway, Wii DK Summit, and the MK8DX original Yoshi’s Island. However, this fan’s personal favorites are GBA Boo Lake, GBA Riverside Park, and Wii Waluigi Stadium.
I was able to get the opinions of Mr. Luke Menslage, “The Yeah Guy” and an avid Mario Kart player, who often shares his enjoyment of the game with his friends, about the new tracks. He says, “The tracks that they chose to add aren’t really the best, but they are still very fun to drive on.” Mr. Menslage elaborates, “I wish they had gone back and added the half-pipes to the Wii tracks that were missing them, but I can’t really complain. Nintendo is such a lazy company and I still hate them, but the booster pass is nice.”
Well, he may be right. There are many issues with the new tracks, but, in general, fans are happy for some variety after a decade of stagnation. To quote Luke Menslage, “I love Mario Kart.”