Nintendo doesn't have a lengthy track record when it comes to post-launch DLC. Back in the day, when Nintendo wanted to expand upon the ideas in a recently released title, it'd just keep working on them internally, before putting all of those ideas into a fully-fledged sequel. Nowadays, in light of the trend towards live-service games, Nintendo has adopted a new approach, whereby new titles often receive updates post-launch that add some new content to the game. Recently, Nintendo's MarioSports series has come under a lot of fire for having a lack of content on launch, which is then added in later with a handful of updates. However, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has plenty of content right out of the gate, making its DLC feel much more justified.
A February Nintendo Direct announced that Mario Kart 8 Deluxe was set to receive 48 new tracks as paid DLC, in an expansion called the Booster Course Pass. Rather than releasing them all at once, Nintendo is spacing out the release of these new tracks into six distinct waves, bringing eight new courses to the game with each one. The first wave dropped in March 2022, and its track selection was received positively across the board. The second wave will drop in just a few days, and aside from some re-imagined tracks, this wave also includes one brand new, original track, which sets an interesting precedent going forward.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's Booster Course Pass Needs New Tracks
While wave one of the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass was met with generally positive reviews, its eight tracks all came from earlier entries in the franchise, with three coming from the divisive mobile game Mario Kart Tour. While most of the tracks in this wave did fit Mario Kart 8's gameplay, and they were all given high-quality reworks in the visual department, Mario Kart fans had already experienced these tracks before, which made it hard to justify the price tag for some.
It seems as though Nintendo has listened to fan-feedback from the first wave of the Booster Course Pass, and has decided to add a completely new track to the upcoming second wave. Titled "Sky-High Sundae," this brand-new track sees players race through a vibrant and bright environment, littered with oversized ice cream cones. While food-based tracks are nothing new to the Mario Kart franchise, Sky-High Sundae looks to be one of the most whimsical tracks in the entire game so far, and is certainly a welcome addition.
While bringing classic tracks back is a great way to fill out the DLC whilst also fueling fans' nostalgia, it doesn't offer the same longevity or appeal that a new track can. Fans have been playing some of these classic tracks since they came out, which in some cases, has been for two decades. Long-time Mario Kart fans know these classic tracks inside and out, whereas a new track can offer some real value, giving that fan the opportunity to learn a new track for the first time in years.
It's impossible to expect every DLC track to be an entirely original one, but if every wave had at least one new track, then there would be a total of five new tracks by the end of the Booster Course Pass' run. It would require some extra effort on Nintendo's part, but these new tracks add a great deal of value to the Booster Course Pass, both for long-time fans, and for newcomers alike. Hopefully, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's Booster Course Pass brings even more original content to the game over the next year or so.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is available now on the Nintendo Switch.
