Five years after Mario Kart 8 Deluxe hit store shelves, Nintendo has finally begun churning out DLC tracks through the Booster Course Pack, and it has shown that Mario Kart 9 may not be needed for a little while. Fans of the series have been calling for a brand-new Mario Kart, as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is only an upgraded version of a game that came out in 2014, but the DLC seems to have given the game a fresh coat of paint. It almost feels like a new game now, and has offered boatloads of content for Mario Kart fans to enjoy for years to come.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is an upgraded Switch version of the popular Mario Kart 8 for Wii U. The Wii U did not gain a huge following like its predecessor, and thus a lot of people skipped out on the latest addition to the Mario Kart franchise. Nintendo chose to re-release the game for Switch, and it has quickly become the best-selling game on the platform. It has been consistently flying off the shelves, and the DLC has only made it more appealing to potential players. If this continues, then Nintendo will have little reason to create a follow-up until later, and that feels totally fine.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Is So Much Fun
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Mario Kart 8 Deluxe takes everything good about past Mario Kart titles and throws it all into one complete package. The courses are all varied, the kart customization is fun, the roster is packed, and the items are just as frantic as ever. The game even comes with a refined Battle Mode for players who want to compete in new battle arenas that the original Mario Kart 8 did not have. Players have been having a lot of fun racing through everything that the game has to offer, and it is a ton of fun.
The base package of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe includes 48 different courses from across Mario Kart history for players to compete in. These tracks are made up of brand-new ones and remade classic tracks, and they all seem pretty distinct from each other. There are also a slew of different kart parts to unlock that all change the way the karts handle, plus some crossover character additions like Link from The Legend of Zelda and the Villager from Animal Crossing. The sheer amount of content and chaotic gameplay make this version of Mario Kart one of the best titles in the series.
The Mario Kart DLC is Practically Mario Kart 9
Many Mario Kart fans were surprised when Nintendo announced that Mario Kart 8 Deluxe was going to get a bunch of new content through the Booster Course Pack. Rumors had been suggesting that Nintendo had plans to announce Mario Kart 9 instead, and some fans were upset that it was actually DLC. However, the amount of DLC tracks that Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is getting is practically the size of Mario Kart 9. Instead of having to buy an entirely new game, players can just pick up the DLC and continue their Mario Kart fun.
By the end of 2023, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pack will have added 48 more courses from throughout Mario Kart history over six waves. That doubles the amount of courses that the base game has, and that makes it feel like a whole new game. With 96 courses under its belt once the waves are over, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe will feel like the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate of the Mario Kart series. Players will have so much content to race through at a fraction of the cost of a new game that there will not be a big need for a brand-new entry for a couple of years.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is still selling very well, which gives Nintendo a strong reason to keep supporting it instead of moving on to a new game. Mario Kart fans will not be short on content for the foreseeable future, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe will remain a gripping Mario Kart experience for years to come, especially if Nintendo has even more DLC up its sleeve.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is available now on Nintendo Switch.
