Mario Kart 8 Deluxe: Booster Course Pass Reviews
Overall, Wave 1 of the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass is enjoyable and gives a modern classic a thrilling new spark of life. After blasting through the race classes, it's likely the itch will be back and we'll be back in the online lobbies once again, eagerly awaiting the five further waves to come between now and the end of 2023. That's the key takeaway we took early on while sampling the Booster Course Pass - you can't go far wrong with 'more Mario Kart'.
If it wasn’t for the change in graphics this would get an unequivocal recommendation and even with that issue, we can’t imagine anyone that already enjoys Mario Kart 8 not thinking this isn’t worth getting as well.
This Wave, and almost certainly the rest of the Booster Course Pass, makes one thing very clear. Mario Kart 8 not only has longevity, but it will go down in history as the best Mario Kart of all time.
As you play more, I’m sure it’s a tonal difference that will fade as you get used to it, but it does slightly undercut what Nintendo are selling and makes it feel like these were intended for another game – Mario Kart Tour, if this suspicion holds true. Then again, it’s hard to complain when there is such a huge wealth of circuits coming to the game through the Booster Pass’ six waves. It’s the gameplay that matters most, and the sheer variety of circuits that Nintendo are throwing into the mix is huge. They’re doubling the amount of tracks in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and it means that I and millions of others are sure to come back to the game and enjoy what it offers all over again.
There is no doubt that the Booster Course Pass is going to heralded as "must-have", but so far Wave 1 hasn't set the track on fire. The runaway winners of Wave 1 are the three courses featured from Mario Kart Tour, but that is not to say the other courses are bad, but are lacking in imagination compared to other retro-courses featured in the base game of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. The lack of anti-grav and some questionable graphical decisions also mount up to disappointment and it is interesting to see if Nintendo are going to address this with the remaining 40 courses. However, in the grand scheme of things it is great to have new courses to race on and is certainly thoroughly recommended for all Mario Kart fans.
Solid and definitely have an audience. There could be some hard-to-ignore faults, but the experience is fun.
Actually, for all those who regularly play Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Because the route pass significantly complements the already extensive course selection once again, the quality of the eight routes available so far is consistently good to very good.
Review in German | Read full review
For me, the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pack has been a wonderful reminder of how much I love this game. That on its own makes it well worth the price of admission, especially when it promises to keep giving me reasons to come back for most of the next two years. Hopefully, I’ll see you on the track.
It is a promising start for this huge expansion, with a varied selection of tracks, some straightforward, some complex.
Nintendo’s first batch of DLC tracks that join the 48 courses already available do well to add an extra bit of needed spice to a game that’s still being played, and bought, by millions of Switch owners. With 40 more tracks arriving by the end of 2023, it’s worth getting excited over if this first handful is anything to go by. Sure, not every track earns a place in Mario Kart’s prestigious Hall of Fame, and it would have been nice to see design updates to make them truly special, jumping back into what’s already a sublime kart racer was a blast, and being able to share tracks that I have fond memories playing years ago with friends online was a real treat.
Wave 1 of the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass breathes new life into the multiplayer favorite, adding some of the series’ best hits. While there are some noticeably cut corners in this inaugural launch, we’re eager to hit these streets at our next shindig.
Mario Kart fans have been waiting too long for new console content. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is constantly in the top ten games sold in Japan each week, showing it still has plenty of life. A large install base also explains why DLC was the way to go, rather than an all-new Mario Kart 9. The first wave of the Booster Course Pass is a fun reminder of why this series is so popular.
Surpassing the graphic aspect that, at times, blatantly betrays the mobile nature of some tracks, this additional content is absolutely a green light.
Review in Italian | Read full review
The first set of tracks with the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass is a good example of how the Japanese can develop a sales hit well and safely. The company certainly does not complain about the lack of interest and hopefully it will be just an introduction to the full continuation.
Review in Polish | Read full review
Ultimately, Wave 2 Of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe doesn't quite knock it out of the park. We know we've been bashing these courses left, right, and centre, but when it comes to Mario Kart, we have pretty high standards, you know. However, none of the tracks on offer are straight-up bad; most of them just feel like "b-side" filler when compared to the main tracks created specifically for Mario Kart 8. There's still a great deal of fun to be had here, particularly when you crank up the difficulty to 200cc. We have to keep reminding ourselves of the bigger picture, too; we've now got sixteen new courses for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and we're not even halfway through yet. We've still got a ways to go.
If the course pass was more expensive it’d be easier to take umbrage with that, but at less than 50p a track it’s very hard to see this as anything other than another welcome excuse to replay Mario Kart 8 and some of the series’ best courses.
Perhaps not as strong of a track selection as Wave 1, Wave 2 of the Booster Course Pass is still very good, headlined by a completely brand-new track in Sky High Sundae and complemented well by Sydney Sprint and New York Minute. It is a bit of a wonder why the retro tracks haven't been given the anti-gravity love, especially as the retro tracks in the base game have it. Waluigi Pinball and Mushroom Gorge are all certainly fan favourites, but it is a shame that they weren't given a bit of reimagining in the same vein that Kalimari Desert received. Nonetheless, Mario Kart fans are grateful that new tracks are coming out for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and it is doubtful that many will have a bad thing to say about getting these courses added in.
The Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass Wave 2 may not be filled with classics, but there are no truly weak maps here, and there are several that sit comfortably among the upper echelon of the game’s track list. Waluigi Pinball alone would make this a worthy set of levels, but Mushroom Gorge, Kalamari Desert, and Sydney Sprint will all be maps I’ll frequently vote to race on in the future. I’m glad to see these releases getting stronger and can’t wait to see what Nintendo has in store for Wave 3.