Mario Kart 8 Deluxe: Booster Course Pass Reviews
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.
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.
There’s not a dud here and while it’s still odd that none of these courses really have anything to do with Mario Kart 8, they’re still just as fun to play and represent great value for money. Given the DLC schedule is only now at its halfway point there’s at least a year to go before we get any sign of Mario Kart 9 but these, and the other courses to come, should keep you happily entertained until then.
Whether Nintendo intendeds to reuse it for the inevitable Mario Kart 9 is impossible to say, but perhaps there might be some hint as to their future plans once the Booster Pass finally ends. Knowing Nintendo, they’ll more likely keep their secrets to the last moment but it really doesn’t matter because combined with all this DLC it’s difficult to imagine how anything could better Mario Kart 8.
Feather Cup is one of the best selections in the whole of the DLC line-up, while Cherry Cup is one of the worst. That term is always relative when it comes to Mario Kart, though, and even the most boring course is still fun if you’re playing with other people.
Solid and definitely have an audience. There could be some hard-to-ignore faults, but the experience is fun.
Solid and definitely have an audience. There could be some hard-to-ignore faults, but the experience is fun.
Impressive efforts with a few noticeable problems holding them back. Won't astound everyone, but is worth your time and cash.
Impressive efforts with a few noticeable problems holding them back. Won't astound everyone, but is worth your time and cash.
Slightly above average or simply inoffensive. Fans of the genre should enjoy them a bit, but a fair few will be left unfulfilled.
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.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is still the best kart racer out there, and with double the tracks thanks to the Expansion Pass it's now better than ever.
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'.
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.
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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.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass Wave 3 is the best update yet to the base game. The tracks on offer here are mostly stellar, and with the addition of customisable item loadouts in ‘VS Race’ modes both online and offline (which is available to all players, regardless of whether you have the Booster Course Pass), Wave 3 is a triumph and a great way to mark the halfway point of the Booster Course Pass.
All in all, Wave 4 features quite comfortably the best set of tracks so far from the Booster Course Pass, with only one proving to be a bit underwhelming. We’re loving the Tour additions, and Yoshi’s Island is destined to be an all-time great. If Nintendo keeps this up, then we’ll be in a great position for Waves 5 and 6.