We store cookies, you can get more info from our privacy policy.
MobiSwitchWiiU

48 New Tracks Won’t Save Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

by Justin Berube - February 28, 2022, 12:00 pm EST
Total comments: 7

Justin isn’t satisfied with the major content update coming to one of the best selling games on Nintendo Switch.

There’s no denying Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is extremely popular. The title is closing in on a staggering 45 million units sold. That said, part of me was a bit disappointed when I found out that 48 new tracks would be coming to the game over the next two years as part of the Booster Course Pass. Yes, this will double the amount of courses in the game, but is this all we should expect from Mario Kart?

For starters, let me say that I don’t hate Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. The game feels good to play and it looks very nice. The online works and Nintendo even eventually added online voice chat even if it is through their weird mobile phone app known as Nintendo Switch Online. Without the voice chat option online matches felt completely sterile, almost as if you were playing against CPUs. So in general the game is alright, but there are problems.

You see, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe in its current form is nothing more than a slightly updated version of Mario Kart 8 that was released in 2014 on Wii U. The innovations in Mario Kart 8 don’t really matter much either. Yes, you can drive on walls but you wouldn’t know it without the Kart’s wheels changing direction, there is Mario Kart TV which I guess birthed the angry Luigi meme, and 200cc which I personally think feels awful to play in 8. Overall, both versions of Mario Kart 8 are very bare bones. There really isn’t much single player content in Deluxe outside of racing against CPUs. Yes, there are some things to unlock and earn in Deluxe, but it’s all rather boring.

You can unlock an alternate color scheme for Metal Mario by getting first place on all the 200cc Cups, slowly unlock Kart parts by collecting coins on the tracks, and the final two parts you can unlock by beating some Staff Ghosts and by getting a certain Star Ranking on the Mirror Mode Cups. And really, that’s it. Most of it is extremely passive or doesn’t matter much at all. The problem is there is no progression and you’ll get most of the important things just by playing in any mode. There isn’t much sense of accomplishment in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.

I bring this up because when the Booster Course Pass was announced during the latest Nintendo Direct I knew we wouldn’t be seeing a new console Mario Kart for quite some time. It’s sad because there are so many more innovations we can expect to see out of the franchise and they are proving it in the mobile game Mario Kart Tour. Before you get angry about mobile games, hear me out.

Mario Kart Tour adds so much to the franchise’s formula. There is a scoring/combo system so racing isn’t just about winning in single player games. I’ve never been a fan of Mirror Mode and thankfully it has been replaced with the ability to play most tracks in Reverse, or a Trick version with a bunch of ramps and boosters, or a Reverse Trick version. Some courses get new RMX (Remixed) versions which generally also get R/T/RT variants as well as many completely new tracks. Playing courses in different ways takes some editing of the tracks by the developers and works out much more nicely than the cheap image flip found in Mirror Mode.

Character specific special items are back in Mario Kart Tour. Players can manage a roster of Drivers, Karts, and Gliders and use different resources to power them up to help make a more rounded team which gives a real sense of progression. Earning and using different drivers and items actually matter now. Yes, there are Gacha elements in Tour, but they aren’t that bad compared to other games and there is a fair Tiering system so as to not make new players feel completely left behind. The game’s a slow burn, but it burns so good when you slowly amass power.

Tour also gets updated biweekly with new characters, courses, and events. When all the variants are currently accounted for Mario Kart Tour has over 280 tracks, 140 drivers, 200 karts, and 140 gliders. In many ways it really does feel like Mario Kart Ultimate and the true progression of the Mario Kart series which is sorely lacking in 8 Deluxe.

Now I’m not saying Mario Kart Tour is perfect, it isn’t. The touch screen controls have a bit of a learning curve, the online multiplayer needs work, and certain elements like the Gacha stuff isn’t for everyone. But there is still a lot the next console Mario Kart could learn from the mobile version.

So when Nintendo revealed that 48 news tracks were coming to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe I had very mixed feelings. Sure, more players will be able to experience some of Tour’s cool new courses like the amazing Ninja Hideaway, but each of these tracks will be missing the alternate versions. And for players who think Mario Kart 8 was a bit basic like myself, we will probably have to wait until 2024 at the earliest for a console Mario Kart game that evolves the franchise in ways that Tour teases. That’s a decade of Mario Kart 8. There is so much more we should expect from a Mario Kart game outside the bare minimum, but we may have to wait until the launch of the Switch successor to see a package full of complete innovations the console side of the series is in dire need of.

Images

Talkback

StratosFebruary 28, 2022

This I argue is the best thing they could have done. I don't want more Mario Kart. I want more alternate Nintendo Racers. With this DLC the people who want more Mario Kart get that itch scratched, and there is still room for us to see something new and different than another Mario Kart racer. Give us F-Zero! Give us Diddey Kong Racing (or Konkey Kong)! Give us Excite Bots! Nintendo has a whole stable of excellent racer IPs just itching for some time in the sun, and with Mario Kart out and filling that core kart racer slot its time to experiment and diversify Nintendo's racer library on Switch.

Mop it upFebruary 28, 2022

I'm right there with you, this was a pretty disappointing announcement. This is already the longest amount of time without a new Mario Kart game, and now we'll be waiting even longer. I haven't played Tour but it does sound like it does some interesting things, but I don't like the look of the gameplay and controls.

Quote from: Stratos

Give us F-Zero! Give us Diddey Kong Racing (or Konkey Kong)! Give us Excite Bots! Nintendo has a whole stable of excellent racer IPs just itching for some time in the sun, and with Mario Kart out and filling that core kart racer slot its time to experiment and diversify Nintendo's racer library on Switch.

There isn't a sign of this happening but I'd be fine if this ends up being the case!

AdrockFebruary 28, 2022

I bought Mario Kart 8 and the DLC on Wii U then I double dipped on Switch. I’m not in a rush to buy a brand new Mario Kart since I put Deluxe down for years and only recently picked it back up. The DLC works out really well for my specific use case. I’m fine with waiting until the Switch successor for the next Kart game, Mario or otherwise.

mereelFebruary 28, 2022

Nah. The DLC pack is the better play here. MK8 is very popular and still has tons of momentum, showing what a crowning achievement it really is. Mario Kart 9 is being developed as we speak, no doubt. When it finally launches, it will be incredible, with real blockbuster features to advance the gameplay in a meaningful way, not “reverse tracks” you seem so fond of (and no, a track in reverse does not equal a new track).

KhushrenadaFebruary 28, 2022

"Won't Save" is a questionable word choice for a game the article points out is close to 45 million in sales. What exactly is it Nintendo needs to be trying to "save" about MK8's release at this point? If you said "Won't Improve" then that would make more sense to me. Nothing in the article really highlights the idea that the game needs saving either considering how well received it seems to be with Switch users who continue to purchase it.

I recently got around to playing through the title just last November/December. I wanted to unlock all the Kart pieces and get Gold 3 Star Trophies on all the cups and speeds which I did after around 40 hours of gameplay according to my Switch profile. I had liked the game on Wii U the few times I played it competitively with my brother. This time, it was a solo experience yet I found myself being even more impressed by the game. I'm willing to give it the title of best Mario Kart now. It has got me a bit more pumped and nervous for MK9 now as it has more expectations on it after all the time it will have taken to release this next game and to see how it equals and, hopefully, tries to surpass 8. And, quite frankly, I didn't mind just racing and doing some time trials. Sure, some single player focused stuff might be a nice change of pace like MKDS offered. Yet, I was hooked and engaged enough to just keep loading up the game and racing through grand prix with the CPU's because there were still a lot of tough competition and wild moments happening.

Moreover, 40 hours is plenty of time for a game to have earned its price / cost and more than I expected to be putting into the title. I'm kind of glad there wasn't more I needed to get through since too many games nowadays have a problem with padding out the content in it and wearing out their welcome. MK8 Deluxe did not do that with me and it ended with me still having the same positive impression of it I had when first getting into it instead of dragging things out to diminishing returns.

Now, will adding all these extra courses lead to a feeling of Mario Kart burnout and diminishing returns I just mentioned? Possibly although that depends if I bother to get or play it. Currently, I'm not really looking to get back into more MK8 after playing so much of it recently. I've had my Kart fill for now and am looking to move onto other games. Thus, playing it now doesn't really interest me but I may be receptive down the road when the Kart bug bites me again.

SheckyMarch 17, 2022

The addition of smart steering was the boon for this generation of Kart.  It really helped accessibility. A 4 year old can race an 80 year old on 50 cc and feel satisfied and accomplished.  It's a well polished game (as it should be, it is essentially the second version of 8 since the Wii U version) and so I can see why they would just push out more courses.

OedoMarch 19, 2022

Quote from: Khushrenada

"Won't Save" is a questionable word choice for a game the article points out is close to 45 million in sales. What exactly is it Nintendo needs to be trying to "save" about MK8's release at this point? If you said "Won't Improve" then that would make more sense to me. Nothing in the article really highlights the idea that the game needs saving either considering how well received it seems to be with Switch users who continue to purchase it.

I'm going to assume this is referring to the issues they outline in the article and how new courses don't really address them. They mention the sales and the popularity in the first paragraph.

I've had a lot of fun with Mario Kart 8 both on Wii U and Switch, and I'm still excited for the Booster Courses, but I kinda agree: at this point, the game feels very basic, and even on the new maps, I still felt like I was playing the same game I've been playing for years and years. I don't think Mario Kart 9 was the play, but they certainly could have added some of those elements from Mario Kart Tour to freshen up the experience.

200cc is fire though.

Got a news tip? Send it in!
Advertisement
Advertisement