Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Plus Booster Course Pass Review

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Fast Facts

A Lifelong Friend

Mario Kart, for me, is one of the best racing games ever made. Throughout my whole life, I have had so many great memories of the series, from sneaking into my mate’s house when his mum went to bingo to play it on the SNES to playing it four-player religiously on the Nintendo 64. I am not a massive racing game fan, but Mario Kart is different. It spans generations, brings families together and creates fun, everlasting rivalries.

Mario Kart 8 was originally released way back in 2014 on the WiiU. I know, right? 2014, not even I thought it was that long ago! Mario Kart 8 sold well on the WiiU and had a raft of DLC that followed, featuring tracks from Zelda and F-Zero. Mario Kart 8 was re-released on the Switch as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and along with all the original DLC came a Booster Course Pack that contained a plethora, yes, a plethora of classic and new tracks to zip through. Here we are, then, an all-in-one Mario Kart 8 Deluxe with Booster Pass review bonanza!

I never bought any of the DLC on the Switch as I played so much of the game on the WiiU, so you can only imagine my delight when the lovely folks at Nintendo offered it to me for review. Chance to revisit old tracks from my youth and, even better, brand new Mario Kart tracks. Lovely jubbly. Not only this but I could experience all this with my family, passing on all the skills I have gained over 31 years of Mario Karting.

Pure Racing Joy

For anyone who has not played Mario Kart 8 before, firstly, give yourself a swift talking to: what are you doing with your life? Secondly, not only is it the best Mario Kart in the series, but as I said earlier, it is, in my humble opinion, one of the best racing games ever made. It is so easy to pick up and play, yet the skill ceiling is very high. Learning to link powerslides together and how to manage items is vital, as is learning the tracks and how to squeeze every inch out of every corner.

As with the many other karting on the market, you and your adversaries wizz around bright, colourful and amazingly designed tracks, shooting each other with koopa shells and laying bananas to slow down the drivers behind you. It’s bright, it’s bold and in true Nintendo fashion, runs like butter. It looks great, is so much fun and even for people like me who like to get into the nitty-gritty, there is something behind all the loud, colourful bravado.

When power-sliding round corners, you will earn boosts depending on how long you hold it. This, combined with being able to adjust your steering while power sliding, leads to a mini-game that, for me, makes Mario Kart 8. You can link these slides together, and I spend 90% of my time power-sliding and boosting all the way around the track. Add to this jump boosts, items and other racers, and you have an intense fabric of speedy, second-by-second decisions that really keep me coming back to this amazing title.

Boost for the Win

In the Booster Pass, you have 48 ‘new to Mario Kart 8’ courses and 8 additional characters. These courses were drip-fed in waves of DLC, but now, they are all out in the wild. These courses come from the various editions of Mario Kart over the years, including Mario Kart Tour and there are even a handful of brand-new courses to shout at when you get hit with a blue shell on the line and finish second. Exciting times!

These courses, both new and old, are amazing, from the classic courses I remember from Mario Kart, Mario Kart 64 and other classic games in the series to the brand new ones, they are teaming with life and things to explore. What I love about the classic tracks is that even though they have had a bit of a graphical overhaul, they still look and feel like they did way back when. Even the shortcuts still work.

Tweaks to Old Favourites

This does not mean nothing has been done to them, though. Some have had slight revamps to certain areas to take Mario Kart 8’s anti-gravity system into effect. Some of them have also just had slight tweaks to the layouts to make them a bit more interesting. The music has been jazzed up, too, dragging some of the classic Nintendo tunes into a more modern environment. All in all, I was massively impressed with the range and variety of the classic tracks.

From a new track standpoint, everything is here. From a bath-based track that reminded me of the classic Micro Machines on the Megadrive to underwater stages and even a stage based on a Christmas Mountain. Ho ho ho! These new stages take Mario Kart 8 to its extremes with massive jumps, loads of shortcuts and some devilishly designed courses to test even the most experienced racers.

A Must-Own Switch Compilation

As you can probably tell, Mario Kart 8 is not only a must-own Switch title but also a must-have racing game. My kids love it, my parents love it, and with its massive number of options, anyone can play however they wish. It is so easy to get into, yet under the surface, there is a massively addictive, intricate racer that even keeps old miseries like me entertained.

The Booster Course Pack adds a massive amount of variety to a game that has a bucket load of it already. Taking the total number of courses up to 96, the Booster Pass is fairly cheap or even free with a Nintendo Online + Expansion pass membership. For what you get with interesting new and classic tracks alike, there is no reason not to own it. It would make a great Christmas present for both Mario Kart 8 Deluxe aficionados and newbies just starting out with this lovely title. I know of no other racing title that spans generation gaps as much as this one; no other racing game creates so much joy and raucous entertainment as this one, and it’s glorious.

5 out of 5

5

You can buy both Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and the Booster Course Pass here.