Nintendo has finally gotten on the DLC bandwagon with the Wii U and 3DS this generation, with some dips of their toes here and there, they finally jump in with both feet on a major title with this first DLC pack for Mario Kart 8, and you can tell they really put a lot of effort into this, which pays off immensely for those of us looking for some new things to do in one of the biggest titles of last year.
This set of DLC adds 8 new tracks (in two new cups, the Egg Cup and Triforce Cup), 3 new characters, 4 new vehicles and a couple new parts to slap on. Two of the “new” characters are just Tanooki Mario and Cat Peach, so not really new characters but wearing new outfits. However, their new celebration animations and sounds are a hoot and show a deep attention to detail (Tanooki Mario turns into a statue at times for instance) much like everything else in this offering.
Link and his horse shaped Master Cycle fit in surprisingly well, and his Hyrule Circuit is true to the Zelda series with its course hazards and treats, even the coins are replaced with rupees and there’s a puzzle to unlock the Master Sword boost! F-Zero fans lamenting the lack of a new release in the series might be placated a bit with the addition of the Blue Falcon as a vehicle that has as much an emphasis on straight ahead speed as you’d expect, as well as an F-Zero track (Mute City) that even features recharge strips that give you coins! With these two crossovers alone, Nintendo definitely nailed it.
The Excitebike Arena was amusing as well even though it’s fairly simple compared to the other new courses, with just a straightforward series of jumps and U turns. We also get treated to get another incarnation of Rainbow Road, this time the SNES version with Thwomps that that send vibrations through the track that you can take advantage of for extra tricks. Wario’s Gold Mine returns from the Wii version with great upgraded visuals that really make it more hectic and dip rapidly like a true mine kart ride. Finally another favorite of mine is Dragon Driftway, which uses a lot of anti-gravity as you wind around the body of a huge dragon, with lots of Chinese aesthetics providing a nice touch. The other tracks (Yoshi themed and a ice track) and vehicles aren’t quite as spectacular but still do a good job of rounding out the selection.
For $7.99 you get quite a value in this DLC, but toss in another $4 and you also will get the second pack of DLC due in May. If it’s anywhere as good as this one it’ll be more than worth it. Once again it appears Nintendo has waited to jump on a trend until it was sure it could get it right, and the Mario Kart 8 DLC pack does just that.
Gameplay
