Five years after hitting store shelves - eight years if fans consider it the same game as the Wii U version -Mario Kart 8 Deluxeis finally getting some DLC. Known as the Booster Course Pass,Mario Kart 8 Deluxefans will be treated to 48 new courses throughout six different waves. The courses will be remastered versions of courses from previousMario Karttitles, makingMario Kart 8 Deluxethe premiere version ofMario Kart.
Much like howSuper Smash Bros Ultimateis the definitive edition ofSmash Brosand a celebration of the series, with thisnew DLC packMario Kart 8 Deluxewill become theUltimateof theMario Kartfranchise. BothSuper Smash Bros UltimateandMario Kart 8 Deluxeare not the only games being penned as the ultimate collections for fans of their respective series. The latest entry in theMario Partyfranchise,Mario Party: Superstars, is a celebration of what came before it. WithMario Kart 8 Deluxereceiving 48 DLC tracks, maybe it’s time forMario Partyto receive more boards so that it can become the ultimateMario Partyexperience.
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Mario Party Superstars was Lacking at Launch
Mario Party Superstarslaunched in October 2021 and served as the twelfth title in the series on home console. AfterSuper Mario Partyshook up theMario Partyformula with special character specific dice,Mario Party Superstarspromised to bring the series back to its roots with five classic boards and a selection of the series' best mini-games. It felt like a celebration of the beloved franchise, but it only went so far.
Mario PartySuperstarslaunched with only five boards, which was more thanSuper Mario Party, but less than some previous entries in the series. The remastered boards also only originated from the first three games in the series, leaving out many fan favorite boards. On top of that, themini-games included in Mario Party Superstarswere only from the Nintendo 64 and Gamecube eras of the series. While fans were thrilled to return to the series' roots after a couple of experimental entries, many felt like something was missing.
Mario Party Superstarswas meant to be a celebrationof the series, but it seemed to only want to celebrate the original three titles. That left out the entire Wii and Wii U era ofMario Party, along with the later half of the Gamecube era. It also failed to celebrate the handheld titles, and as such the game did not really feel like a celebration of the franchise it was promised to be.
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Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is Becoming a Celebration of Mario Kart
To some,Mario Kart 8 Deluxeis already thedefinitiveMario Kartexperience. It includes many tracks from previousMario Kartgames including almost every iteration of Rainbow Road, an improved battle mode, and a whole host of characters with newcomers like Link. While the game was missing fan favorites like Coconut Mall, it felt like a complete package and a true celebration of the franchise.
Late last year,Mario Kart 8 Deluxebecame the best-selling entryin the entire franchise. Over 40 percent of Switch owners ownMario Kart 8 Deluxe, and those many fans have been playing it for hours. Now, Nintendo has announced that 48 more tracks fromMario Karthistory are being added to the game through DLC. This will significantly expand the size of the game and provide it with a large boost in sales. The DLC will also cementMario Kart 8 Deluxeas a true celebration of what has come before it.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxealready had 48 tracks that represented both classic play spaces and brand-new ones, and now Nintendo is doubling that number. That will bring the total amount of tracks in the game to 96, ensuring it has over half of the entireMario Karttrack history. That is most of theMario Kartfranchise all bundled into one title, turningMario Kart 8 DeluxeintoMario KartUltimate.Mario Kartfans will be able to boot up the title and celebrate the franchise that they love in one complete package, which is exciting.
Mario Party Superstars Could Follow Suite
It seems that Nintendo wants to make definitive editions of itsbiggest franchises withMario Kart 8 DeluxeandSuper Smash Bros Ultimate.Mario PartySuperstarswas penned as a collection of the best from the older titles, so maybe now is the time for it to actually fulfill that promise.Mario Kart 8 Deluxeis well into its lifespan and is receiving a large helping of extra content, andSuper Mario Superstarsis still only in its first year of release, so it could be a very likely candidate for DLC.
Mario Party Superstarsshould not just be a celebration of the first three titles in the franchise, but a celebration of the entire franchise. It should include boards fromMario Party 4throughSuper Mario Partywhile also taking some from the handheld titles likeMario Party Star Rush. After all, a game with Superstars in the title should be the Superstar of theMario partyfranchise.
WIth the announcement thatMario Kart 8 Deluxewill be doubling its track count four years after hitting store shelves, there may be hope forMario Party Superstarsas well. For now, fans of the series will just have to wait and see,while fans ofMario Kartwill be preparing themselves to race around on familiar tracks when the first wave of theBooster Course Packlaunches.
