Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass – Wave 2 (Nintendo Switch) Review

By Neil Flynn 06.08.2022

Review for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass – Wave 2 on Nintendo Switch

Arriving a little later than some had predicted, the next wave of the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass has arrived. A number of fans had hoped that the 2nd wave would have been out approximately in June 2022 to keep up with the quarterly cadence of waves, as Nintendo have mentioned that all 6 waves would be out by the end of 2023. The first wave did well enough to impress Cubed3, but how has Wave 2 fared? Read on to find out more.

A quick refresher, the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass is an additional paid DLC for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe featuring 48 tracks, which, until now, were all returning tracks from previous Mario Kart games, but this has changed with Wave 2. Sky High Sundae is a brand-new track, complete with anti-gravity, a feature that was not present in any of the Wave 1 tracks, and still not featured in any of the other retro tracks in Wave 2. Sky High Sundae is however going to be added to Mario Kart Tour at a later date. The Booster Course Pass is launching in 6 waves, each with 8 courses largely featuring tracks from all the Mario Kart games of old, all the way back from Super Mario Kart up to Mario Kart Tour. Actually, the Mario Kart Tour tracks in Wave 1 caught attention, with them being far fresher and more varied, making them stand out from the rest, particularly Ninja Hideaway. Sky High Sundae's entire track is made out of ice cream related elements, from wafers and cones to ice cream trucks and sprinkles. It is a relatively straight forward circular track complete with a number of ramps to jump off, and plenty of chances for any anti-gravity boosts thanks to the entire track having the feature.

Screenshot for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass – Wave 2 on Nintendo Switch

Interestingly, the Mario Kart Tour tracks in Wave 2 manage to recapture the magic of being the standout courses of the wave with Sydney Sprint and New York Minute. Fortunately, both courses really stand out from the rest as being excellent additions to the Wave 2 Booster Course Pass, both with their multiple branching pathways from lap to lap and their inventiveness. New York Minute takes a trip through Manhattan and the famous Central Park locales, whereas Sydney Sprint takes a tour around the iconic Sydney Opera House, Circular Quay, the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and even a bit of The Rocks and Luna Park thrown in, too. The things that are a bit freaky are the various Toads and Yoshi that are scattered around as spectators and their character models appear to be much larger than the racers themselves, which makes the likes of Bowser and Donkey Kong seem tiny in comparison.

Screenshot for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass – Wave 2 on Nintendo Switch

It must be said that the retro tracks added into Wave 2 are great choices, but also a missed opportunity. As glowing as this review is on the tracks added from Mario Kart Tour, the same cannot be said for the retro additions. Let's start with the most popular track, which has to be Waluigi Pinball from Mario Kart DS. Waluigi Pinball is making its fourth appearance in a Mario Kart game (after being remade in Mario Kart 7 and Mario Kart Tour) and as referenced by its namesake, is a track based on a giant pinball table. Right from the offset drivers are launched on to the pinball table to then navigate the meandering corners, bumpers, flippers, and giant pinballs on track. However, not too much has changed since its previous traditional incarnation on Mario Kart 7, and it is a track that would have greatly benefited from Mario Kart 8's defining feature of anti-gravity. Mushroom Gorge, originally from Mario Kart Wii, also makes its fourth appearance, again after being remade in Mario Kart 7 and Mario Kart Tour. Just like Waluigi Pinball, not too much has changed with this, however it is one of the best tracks from Mario Kart Wii, particularly when it comes towards the cave section at end of the course which features three different pathways to victory!

Screenshot for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass – Wave 2 on Nintendo Switch

Just like with the other courses, this isn't the first rodeo for Kalimari Desert from Mario Kart 64 and Mario Circuit 3 from Super Mario Kart, which are appearing for their 4th and 5th time respectively. In fact, only Super Mario Kart's Rainbow Road has appeared as many times as Mario Circuit 3. Kalimari Destert does change up the track ever so slightly by taking racers through the infamous train tunnel on the second lap. There are shades of Mario Kart Tour here, and the only time where it is applied to any of the retro tracks. Herein lies an issue; should these courses be remade akin to the way that Mario Kart Tour has reimagined them or should they be a closer replication of their original incarnation? Wave 2 of the Booster course pass is rounded out by Snow Land from Mario Kart Super Circuit on the Game Boy Advance, which is the first time this track has been seen since its debut. The face lift that this course has been given certainly does make this feel like a brand-new track and almost unrecognisable from the original. It could have done with an alternate route or two, such as falling in the lake could have given players an underwater segment, but overall this is a fun track to race around.

Screenshot for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass – Wave 2 on Nintendo Switch

Cubed3 Rating

7/10
Rated 7 out of 10

Very Good - Bronze Award

Rated 7 out of 10

Perhaps not as strong of a track selection as Wave 1, Wave 2 of the Booster Course Pass is still very good, headlined by a completely brand-new track in Sky High Sundae and complemented well by Sydney Sprint and New York Minute. It is a bit of a wonder why the retro tracks haven't been given the anti-gravity love, especially as the retro tracks in the base game have it. Waluigi Pinball and Mushroom Gorge are all certainly fan favourites, but it is a shame that they weren't given a bit of reimagining in the same vein that Kalimari Desert received. Nonetheless, Mario Kart fans are grateful that new tracks are coming out for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and it is doubtful that many will have a bad thing to say about getting these courses added in.

Developer

Nintendo

Publisher

Nintendo

Genre

Driving

Players

8

C3 Score

Rated $score out of 10  9/10

Reader Score

Rated $score out of 10  10/10 (2 Votes)

European release date Out now   North America release date Out now   Japan release date Out now   Australian release date Out now   

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