Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass
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The Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass is a DLC expansion pack for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, announced during a Nintendo Direct held on February 9, 2022. The pack includes 12 additional cups, for a total of 48 additional courses (bringing the total number of courses in the game to 96), most of which are remastered versions of courses from other Mario Kart games, including Mario Kart Tour. The courses also received visual improvements and new music arrangements, and are based on their models from Mario Kart Tour (with the exception of DS Mario Circuit and GCN Waluigi Stadium, which are currently absent from said game). The pack marks the longest gap between the original release of a Mario game and the release of its DLC, releasing nearly five years after Mario Kart 8 Deluxe did. The pack also makes Mario Kart 8 Deluxe the first Mario Kart game to feature classic courses from games following the original game's release, with Mario Kart Tour and its reappearing courses debuting after 8 Deluxe was initially released. In addition to the courses, starting with Wave 4's release, the pass also features additional playable characters for the game, which also return from other Mario Kart games.
The pack is set to be released in six waves by the end of 2023. It can be purchased on its own, but is also included in the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership[1] as well as in the digital-only Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Bundle (Game + Booster Course Pass).[2] In Hong Kong, activation codes for the Booster Course Pass are additionally distributed in physical Nintendo Switch game cases, though buyers must own a copy of the base game to be able to use a code.[3] The first wave of the DLC was made available to pre-load on March 15, 2022, and was released on March 18, 2022. In Mainland China for the Tencent release, waves release later than they do internationally, with the pack set to completely release by the end of 2024 rather than 2023.[4] If the player has purchased the Booster Course Pass or currently has a Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership, a small icon of a Super Star can be seen next to the version number on the game's title screen.
The courses shown in the key artwork use official screenshots and in-game course icons from Mario Kart Tour. Some screenshots of the courses show Paris Promenade and Paris Promenade 3 with barrier fences from that game, as well as an official screenshot of the ninja Shy Guys in Ninja Hideaway, which originated from the Ninja Tour's in-game preview. Prior to Wave 1's release, the infographic showing all of the known courses across all six waves also used Tour screenshots. However, in the launch trailer for Wave 1 posted following its release, the infographic was updated to use in-game screenshots from 8 Deluxe for all courses, which the release trailers for future waves would follow as well.
Several minor adjustments to the courses in Wave 1 were made upon the release of Wave 2, such as their course icons being slightly brighter, and the sand and dirt on some courses now leaving tire marks. Additionally, the final car section in Wii Coconut Mall was adjusted, making the cars serve as hazards and move sporadically in random directions (except for in Time Trials, in which they remain stationary).
Content
Courses
Each of the six waves features two cups, each with four courses, for eight courses per wave.[1] As of the third wave, there is one course from Super Mario Kart, two courses from Mario Kart 64, three courses each from Mario Kart: Super Circuit, Mario Kart DS, Mario Kart Wii, and Mario Kart 7, eight courses from Mario Kart Tour, and two new courses. Excluding the Tour courses, DS Shroom Ridge and GBA Snow Land are currently the only classic courses in the Booster Course Pass that had not previously appeared as classic courses in other games, while Sky-High Sundae and Yoshi's Island are currently the only courses to make their series debut in the pass.
Ninja Hideaway and Merry Mountain lack the "Tour" prefix, despite both debuting in Mario Kart Tour. Furthermore, despite making its debut in the Booster Course Pass, Sky-High Sundae is labeled and marketed as a new course in both the pass and Mario Kart Tour. In the Tencent release of the DLC in Mainland China, all courses from Mario Kart Tour lack the "Tour" prefix, likely due to Mario Kart Tour's unavailability from app distribution platforms in Mainland China.
In the British English version of the pass, 3DS Rock Rock Mountain is known as 3DS Alpine Pass, as was the case in the British English version of Mario Kart 7. However, courses that had different names between European French and Canadian French in previous games instead use their European French names in the pass in both versions.
Yoshi's Island is among the courses included in the fourth wave; however, its position is yet to be revealed.
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