Mario Kart 8 Deluxe had a new Booster Course Pass DLC announced, and fans on Reddit are excited about the possibilities.
In the Nintendo Direct release on February 9th, 2022, Nintendo finally updated fans about Mario Kart. Speculation had been running rampant as the fan base waited for news of a new entry in the franchise. While fans will have to wait for a new game, they're hardly displeased. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on Switch will be receiving 48 tracks from now until the end of 2023.
48 is more than the original Mario Kart 8 launched with, so fans are pretty stoked. In addition, all of the tracks have been confirmed to be returning favorites. This has lead to surge of online discussions, as favorite tracks like Choco Mountain and Coconut Mall are already confirmed to be returning. So fans have taken to Reddit to talk of their picks for returning tracks.
Reddit user SuperGayBirdOfPrey only has one request. They only have one rallying cry for the people, and it is "Waluigi pinball or riot." Waluigi is one of the strangest but still most beloved characters in the series. And his home track from Mario Kart DS shares that distinction with him.
Waluigi Pinball doesn't just bring Waluigi's charisma to play. It begins with the player being fired up the side of the machine. Then the racers are set alongside the tracks before they are let out on the board, with bumpers and pinballs to avoid. This track has some of the strongest theming in the series.
Redditor CakeorDeath1989 comments "Everyone's excited for Coconut Mall, but I'd also really like to see Peach Gardens and Delfino Square make a comeback." This is a pair of tracks based on the hub worlds of the first two 3D Mario titles. Delfino Square certainly brings the tropical feel of Sunshine. But fans love Peach Gardens' Mario 64-style flair and its excellent layout.
A pleasant drive throughout a lovely garden becomes a hectic race course. The track doesn't just feature aesthetics that remind one of Mario 64, but also that game's terrifying chain chomps roam about. The track also features treacherous moats that players may fall into. This track was so popular it actually appeared as a golf course in Mario Golf: World Tour.
Mario Kart, just like the mainline series, has a variety of settings that reoccur throughout the series. There are plenty of grassy and icy roads, but the racing setting opens it up a little further. Colosseums and stadiums in the style of road rallies and extreme sports became common. And what character would host these kind of events other than Wario?
Redditor ThatLasagnaGuy says "I’m just praying that Wario Colosseum from DD!! will be in a later wave." Wario Colosseum fits alongside the stadiums and other extreme maps of this type with a massive caged layout. It also serves as a counterpoint to Wario Stadium, one of the underwater courses in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. The original track is so long and tough it only required two laps.
Speaking of Stadiums and Wario, he certainly has a lot of tracks to his name. Redditor Binro_was_right comments "I will be pretty upset if we get all 48 tracks, and Wario Stadium remains the only N64 course to not get brought back in a future game." Currently, Wario Stadium is the only 64 track not to return ever.
This is doubly shocking because, as mentioned previously, another map called Wario Stadium exists in 8. This is a retro track from Mario Kart DS. Both of them have significantly different vibes, though. DS feels like a monster truck rally, and 64 feels more like BMX.
Redditor jkphantom9 comments "Hope Daisy Cruiser comes back." Daisy Cruiser is another track from the days of Mario Kart: Double Dash. It was paired with Peach Beach in its debut game, but is fantastic in its own right. A luxury liner is an exciting and fun place to race, after all.
The track takes place mostly on the deck of the ship, but there are a few internal parts of the track. Drivers go through a dining room and some kind of underdeck compartment. But the action takes players by the pool as well. From one end of the ship to the other and back again, the track is a classic.
Redditor ActivateGuacamole adds their voice to the swirling torrent of voices asking for Waluigi Pinball. But amidst the calls for one of the series' most popular tracks, they add in a cry for a more obscure but still beloved one. They ask politely; "and sunset wilds please." Sunset Wilds is a track from the Gameboy Advance title Mario Kart: Super Circuit, and certainly a hidden gem.
One of the most underrated racers in Mario Kart 8, Shy Guys, appear on this map as hazards. They'll shake down the player for coins and make them slower. This map was actually recreated in Mario Kart Tour, the phone iteration of the series. The Shy Guys also appear in this remake, reskinned as explorers in this desert wilderness.
A lot of the racetracks in Mario Kart are pretty serene. Often Mario and friends will be racing alongside pleasant vistas and natural wilderness. So an active battlefield is a major contrast from the other types of tracks. The track that Redditor -Heidelbergensis- requests the return of mixes that chaos with set pieces straight out of Super Mario Bros. 3.
"I hope they add airship fortress," they say. Airship Fortress has the players start on a fortress that is under siege by Bullet Bills being fired one of Bowser's airships. The track then transitions to the airship as the racers head into its engines before transferring back to the start. Given the siege of the track, there are plenty of narrow paths where racers can knock each other into the abyss.
A shout rings out from the masses of Mario Kart fans. It's Redditor roz-noz, commenting "GIVE ME DELFINO SQUARE" as loud as they can. As mentioned earlier, this track from Mario Kart DS brings the chill island vibes of Super Mario Sunshine. Sunshine is often regarded as one of the best games on the Nintendo Gamecube, so its vibes and characters are welcome.
But Delfino Square is also has a soothing, summer/autumn mix with an excellent track layout. It's got its own perfect vibes, with great locales like a plaza with a statue and a fish market. While still keeping the characters and iconography of Sunshine, it created its own iconic area. Perhaps this is why fans are so desperate for its return.
Redditor samrpacker comments "Please bring back Dino Dino Jungle! Such a classic level." This is a level from Mario Kart Double Dash that is considered one of the toughest in the series. It's a treacherous jungle that features rolling boulders and dangerous chasms. But of course, the most dangerous feature is the dinosaurs.
The track features a giant dinosaur right in the middle of it. Players have to worry about the titular Dino Dino stepping on them during the first part of the track. But during the higher altitude areas, he's still a nuisance. His head hangs over the bridge and can knock players onto the track below.
Redditor Jestingwheat856 has an ultimatum they want to give to Nintendo. They're sick of all the praise and excitement for Waluigi Pinball's possibly return, and are even a little crass about it. "Nah nah f*ck pinball, I want wuhu loop or I walk," they say. Mario Kart 7's Wuhu Loop is one of the most unique tracks in the series, based on a location from Wii Sports Resort.
Mario Kart 7 also featured another course based on Wuhu Island, called Maka Wuhu. Both of them do a great job of showing off the entirety of the tropical island's vast expanse and many different locales. Racers race up and down the mountain, through a charming town, down by the beach, past the hotel, and over a giant red bridge. This map is unique and beloved by fans for showing nostalgia for both Mario and Wii Sports, and is a hotly anticipated track when it comes to ones that could return.
