GAME REVIEW: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe: Booster Course Pass (Wave 4)

By: Cameron Fulkerson

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the most unkillable game I have ever played. Released in 2014 on the doomed Wii U console, Mario Kart 8 initially got upgrades of downloadable content (DLC) and an enhanced port on the Nintendo Switch with even more features. Now, after five years of no new updates, content, or news of any kind, Nintendo is doubling the track count on this popular game with more DLC. Last week, Wave 4 (out of 6) of the Booster Course Pass was released with eight new tracks and I have some opinions I would like to share.

Here is my review of the new Wave 4 tracks featured in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe: Booster Course Pass.

Amsterdam Drift: This is the first of the city tracks included from Mario Kart Tour (the mobile game), where they change route each lap. This map takes you through many parts of the city, like the Royal Palace, the Nemo Science Museum, Hech Jonge Schaap, a drive in the canal, and many more locations.

Riverside Park: Riverside Park is from Mario Kart Super Circuit, which Nintendo always recreates incredibly well, and this iteration is no expectation. It looks incredible, which is quite good because at the beginning of the pass, there were a lot of complaints about the visuals not being up to par. But this track shows how they have improved over time. Other than that, Riverside is a fairly basic track in a forest, however, you do jump out of a waterfall at the end, which is pretty cool.

DK Summit: One of the many classics from Mario Kart Wii, DK Summit is about descending a mountain like a snowboarding course with half pipes n’ all. And it allows you to do lots of tricks, which is really cool. Be sure to watch out for the shy guys though.

Yoshi Island: This is a brand-new track based off of the original game, and you can tell the amount of detail Nintendo invested here. This track features Yoshi coins, enemies in the background, and the same victory themes from the game. And this track is just filled with the game’s love in it and I love it.

Bangkok Rush: Here we have another tour track, but this time you’re going to Bangkok. You can see many locations in your race here, including: Buddha’s temple, the Kalka River, the market place in the middle of a railroad, the democracy monument, and many more.  

Mario Circuit: The Mario Circuit is just a basic circuit with wigglers and piranha plants. Not much else to say. We’ve seen it all before.

Waluigi Stadium: Next up is a really fun track that takes place in a motocross stadium with plenty of half pipes and fire rings to jump through. This one is really in contention for my favorite new track with the atmosphere they have created to represent Luigi’s archrival.

Singapore Speedway: The final track to review is a final city track, this one located in Singapore. For this one, you get to drive through the sands of Marina Bay, the infinity pool, the Gardens of Debate, the Helix Bridge, Chinatown and other places. I enjoyed this one very much.

And that is it folks, every track in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe: Booster Course Pass (Wave 4) reviewed. Overall, I really liked these tracks and think you will too. I can’t wait to see what Nintendo brings to the table for Wave 5!