Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the gift that keeps on giving.

The Booster Course Pass is set to add a massive amount of tracks to a game that is already teeming with them, featuring classics which we know and love. All built around the Mario Kart 8 mechanics.

And in the case of this wave, an all-new, never before seen track which may just be a new fan favourite.

Wave 2 Included Cups

Turnip Cup
Propeller Cup

Wave 2 Included Tracks

New York Minute – MKT (TC)
Mario Circuit 3 – SNES (TC)
Kalimari Desert – N64 (TC)
Waluigi Pinball – DS (TC)
Sydney Sprint – MKT (PC)
Snow Land – GBA (PC)
Mushroom Gorge – Wii (PC)
Sky-High Sundae (PC)

New York Minute is full of some nice twists and turns with a focus on alternate routes as you pass through each lap. The city is nicely populated with Toads doing their Christmas shopping, buses and taxis driving past and bright lights and fancy signs aplenty. It’s a refreshing change of pace and just shows that Nintendo are far from out of ideas on where to let Mario and his friends drive against each other.

There’s even a real Metro Kingdom vibe about it, but one that will feel all too familiar for those who love the Big Apple and it just works, especially when it’s blended in with some of Mario Kart’s more unorthodox tracks.

Mario Circuit 3 is both a nice dollop of nostalgia but a stark reminder of just how far the franchise has come. As a track, it’s about as basic as it comes with long stretch tracks that leave you vulnerable to all sorts of projectiles if you’re out in front, a clear yellow aesthetic throughout and the laps are a bit pacey.

On the other hand, this has been recreated beautifully from the SNES days with tons of new easter eggs to spot, like Yoshi’s waving at you from on high on blocks and lots of moving clouds, flags and plants making the background feel a bit more alive. Overall, it’s a superb job from Nintendo to really celebrate the history of the series, but in reality, it’s not likely to be a fan favourite except for those who grew up playing this in 1993.

Speaking of fan favourites, Kalimari Desert is considered one of the all-timers in series history, debuting on the N64. It looks fantastic here, with really beautiful bleeding lighting, sparkle and shine, the impending danger of smashing into the train throughout the three laps, and then mixing things up in new ways, like having you go head on with it on the tracks. Especially when you’re re-watching the action from different camera angles.

It’s as good here as it’s ever been and remains one of my all-time favorite courses. You can tell this one has been brought over and was a true labor of love for both Nintendo and has been done to really celebrate this legendary course with fans. For me, the true highlight of the Turnip Cup.

Turnip Cup does round off with a real fun one, though – Waluigi Pinball. Originating on the DS, this one is just going to hit all sorts of chords in players. It’s a stunning retro arcade ride as you bounce around a made-up table, avoiding bumpers, spinies, and whizzing over booster pads.

There’s even a fun nod to the DS version, adapting its infamous chip tune as you go up the booster slide at the beginning of each lap. The magic of Mario Kart often is in creating worlds you’d love to explore outside of the game, and this is just mesmerising, enjoyable, but equally stressful all at once as this one can really see you jostle for position with your rival racers as obstacles knock you back, forth, left and right. A real crowd-pleaser and one you’ll sit upright for.

But we’ve also got the Propeller Cup in this pack and begins again with another Mario Kart Tour original – Sydney Sprint. What better way to see the Sydney Opera House than by gliding past with a raccoon skin? This is a delightful celebration of Australian culture full of crystal blue seas, bright skies, unique architecture, trees and wonderful paving.

I loved this track. It was simple, effective, and overall enjoyable with enough ramp ways, obstacles, turns and wide open spaces to keep eyes out for, as well as fun things happening in the background, all coupled together with famous buildings and landmarks. My familiarity with the Tour tracks is a bit lacking, so this basically felt like a brand new race for me and I appreciated it.

Snow Land is cute, serving as a bit of a reminder of that level in Mario 64 where you go skiing with the penguin, but making an entire wintery themed, icy level out of it. It’s a tricky one to navigate sometimes as you can skid off course and lose your footing, but it’s bright, cheerful and has a nice low-key energy about it that ends up feeling quite chill to whip around.

The thing about varying tracks from the franchise is you can tell some definitely offer more complexity and variety than much older variations. Mushroom Gorge from the Wii is a good example with split paths, bouncing toadstools which you need to time just right to land safely, sharp turns and a section in the middle rife for chaos. It’s a lovely little track, fast-paced, simple, but very effective and definitely one that will split opinion with that one friend who keeps falling off the toadstool.

It also boasts a lovely vibrant palette with such rich colors everywhere, lively toads celebrating the ongoing race, and different colored mushrooms each doing something a little different. Not to mention that stunning crystal cave. You’ll get round this one fast and that may just be perfect for short blast play sessions.

Last one in Wave 2 is Sky-High Sundae, a brand new course that has released pretty much simultaneously for Mario Kart Tour and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. And what a doozy it is. Topsy, turvy, rollercoaster esque but it’s all upward rather than downhill as you climb up wafers, frosted stairs, and cake trays.

This is a beautiful track that just really sums up the essence of Mario Kart – fun, fast-paced, frantic, but absolutely striking at every turn. And there’s even guardrails there which – maybe, possibly – hints at grinding in future Mario Kart games? Wouldn’t that be something…

But Sky High Sundae is exactly what you’d hope for and expect as you whizz through an ice cream parlor and savor its sweet delights with plenty of opportunities for changing positions and being knocked off ledges by a stray shell. Timing jumps is the key to success here in what’s sure to go down as a classic Mario Kart track for years to come.

Verdict

Wave 2 does a great job of celebrating Mario Kart history, going right back to the SNES days and celebrating franchise history, giving us classic, fan favourites like the wonderful Kalimari Desert, then sealing it up with a brand new track that is sure to be a fan favourite for years to come. One or two of the courses aren’t going to be everyone’s cup of tea, but for me, this is yet another brilliant showing with a bit of something old, new and loved.

Pros

+ A real celebration of the series with vintage and fan favourites
+ Classic tracks wonderfully rebuilt for Mario Kart 8
+ Brand new track Sky-High Sundae is a real treat