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Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Mario Kart 8 was one of the best kart racers in years, and soon Switch owners will be able to play it on the go as well as on their TV. After giving this update a couple laps around our test track, we boiled down the top eight reasons fans might want to buy Mario Kart 8 again.
- Free DLC – In addition to all of the Wii U’s original content, Mario Kart 8 will feature all of the original games DLC.
- More characters – The Inklings from Splatoon, King Boo, Dry Bones, and Bowser Jr. are lacing up their racing gear and will now be playable characters.
- Double items – This is one of the biggest additions in my opinion. Deluxe now allows players to stockpile up to two items at the same time. You can’t swap between them like you could in Double Dash, but it’s nice to have the additional firepower.
- Battle mode – It’s not Mario Kart’s main attraction, but battle mode is still a lot of fun. Up to eight players can race around open tracks and try to pop each other’s balloons using Mario Kart’s iconic powerups. In this updated version of the game, if you lose all your balloons, you respawn on the track with a smaller supply of balloons and the person who pops the most balloons before the clock strikes zero wins the game.
- New courses – Mario Kart 8 has no shortage of tracks, but Deluxe features new courses based on Splatoon called Urchin Underpass and Battle Stadium. The GameCube’s Luigi's Mansion course and SNES’ Battle Course 1 also make a return.
- New vehicles – What are new courses without new cars? Just pavement. Deluxe adds two new karts inspired by the Splatoon franchise.
- Kid friendlier – Kid’s love Mario Kart, but a new Smart Steering feature makes it even easier for novice players to stay on the track – it’s kind of like using the bumpers while bowling.
- Classic items return – We aren’t getting any entirely new items, but a couple classics are getting resurrected. The first is Boo, the ghost that steals items. The second is the Feather, which allows you to make some high jumps.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe arrives for the Switch on April 28, which is a pretty good birthday for anyone born on April 28.
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