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Mario Kart 8 previews six new tracks ahead of April 23 DLC release

Mario Kart 8's second DLC pack is set to arrive this coming Thursday. Nintendo would like to prepare racers by issuing new videos for six of its new tracks.

Ozzie Mejia

April 20, 2015 1:00 PM

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With so much happening in the world of gaming, it's easy to forget that Mario Kart 8's second DLC pack is set to arrive later this week. Part of that is because Nintendo decided to push the release date up from its original May date. Not only are Animal Crossing characters making their debut, but a slew of new tracks are set to arrive, as well.

Over the weekend, Nintendo released a bundle of videos showcasing the next DLC's new courses. Shacknews will helpfully offer those videos here. Here's what to expect from Mario Kart 8's second DLC pack:

Baby Park

Mario Kart veterans will remember this from Mario Kart: Double Dash on the GameCube. This is one of the smallest courses in series history, so much so that eight laps are required to complete it. It's a simple oval track, one that means you'll often wind up lapping anyone in last place. Of course, that means racers leading the pack are also vulnerable to any last-place racers attempting to catch up with items like Bullet Bills and Starmen.

Cheese Land

Cheese Land makes its triumphant return from Mario Kart Advance. Now boasting sharper cheddar textures, Cheese Land looks better than ever. Racers will have to navigate the track's cheesy craters, which will make it a less-than-smooth ride. Those that manage to get around that will also have to look out for the Chain Chomps that are littered around the field.

Neo Bowser City

Here's another returning track. Neo Bowser City comes from Mario Kart 7 on the Nintendo 3DS, bringing with it the dark, neon city filled with skyscrapers and neon lights. Neo Bowser City is filled with tricky curves, so if racers aren't careful, they'll find themselves plummeting to the pits below.

Ribbon Road

Here's another returning course from Mario Kart Advance. Ribbon Road puts racers on a flimsy track made of ribbon, meaning it'll be hard to pick up speed. Meanwhile, giant roaming Mechakoopas will look to step on any racers in their way and ramps will launch players skyward, where they must navigate around clown-cars-in-a-box.

Big Blue

Like Mute City before it, Big Blue comes from sister racing franchise F-Zero. Unlike F-Zero, however, Big Blue has been re-designed with Mario Kart racers in mind. That means navigating hairpin turns across all angles, upside-down portions, and ramps that will launch racers towards parts of the ocean blue itself. All of this is set to a classic soundtrack, remixed with more saxophone.

Wild Woods

Finally, there's Wild Woods, which introduces more of the Animal Crossing motif. Mario Kart racers will make their way along a woodsy course that takes them across skyward treehouses, lengthy branches, and serene creeks. There don't appear to be any major obstacles here, so races will be determined by racer skill and the luck of the item box draw.

There are still a few more tracks that will join the aforementioned ones, which will all be included in Mario Kart 8's second DLC pack. The DLC will be available for $7.99. However, if you paid the $11.99 bundle price when the first DLC pack released, this will be available at no extra charge.

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?