The latest Nintendo Direct from this month turned out to be chock full of surprises for the fans. From the much-awaited Xenoblade Chronicles 3 to Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes, several fandoms saw their passion reignited after updates on their favorite franchises. And Mario found himself at the center of attention at the February Direct, as Nintendo’s mascot got not one, but two announcements detailing his upcoming titles.
The legacy franchise, Mario Strikers, is returning in a big way with ‘Battle League’. Releasing on June 10.
However, the most hyped Mario title had to be the seminal franchise Mario Kart. The community has awaited an update on Mario Kart 9 for a while now, so hopes were high going into the Direct. But much to their surprise, though they got a Mario Kart update, it wasn’t the one they were expecting.
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Nintendo: the jury’s out on Mario Kart 8 surprise
Nintendo announced a massive update for the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, an almost five-year-old title on the Switch. The racing game will soon receive a DLC pack that will double the total number of tracks in the game. The Booster Course Pass would add a whopping 48 new tracks to the game. These courses are remastered versions of older tracks from the franchise, but with one significant difference.
The announced tracks seem to be graphical downgrades from the quality of tracks in the base Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. And fans noticed the stark difference in visual fidelity becomes even more noticeable when compared side-by-side to the existing tracks.
I dunno if this is gonna bother people but I feel like it should be pointed out:
The tracks they're adding to MK8 Deluxe look completely different from the courses in the original game.
The artstyle looks just like the Mario Kart Tour app, how do y'all feel about this? pic.twitter.com/7iyvJr56zk
— JOLLY J✨ (@DynamoSuperX) February 9, 2022
READ MORE- Massive Issue Could Derail Nintendo’s Massive Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Announcement
People are not happy. And many players are taking to Twitter to voice their opinions.
This user believes gamers may never see a Mario Kart 9 as the series takes a page out of Rockstar Studio’s books.
Mario Kart 8 is Nintendo's Skyrim/GTA 5, we just gotta accept it at this point… 😭 pic.twitter.com/egFMueqLjL
— im salt (@imsaltYT) February 9, 2022
That would sting.
even gta 6 getting released tho
— Runboy (@AreosOriginal) February 9, 2022
The internet: It's just about time for Mario Kart 9!
Nintendo: Ha, watch this
— Spawn Wave (@SpawnWaveMedia) February 9, 2022
OH MY GOD WE ARE GOING TO SUFFER WITH MARIO KART 8 DELUXE FOR THE NEXT TWO YEARS WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY pic.twitter.com/pig6yP1Nyp
— ZoomZike (@ZoomZike) February 9, 2022
The perfect meme-storm.
Mario Kart 9 is looking sick pic.twitter.com/8HuogdDHUB
— APLE | Mari 🍎✨ (@marikyuutie) February 9, 2022
me in the year 3020 playing the new courses for Mario Kart 8 pic.twitter.com/nn6E0wYWEW
— dunkey (@vgdunkey) February 10, 2022
fans:
BOTW2 pls
Mario Kart 9 pls
Mario move trailer plsnintendo: carby pic.twitter.com/kxZI3RAFly
— hungrybox (@LiquidHbox) February 9, 2022
me on my deathbed playing wave 249 of the mario kart 8 deluxe super ultra power dx expansion pass pic.twitter.com/CDeda7Z4QM
— bradhp11 (@bradhp111) February 9, 2022
WATCH THIS STORY- Most Exciting reveals in first Nintendo Direct of 2022
Players can’t bring themselves to praise the DLC.
gave the mario kart 8 dlc trailer another watch and
yeah no the difference in quality is like night and day 💀 pic.twitter.com/ymdR5kJhae
— Mat 🦆 working on commissions (@MatttGFX) February 10, 2022
was excited for mario kart 8 dlc but the tracks kinda look like ass 😬 pic.twitter.com/ZRN6Vu6U1W
— Emby 🦑 🔜 KatsuCon 2022 (@mcsquiddies) February 9, 2022
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However, some have found a silver lining.
For everyone who is hoping that the mario kart dlc tracks graphics improve, i found an inconsistency in the trailer that may suggest that these courses are still being improved upon. Sky garden clearly has brown tiles in the footage, but has a gray stone surface in this icon pic.twitter.com/k99uGOgpRd
— TripleAAA (@the_blue_banjo) February 12, 2022
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In conclusion, the hype has settled down since its first reveal in the Direct, as the Booster Course Pass has become a source of consternation for the fanbase. Notably, some fans remain hopeful about the visuals receiving an update before the first wave releases on March 18. But most fans seem to be apathetic towards the update.
What are your thoughts? Tell us in the comments below.
