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Nintendo just released some new Mario Kart 8 tracks, and it made me think about other fun Nintendo themed DLC and bonuses in games.  So I wrote a blog about it.  Enjoy!

Mario Kart 8

First let’s talk about the cool new tracks in Mario Kart 8.  They released a set of 8 tracks last year, and 8 new ones just recently.  The cool thing is that these tracks didn’t look like they were just thrown together.  The tracks based on classic Mario Kart circuits have been totally redone, the ones based on other Nintendo properties have so much attention to detail, and the totally new ones are cool, too.  So let’s take a look.

Yoshi Circuit (GCN)

The 8 tracks released last year were set up into two cups.  The first was the Egg Cup.  Yoshi’s Circuit was based on the same track on the GameCube Double Dash game.  It’s just a standard road track, but it’s cool that it’s shaped like Yoshi.

Excitebike Arena

This was a really neat track based on Nintendo’s classic Excitebike.  It was just a simple oval track, but the jumps and obstacles were based on the ones form the old game.  What was neat is that they’d be rearranged each time you’d play.  My brother Jeff loved the old Excitebike game when he was little.  Still does, actually.  Did you know that in Japan, they made some Mario themed Excitebike games for their Super Famicom Satellite download service?

Dragon Driftway

This is a good example of a new track that you can tell wasn’t thrown together.  It has a Chinese theme, and you race on dragons and temples with paintings of Lakitus doing Kung-Fu poses.  They should’ve used a remixed version of the song from the Chai Kingdom in Super Mario Land, though.

Mute City

Nintendo, why not just come out with a F-Zero game on Wii U?  You teased us in Nintendo Land, and now this.  It’s a really cool track, though.  You don’t collect coins, but you gain them by running through the same panels that give your car energy in F-Zero.  All the music, even when you first start, is from F-Zero, too, not Mario Kart!

Wario’s Gold Mine (Wii)

The next set of tracks is in the Triforce Cup.  Wario’s Gold Mine is from the Wii Mario Kart game.  I don’t have as many good memories from this track, although it’s still fun.

Rainbow Road (SNES)

I love the original Rainbow Road on the SNES Mario Kart.  But then, the original Mario Kart is my favorite in the series, and it’s also one of my top five favorite games of all time!  I loved how they improved it on the Wii U!

Ice Ice Outpost

You don’t really travel too much on slippery stuff on this frozen track, because it looks like they spread out yellow and green tarps for you to race on.  The yellow and green roads make me think of Sprite, and the ice all around it helps the image, too.

Hyrule Castle

Zelda fans, it’s time to cheer.  This Hyrule themed course had so many cool details.  You don’t collect coins, but rupees.  Mario enemies are replaced by Zelda ones as obstacles.  And if you hit three bumpers while going to the castle, a gate will open up that’ll let you use the Master Sword as a bumper, too.  They even changed the sound effects to sound like you’re opening a Zelda treasure when you get an item!

Baby Park (GCN)

The next set of tracks were released relatively recently, and split into two cups as well.  First in the Crossing Cup is Baby Park from the GameCube game.  I always liked Baby Park.  Even though it was just a simple oval and very short, you had more laps on it.  So in the final laps, things got pretty crazy with all the items bouncing around.  I also loved all the theme park rides in the background, and it was fun to see them in HD on the Wii U.  What’s really neat is how they made the track all anti-gravity on the Wii U, and on the last lap all sorts of lights blink and flash around.  It’s like a crazy bumper car arena!

Cheese Land (GBA)

This was one of my favorite tracks from the GBA game.  I love the remixed music on this one with the saxophones and all.  Only bad thing is they replaced the mice from Yoshi’s Island that ran around the track.  Now you just have to avoid a couple of giant Chain Chomps.  This track always makes me hungry, though.  I really do like cheese.

Wild Woods

This new track looks gorgeous graphically, but it’s not as interesting as you might think.  I see a missed opportunity with this track that they could’ve done with it.  They could’ve made it Super Mario RPG themed and renamed it Geno’s Woods.  They could’ve played the Forest Maze music and heck, even the Shy Guy houses look like they are from Super Mario RPG.  Then all the Geno fanboys would be pleased.  Did you know that Geno actually made a cameo appearance in a mini-game on one of the Mario & Luigi RPG titles?

Animal Crossing

The Animal Crossing game on GameCube is one of my top five favorite games of all time, and I could gush on this track all day but I won’t.  I could do a whole blog on this track alone.  But I’ll spare you some of the details.  But I love how when you hit trees, fruit falls out and you can run over them and have the same effect as a mushroom.  The seasons will also change each time you race on this track, with different obstacles depending on each one.  And the sound effects are so authentic.  This track makes me want a Wii U Animal Crossing game that looks this good!

Neo Bowser City (3DS)

The last set of tracks are in the Bell Cup.  Neo Bowser City was originally on the 3DS.  I never understood why Bowser got his own futuristic City, but I do like how the music is a remix of the Toad’s Turnpike theme.  I love how the falling rain looks in this game.  Mario Kart 8 is still the best looking title graphically on the Wii U, I think.

Ribbon Road (GBA)

I wish they would’ve done more tracks from the really old Mario Kart games, because how they reimagined Ribbon Road on the GBA is brilliant.  Now you’re inside a giant kid’s room and the whole track is made out of toys.  You can even see Mario Kart themed toy packages in the background, and above the kid’s bed is a movie poster that says, “Kung-Fu Lakitu.”  Look carefully and you can even spot some Yarn Yoshis, too!

Super Bell Subway

Another good example of a new track that didn’t seem thrown together.  I guess since they did a track at the airport, they needed one in the subway, too.  Aside from riding the MARTA in Atlanta once, I’ve never actually been on a subway train.  This course was fun just to drive around and see all the details, like the snack and flower shops in the station, the giant vending machines and ticket counters, and the graffiti inside the train tunnels!

Big Blue

Again, Nintendo, just make another F-Zero game already.  This track is cool because it’s one of those rally tracks where each lap is different, like Mt. Wario.  If they even want to make any more new Mario Kart tracks based on other Nintendo franchises, I’d rather them just make a new game and call it Super Smash Kart, though.  Or just make a sequel to Kirby Air Ride.

New Racers and Amiibo Outfits

The Mario Kart 8 DLC packs also included new racers and cars.  In the first pack you got Tanooki Mario, Cat Peach, and Link.  Link looks especially funny here because he doesn’t quite fit in a silly racer such as this.  Especially when he gets hit and waves his arms around like a spaz.  In the second set you got the AC Villager (boy and girl), Isabelle, and Dry Bowser.  You also got new karts as well, like a Zelda themed motorcycle and a couple of Animal Crossing cars.

You could also get new racing outfits for your Mii characters to wear by scanning Amiibos on the Wii U gamepad.  The first batch had Mario, Luigi, Peach, Yoshi, Donkey Kong, Link, Captain Falcon, Kirby, Samus, and Fox McCloud.  The next new batch has Toad, Bowser, Wario, Rosalina, Olimar, Animal Crossing, Mega Man, Pac-Man, and Sonic.  I have them all except for Wario, Pac-Man, and Olimar.  I hope I can get the Pac-Man Amiibo because the Mii outfit for him looks way cool.  I do like the Mega Man suit, though.  It just seems cool racing as Mega Man in a Mario Kart game!

So now let’s conclude this blog with some other fun Nintendo bonuses in other games.

Tekken Tag Tournament 2: Wii U Edition

There aren’t really a whole lot of good third party games on Wii U, which is a shame.  But when you do find one, sometimes they put special Nintendo related bonuses in them.  The version of Tekken Tag Tournament on Wii U is a good example.  I found this game for 20 bucks a while back, and I snagged it for that reason.  You can play a special Mushroom Mode where Mario items like mushrooms and starmen fall from the sky and affect your fighter accordingly.  Each character also has an alternate costume based on a famous Nintendo character, like Mario, Luigi, Peach, Toad, Fox, Samus, Link, Zelda, and more.  My favorite is Nina Williams dressed as Zelda, because it makes it look like Princess Zelda got all buff and ate her spinach!

Bayonetta 2

I got the first Bayonetta game real cheap on 360.  It’s a fun action game, but I stopped playing it after a while because it gets pretty violent and you have to fight angels and I like angels and don’t want to fight them.  I hear that in the sequel on Wii U, you can get Nintendo themed outfits for Bayonetta to wear.  I still won’t get the game just to play dress up, though, but I bet she looks spiffy in Peach’s dress!

Scribblenauts Unlimited

In the Wii U version of this game, you can type in Nintendo characters like Mario, Luigi, Peach, Bowser, Zelda, and Link, and they’ll appear in the game and react to each other accordingly.  You can also type in items like mushrooms and such and they’ll work as well. You can even type in a go-kart and Mario and Luigi will get in them and drive around!

Sonic Lost World

When I heard that this game was going to have some Nintendo themed DLC levels, I wanted to try them but I didn’t want to spend too much money on the game.  So I asked for it for Christmas last year and got it.  I thought I’d have to pay for the DLC levels, but it turns out that they’re free, so double bonus!  The first level is based on Yoshi’s Island.  Actually the music is from that game, but the graphics look more like Yoshi’s Story.  Anyway, you fight Shy Guys, collect eggs, and find hidden flowers just like Yoshi’s games.  If you get hit, you lose all your eggs, and I don’t know what happens if you find all five flowers either.

The other stage is based on Zelda, and Sonic even wears a little green Link hat for this one.  In the first part, you walk around a small open area and look for a cave.  Inside the cave it plays more like a Sonic Lost World underground level, but they play the dungeon theme from Link to the Past, so that’s cool.  When you find the Triforce, the level is over.  They’re both pretty cool level, but only about half as long as a regular Lost World stage.

Conclusions

And that’s all the ones I could think of right now!  In the comments section, let me know what your favorite Nintendo themed bonuses and DLC are!  Later!  --Cary