Mario Kart 8 and The Curious Case of the Mercedes-Benz

When Nintendo announced that they would be releasing DLC for Mario Kart 8, none of us expected that they would be bringing in the Mercedes-Benz to rock the Mushroom Kingdom.

With the release of the DLC today I have been playing around with the new karts; however, unsurprisingly, I didn't really care for them all that much. They're just re-skins of existing karts and I have absolutely no incentive to use them, especially when it clashes with the aesthetic that Mario Kart 8 has going for it. Even the more realistic looking cars in MK8 have a wacky spin on it to make it fit in with the universe. The Mercedes-Benz is just a shrunken, odd looking car and really has no right to be in the game.

It's ironic when the only intriguing aspect of the "Mercedes-Benz" DLC is the new additions they made to the game itself and has nothing to do with the actual karts. Like the statistics page (FINALLY), a map that isn't awkwardly restricted to the gamepad, and the game will finally remember things like your last kart combination and last selected menu option at the end of every race (meaning no accidental highlight reel).

The DLC also adds in a new "Shop" tab to the menu screen where you can now purchase the new DLC packs on the horizon. This is an interesting new road for Nintendo, one that fans have been clamoring for.

In the past few years, Nintendo has slowly but surely been stepping away from appealing to the more casual demographic of gamers. We have seen this with their new marketing stance, their Nintendo Directs, and now we are seeing it in the form of DLC.

Like or hate these little glorified add-on packs, you can't deny that this is a good thing for Nintendo and their fans. Sure they never really had any financial troubles, even with the struggling sales of the WiiU. However, Nintendo has been stuck in the past for a VERY long time and while we still love them and their games, it is super refreshing to finally see them somewhat beginning to realize the potential of DLC, online play, and the digital era.

 The two new DLC packs can be bought separately or together (buying them together saves you a few bucks) and they look very promising. Each DLC boasts some new characters, some of whom aren't even a part of Mario's universe (Link, Villager, Isabelle, etc.). We will also be receiving 8 new karts, the likes of which include The Blue Falcon from F-Zero. The most exciting notion is the new tracks we will be receiving: 8 per DLC, meaning we will be racing on 16 tracks old and new.

Battle Mode disappointment aside, this means that pretty much every single complaint ever lobbed towards Mario Kart 8 has now been fixed from a technical standpoint. One of my complaints is even on the road to be fixed by adding new and obscure characters to the roster (Dry Bowser).

Right now, Mario Kart 8 looks to be my single favorite game on the WiiU and with even more DLC hopefully coming down the line, I just have one thing to say:

Bravo Nintendo. Bravo.