Booster Course Wave 2 for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is here, and we’re checking out All Changes
and differences made for the returning courses.
First up in the Turnip Cup is New York Minute, which first featured in Mario Kart Tour.
This iconic locale takes us through the bright lights and bustling streets of the Big Apple
and is the key inspiration behind New Donk City in Super Mario Odyssey.
So how does this track differ from the mobile title?
Let’s find out!
The course is a composite of the routes of New York Minute, New York Minute 2, and New
York Minute 3 variants, changing between them to some degree each lap.
For better or worse, New York Minute 4 is left out of the mix.
The first lap largely follows the first variant of New York Minute, guiding drivers to right
of Times Tower.
This leads into Central Park with the back of The Met in view to the right.
Turning to the left, we see that two new Goombas walk along the path.
Such squishy pedestrians!
Once passing under the bridge and the grassy shortcut to the right, the road splits.
In Mario Kart Tour, only the path leading to the Rockefeller Center was open in the
first variant.
Opting for the other path, which was accessible in New York Minute 2, leads to a boost jump
that has been shortened in width compared to the original.
Regardless which way we choose, a Toad City Sightseeing Bus greets us with Double Item
Boxes on top, and only one offset manhole, instead of Tour’s two.
Taking another turn to the right, we see new taxis obstructing our path, but at least the
manholes present in the original are gone here.
One last turn and we’re at Lap 2.
This time, the path mimics New York Minute 2, opening the left side at Times Square and
closing the other.
Here, we go through Central Park in the opposite direction as the previous lap.
Taking a slightly different approach to the area, both routes near the Rockefeller Center
remain open, while only the path to the boost jump was available the second variant in Tour.
The rest of this lap is like before.
For the final lap, the route matches New York Minute 3 to the letter.
It’s entirely linear, guiding us straight into the Rockefeller Center, and then through
the Parking Garage and tunnel.
Unlike in Tour, there are no item boxes here, so it’s wise to make the best use of the
items by the entrance.
As with any of the returning courses, item boxes and coin placements tend to be changed
throughout.
Lastly, the final manhole found in the third variant has been removed for the update.
Like we mentioned in the trailer analysis, there are some nice cosmetic touches, too:
the red flowers added to potted plants, colour changes for flowers in planters, aviation
lights placed atop skyscrapers, new arrow signs, and Tour’s crescent moon being changed
to a full moon–a selenophile’s dream.
But one of the coolest visual adjustments is that the streets appear wet as if just
after rainfall.
What’s more is that because of this dampness, tyres driving through the dirt path turn muddy!
Now that’s attention to detail!
Last—but certainly not least—the revised music for New York Minute is great.
The original from Mario Kart Tour already was quite a finger-snapping tune...
...But the
Mario Kart Band nailed it with their live performance.
The humanised sound of the clarinet, the brass fifths and slides, and rich piano all bring
this piece alive like never before.
It honestly feels like a nod to New Donk City.
We really wish Pauline were here!
And that’s about it for All Changes we found in New York Minute!
The course seems to be a well-executed composite of the variants from Mario Kart Tour, even
if it doesn’t feature too many new elements.
But what do you think?
Have you found any notable changes that we missed?
Let us know in the comments below.
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Until next time, ciao!