Wave 5 for the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass is coming on 12 July—probably
11 July for the western hemisphere—and we’re revving up the Analysis Machine once again to
cover it all! In addition to a brand-new bathroom course—Squeaky Clean Sprint—seven classic courses
return with noticeable differences from their last appearances that we spotted from the North
American teaser trailer, Japanese website clips, and official screenshots. Additional
clues were found by contributors of the Super Mario Wiki. So let’s DRIVE straight in.
Tour Athens Dash is the first course of the Feather Cup. Perhaps the biggest update here
is the new wire mesh Kanaami Road with ramps leading to the Theatre of Dionysus—now devoid
of Dash Panels and arrows—from the back side and towards the stage, rather than from the right.
This is coming from a route not yet used in Tour, likely to become part of Athens Dash 3. Just a
bit further back is new arch, which could house a lap marker, turning this course into a hybrid
lap/section system, like we saw in Singapore Speedway. Tracing the first variant route,
the ramp at the end of the slope beyond the Parthenon was made into a reshaped wooden type,
with rocks reformed at the edge, removing the safety cone. The broken column platforms that
follow were reduced and arranged. This modification also affected the alternate
path in the ruins below, featuring fallen pillars in different positions—possibly with 1 less—and
allowing for traffic to pass only on the right side. A bit further ahead, the cannon at the
Arch of Hadrian vanished, leaving a widened Glide Ramp to soar towards the Acropolis grotto. The
Goomba cutouts encountered in Athens Dash 2 were swapped out for Piranha Plant cutouts. Lastly,
flags and banners throughout the track wave gracefully in the breeze. It’s a nice touch!
GCN Daisy Cruiser returns once again with some graphical enhancements. At least one
potential gameplay update is seen also, namely the addition of Innertube Goombas in the pool.
The pool tiles here are cleared out now, though. Entering the dining room later on,
we see that the carpeting has more decoration, and the red arrow sign at the far end was removed
along with the sign in the corridor beyond. More importantly, Yoshis and Toads now sit at
the tables. Wow, are they in for a ride! Oh, there are general changes to spectators, too,
like those back at the starting line. The flowers near them seem to have been shuffled. Above,
the cloud formations also look different, and wind streaks no longer can be seen. But the wind does
cause the starting line banner to flap a bit, along with the streamers in the area. Pulling
back to view the entire ship, the cruiser no longer appears to leave a visible wake. Why...?
Wii Moonview Highway hasn’t seen a revision until the very recent Tour update. This time,
a new ramp was added on the raised ground to the left side of the highway before the lake.
Meanwhile, Dash Panels in the city and tunnel shifted places again. And all along this road,
Surfboard Pickups were added to allow for tricks. Some distinct colour changes are
present throughout, like how yellow LEDs appear green now. Unfortunately, the dot matrix signs
above the toll booths are not confirmed to be animated, but the heart is now yellow like the
moon rabbit icon from Wii! Building window lights are arranged differently again. Meanwhile, lights
atop the buildings don’t flash anymore, and those that matched them along the roadside barriers
were removed entirely. Bridge lights don’t flash anymore, either. However, the city searchlights
are more focused and seem to scan the sky. Now tinted blue and in a slightly different phase,
the moon has a distinct glowing ring around it. The lake was changed to reflect this light on
a mildly wavy surface, but it’s not clear like it was on the placid waters of the original. As
we can see nearby, the central pavement markings along the highway were simplified to be a single
broken line. We couldn’t find any new spectators along the otherwise empty roadside, but there are
different toll booth operators. Speaking of which, the toll booth gates produced an air horn sound
effect when passing through in Tour, but they have reverted to the signal heard in Wii.
Squeaky Clean Sprint finishes up the Feather Duster—err—Feather Cup. It’s a completely new
course, even though it’s likely to appear in Tour soon. While we can’t make comparisons yet,
new footage shows a couple of interesting details. We see more of the lower path,
particularly the tiles after the striped towel and a huge pencil. But what really blew us away
is that the giant ring in the drain passage more clearly displays the embossed head, revealing a
design that matches that of the Binding Band from Super Mario Odyssey! What a neat reference!
Tour Los Angeles Laps starts off the Cherry Cup. It was expected to be in Wave 4, but its release
allegedly was moved to this set of courses. A Mario Kart banner can be seen on the bridge,
which likely indicates the start of another section. This is supported by how the route
appears to guide racers along the wireframe structure like in the first variant, but it takes
a turn towards the underpass, like in Los Angeles Laps 3. The second variant also is represented,
with Boost Rings added to the gliding section of the Inglewood Oil Field, possibly removing the
nearby pumpjack. And at the shore, a half-pipe ramp was installed on the concrete bank amidst
the Venice Beach Skatepark ramps. Arrows are plastered here now, too. On the topic of arrows,
buoys with arrow signs were removed, but chevrons were installed on the highway railing leading
up to the bridge underpass. A steel panel was included on the Glide Ramp at Dodger Stadium,
but it’s just for looks. Having another look at the coast, sailboats are in different spots. The
Pacific Wheel at the Santa Monica Pier revolves now, and flags everywhere wave in the sea breeze.
It’s a pretty sight, but the scene is during the day rather than at sunset in the revision.
Heeey, where’s the ‘ba’ lead in the music? It’s been replaced by a sax!
GBA Sunset Wilds is back again with a mild face-lift. And we mean that quite literally,
since the Dash Panels in the mud are slightly raised and allow for tricks to be performed
off them. They’re also a bit stretched. One of the blue Exploring Shy Guys seems to have disappeared,
leaving 3 of any colour on the course. Shy Guys are inside the tents again, too, but many other
spectators were added all over. A wooden red arrow sign was installed just before the tents.
Meanwhile, green safety cones were placed by the mud pit in the northern section. Because of the
reflection of the orange sky, the mud looks much lighter now. Dinosaur tracks have this mud also,
as well as new depth. The pipes at the starting line may not be green anymore, but the banner was
updated with stitching, swaying from the gentle desert wind. This zephyr doesn’t seem to affect
the smoke that now rises from the camps on the mesas, though. Here along the horizon, we see
that the sun is much smaller and more realistic, and the modelled clouds were remade to match.
They spread across the sky, where a condor flies above. Time doesn’t appear to change, but this
likely is because there are three laps, and the triggers are at different points compared to Tour.
Despite the datamine for this course revealing the original GBA music,
it definitely has been updated, with potential to be the best version yet.
Wii Koopa Cape makes its fourth appearance, revising its aquatic fun. The underwater
section is in anti-gravity this time, with added Spin Boost Pillars. Cheep Cheeps in this area
may behave more like they did in Wii and 7, rather than forming a line through the pipe,
but only time will tell. The half-pipe at the end is a bit shorter than in Tour, with a trackside
banner filling the vacant spot. And the ramp in the rapids section also was altered a bit in both
dimensions and design. Decorating the seabed, at least one Unagi—or Maw-Ray—is back after
all being gone in Tour. Little fish like those from 3DS have returned again, too. And Toads now
spectate while swimming! Cute! The caution tape inside underwater shells was removed, for better
or worse. Interestingly enough, the water level appears a bit higher overall, as seen by the final
Dash Panel when exiting the clear pipes. On land, plant life seems to have been rearranged or added,
like with the flowers found on the grassy ledge by the Sunshine Parts sign. And the cloud formations
above are different again, obviously. The recent trailer reveals that the bluegrass-style banjo
variant of the music for the rapids section of the course is back after being absent from 7 and Tour.
Oh, a fiddle counterpoint! More on all this music after the DLC releases.
Tour Vancouver Velocity, a fan favourite, releases a bit earlier than we anticipated by concluding
the Cherry Cup! Naturally, multiple routes are utilised. The Vancouver Olympic Cauldron shows
that both the first and second variant routes cross at this spot. For the first variant route,
the Capilano Suspension Bridge now is in anti-gravity with, you guessed it,
Spin Boost Pillars. At the end, a new barrier can be seen at the landing point by the water.
Grass was added at the corner shortcut ahead, too. The circus cannon from 2R was removed,
leaving only a Glide Ramp and allowing access to the path in Stanley Park below. Trees on the
roundabout island of this path were pulled out to clear the way, but a ramp was added to trick over
the grass. At Rogers Arena—which is set up like in the third variant—2 stairway paths are available,
with the left currently unused in Tour. The right side has barriers still, but no arrow
types anymore. Differently coloured Skating Shy Guys appear to circle the centre of the rink in
a wider orbit, with items trailing them. One more skater joins in. And they all leap now! Below,
the Ice Bros. Arena logo was wiped out, but outside, an M Arena sign was added above the
entrance, with the roof now closed up. A red arrow sign added here, too. Ropes and
poles for the tarps on the Vancouver Convention Centre are brilliantly coloured in this version.
Also glowing prominently, Aurora Borealis is much more expanded across the night sky. Oh,
look! It’s snowing now! Wait, are the maple leaves no longer falling? We’ll soon see!
And that’s all of the various changes we saw for the courses in the preview of Wave 5
coming by this Wednesday, when we’ll cover each track individually. This set has many desired
tracks with potential to have great replay value, especially with the inclusion of Kamek, Wiggler,
and Petey Piranha as returning racers. But what do you think? How would you rank this set so far?
And which track are you most looking forward to playing? Let us know in the comments below. And
of course, stay tuned to GameXplain for more on Booster Course Wave 5 for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe,
and other things Nintendo, too. Thanks for watching! Until next time, ciao!