Wave 3 for the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass is coming on 7 December,
and we’re revving up the Analysis Machine once again to cover it all! This time, a full eight
classic courses return with noticeable differences from their last appearances that we spotted from
the North American teaser trailer and Japanese website clips. So let’s DRIVE straight in.
Going in order of the tracks as they appear in the new cups, we start with Tour London Loop. With the
opening shot showing the Clock Tower, the first lap seems to follow London Loop proper. As Toad
drives past the London Eye, the path follows the route of London Loop 2. Meanwhile, Toadette goes
around the Buckingham Palace lawn, also like in London Loop 2. However, when Toad jumps the
Tower Bridge, it’s like London Loop or London Loop 3R. A split path is seen after the starting line
around Trafalgar Square, once again like London Loop or London Loop 3R. Following this trend,
there’s another split path around The Shard with the London Eye seen on the left like in London
Loop and towards the St. Paul’s Cathedral like in London Loop 3R. Neither spot gave
options in Tour. Finally, we see Waluigi drive through Leadenhall Market via the basic London
Loop path. It’s nice to have confirmation that different variants will have representation.
Moving on to GBA Boo Lake, it’s clear that the course received a spit-polish after its
huge upgrade from Tour. Not a lot has changed in terms of gameplay, but the sloped portions
and the entire underwater section appear to be in anti-gravity mode. Maybe this is in part because
the whole pier is wet now! We also noticed that the fading 2D Boos are 3D models floating about
now, and the ramp style is more suitable for the course when compared to Tour. Spooky!
Now, let’s take a climb on 3DS Rock Rock Mountain, also known as 3DS Alpine Pass! Naturally,
this update is based on the Tour version. Nothing major has changed here, except maybe
the anti-gravity up the mountain with the falling rocks, with a couple of new Boost Pillars! Also,
headlights turn on in the mine, as you might have expected. It’s good to see this course return!
Wrapping up the Rock Cup courses is Wii Maple Treeway, once again based mostly on the Tour
iteration. Like the other versions after Wii, no bouncy net exists near the end,
instead opting for the Glide Ramp introduced in 7. But hey, here’s confirmation that the half-pipe is
included! What’s really neat is that there are more leaf piles than ever after being reduced so
much in 7 and Tour. 10 in total are spread out in the Wiggler area—almost double that
of those in Wii. And at least 5 leaf piles lie around the tree roots leading up to the finish
line—two more than the original. We’re a little uncertain about the contents of the leaf piles,
though! Tour had a hole in the canopy of leaves for drivers to pass though after the gliding
section, but here, drivers just phase through the leaves, which looks kinda weird. Huh.
On to the first Moon Cup course, Tour Berlin Byways! In the opening shot,
drivers go under the Brandenburg Gate like in Berlin Byways prime, except without the Thwomps.
Also like in that variant, the Berlin Wall is on the right side with the Whomps still present.
You can trick REALLY high with fallen Thwomps. Wild! With the Television Tower seen in the back,
drivers head to the Brandenburg Gate à la Berlin Byways R and Berlin Byways 2. Another scene shows
passing through the train station, as we have in Berlin Byways 2. This shot has drivers racing
away from the Victory Column in Tiergarten, much like Berlin Byways, but an alternate path seems
to merge in from the Paul-Löbe-Haus from the Berlin Byways 3 route. Finally, everyone flies
through the Brandenburg Gate towards the Victory Column, matching Berlin Byways 2. Super!
It’s time for a little self-reflection in DS Peach Gardens. Most of the changes we noticed for this
course can be found in the Nintendo Direct teaser analysis, provided in the description below. The
preview uses a lot of the same footage from the Direct, except the scene where Bowser—ahem—peels
out, and these exclusives of the maze and Peach’s passing the Mario topiary from the North American
montage. Most notable here are the barriers blocking off the right turn around the topiary.
Maybe they serve as trick ramps? The local Chomp seems to be able to cross, at least. Wait;
the barriers aren’t even present in this shot. What could this mean? What is my life...?
Merry, Merry Mountain may be the most appropriate course for the timing of
Wave 3. The most recent Japanese footage is the same as in the teaser during the Nintendo Direct,
which we covered in our analysis with the return of the half-pipes. However,
the English preview of all 8 courses reveals new content for the track. Almost everything matches
up with the core variant, except the end with the Glide Ramp placed similarly to that from
the T variant, possibly appearing in a later lap. Not mentioned in our previous assessment,
there also seems to be frost covering the pavement
just beyond the starting line that could impact gameplay. We’ll see very soon!
Finally, we have 3DS Rainbow Road. While the course is based on the Tour version,
there are various little visual adjustments, like the more prominent backdrop elements,
the glowing iridescent road, and the modified barriers and Star Rings, and tweaks to other
minor elements. The Star Ring after the spiralling tunnel removed in Tour seems to be back like in
the original. What’s more is that the Moon section now triggers anti-gravity mode! With that said,
we can’t wait to hear the complete music variations for this track...and all the others!
And that’s all of the key changes we saw for the courses in the preview of Wave 3 coming
in just two short weeks, when we’ll cover each track individually. They seem pretty
solid and show a lot of promise for future waves. But what do you think? Do you like
the updates for the new courses? Let us know in the comments below. Please be sure to subscribe
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more content that may interest you. And of course, stay tuned to GameXplain for more on
Booster Course Wave 3 for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and other things gaming, too. Until next time, ciao!