StarTopic Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass |ST| Doubled Dash!! [WAVE 6 AVAILABLE NOW]

[Apopheniac]

Time to go on a rant about the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe time trial community...

is this the community or three whiners you found on Twitter? looking three the hashtag #MK8DXWR, there's plenty of people who are playing for new records and not whining

 

[Skipper93653]

is this the community or three whiners you found on Twitter? looking three the hashtag #MK8DXWR, there's plenty of people who are playing for new records and not whining

these people are a few examples, the whiners are commonly the people who had world records before the patch and their times are in jeopardy

 

[Apopheniac]

these people are a few examples, the whiners are commonly the people who had world records before the patch and their times are in jeopardy

so it's not the whole or even the majority of the community, then

 

[Skipper93653]

so it's not the whole or even the majority of the community, then

i should've specified how it's the top players in the community especially considering they are the loudest voices behind this overreaction. it being top players actually just shows how it's essentially pretty selfish too.

 

[Cheetah6442]

I'm sorry you feel that way

What I'm arguing is a good quality course, good sir.

 

[Joe]

Personally I don't see how making many more characters viable is anything but an absolute win.

 

[Jahranimo]

No matter what happens

I will always race with Luigi

 

[Magic-Man]

Tbh I wish "pro" gaming didn't exist. Games should be something you play for fun, not just to be the absolute best at it. I roll my eyes every time I hear one of those "pro" gamers complaining, whether that's Smash or Mario Kart or something else.

 

[EricTheGamerman]

Tbh I wish "pro" gaming didn't exist. Games should be something you play for fun, not just to be the absolute best at it. I roll my eyes every time I hear one of those "pro" gamers complaining, whether that's Smash or Mario Kart or something else.

I'm fine with pro gaming, but I think I prefer Nintendo's approach to most games where they don't balance for the pros 99% of the time. The upper level of a game means anything and everything makes a difference change wise, and trying to constantly keep that audience happy is a fool's errand most of the time. Games like Overwatch frequently don't really know how to handle the casual/pro differential and make changes that seriously impact one group or the other based on the complaining of one group. And I don't think the game is better for it at that point.

Balance to the casual audience and let them enjoy the game unless you're specifically really honing in on the hardcore audience and you know where your community stands. Balancing for more hardcore makes more sense with a more niche product like say Guilty Gear where people involved are primarily putting tons of time into the game...

But Mario Kart? Nahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

 

[Skipper93653]

No matter what happens

I will always race with Luigi

Luigi is actually one of the meta characters now if you use him with the Inkstriker, Rollers, and Paper Glider.

 

[Djehuty]

I'm fine with pro gaming, but I think I prefer Nintendo's approach to most games where they don't balance for the pros 99% of the time. The upper level of a game means anything and everything makes a difference change wise, and trying to constantly keep that audience happy is a fool's errand most of the time. Games like Overwatch frequently don't really know how to handle the casual/pro differential and make changes that seriously impact one group or the other based on the complaining of one group. And I don't think the game is better for it at that point.

Balance to the casual audience and let them enjoy the game unless you're specifically really honing in on the hardcore audience and you know where your community stands. Balancing for more hardcore makes more sense with a more niche product like say Guilty Gear where people involved are primarily putting tons of time into the game...

But Mario Kart? Nahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Tbh tho this also helps the pros by giving them better tools, it’s an entire win for the time trial community. It means more records to break.

 

[Leo]

What's the build for Wario

Wario has to be good, if he's not, Nintendo failed and has to balance again

 

[touchfuzzy]

I'm not in love with most of the city courses but Amsterdam Drift is a winner.

 

[Leo]

And the whining about world records is silly. Just because you hold the record you aren't entitled to keep it forever, the whole point of a world record is that people will try to beat it lol You could say "but the tools have changed, it's not fair", tools change for world records all the time, if someone wants to be a body builder nowdays they have access to an array of assets that people in the 60s didn't. In this particular case feeling entitled to hold the record is especially silly because that would be in detriment of million of players who can get a better experience from the game with the changes.

Dedicating yourself to holding a world record in something is your choice, what you gain from it is frequently very limited, no one owes you anything because of it, and you can lose it at any moment. If you feel like you wasted all that time that's on you who made that choice in the first place.

 

[jamesRainbowBoy]

Not interested in the "pro" scene losing their rag over changes made. Personally I feel that freshens things up a lot.

Anybody else got the impression that CPU players haven't been buffed accordingly, however? I seemed to get a fair bit ahead of everybody else on 50CC earlier, on each new track LOL

 

[Jahranimo]

Luigi is actually one of the meta characters now if you use him with the Inkstriker, Rollers, and Paper Glider.

Oh wow that's super ironic. I was mixing and matching last night with some different vehicle combos and did realize the Inkstriker pairs with him very well. Feels bad to say that I may be retiring the Pipe Frame for a while.

It pairs well with inkling (boy) as well.

 

[Tye]

No way they're leaving out Funky though, dude's like a cult icon for Mario Kart and will probably create a lot of buzz and attention

I disagree, I think there’s a very good chance we won’t get Funky. We’re certainly getting Diddy at the very least, and I think Pauline is very likely as well, and I doubt they’re going to make half of the DLC be DK characters. Diddy has seniority (and is probably the most wanted returning character for MK8D overall), Pauline is more relevant, and honestly I’d even expect Dixie to be prioritized before Funky this time around.

 

[Apopheniac]

What's the build for Wario

Wario has to be good, if he's not, Nintendo failed and has to balance again

Wario's stats are fine, he's just a huge fatass, so he drives the weenie babymobiles to offset that

Any build made for Rosa or DK weight classes works for Wario, you're just trading MT for top speed, which may or may not be a good trade depending on the course

 

[Leo]

Due to the discussions around the possible new characters, I've only now realized that Lakitu and Koopa Troops are already in the game and have always been. I don't think I've ever seen anyone using those characters, not even the CPU lol

I'm shocked

 

[Pokemaniac]

Even by BCP standards, that Amsterdam course looks pretty rough. The tulips in particular aren't helping.

At least it's balanced by the Yoshi's Island course, which manages to hide its limitations fairly well.

 

[Barely Able]

Walugi stadium half pipes are the most satisfying thing in the entire game and save the entire mechanic, more of this in Mario kart 10 please.

I am very glad these were brought back in the DLC. Such a fun mechanic from Wii

 

[Barely Able]

Due to the discussions around the possible new characters, I've only now realized that Lakitu and Koopa Troops are already in the game and have always been. I don't think I've ever seen anyone using those characters, not even the CPU lol

I'm shocked

Koopa Troopa has been my main since Super (except when he was unceremoniously scrapped in the N64 and early portable versions). A legendary character.

 

[Gingerbread Man]

Koopa Troopa has been my main since Super (except when he was unceremoniously scrapped in the N64 and early portable versions). A legendary character.

Blame Wario. He stole his kart.

 

[Barely Able]

Finally had a chance to play through these. The SEA tour courses are next level. So good. I was down on a lot of the city courses, but these are top notch.

Maybe I’m missing something, but how do you get to go through the ending ring in Yoshi’s Island? Admittedly haven’t played it a lot and only on time trial. Course is beautiful and has a great variety of themes that fit the game.

Waluigi stadium is good as always. Other courses are nothing to write home about.

 

[Tye]

Anyone know what the “best” build(s) for medium Mii(/Mario/Ludwig) are now? And/or Tanooki Mario/Inkling Boy/male Villager? And are any of them able to be “meta” now? I’ve not payed much attention to meta builds but I’m curious now with the stat changes, lol.

 

[Skipper93653]

Maybe I’m missing something, but how do you get to go through the ending ring in Yoshi’s Island? Admittedly haven’t played it a lot and only on time trial. Course is beautiful and has a great variety of themes that fit the game.

In the last glider section, you have to hit the Winged Cloud which will then create a red platform which allows you to take the next turn tighter and it ends at the goal ring which you can jump through at the end of the red platform.

 

[Skipper93653]

Anyone know what the “best” build(s) for medium Mii(/Mario/Ludwig) are now? And/or Tanooki Mario/Inkling Boy/male Villager? And are any of them able to be “meta” now? I’ve not payed much attention to meta builds but I’m curious now with the stat changes, lol.

Mario/Ludwig/Medium Mii with the Inkstriker, Roller wheels, Paper Glider is essentially a meta combo after this new patch (although it is better with Luigi/Iggy).

 

[Barely Able]

In the last glider section, you have to hit the Winged Cloud which will then create a red platform which allows you to take the next turn tighter and it ends at the goal ring which you can jump through at the end of the red platform.

Now that makes sense. Cool mechanic unique to that game.

 

[Apopheniac]

Anyone know what the “best” build(s) for medium Mii(/Mario/Ludwig) are now? And/or Tanooki Mario/Inkling Boy/male Villager? And are any of them able to be “meta” now? I’ve not payed much attention to meta builds but I’m curious now with the stat changes, lol.

the latter group can make an okay imitation of the Rosa meta build by swapping Rollers for Standard tires, their issue is that their speed+MT stats are lower than those of other characters, so their builds are done better by either princesses/dinos or by plumbers

 

[Leo]

Anyone know what the “best” build(s) for medium Mii(/Mario/Ludwig) are now? And/or Tanooki Mario/Inkling Boy/male Villager? And are any of them able to be “meta” now? I’ve not payed much attention to meta builds but I’m curious now with the stat changes, lol.

Mario with default everything is now equiparable to Waluwiggler, apparently lmao

 

[Molluck1]

In French, the colours of Yoshi and Maskass are written directly after the name, but Birdo is in parentheses.
For example :
"Yoshi Rouge" but "Birdo (rouge)"

Is it the same in English ?
Like :
"Red Yoshi" but "Birdo (red)"

 

[EricTheGamerman]

Well, after playing the new Wave, I've got to admit I was a little harsher on it than I should have been.

Fruit Cup:

• Amsterdam Drift - Half of this track really works for me, while the other half is just kind of fine. I've been to Amsterdam and it gets some things right, but also feels a little under-cooked like a lot of the other city tracks... Especially the much maligned flower section at the end that theoretically is great, but looks much, much worse in its current form. A decent track, especially since I love the canals, but just kind of fine - 5/10
• Riverside Park - Probably my biggest surprise of this cup. I've thought the GBA tracks were fine since Sky Garden being the most boring track, but this one really goes above and beyond my expectations. The walking Piranha Plants are totally unique and give this track a weird vibe with truly fantastic music. The track is also a little more complicated and fun to drift on than I realized from the videos. This is my favorite GBA track in the BCP for sure - 8.5/10
• DK Summit - I was super excited to see this return as I love the original and its so fun to trick off the course, plus DK stuff is always great... but I don't think it made the transition particularly well. The actual usage of the tricking mechanic here doesn't really seem to work as well as I'd like and I also think the coins are placed strangely along the course. It feels way shorter than it used to as well and god forbid if you fall off the course before the snowboarding section because Lakitu will take FOREVER. It feels like an unfinished conversion of a track I used to love. It's still fun to race on, but it's just too bright and too weirdly implemented for me to love like I should - 6.5/10
• Yoshi's Island - Adorable recreation of a bunch of stuff out of Yoshi's Island. I love all the background elements and cameos from the series, especially Poochy there at the beginning being the best boy. The music is incredible, the references are great, the coins being from Yoshi's Island as a series really sells the crossover moment again, and the final question mark to unlock a new path is just great. I love the ending music too. Only real complaint is that the course is a LITTLE simple, but I can accept that with what's on display here - 9.5/10

Overall 7.5/10 - Good, but heavily carried by Yoshi's Island

Boomerang Cup

• Bangkok Rush - It's no secret I don't care for a lot of the city courses, but this one felt like a HUGE step up compared to all the others. Being able to drive in and out of the metro systems around the city. There's a lot of variety to the actual scenery and some very fun turns to play around with. Running through the water over the rowboats at the beginning is one of the best little gimmicks in one of these city courses too. Running through the markets, the parking garage, and then over the market tops bouncing. It's all just great fun and it's a lot more skill dependent than a lot of the more "scenic" city courses. One of my favorites for sure from the new Tour courses - 9/10
• Mario Circuit DS - I'm still super bummed we got this over Airship, Delfino, or Luigi's Mansion and that does influence me a lot... but the course is pretty fun to race on. There's enough turns to make the most of the course with fun drifting, avoiding the Fire Piranha Plants is great fun, and the pipe into the forest is pretty great with some nice elevation changes in the following turns. It's not my favorite, but I can't complain too much - 7/10
• Waluigi Stadium - Again, not my favorite DD track, but I do like this one and I think they've put a lot of effort into it to make it look like one of the better tracks in the game. The textures definitely seem to compete with the original and the tricks work pretty well here to emulate some of the classic feel without breaking anything. I love the mechanical piranha plants now and love the new anti-grav sections you have to trick on to. It's just an extremely solid course that maybe got a little TOO big in the transition to 8, but I still really enjoy it - 8.5/10
• Singapore Speedway - This, THIS IS A TOUR CITY COURSE??? By far the biggest surprise of the pack for me. This is so much fun with so many different mechanics at play and the fact that while it contains beautiful scenery, it also feels like something that has been fully converted to Mario Kart especially with the opening up on to the pool to pass the life preserver Goombas (nice little pull from Super Mario 3D World) to crossing the neon bridges with the speed boost option on each side is so much fun and great for a nice, more skill based track. Constantly gliding on and off is just really great in general too. I really loved this one and it's probably my favorite city course now, though Bangkok is close - 9.5/10

Overall 8.5/10 - Extremely solid cup that is one of my favorites now from the BCP.

Overall ranking 8/10, but boosted to a 9/10 by finally bringing Birdo back and the promise of 5 more characters. Really happy with how Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has evolved with this Booster Course Pass. It's neat and adds a lot of content and replay-ability. I'm also amazed that Bangkok and Singapore are such great courses and really feel like the completed idea of the city courses as a whole. Fun tracks that integrate Mario elements very well and with a fair amount of skill required while enjoying the scenery. Like these outclass every other city track except MAYYYYBE Berlin Byways, and even that one I'd still easily rank below these two.

If every city course was as good as those two, I'd be a LOT more up on the Booster Course Pass and a lot less disappointed when I see the City tracks taking so much room out of the pass. They are really solid shockers here.

 

[DenkeyKong]

In French, the colours of Yoshi and Maskass are written directly after the name, but Birdo is in parentheses.
For example :
"Yoshi Rouge" but "Birdo (rouge)"

Is it the same in English ?
Like :
"Red Yoshi" but "Birdo (red)"

Yeah in English it's the same, kinda weird.

Also, is mask ass really shy guys French name? Haha

 

[Tye]

Mario/Ludwig/Medium Mii with the Inkstriker, Roller wheels, Paper Glider is essentially a meta combo after this new patch (although it is better with Luigi/Iggy).

the latter group can make an okay imitation of the Rosa meta build by swapping Rollers for Standard tires, their issue is that their speed+MT stats are lower than those of other characters, so their builds are done better by either princesses/dinos or by plumbers

Mario with default everything is now equiparable to Waluwiggler, apparently lmao

Hmm, okay, thanks; I’ll probably just stick with my Mii + Standard Kart + Standard Tires + Super Glider, lol. I’ve always liked that (or Inkling Boy + Inkstriker + Blue Standard Tires + Super Glider, alternatively) because it’s got even stats for everything (at least of the visible stats).

But now that most characters got an increase in their speed stat, that distribution isn’t even anymore… Does anyone know if there’s a new character + vehicle part combo that is all evenly distributed after this update?

 

[Tye]

In French, the colours of Yoshi and Maskass are written directly after the name, but Birdo is in parentheses.
For example :
"Yoshi Rouge" but "Birdo (rouge)"

Is it the same in English ?
Like :
"Red Yoshi" but "Birdo (red)"

Yeah in English it's the same, kinda weird.

I’ve seen people saying that the change is because that’s how all variants like that are named now in Tour, but I can also see it making sense because the Birdo colors probably aren’t supposed to actually be separate characters like the Yoshi and Shy Guy colors are, but rather just the same Birdo in different colors. I know multiple Birdos have appeared before in some spin-offs, seemingly as a species, but I don’t think that has really happened again since Nintendo started tightening their control on the Mario IP and being more consistent in their portrayal of characters and such around the late Wii era, so that’s probably not supposed to be a canon thing now. I’m pretty sure the implication was that it was all the same Birdo in Super Mario Bros. 2/USA, anyway (not that it particularly matters, I guess, since that game was all a dream, lol).

 

[Molluck1]

Yeah in English it's the same, kinda weird.

Also, is mask ass really shy guys French name? Haha

Oh yeah, I forgot to change this one haha
I also discuss on a French forum and sometimes I forget to translate some names from one language to another.
For a while, I called Airship Fortress wrong on French forums. I called it "Forteresse Volante" (Flying Fortress) while the French name is "Bateau Volant" (Flying Ship), and I know it, but I just forgot to do my mental gymnastics to change the name and I took the "Fortress" from the English name haha

 

[Skipper93653]

Idk if it's just me but it definitely feels like there is a lot more variety in character picks online now.

 

[Jave]

I swear I'm seeing like a dozen Bullet Bills on every online race. Did they change the item drop rates?

 

[touchfuzzy]

Why are people so concerned about builds? If you're playing regular multiplayer or online your build will literally not matter at all. Winning at Mario Kart online is 1% build, 14% driving skill, 85% item luck.

Unless you're trying to nail time trial WR's just pick a character you like and a cool looking kart and go have fun.

 

[MondoMega]

Even by BCP standards, that Amsterdam course looks pretty rough. The tulips in particular aren't helping.

It’s true on an objective level; it has the highest ratio of baked vertex colours from Tour vs new textures (on the opposite end is Waluigi Stadium; some of Tour’s vertex colors are left behind in the files and it would not be as much of a looker if they retained them).

 

[manfromthedam]

Time to go on a rant about the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe time trial community...

It's silly. These people know the game isn't being developed exclusively for them right?

Even by BCP standards, that Amsterdam course looks pretty rough. The tulips in particular aren't helping.

I like that flower part most because the feeling that you're suddenly transported to the countryside is cool. Personally I think the underwater section in particular looks like a Quake map. Being a Rotterdammer myself, convincing me to like something related to Amsterdam is already a challenge, but this one falls extra flat. It may be the worst looking and sounding BCP track.

 

[VolcanicDynamo]

I'll be a slight contrarian and say that, although the balance changes were ultimately a good thing, if you had a hard-earned world record - or to fit some of these top player more, several world records - seeing your hard work maintaining your records go up in smoke because of a balance change nobody saw coming...yeah, I can see why someone being demoralized by that.

I think a good possible solution would be having a "leaderboard" of pre-version 2.3.0 times, then have the new records count for a new leaderboard. There's specific version speedruns for other games, the records should be around, it seems doable.

 

[Leo]

I swear I'm seeing like a dozen Bullet Bills on every online race. Did they change the item drop rates?

I surely seem to be getting more of them myself, in a play session of around 1h I got two plus a lucky 8. I usually never get those shit, the best thing the game usually throws at me when I'm last place is a triple mushroom.

 

[MondoMega]

Irrelevant to 8DX since we're done with N64 tracks, but we can at least pick out a definitive winner for the N64 ID gap in Tour now, with one little slip-up they made in the Mario Tour's files.

The naming inconsistency is weird but that is definitely Mario Raceway. All three N64 circuits being in is funny, but still somehow preferable to Moo Moo Farm.

 

[Decoyman]

I'll be a slight contrarian and say that, although the balance changes were ultimately a good thing, if you had a hard-earned world record - or to fit some of these top player more, several world records - seeing your hard work maintaining your records go up in smoke because of a balance change nobody saw coming...yeah, I can see why someone being demoralized by that.

The thing that I feel causes no shortage of tunnel vision among some of these players (and yes I understand that this is ultimately beyond the very smallest of small minorities so hopefully we don't have to linger on this subject for more than is necessary) is that these world records aren't exactly a walk in the park to do in the first place among players. I like doing Time Trials myself because I think speedrunning Mario Kart is a very underrated fun pass-time to do even as a casual player, but I'm still a good eight-ten seconds or so behind WRs on my best tracks because I just don't have the level of dexterity and skill to measure up with the things you have to do to optimize times. It took me about three hours of attempts today to shave 1 second off of my current time in Royal Raceway today.

It's like no one stopped and told themselves "yeah all these cars are now faster now but being the best in time trials isn't just about being fast". It's hard to even say this makes world records more accessible to do in practice based on that alone, at best I can't imagine it'd do more than encourage people to contend for good times with their preferred characters. But now there's new possibilities for records to break; something that's hard to perceive as a negative if you had intentions of continuing to play the game. As long as the best players continue to play, I doubt they'd not continue to see success, and if new contenders join the fray, then I'd say that's a win/win all around. As a fighting game fan, my favorite part of seeing new characters and updates is seeing what new hidden talents blossom in the wake.

I guess some would worry more about the optics of playing as characters who were a joke in the MK8 hardcore community before this, which is kind of ironic in a game where Waluigi used to be the meta.

Anyway give me Diddy Kong and I'll be a happy camper.

 

[Miles.]

After a half-dozen playthroughs:

Amsterdam Drift: 9/10 - I really like this one! It reminds me of Sydney and Berlin, in that it's bright and sunny with fairly complicated, varied routes. I definitely got lost the first time I played. Love how the underwater section and the flower section break things up.

Riverside Park: 9/10 - Visually stunning. Best looking course so far (with Waluigi Stadium). Simple, but very fun. Not quite as epic as Boo Lake, but very solid, just like Snow Land. Oh, and the MUSIC! Exceptional.

DK Summit: 9/10 - A classic. Happy it's here and happy they kept the shortcuts. The half-pipes operate quite differently from how I remember them on the Wii, so this is taking me a bit of time to get used to.

Yoshi's Island: 13/10 - WOW. This is the course I was most hyped for this wave, and they still blew my expectations out of the water. Yoshi's Island was one of my favorite games as a kid, so the nostalgia bombs here are awesome. The starting gate sound, the victory song, the coins, and the flying question mark are just above and beyond. And it looks incredible too. I can't stop smiling when I'm playing this one. More Tour tracks like this and Ninja Hideaway please! And less like Sky High Snoozeday.

Bangkok Rush: 8/10 - The weakest of the Tour tracks this wave for me. Still pretty good though! The main thing for me is the music, it's lowkey kinda annoying. That same riff over and over again. I think this is only the second track in MK8D where I actively dislike the music (shoutout Twisted Mansion).

Mario Circuit: 0/10 - For stealing Airship Fortress' spot. Honestly, it's still a pretty good course. Definitely one of the best Mario Circuits, probably second after 7's. The new forest section is fun, though I wish the Wiggler woke up earlier, as it's barely noticeable. Love the fire piranhas.

Waluigi Stadium: 9/10 - Glow-up of the century!? This was not one of my favorite courses on DD or Wii (my two favorite Mario Kart games) so I was slightly annoyed to hear it was coming back. However, the massive upgrade definitely warrants its inclusion. Another visual stunner, and the new ramps over the top of the mud are crazy. Again, still getting used to the way half-pipes function here, but already loving this one.

Singapore Speedway: 10/10 - Best city track in the game so far. Great music. Love how vertical it is. Love the Toad's Factory conveyor section and the big gliding sections. Hope the new cities coming later this year are on this level.

Bonus: Birdo 10/10 - So happy she's back! Was really hoping for characters and now to be getting six of them is such an awesome surprise! And at no extra charge? Nintendo, you're too kind.

All in all, another great wave! Just like with Wave 3, there isn't a dud among the lot, and the visual upgrades are wonderful. Honestly, with the addition of characters and the drastic graphic glow-ups, it really does feel like Nintendo is actually listening.

The retro track selections this wave didn't include any of my most-wanted tracks, so Wave 3 is still my favorite so far, but that's okay. As long as we get Koopa Cape this summer I'll be happy.

And now that we have characters confirmed, I'm going to cross my fingers for battle tracks. Give us Pipe Plaza and Tilt-A-Kart Nintendo, please! And maybe Funky can come with Funky Stadium!

 

[Skipper93653]

I was thinking about it and I think my biggest disappointment in Wave 4 was Bangkok Rush, but I actually don't think it is a bad track at all - I think it's quite fun, actually! It's just that I think they removed too much from Tour which made it less special such as the parked Tuk-Tuks and the Inky Piranha Plants.

 

[Skipper93653]

Thank god for the balance changes. Online variety is back in action.

 

[Magic-Man]

DEATH TO WALUIGI WIGGLER

 

[MondoMega]

Think i've played enough of the wave to form some quick thoughts about each track. Too much presure to give a numerical rating so it'll be all text for me:

Amsterdam Drift - Definitely the weakest of the three city courses (and weakest visually period) this wave for me, but still ahead of some of the earlier cities (Tokyo, Paris and New York for certain; probably London). My perspective on the city tracks comes from how they are adapted from Tour to 8DX, and they've probably done the best they could've given how incompatible the three routes are overall. Lap 2 adapts 2R, but also blocks off the one diverging path this path had (near the beginning). I imagine this choice comes down to 200cc being too fast for this turn to reasonably be taken, and the air stream up to the boat being more interesting anyway; so I square this away in the Peach Gardens category as an unnecessary path being taken out of the equation. Lap 3 is more unique, starting as 3R and then taking a previously unused road over to 3N before some unusual final turns. It feels a little disjointed but I understand wanting to get the regular route flower field in there.

Riverside Park - Turned out about as well as I expected from how it plays in Tour. Fun for as long as it lasts, but it doesn't last long. Really wish the opening portion of the track wasn't so abridged compared to the original; combined with the Ptooie gimmick it'd really make it stand out more.

DK Summit - Halfpipes are super janky in 8DX, but that might just make this one even more fun to play. Definitely up there on my list of personal favourites; and I am shocked the gap cuts are still entirely allowed, no invisible walls stopping you.

Yoshi's Island - Incredibly charming love letter to one of the best Super Mario games out there. A visual and audio treat for any fan of the SNES game, and a pretty decent race track overall. Don't have a lot to say since most agree and it kinda speaks for itself.

Bangkok Rush - Still prefer it over Amsterdam since the base track(s) is superior, but a bit let down by all the objects cut between the Tour rendition and here. Makes certain segments of the tracks feel a little too empty. No more Inky Piranha Plants for Lap 1 and 3, and no more tuk-tuks in Lap 2. I can maybe understand the latter if they felt they might be too difficult to avoid in 200cc, but the former just comes off as just not wanting to implement them considering the deluge of new Piranha Plant objects added this wave (the Ptooies on Riverside, the upside-down Piranha Plant on Yoshi's Island, the Fire Piranha Plants on Mario Circuit and the Mecha Piranha Plants on Waluigi Stadium). Doesn't help that the Royal Raceway Piranha Plants they've subbed in are worthless as obstacles; could've at least used the regular Piranha Plants that try to bite at you. Maybe this is something they correct later ala the Coconut Mall cars (also disabled in Time Trials to retain compatibility); I can only hope so.

Mario Circuit - The loss of Airship Fortress stings, but on its own merits this is at least one of the better circuit tracks in the series; alongside the other Star Cup-tier circuit tracks (Royal Raceway, Daisy Circuit and Neo Bowser City). Not too complex but has enough variety (including new visual variety with the forest segment) to remain interesting.

Waluigi Stadium - An incredible upgrade over the existing versions as far as i'm concerned. The extra routes only accessible via halfpipe jump is the best use of halfpipes across Wii, Tour and 8DX for sure. In this state the track pretty much feels like an honorary Wii track instead of the Double Dash track it actually is, but i'm totally okay with that.

Singapore Speedway - The best city of the wave, at least the second best city in 8DX period currently (we've still got LA Laps and Vancouver on the way though...); I am fully pleased with how this one turned out, even if it wasn't totally as I expected. I DID predict that we would go through Chinatown twice (to hear the regular and final lap renditions), and that one of the laps would be SS2+3 combined, but it didn't happen in the ways I anticipated and that was a positive surprise. The few things cut or altered from Tour don't bother me as much here as they did on Bangkok; the trick ramps on the conveyors were mainly there to keep up a combo anyway, and Sidesteppers weren't a course exclusive enemy and were replaced by something just as effective (the Goomba Towers). Again, very pleased with how this turned out.

Overall, I think this might be my favourite wave to date? Very close to Wave 3 at least, which has a good selection of tracks as well.