Review by Gianluca “Dottor Killex” Arena
After the excellent package released last year, almost twelve months after the European launch of Mario Kart 8, Nintendo tries to revitalize its life cycle, offering the second, and last, downloadable content that adds new tracks (and with them new championships) , new vehicles and new characters, for a total download that touches the jig in terms of size.
Will it be worth spending the eight euros requested (which drops to six if you buy the Season Pass) and get back on the saddle of our favorite kart?
Find out with us.
A lot of stuff
As if last November's robust content injection wasn't enough, this Pack 2, arguably the last dedicated to Mario Kart 8, adds two new trophies, for a total of eight tracks, four of which are totally new, and lots of extra fun. .
The Campanella Trophy consists of two old acquaintances, Strada del Fuoco, coming from Mario Kart Super Circuit, from which Terra del Formaggio is also taken (present in the other trophy), and an accelerated version of Koopa City, a circuit appreciated only a couple years ago with the seventh episode on 3DS, coupled with two new tracks, Mariopolitan and Big Blue.
If the common denominator of the new tracks is the renewed level of difficulty, these two routes will put even the most savvy driver to the test, with continuous obstacles on the track (the first) and a series of technical and rapid curves (the second), with the inevitable tear of those who await a new episode of the F-Zero series.
The Crossing Trophy instead proposes the aforementioned Land of Cheese and Baby Park, directly from the GameCube as reinterpretations, apologizing, in a certain sense, for the lack of a real Battle mode as in the old days, given that the path taken from Mario Kart Double Dash will become soon a fight to the last shell.
The two unreleased tracks included in this cup are the Boscodromo and the symbolic circuit of the downloadable content, or Animal Crossing: both, without reaching the heights of difficulty of the unpublished tracks of the Campanella Trophy, offer wonderful locations (with Animal Crossing which varies depending on the season) and some shortcuts that might escape the less attentive eyes.
The offer is more than satisfactory, both in terms of quantity and quality, and this also applies to the reinterpretations of the classic circuits, to which high definition and a few ramps here and there have given new life.
Pilots as if it were raining
Those who loved Animal Crossing New Leaf on 3DS will be thrilled to know that you will be able to compete as both the Fuffi and the Dweller, both male and female, to which must be added Skelobowser, characters I had initially overlooked. (I thought it was as slow as its counterpart) and that instead, after a thorough test and a small period of learning, it turned out to be a splinter, especially in circuits where wide corners abound.
The roster of selectable vehicles is enriched instead of the Skelomoto, ugly to look at but, like its owner, terribly effective, of the Bolide Ala-P, more beautiful in its being a tribute to the never forgotten Mario Bros. 3 which is really useful, than the Scooter coming from Animal Crossing (a vespino in all respects) and the Scarabuggy, which, despite its appearance, will be able to give you surprises.
Skelobowser aside, while the selection of tracks leaves no room for criticism, I found that the selectable vehicles and characters were slightly more inspired on the occasion of the release of Pack 1, but I think it also depends a lot on personal tastes and styles driving.
In both cases, however, it is really difficult to make notes on the design, the attention to detail, the playful offer as a whole.
It took Nintendo a long time (as usual) to react to the trend of downloadable content, but now that it is appropriating it, it continues to churn out high-quality DLCs, which are offered at prices that are truly out of the ordinary for the competition.
200 cc
In addition to all the contents mentioned so far, which can only be accessed for a fee, in conjunction with the launch of Pack 2, the Kyoto house has released a free patch that adds a whole new class, the 200 cc, an absolute debut for the series.
The mere fact that this class exists is good news for all fans of the big N, because the demand for something that raises the bar in the Mario Kart difficulty level and breathes new life into the endgame goes back in time.
In fact, GamePad in hand, the addition does not always turn out to be perfectly suited, because the drastically increased sense of speed forces us to completely re-read the throttle throttle and the setting of each curve, as well as the choice of the upstream vehicle, and, on some tracks, it can be seen that the track design was not meant for this feature.
Nonetheless, if the intent was to turn Mario Kart 8 inside out like a sock, forcing more experienced users to start playing it again and improve daily, then the goal has been hit in full, and the fun (and swear words!) Are make sure.
Final comment
Honestly, after hours of gameplay, I can't find a single valid reason why a Mario Kart 8 fan shouldn't immediately download this Pack 2: the amount of content offered for the asking price is high, but it's the quality that makes it. really the difference, between memorable tracks (Big Blue above all, but also Mariopolitan), very useful vehicles (the Skelomoto) and characters who are a manifesto of fan service.
And when you have earned gold in both new cups, there will be a treacherous and fascinating 200cc mode waiting for you.
