Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is Nintendo's best-selling game on Nintendo Switch, so it seems like a no-brainer to offer more content for it. If anything, it's surprising that it's taken this long. But the success of the Fighters Pass for Smash Bros. Ultimate has seemingly resulted in the Booster Pass for MK8D, effectively doubling the number of tracks in the game over the course of several content drops. The first wave is now available and shows the enormous potential of regularly feeding kart-racing fans new content--even if it isn't strictly new.

These are remastered tracks, borrowed from the series' long history across a variety of console and handheld platforms. The results are inconsistent, but in a narrow band of quality from "very good" to "absolutely fantastic." There are no real clunkers here, and even the weakest link in the chain isn't all that weak.

That weaker track is Toad's Circuit, a recreation of the 3DS Mario Kart 7 track. It's well-made and straightforward, but it's just a bit on the bland side. This is the type of track that would exist to introduce you to Mario Kart's basic racing mechanics--wide thoroughfares, a few turns but nothing too sharp. It's fine for what it is, but it doesn't quite belong in a set designed for Mario Kart fans hungry for more tracks to master. It's like buying a variety pack of gourmet ice creams and finding a container of vanilla. There's nothing necessarily wrong with vanilla, and hey, ice cream is ice cream. But it's a little boring compared to the rest.