Late last night, Nintendo shocked gamers the world over with the grand unveiling of what it's promised DLC would be. And it's nothing anyone could have predicted. No, I'm not talking about those Mercedes Benz themed karts, but rather the reveal that characters and courses from Nintendo universes other than Mario's would be making their appearance as DLC characters in Mario Kart 8.
It's something fans have always dreamed of, and it's finally happening - this November, Link will be playable in Mario Kart 8 - for a small fee.
Some people on the Internet cried foul. They pointed out the obvious and said, "this is MARIO Kart, why the hell is Link going to be in MARIO Kart?" While this reveal is likely outside of the comfort zone of long time fans of the series, this can only be a good thing, and I'm going to explain why.
We knew for a while Mario Kart 8 was getting substantial paid DLC, and we hypothesized for a while said DLC would be new characters and courses. We always assumed these characters would be ones that should have been in the game to begin with, like King Boo and Diddy Kong. This thought upset people as they didn't want to have to pay extra for playable characters that shouldn't have been cut in the first place. No one in their right mind could have guessed this DLC would actually make the Hero of Hyrule and the Villager from Animal Crossing playable characters.
I don't know about you, but I'd be much more willing to shell out money on the announced DLC than this loser.
Nintendo recognizes the strength and selling power of their beloved IPs; they realize by creating Mario Kart 8 DLC that lets fans play as characters from some of their other beloved franchises, and spreading out the release of that DLC over several months, sales of the already successful Mario Kart 8 will only go up, and the game will remain relevant over a longer period of time as Wii U owners wait for more games to hit store shelves.
I could go on and on about how the new courses will significantly increase the game's replay value, and how the pricing of this package is surprisingly smart considering Nintendo's botched attempts at DLC in the past, but that's not the focus of this article. I'm here today to discuss how if this DLC sells well, it will fundamentally change Mario Kart as we know it forever, and evolve it into something new and completely different.
If Nintendo sees that enough people are willing to shell out money for DLC characters and courses from their other franchises, the company will likely realize this is what sells. If that's the case, we may not see Mario Kart 9 in our lifetimes, but rather a "Nintendo Kart" or "Super Smash Kart."
While other racing games like Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing Transformed incorporated characters from various IPs and crammed them all into one game, Mario Kart was always reluctant to stay within the confines of the Mario universe - a strange idea that always held the series back in my opinion.
For years, Sega has done what Nintendon't and made racing games starring characters from many of their beloved IPs instead of just one. Looks like Nintendo's finally catching up to their old rival.
Picture racing down a Pikmin inspired track where the weeds are as tall as trees and Burrowing Snagrets thrust their heads downwards in an attempt to stall you from winning. Picture the Hookshot being an item you can get from boxes that will latch on to the person in front of you (provided you have good aim) and bring you to them, or bring them to you (depending on the weight difference in characters). Picture Samus giving Luigi a death stare of her own as she races down a Kid Icarus inspired track in a kart modeled after her gunship. The possibilities that a Nintendo karting game that no longer would restrict itself to characters and courses from the Mario series are endless.
Nintendo's sitting on a treasure trove of IPs other than Mario that have environments that would be well suited - and very unique - for a racing game.
It's something fans have wanted - and written similar blogs about for years, and it's finally starting to happen. That's why I believe it's crucial this upcoming Mario Kart 8 DLC sells well. If it does, I think the face of gaming's most iconic racing series could change forever - and for the better.
Are you purchasing Mario Kart 8's upcoming DLC? Do you think it's a good idea on Nintendo's part that could evolve Mario Kart going into the future? Sound off in the comments below, and happy gaming!