Mario Kart 8 Update, Mercedes Karts and DLC Pre-Orders Now Live

That's so cool.

£11 well spent

I used the Mercedes online, and they're pretty fun.

Bingo I'm sold just on the F-Zero cart and track! Just can't wait......waiting........waiting.......

@G0dlike I concur

... I should probably buy a Wii U soon.

@Jomuno You don't say?

First impression of the update are really good. Just played about an hour and Mario Kart was a bit of a Merc fest but dam was it a lot of fun. Hope they show some love for the bikes in the new vechicle dlc.

For those people who won't purchase MK8 dlc, you're going to really miss out on all the fun.

Hmm...I downloaded the Mercedes DLC, and although the system tells me that it's been installed the additional content is nowhere to be seen once I boot up the game. For some reason it's just not downloading the update.

Curiouser and curiouser...

UPDATE: Ignore me. I restarted my system, and now the update is downloading. 100% can't come soon enough!

Pre order completed! Now the wait till november :c Can't freaking wait! Greatest deal on DLC ever IMO.

this actually seems pretty good for the price may pre order after I finish getting cash together for smash 3ds!

Mine auto-updated and it said the two upcoming DLC packs would need approximately 1.0 GB of space each (2.0 GB total)

this is great. and this website just proves its worth by notifying us.

@luke88
11 pounds for half the vanillas game content isn't great?

This is awesome. Does this mean we can purchase the bundle now and receive it when it arrives?

@SanderEvers ah ok, thanks for clarifying. I know I'll be getting all of it at the first opportunity!

Best $11.99 I've ever spent.

The auto update didn't trigger for me. There must be something wrong with my settings. I already bought the bundle for 12€ just before we went out. Can't wait to get home!

To all the MK8 DLC haters:

Loving the content of the DLC, but not that price. UK prices have always been higher than the US, but never to the point of a straight £ for $ swap. They'll start selling games for £60 next.

@Legromancer luke88 concurred with G0dlike that it was £11 well spent. That means he agrees, so yes - he thinks it's great. Also "half the vanillas game content"... I get what you're trying to say, but you're not quite there.

Ok, flame on!

Oh, and this is GREAT STUFF, Nintendo!!!

How can anyone complain about this price? seriously, get your head checked.

I wonder if this will be the start of pre-ordering games on the eShop. It would be some help for smaller devs who might need the extra cash while making their games.
Anyway, I'm glad that the records section has been added, I now know how far away I am from the gold glider.

@Peach64 Well this is more than £60 now if you want the complete thing.

Does it get rid of the red exclamation mark if you preorder these ?

I thought I had max online race rating, then they increased the maxium to over 10 000, if not all the way to 99 999... Back to raicing business it is!

But darn, now losing on races really hurts, I lost something about 30 points from last place!

@unrandomsam If you're talking about the ones on the Yoshi and Shy Guy icons on character select then no.

I still can't believe it's just 11 dollars where it's easily 20 dollars worth of content in each pack. No this isn't me complaining. This is me extending my hand to Nintendo to say, "Thank you!" They listened to the fans and is giving us more for this game.

@ThomasBW84
The install size for each pack is a little over 1 GB each or a little or over 2 GB for both packs. I guess that means that the little bit isn't that much. The info is given before you preorder.

@Grumblevolcano I mean the one next to the shop on the main title screen.

@Bishasaurus - Very cool about the update on points. Sure, this will even it's self out over the nex few days. I was third a few times and I got minus 3 points each time. Being in groups with low points seems to be a killer.

looking forward to the update, and you still cant use the on screen map for the pro controller!! and dont say its on the gamepad as ive been doing that sine day one, why not have the option on all control scemes?

@Than64
Oops, I did not see you already had that posted. THE WAIT BEGINS!

This preorders will be so big they already planning on DLC for june. Fzero circuit!!

@unrandomsam - Oooo noooooooo!!! Not red!!!! Exclamation marks!!!! I personally prefer black exclamation marks in 60fps

SORRY WHAT.
PRE-ORDERS? PRE-ORDERING?!! Nintendo you beauty. I need to pre-order these today.

I Just preordered this is going to be awesome

Totally buying all the DLC when I get a chance. But, I'm a bit confused, why do people say it's half a game in DLC? I thought the first pack has 4 tracks and pack 2 in May has 4 track, or am I reading this all totally wrong and pack 1 comes with 8 track, 4 retro and 4 New and the same with pack 2 in May?

Am I stupid?

Here's hoping this bodes way for being able to pre-order full games from eShop in the future.

Even if you don't download the Mercedes DLC you'll still have to download the update to take part in online races and see others use these cars there, right?
_{Meaning these will also be used by AI controlled characters in single player mode when you want to play online?}

The price shafting is getting a tad ridiculous, I haven't brought the DLC in hopes that they change the UK price to something more reasonable not like I'm in a rush anyway.

I played the Mercedes Benz cars and while they controlled very nicely, I kept on losing races. As soon as I went back to the Fire Bike and Crimson Slim combo which I usually use I started winning again, so I won't use them apart from in GameXplain tournaments to annoy Andre. Lag seems to be highly reduced as well with the update so I'm very happy about it.

I don't know why people are complaining about this. 12 bucks for BOTH PACKS is a FANTASTIC deal! Other companies would never price them both for that cheap. And they're supporting the game a year after launch, if Pack 2's release date is any indication.

We complain about companies milking DLC too much, but in this case its too slow.
2 DLC's in like 9-10 next months is too long. The good thing is that there is 16 new tracks.
In DLC pack 2, i'm sure there will be Starfox and Metroid tracks. It makes sense due to the existing tracks, and DLC 1 pack.

@readyletsgo Each pack has 2 cups (8 tracks) so overall 16 tracks.

You wait ages for Nintendo to confirm dlc and then they go ahead and deliver the best value dlc ever! I'm still in shock but I do know the first thing im doing when I get home tonight. Downloading that update then pre-ordering that dlc can't wait to play as link!

The amount of memory the DLC takes up is a little steep... But it's definitely worth it. After I pay off my Alpha Sapphire preorder, I'll buy both DLC packs.

I went on to the eShop and downloaded the new Kart DLC, and it tells me that in order to install it I need to start Mario Kart 8. When I do the game starts, but the install never kicks in. I go into the game and the new Mercedes-Benz karts don't show up. Any ideas?

Updated, Mercedes DLC downloaded, Preorder done. An already amazing game is even more amazing. Can't wait until november, hopefully the 1st.

Has there been any words on if the music will get the same treatment (such as, with live musicians) for the 16 new tracks?

@readyletsgo It threw me off as well. It seems to be 8 tracks per DLC pack.

@KingDunsparce cool, thanks for clearing that up for me

The price is amazing, even if it's more in the UK than the US. Anyone else would be charging a hell of a lot more. Well done Nintendo. I can't wait to play these packs!

$12 is not £12 Nintendo!

Pre-ordered the moment I woke up and saw this. For anyone who's curious about the update, I didn't get the Mercedes DLC but the game update started as soon as I launched my disc version.

And, I've just convinced myself to get a Vita.

Nintendo, you win this time.
>Readies wallet for Wii U purchase

This will be the first time I have EVER paid for DLC. I have no problem in anything free people want to give away if you pre-order a game, or for when a shop decides to give you the special edition of a game with all the extra DLC for the same price as a normal copy, but paying for DLC has always been a massive no for me......until now Will get both when I get home from work later. £11 for just the tracks alone is worth it in my opinion

Why do we always see people complaining over price convertions?

As far as I know US prices are always listed without taxes, but that is already included in UK and EU prices. Add to that, that the wages in Europe are generally higher than in the US. No one is being cheated in my opinion..

I just pre-ordered both DLC packs at the awesome price and downloaed Mercedes DLC.
16 brand new tracks, new karts, characters etc. was indeed cheap DLC.

At the moment of writing, MK 8 patch is not online yet in EU. The game refuse to recognise the Mercedes DLC until the patch is out.

@KJ85 : Well said. Its a fact what you wrote, but people sadly still nags about this even when they shouldn't.

See this is why I check ure web site hourly! Here's me preparing myself for a Mario kart tomorrow after the 4pm update instead I'm downloading right now!!

Buying right after work. Surprised we didn't get a Direct for this.

£12 is not $12.

But I'm still getting it XD

@Ventilator @KJ85 Did either of you actually do a price conversion before posting your ignorant comments.

@Rafie I was thinking like 15$ a pack easily but hey, if they want to give it away lol. Either way I'm sure it's priced right.

$11.99 for both packs = a good deal in my opinion

@Jasser94 I know very well that there is a difference, yeah, but why is everyone saying £12 when in fact it is £11. I personally live in Denmark and think that the $12 to €12 is totally fair taking into consideration the things I mentioned earlier.. The UK price maybe should have been only £10, but that is a quite small difference..

@Jamester0722 Restart your console. That's what worked for me.

@Ventilator Are you sure about that? I'm in Germany and was playing with the Mercedes DLC over an hour ago.

Yes! This DLC sounds great! I'm guessing this is also going to explain the amiibo connection with the game as well.

Wow, I was expecting around $10 US per pack. $12 US for both packs seems like an absolute steal. That's pretty awesome, Nintendo.

With pricing out of the way, two questions remain; how balanced are the extra carts/characters and how are the DLC tracks being handled online? While I'm fairly confident that I know the answer to the first one, I simply can't guess what Nintendo will do for the latter.

Also, @BensonUii ; I like that gif, I'll keep a mental note of it for future use.

@Jazzer94 isn't it like $20 American dollars? I always thought that was kind of a rip. Because even in the US states where you have to pay an Internet sales tax, it's still going to total way under 20.

@KJ85 to be fair €12 is closer to $16 here in the states, so once again if a particular State has to pay an Internet sales tax, then that closer in line with out of pocket cost than the pound. Though please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. My economics may be a little screwy. It's early here. Lol

Will be instabought when I get home from work.

@KJ85 The difference is well past the standard 20% VAT in UK.

@Sir_JBizzle It's about $19, I'll buy it eventually but I'm not liking the slow upward trend of these prices.

@KJ85 your use of logic and reason may confuse the reactive masses.

Getting the update right now. What a great start to the day!

@awesomeunclet Thanks! That worked great! I'm super excited for the DLC. Too bad the Animal Crossing DLC isn't released until May 2015! That seems so far away!

I am totally rocking the new Yoshi colors! I'll still mainly use green, but I'm LOVING these colors nontheless! I hereby dub Orange Yoshi, Dutchy Yoshi!

Well, need to add this to next year's budget along with Super Smash Bros. Wii U. Actually interested in Link and the Villager, along with their tracks.

As for them adding DLC, for most people there will be no problem. However, for collectors it is a headache as it becomes difficult or impossible to legally get the content once the servers for the system go down. Sort of like the Satellite games that Japan had for SNES or the special summer download games for Famicom.

@Jazzer94 Yes it is, but you are still not listening to my arguments if that is your point. You can't just do a simple price convertion.

You have to take into account that salaries in many EU countries are far better than those in the US, and we have pensions, health benefits, social services, and so on that really makes a difference..

Forgot about auto update downloads im already on 2.0!

@KJ85 I'm aware of that but the difference in pricing goes beyond that your talking to someone who has lived in the US has family there and visits often.

@Jazzer94 Ahhh thanks. I haven't had my coffee yet lol. Though I always wondered why Nintendo does that? I've been assuming to have one solid number across all regions because it looks better in print or something... Is this problem unique to Nintendo, or does Sony and Microsoft do this as well?

@Sir_JBizzle Let's just say this is a reason I enjoy PC gaming and Steam now that I'm older and mostly buy my own games.

Edit: Normally the pricing is okay though.

Wait, so do you only get the different coloured Yoshis and Shy Guys if you preorder both packs (before release of the first pack), or can you get them later on as well? I don't quite get that, or maybe I've just missed a piece of information. What if you buy the packs once they come out, like...let's say, in December you buy one pack and preorde the other, do you still get the Yoshis and Shy Guys?

That was some of the best money I've ever spent plus seeing my stats made me realize I need to play more. What a horrible win loss record.

For £11 that is half a Mario Kart game, Just for Link and Animal Crossing characters it's worth it. Will have to get this content.
Nintendo Kart has to happen now!

@Jazzer94 Ok, it just seemed that you were not listening to my arguments. It may be a bad trend that we have just accepted in Europe, but personally, I don't feel cheated here. I paid €47 for the game in May and can now buy all this extra content for €12.

@Sir_JBizzle Usually Nintendo goes with $1 = €1 = £0.9 - or at least they did that for VC releases .)

If you pre-order, do they take the money now?

@MJKOP Yep. But you do get the Yoshi and Shy Guy colors right away too, so.

@ikki5 US to UK difference is like £2.30 difference when taking VAT into account.

@KJ85 Don't worry I was just in a salty mood as this seems to be getting worse then usual.

I think Nintendo have done DLC to perfection here. This game came out in May, and might just be getting stale for anyone playing since then... BAM we get some fun, free DLC and an announcement of some seriously generous, substantial, paid for DLC on the way. Well done Nintendo, I've only ever paid for the Coin Rush packs in NSMB2 before, but I am definitely in

@Yosher cool thank you

Let them stay an optional update for those who are totally against the cars being in the game. I'm not crazy about them, but I'll get them when I get off work for sure.

@Jazzer94
crap, I see where I screwed up. I missed one step in my calculation which was factor the VAT back in to the total. lol, But yeah, it would be about a 2.3 pound difference. I am just going to delete that comment so i don't feel stupid. lol

@Goginho
If you get both packs, you'll get the Yoshi and Shy Guy skins. I think it doesn't matter if you buy it now or later.

12 bucks for 16 MK8 tracks, 6 characters, 24 new Kart customization options and new yoshi/shy guy colors is not bad one bit!!

@Jazzer94 Just consider yourself lucky with regard to the pricing of NES VC releases on Wii U. Following the usual convertions by Nintendo they should be £4.5 a piece, but somehow you only have to pay £3.5. It makes no sense when you see that the EU price is €5 for those, and €4 for GB releases on the 3DS, which you are paying £3.6 for in the UK.

@ikki5 Hmm no as the converted US price doesn't have tax on it, $12 = £7.23 times £7.23 by 20% = £1.446 add that to £7.23 = £8.676.

This is all fantastic, but am I the only one wishing for some proper battle mode arenas?

@BensonUii Oh, okay. Cool

@KJ85 Only problem with that is the NES is my least favorite Nintendo console I'm just not apart of that generation.

@Jazzer94 Me neither, but just wanted to point our that sometimes you have better pricing than the rest of Europe

@Jazzer94 yes... I guess i didn't get my comment edited fast enough. lol But still, yeah there is a difference, it isn't as much as what people initially get at and the difference is probably still due to your government mostly as a lot of the extra could be due to the corporate taxes, import and such which again, are much higher than in the states. I highly doubt any of those companies are making much more profit if any than that of in NA.

I wonder will the price of Pack 1 and 2 increased if we don't pre-order?

@ikki5 It isn't loads problem is it is happening more and more and getting bigger, and I always factor in VAT before I get salty.

Why Pre order digital content? Its not like they gets sold out is it? Annyway, great news, will get this when I get the game
Edit just corrected spelling

@Tobias95 because if you pre-order it now, you can use the new shy guy and Yoshi colour skins before the DLC comes out

Im ok with the prices, but Im not paying $12 in Aug for something I wont get until next May. Plus this is Nintendo so probably next Aug. Pre-ordering digital - something that can NOT go OOS - makes no sense to me. When Nov finally rolls around 3 months from now then maybe I'll think about it to get the discount.

How come this has next May but SSB doesnt have a month yet?

if you pre-order and your Wii U dies before next May - hey its 10 long months, floods, earthquakes, tornados, volcanoes, Mother Nature has been pissed lately - do we get the DLC on our new console? ie does the DLC link to our account that we can transfe to a new Wii U?

Get out me car!

@ikki5 Ah, ok. Thats understandable. Personaly, I'm not realy interested in those Yoshies and Shy guys

Nice, online and live in North America as well. Mercededes DLC is free and each pack $7.99 or $11.99 for both. Picked up both for $11.99.

@rjejr Well, if you pre-order it now, you will get to use the new Colour Skins for Yoshi and Shy Guy now. Plus, if your Wii U console dies, you send it to Nintendo and they either A) Fix it, or B) Send you another one with all the data transferred including your NNID so your DLC will yes, be on that console. Also, the fact that they are giving a month for it already instead of saying "Spring" or Summer" tells me it will probably be May and won't be delayed. Even more so that the game is already done and this is not them making a new game.

I am kind of apalled that they force a cash shop into a family friendly game over night.

They're asking for money for content that doesn't yet exist.

@rjejr SSB Wii U not having a release date yet is getting rather annoying and to be honest this LoZ Mario Kart 8 DLC for November is making me think it's later than that.

Tried dlc, world still exist so haters can chill.

@Pod Isn't that what any pre-order is? Them asking for money before something even exists? At least when you pre--order it, you get some bonus content that you can use right away when you buy it...

Bought

I wonder how much money Nintendo has already received today LOL! Awesome price for even more awesome content!

Preordered the dlc and seriously can't wait for November to come. Im seriously happy that Nintendo is keeping their word when they talked about how they would be handling their dlc. So far in my opinion the dlc they have been offering for their games (mario kart 8, mario golf, new super mario 2 etc) have been amazing and the prices have always been great for the content you get.

@awesomeunclet : I tried again 1 hour ago, then the update was here.
Mercedes Roadsters was easy to win with, but probably have same specs as a kart i never used.
Since Mercedes is separate DLC, i think its optional to have it ingame.

I've grabbed the Mercedes dlc already. I plan to preorder the other two after I pick up a eshop card tomorrow.

We do need an epona based bike for Link thou

@Pod : Its optional DLC. If you don't like it, don't buy it. Its only an offer, and nothing you are forced to pay for.

@Jazzer94 : So you are telling us that economics is 100% the same in countries worldwide? Its obvious that the prices and salaries is different from country to country. Since you didn't know, food prices differs too. Isn't it ignorant to say otherwise?

PS: Don't tell me China, Hungary, Somalia, India etc.. have same salaries and money power as Germany, Norway, UK, Denmark etc.

Seems like a fair price actually.

@KJ85 except Australians get cheated as always - $16 here for both or $10 each. Of course, Nintendo are the least evil when it comes to this (Crytek are the nicest looking at Crysis 3 on 360).
Once it was reasonable for higher prices here when the exchange rate was 50 US, now it's around the dollar mark, but many are still twice the price here.

Does anyone know what all the Yoshi and Shy Guy colours are?

@Ventilator

thank you for mentioning salaries. nobody ever seems to think thats important

@Grumblevolcano - Oh, it's later than Nov, I'm sure of that, winter technically starts Dec 21, even if they got the year wrong Dec 19, 21, 26 or 28.

Seriously though I'm annoying myself by bringing it up so much, but the holidays are a busy time and I honestly NEED to know when it's coming out. My kids and I want SSB, B2, HW (at least that's dated) Skylanders TT, Capt Toad, LBP3 (PS3 in Nov) and Sonic Boom (which we'll probably rent). Santa can't afford all of those and the kids are already spending their own money on Pokemon AS and OR in Nov.

And then there are the amiibo toys which I suppose are launching the same time as SSB into a flooded NFC market of Disney Infinity and Skylanders. SSB needs a date, but the amiibo needed a date back at the NY toy fair in Feb.

Regardless of which region is paying the most in real terms, I can't believe anyone is querying the price. 50% more Mario Kart for a small surcharge.

horay

@rjejr Nintendo is a Japanese company. SSB is being released on the Wii U all around the same time and Winter in Japan is from 8 November – 4 February. It starts in November for Japan so it could be late november, early December when the game is released and considering how Over half of Brawl was sold in NA, It'll be out by Christmas.

@ikki5 - "A) Fix it, or B) Send you another"

I was thinking more along the lines of destroyed, hence my Mother Nature joke. Though I can work with simply "stolen". Is Nitneod up to snuff w/ replacing "stolen" stuff?

My Wii U had issues when I bought it so I sent it in and they sent me a new 1 and I was able to re-download all my stuff (all my saves were gone, but that's another topic) so I know they have that process covered, but just going to a store to buy a new 1 and re-downloading all our stuff to our NNID would be nice. I know that's an issue w/ all digital, I understand that's part of digital life, but paying for something in Aug 2014 you wont get until May 2015 just seems odd, even w/ "skins" now. Though I suppose sadly probably more people who buy this will die before playing it than have Wii U issues but nobody wants to go there. The Wii U issue w/ NNID seems simple to address however if Nintendo wanted to.

@MadAdam81 Both Yoshi and Shy Guy have these colours: Light-Blue, Black, Red, Yellow, White, Blue, Pink, Orange, Green. Of course the DLC doesn't give Green Yoshi and Red Shy Guy as they were already available.

@ikki5
A pre-order in the store will usually not be the full amount up front.

@Ventilator
I am not concerned with me accidentally buying it. I am concerned by having a virtual 50s salesman in a plaid suit snuck into my family friendly game via an automated update.

@Pod Which is exactly what won't be happening, so feel free to stop complaining any time.

How funny is it that after a great new DLC announcement for a great game for a great price…people still find a way to complain?
Ahhh internet u provide such endless entertainment and shenanigans!

Yup the DLC wont be available until November than next May and yet i feel absolutely fine pre-ordering everything now because The REAL DILEMMA that everyone i seems to be ignoring is which color Yoshi will look best on the Yoshi bike? Or which color shy guy should i use when i hit u with a randomly thrown green shell? There i gave u perspective ur welcome people now i shall plot my world domination improving my skills until Isabelle comes on the track and takes the throne…wait and see haters…just wait and see…it shall be glorious LMAO!!!!

I WANT MY MULTI COLOR YOSHI'S

@rjejr Well, I am sure if something so catastrophic happened that completely destroyed your Wii U, then I am pretty sure the Wii u would be the last of your concerns. Yes we all know that the NNID system is dumb and needs to be fixed but getting mad that they are offering pre-orders for DLC that is months away because a meteor could trike your house is a stupid way of thinking. 99% of people who buy this, will be able to download it and use it. The rest will either be dead, by which then they won't care and the Wii u should then be the last thing on their minds, or did something incredibly stupid and didn't take care of their stuff which by then, I have no sympathy or they should be worrying about other stuff because their home has been destroyed. Plus usually house insurance will cover that kind of stuff which then you can just re-buy everything again anyway and the only loss will be not having your NNID and will need to then create a new one.

@Pod
In a lot of stores, yeah, you may not have to pay the full price up front. Some store, you do. But at the same time, you do have the option to pay it in full and overall really, you need to pay it in full to begin with. If you don't have enough, then set aside a jar and throw money into it or just wait until it comes out. if you don't have enough by the time it comes out, then you should have needed to worry about pre-ordering it anyway because you obviously didn't have enough to even do the partial payment and then have enough to make the rest upon release. Also, there is not many pre-orders that give you content right away when you order them. Most you have to wait for that bonus content where here, you don't.

I don't like the in-game advertising in character select and tournament select but otherwise I love the dlc packs already.

Bundle pack has been purchased!! Never have I so willingly put my credit card information into something!!

@ikki5 - Sincere thanks for that calendar info. Never ever seen that before and not only does the calendar make sense (I live in NY and we have similar weather patterns) but it explains a lot about how messed up I've always found Nintendo

As for SSB being released before Christmas, well there is this precedent for it NOT to be:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJgOcUQW4ng

FYI game was postponed until Feb. And then in Jan. postponed AGAIN until Mar. So there's that.

@ikki5
The bonus content you receive for pre-purchasing, which is not the same as pre-ordering, is different colors for Yoshis and Shy Guys.

This is not enough for me to pay for something I don't know the quality of, many months in advance. I would do something like that for a Kickstarter that had me interested, but here it is not under the pretense of helping make something possible.

In fact, I'd rather they didn't do these expansions at all, than having them sold to me this way.

@rjejr i hear where ur coming from my son had his xmas list ready since last xmas and is constantly updating it. I just put money aside for what i know is coming out and what might be coming out…then cry when i realize my wallet is empty…but i had to change my nephews basic WiiU for a deluxe and all i did was call nintendo and after a 2 days i was able to link the NNID account to the the new WiiU but had to do it through them. Sure the saved progress was gone but at least i was able to re-download all the eshop games tied to that NNID. If ur that concerned than shoot them an email but me personally im more perplexed as too which color Yoshi im going to use later on today.

@ikki5 - "Yes we all know that the NNID system is dumb and needs to be fixed but getting mad that they are offering pre-orders for DLC that is months away because a meteor could trike your house is a stupid way of thinking."

Oh, I think Nintendo is very smart for offering it, I just think people are dumb for paying for something now they won't get for another 10 months when there's no chance of there being a stock shortage. It's not like Gamestop is going to offer the DLC for $80 used.

My favorite part of the update is you can finally see how many coins you've raked up. I thought I was getting close to 10,000 but I actually only have 6,500. It also shows you your win to lose ratio and a bunch of other cool stats! You get to the screen by pressing Select on the first menu screen.

@WanderingPB - "which color Yoshi im going to use later on today"

I have to say it boggles my mind that people care that much about skins. I know they do, and people spend lots of money on PSN for skins and avatars and wall paper. But I just don't get it. It was a nice incentive though, seems like it's really doing the trick. I wonder if Ntineod's stock price went up today, or maybe tomorrow if they announce the amount of pre-orders peeple paid for.

Good for them, good for everybody, but I just don't get it.

Nice! Time to add some $ to my eShop account.

Cannot wait for the new tracks, this is how to keep this game from becoming stale. And a bargain price to. Shame it's not sooner

@rjejr yeah, I know Brawl was postponed until march but at the same time, I do not believe that Brawl was playable on the showcase floor at E3 2007. It was just a trailer, the game demo didn't come until later in the fall I thought and if i remember correctly, it seemed very barebones especially compared to what Smash Bros. 4 was on the floor at E3 this year. So the game seemed to be at different stages of development where as E3 of this year, the game was very playable, even for them to host the first major tournament where as with Brawl, they just had a few gameplay videos.

@Pod Well, the answer is simple then. Don't buy them. Either wait or don't buy them at all. I am also surprised that you are bringing up quality in this when you have already seen the quality in the game and I am pretty sure you can make a pretty safe assumption that it will be the same quality. You can use the other Nintendo DLC from others games to justify it because those DLC quality was the same as the games they were for. I am even more surprised that you'd do Kickstarter but not this as Kickstarter has the chance of going belly up and your money is gone where this is a definite thing which leads me to believe that you are only complaining for the sake of complaining.

Can't wait but wish we didn't have to wait so long. This means they are still implementing DLC. This is gonna be a long year

Soooooo getting the bundle! NO QUESTIONS ASKED

@Mega719 I have to admit, I genuinely don't know what they're thinking. I mean this DLC is not on the same level as say, RDR Undead Nightmare, so why is there a 6 month gap between course/character/kart packs? Should be 3 months at most, though I can understand why the 1st is releasing close to Xmas.

Wait so do these come with new race courses?!

@rjejr i know right what strange world we live in u dont get this paying for something u wont get til next year and i cant understand how the GREATNESS of DKTF left u dumbfounded ;P LOL! Guess its just comes down to what we as consumers find valuable and worth investing in which is important for some and trivial for others hence this console war fiasco. I agree i also dont really care about skins but im paying/investing in those new courses!!!! Everything else is just extra to me so maybe u could help me out what color Yoshi would u dislike to see coming in 1st place but all jokes aside pre-ordering all together seems silly but im also very particular about what i spend my money on but like the WiiU i got at launch i felt it was worth the investment and still do guess im just silly that way

This makes me happy that Nintendo is finally stepping up on these types of things....

This is seriously the only time i ever pre-ordered DLC! (Well, second after the Last of Us )

This bundle was a STEAL! Like @AlexOlney said, if this was EA or Capcom, or ANYONE ELSE pretty much, they would split up and separate all the characters and all the courses and charge 5-10 bucks a piece. Perhaps even charging premium wage just for Link!

Thanks Nintendo! You're rocking the DLC biz now!

I noticed that the select button on the Pro Controller doesn't activate the mini-map on the screen, but the gamepad does. Bug?

Given time I have reconsider my opinion on this issue. The amount of content being offered as DLC seam to be enough for a new game at full price. The DLC is not unreasonably priced, but I still oppose per-ordering for any reason, but availability (which is almost never an issue).

I still fear that Nintendo to headed toward Ubisoft's DLC practices. In which case I will just get the "game of the year" or "Nintendo Selects" version.

@ikki5

I have no personal basis of comparison from other Nintendo DLC because I haven't purchased any.

I am, again, not even insinuating that I want to buy this. I am annoyed by the mere presence of of a "Shop!" menu item and characters that I cannot play as on the character select screen, attempting to sell me things that do not exist.

And I am annoyned that this is added without asking me, and that deleting it will delete general upgrades to my game.

It's back door penny pinching. Although I recognize Nintendo as being in a position where they need to take advantage of having a great selling game that is getting many many daily hours of play around the world, I still do not condone this manner of marketing.

@LunaticPandora
They want little good things to fill empty space in the release calandar, and they want them spaced far enough apart to have an effect on how much people are talking about Mario Kart 8 when they might otherwise stop.

It's got nothing to do with the complexity or amount of content.

Pre-ordered! And believe it or not, the Mercedes Benz karts are really good!

Also, really, why the hell are people complaining about the DLC's price? Four new cups, four new characters, five new vehicles for $11.99. That's a great price.

@Pod And I am annoyned that this is added without asking me, and that deleting it will delete general upgrades to my game.

What? It is not YOUR game. You do not have any say in what is or isn't added to it. If you have that much of an issue with it, take it up with Nintendo customer service instead of NLife.

And thank you for pointing out the "empty calendar" logic, Captain Obvious. This is the first time I have ever heard of a company announcing tiny character dlc that releases almost a year later.

@Pod it is annoying having that there w/out having a choice in the matter but what a GENIUS marketing strategy…the word is out whether u look online or not…well played nintendo…well played

Pre-ordered!

The Mercedes cars aren't as obtrusive as I feared, even though I'm still pretty conflicted about advertising in the game, even if it's free. I know it's by choice, but you still have to look at it in online matches.

The DLC looks great. Great price considering it's 4 new cups!

@Pod
The one thing to understand here, Nintendo isn't doing too hot with the Wii U ever since launch. You can point at marketing, hardware design, software releases, whatever. But as weird/bizarre this may seem that they're doing something of this nature that comes off as "hey! buy this!", I'd rather them try things like this instead of just ignore the possibilities.

Let's be perfectly clear, they're not in the position to NOT take risks. No risks, no reward. As a majority have stated, it's quite obvious this will cater to the demands of those (myself included) who are excited to what doors this may open. Yes, it's scary that Nintendo's sort of taking on the "well, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" in the DLC department. But if you value this company sticking around and making games, they have to do whatever it takes to keep that alive.

Also, everyone I've told about this who doesn't follow Nintendo because they've jumped ship from them in this past generation think it's fantastic news. That right there is what I've been waiting for - something that can get the attention of old Nintendo fans.

Bought the dlc. I kinda feel like I just kickstarted Nintendo.

@rjejr volcanos earthquakes and you worry about losing 7 dolars on a7 month timespan?

Sweet, had no idea the bundle would be even cheaper than buying the DLC packs separately. C$11.99 well spent . . . assuming I don't die before the DLC releases, lol.

Do you realise that with digital deluxe promotion + registering the extra game that was offered with MK8 you got $12 credits making this awesometacular DLC free?

@Pod
"And I am annoyned that this is added without asking me, and that deleting it will delete general upgrades to my game."

So in other words, if this was in the game when it was first released, you would not have cared....

Man I'm very excited for this! It's good to see Nintendo is finally embracing DLC, and from the looks of it, they are doing it RIGHT! Mario Kart 8 will be the only Mario Kart game title on the Wii U and it has to last for another 5~7 years depending on the console cycle. DLCs like this simply breathes new life into the game! Well done Nintendo!

Now lets just hope Nintendo doesn't get too greedy and turns itself into the likes of Capcom.

You know, I think you could argue that characters from outside the Mario universe have been in MK for a long time. Donkey Kong is only barely in the Mario universe, and Diddy really only gets in by extension through Donkey Kong. And R.O.B. was definitely from outside the worlds and lands of Mario.

one thing is NINTENDO are keeping us happy with dlc for mario kart what about 3rd partys devs wake up Victory to nintendo we all love ya peace

@Pod
Nintendo SHOULD put those DLC shop menu on the game. It's too inform parents and children and other Wii U owners who don't even bother to check the internet or gaming websites such as Nintendo Life on what's new in their game. How else would they know about it better than Nintendo putting the ad in-game saying "hey we have a new content for MK8".

@Extremist Hi there, "half the vanillas game content." What does that mean? Went way over my head.

@Pod: Okay then.

Anyways. This DLC will probably sell 1 million on Wii U. If this was a 3rd party racing game, they would be lucky to sell 1000 depending on how much the game sold.
Hell.. Its hard to sell 500.000 on third party games on Wii U, and MK 8 sold 3 millions "in short time".
Most Wii U users bought Wii U for the Nintendo games and not third party games. I'm one of the big 3rd party supporters on Wii U, so there will be less for me to buy.

I hate the in game shop menu too. Feels tacky to me and I hate it. Hated it in Theatrhythm and hate it in this. They could have just put a giant banner up in the eshop and sent a message to WiiU owners to check it out. I'll still get it, I just don't like shop menus in games

pre-ordered the 11.99 pack 1 and pack 2 bundle. Very good deal! Nintendo could have charged 30 for both and i wouldn't have hesitated.

totally putting $12 down for this. Here's hoping they decide to release the second pack early.

@BensonUii It can be done tastefully like in NSMB2 or this way that presumes people are completely braindead.

Why in Arceus's name would anybody pre-order DLC.

Are you afraid they are going to run out of stock?

Dang, I really wanted to get my online points up to 9999, but now it's not an accomplishment, because it's only 1/10th of the way there.

Other than that, this is awesome DLC.

What exactly is the point of pre-ordering DLC? It's not like it'll sell out.

Why in Arceus's name would anybody pre-order DLC.

What exactly is the point of pre-ordering DLC? It's not like it'll sell out.

Because you can have multi-colored Yoshies and Shy Guys right now. Its an incentive for people to give money to Nintendo now for something they're going to buy anyway.

Maybe now people will stop complaining about Mario Kart 8's roster. Does this make up for Baby Rosalina and Pink Gold Peach who supposedly 'ruined' the roster?

i can't wait wait to get home from work and till november

@BensonUii

That's actually a kinda cool effect there.

@rjejr December 21st is the Winter Solstice, the day in the year where day is the shortest and night is the longest. Before it, the days gradually get shorter, and after it, the days start getting longer again. Therefore, December 21st is actually midwinter scientifically and is considered so in many cultures. Not sure why so many people consider it to be the start of winter...

May 2015 for the second pack?
Oh well, at least got some sweet new Mario Kart courses to wait for. :J

@iphys don't know why but that post just cracked me up. I had this image in my head of someone 'playing it safe' and canceling their holiday and not leaving their house. Trying to hop aboard the spruce moose..........all just to make sure they get all their mk8 dlc! Lol

@rjejr: @Shadowkiller97: Here in the U.S, meteorological winter actually has various start dates depending on the meteorologist that you ask. I follow the weather to some degree, though I'm no meteorologist; I always say winter starts here around mid-late November, which is one of the times some meteorologists classify winter's begin.

@Everyone Else: Is the Merc dlc auto, or manual update? Also, very important to me, does the Merc dlc replace kart/bike parts, or is it literally addition parts? Do they need to be unlocked, once d/led? Edit: I wonder if the servers will not show ads in online matches if I don't take the update? Probably I will have to d/l the dlc for going online anymore.

@Razzle your not the only one dude, I'm not sure what's going on with that situation. I doubt any of the ones in this will be arenas even if they are playable in battle mode. Fingers crossed that will be free dlc if they DO make some!

So excited! Played the Mercedes DLC this morning and cant wait to get pre order the pack bundle when i get an eshop card later this week! (Also nice touch with the yoshi and shy guy thing nintendo)

@BensonUii
I do not agree. They could handle this a lot more elegantly than putting up links from the character select screen, asking you to pay money immediately. At the very least, they are very clear about what you will be getting, and when.

@ikki5
If the store had been in there, and characters that linked to paid DLC had been on the character select screen, then I would have not purchased the game to begin with, if that's what you are asking.

@Spartacus3765
I fully understand the predicament they're in, and their need to experiment. But I feel my user experience is being compromised by me being the target of advertisement from inside my recreational software, which is usually what I'd want to avoid when buying boxed releases at full price.

@LunaticPandora
It is absolutely my game. And it is my console too. And that its robust online infrastructure is being utilised for advertisement that I did not personally seek irks me the wrong way. I am not taking this up with Nintendo Life. I'm merely announcing my discontent, and people want to talk about it.

And in regards to your concerns about announcement and release dates, there's a first for everything, as we're quite clearly seeing with every aspect of this DLC.

@WanderingPB
Far be it from me to argue that this isn't brilliant marketing. It's genius. Even more so than "DLC done right" this whole thing DLC marketing done right.

@Pod
Well I agree they shouldn't place it on the Cup/Character selection screen. My only point is the inclusion of it in the game. Putting it in main menu is enough for me. (As I said on my previous post)

@BensonUii
You are right that it's pretty brilliant to actually add it to the game, to make people that would otherwise not see it be aware.

I would not take issue with simple announcements that "New stuff will be available in the not-too-distant future, look forward to it!".

Personally, I do not condone paid DLC for boxed releases at all, particularly not on systems where the content would be locked to a single console, like the case is with Nintendo's systems. So I'd really much prefer them to get on with making a new game instead.

@ULTRA-64 It's like when I pre-ordered the 3DS I was so excited I kept having this fear I would never live to see it or lose an eye or a thumb or something crucial to be able to play it. Yep, gotta hide out in a bomb shelter for the next 9 months I guess, lol.

@vonseux

I was just contemplating that too with the digital deluxe program. That is the gift that keeps on giving.

@Capt_N Manual update, adds parts, auto unlocked, there no ads in online play unless you consider people using the DLC to be an ad.

I hope they make the game remember what controller layout you pick. I never want to use tilt to steer when using a wiimote.

Everything is awesome! I love the Mercedes Karts, and It's an awesome price for everything we are gong yo get. I can't activate the race radar, I already pressed Select in race and nothing appears.l, do you know how can I activate it?

@Aran
While racing, press the (-) button.

@Spartacus3765 thank you! But I already pressed it. I am using the pro control, does it have something to do? Is it just with the GamePad?

@Spartacus3765 I pressed Select on the GamePad and it worked!

@iphys one of those things actually happened to me !!! I broke my left thumb training in April and needed surgery, only got the cast off this month. Of course mk8 came out in that time a few days before my birthday.....I totally panicked until I remembered the motion controls!

@ULTRA-64 Yikes, I still would have panicked having to use motion controls. Everybody, stay safe: put on hockey gloves the moment you step away from the console.

Done deal, black yoshi look ominous and sugary sweet at the same time in his GLA. Can´t wait til I get to shell Link and hear him go "Waaaaaaaah!"

@TeeJay
It puts some extra money into Nintendo's coffers in this financial year instead of next year when pack #2 is released

To-Do List for tommorow: Get eShop card - pre order all the things

You have to be a fool not to get the DLC bundle,cause come on that's a great deal.I wish DLC was like this, not ripping people off taking too you Ubisoft.I wonder if they will tweet saying "don't do this nintendo make the DLC prices higher cause mario kart will lose it's magic".

MULTI-Coloured Shy-Guys and Yoshis?

I'm not the typical Wind Waker fanboy... I AM a Zelda fanman but, I wasn't really impressed with Skyward Swords visuals. This would have been an ideal job for "Toon" Link. Bring on the engineers outfit. Too bad they are using weak OK Animal Crossing instead of other Mario characters or Nintendo icons.

How much will this jazz cost,,,,, yo?

This is so funny I had to post it here.

@vio
hilarious

@vio that's hysterical!!!! Thanks for posting it!

Pre-ordered the DLC today. And now to play the waiting game...

They put a store link in my beautiful Mario Kart game. Makes me wish for the Nintendo of yesteryear.

As quality as the content is likely to be nintendo is really pushy with the DLC. They display the content on the main menu, the character select screen and the stage select screen. This is extremely obtrusive.

@Pod I totally agree with you. Nintendo could have been a little more elegant in announcing the DLC through the in-game menus. It's like they are screaming reminders about the DLC you haven't purchased with each menu opened.

I'm not crazy about the idea of Link in Mario Kart but...can't wait to play new courses! and I think the price is very reasonable for both packs. I can't imagine anyone getting just 1 pack. If this is how Nintendo plans to handle DLC I'm cool with it. It seems like a long time to wait for the second pack, but by then I'm guessing I'll have taken a break from Mario Kart and will be ready to get back into it.

For people wondering why pre-order, I'm guessing that the price for both pack could go up after the first pack is released. maybe not, anyway, I'll pre-order. I'm also guessing it counts to the Deluxe Digital Promotion which ends at the end of this year if I'm not mistaken.

Best 12 bucks I've ever spent! Also downloaded the Mercedes DLC pretty cool....that about sums it up

@noctowl
While I'm aware that I do not own the game code, the specific physical copy I own is mine. I may do with it a lot of things. Like selling it back to a store, giving it to a friend as a present, or bringing it along with me for playing on a different Wii U system.

Notice that in all of these cases, the digital content that was otherwise paid for becomes inaccessible. And without the game, the content itself is useless. It may not be tied to one specific system for good, but it is tied to one specific account, and one specific system at a time.

You may not be as upset about this as I am, maybe you purchased a digital copy of Mario Kart 8 in the first place. In which case I can't blame you for thinking I'm making a fuss.
But I see it as confusing the concept of what the product is.

And you can rest assured that I am not making it up whether I'd buy the game, had these things been in there from the beginning. Nintendo knows many reviewers are quite opinionated in this regard, and having a cash shop in a full price Nintendo game at launch, where you pay up front for product that doesn't exist would have led to quite an outcry, and in all probability have knocked off a whole or several points on many review scores.

I have deleted the update, although I am sad to see the several minor but welcome improvements not be available in my game. I am not demanding they be made available to me separately, I know I haven't bought the right to that kind of luxury, but I am allowed to point out that Nintendo are playing something-for-something with this one.

@Pod What i hate, furthermore, is to see on my screen, every time i access the title, the new icons about characters and courses that i don't own... and does not even exist!
I'm really disappointed about Nintendo's approach, now seems to play a gameloft game, where every icon brings you to a potential money loss..
And, by the way, the didn't fix the micro lags during gameplay...

I had a flashing blue light and downloaded the update yesterday, but I didn't fire up the game so I didn't see this exciting news about future DLC until I came here today. Wow! £11 is VERY generous given how much content you're getting. I expect this is only the beginning and hopefully future updates will give people who like Battle Mode the arenas they've been missing in this version. Can't wait to get these!

@DrSlump
That's unfortunate, is that something that occurs during online play? I haven't really noticed it in local multiplayer.

How to force update any game: home button - download management - wrench button - check software updates - start desired game

@WanderingPB - "how the GREATNESS of DKTF left u dumbfounded"

It didn't leave me dumbfunded, I'm just not good enough to play it, what can I say? Though I still think taking out something in a sequel that was in the first game - the auto play-thru or whatever it was - was a dumb idea. I really like all sorts of platforming, just not timed jumping minecart levels.

@vonseux - Guess I'm never closing the can of worms I opened, lets just say I don't see the point in paying for something this year I'm not getting until next year and leave it at that. Had the 1st pack come out yesterday instead of Nov then I could have seen paying the $12 to get half now, half later at a reduced price ($12 vs $16 US), but paying now for half in Nov and half next year, no, I don't get it.

@Shadowkiller97 - "Not sure why so many people consider it to be the start of winter..."

Probably for the same reason the Kardashians are famous, it is what it is.

@rjejr Ican see the weirdness of pre-sales but most pleople thinks its a good deal and a company they can trust. If you dont, there's always the choice of not buying it

@DrSlump yeah thats really annoying and tries to make a compulsory buy. That said. Its an online game and they re trying to get the new content to everyone that plugs the gamr to the internet. The only reason why nintendo is being a total jerk is the incredible value of the content. They even gave a free $60 game + $12 on bonus creditsto early adpoters.

@vonseux - Oh, I'm going to buy it, when the 1st pack releases. I'll even pay for the 2nd pack 6 months early to get it 50% off, but I'm not buying it yesterday, today or tomorrow. It's not like it's going to go OOS. And it's not like I'll forget w/ that new 2.0 start-up screen and the locked cups.

@rjejr imagine playing Tropical freeze with the gamecube bongos now that wouldve been insane LMAO!!! The "super kong" feature in DKreturns always felt like Mr. chops was giving me the finger and asking me if i needed help…yup im one of those so i refused to ever use it b/c for me overcoming that challenge was everything…that and of course cursing out Mr.chops when he offered help but i do understand that we play games to have fun not be frustrated to the point we dont want to play. I personally love that challenge an watching my 8 year old son beat Lord Freddrick before me…well my pride wouldnt allow me to complain but i beat hard mode before him so that counts right…ok now i feel old. Though we may not agree on everything i do respect ur opinions my sarcasam just gets the better of me at times I wish u and ur family happy gaming because aside from rasing our kids right its great being able to share our hobbies with them too

@WanderingPB - I used to make my kids play levels until they beat it, then my wife made me stop, convinced me it's just a game and games are meant to be fun and not aggravating, so know we play a lot of Lego and Skylanders games. Not sure if they even have real Game Over screens. I have to say the lack of screaming is nice

@rjejr im actually trying to teach my son to have more patience or sometimes just take a break and try again later but he's as stubborn as i am but im proud to get Platinum medals with him in W101 and Pikmin3 or watch him jump for joy when he beat Super Metroid by himself last year or Beat Megaman 6 by himself…yup i feel proud But his mom still gives me the evil when is determination makes him uh…a bit snippy…that's usually my cue to run to the bathroom LOL! But i agree nothing beats a peaceful household and no screaming is always an added bonus!!!!

@Grumblevolcano: Thanks. You gave me the info I wanted to know.

@Squid I doubt it. I'm waiting on the complaint that it is dry bowser and not dry bones. We have two Bowsers now! Oh no!

A bit weird to have Zelda and Animal Crossing traits in Mario Kart. Am I the only one feeling like that?!