History YMMV / MarioKart8

* AmericansHateTingle: Pink Gold Peach and the baby characters have a pretty big fanbase in Japan, while to most international players, they're by and large seen as uninspired clones that supposedly "steal" slots from more deserving characters. This especially applies to Pink Gold Peach, Baby Daisy, and Baby Rosalina; Metal Mario, Baby Mario, Baby Luigi, and Baby Peach at least have precedent of being from [[VideoGame/SuperMario64 a pair of]] [[VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld2YoshisIsland beloved mainline games]] [[VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiPartnersInTime and a well-received spinoff entry]]).

* SophomoreSlump: After the Booster Course Pass was generally agreed to have [[GrowingTheBeard hit its stride]] in Wave 3, Waves 4 and 6 were considered worthy follow-ups with fantastic track selections. However, in between them was Wave 5, which many considered to be the weakest wave after Waves 1 and 2. While all of the tracks in the Feather Cup were considerably well-liked, especially Wii Moonview Highway and Squeaky Clean Sprint, the tracks in the Cherry Cup were considered almost all disappointments. Tour Los Angeles Laps lacks the sunset aesthetic of its ''Tour'' counterpart, while those new to the track found the Inglewood Oil Field to be an unappealing locale, GBA Sunset Wilds barely has its elevation raised and lacks the sunset gimmick that [[DancingBear made it popular in the first place]], and Wii Koopa Cape is considered fine, but still vastly inferior to its ''Wii'' counterpart due to its shortened rapids layout and the [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks changes made to the underwater tunnel]]. Tour Vancouver Velocity is the only one that's generally well-liked, but it's not without its critics for its overly-similar Laps 2 and 3.

* PanderingToTheBase: Most of the track selections in the Booster Course Pass, barring those from ''64'', ''Super Circuit'', ''7'', and ''Tour'', are tailor-made to pander to fans of ''Mario Kart Wii''. Not only does ''Wii'' have the most retro courses in the Booster Course Pass at a grand total of 8, but many of the retro courses from other games are ones that also happened to be retro courses in ''Wii'' itself, including SNES Mario Circuit 3, DS Peach Gardens, GCN Waluigi Stadium, and GCN DK Mountain. By the end of the game's lifespan, combined with the three "Wii" stages included in the base game, only 5 out of 16 tracks from said game were unrepresented in ''Deluxe''.

* GrowingTheBeard: While the Booster Course Pass was always viewed as a great deal for its low price, the initial Golden Dash and Lucky Cat Cup courses consisted of near-direct ports from ''VideoGame/MarioKartTour'' with minimal concessions for the Switch's beefier graphics hardware, making them look extremely simplistic or even ugly next to the SceneryPorn of the original game -- 3DS Toad Circuit in particular looks quite crude, with untextured grass and basic lighting that some have compared to a fan-made model import. The Turnip and Propeller Cups were a step up visually, with more immersive lighting and greater use of textures and normal maps to add detail, though they still fell a bit short. But the BCP team ''really'' hit their stride starting with the Rock and Moon Cups; while the courses are still largely based on their ''Tour'' incarnations, many of them received drastic makeovers to take full advantage of the more powerful hardware. Tracks like DS Peach Gardens, Wii Maple Treeway, and 3DS Rainbow Road look especially spectacular. For many players, this was where the Booster Course Pass transitioned from "good deal with some caveats" to truly "worth it". As time went on, the expansion went on to provide additional benefits that were never hinted during its initial announcement, like item customization (in Wave 3), extra characters (from Wave 4 onward), and extra Mii costumes and a SoundTest (in Wave 6).

* PolishedPort: ''Mario Kart 8 Deluxe'' for the Platform/NintendoSwitch includes all the extra DLC content from the original version of the game, brings back the dual-slot items from ''Double Dash!!'', increases the game's resolution when the console is docked and fixes a minor framerate glitch from the original version, adds in a bunch of new battle modes that are much more like what you'd expect from the series, and adds local-wireless multiplayer for up to 8 players on as few as 4 Switches (since each unit can support up to two players in a local wireless game). On top of the above, Nintendo would later add new content such as Labo support, [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild Breath of the Wild Link and the Master Cycle Zero]], and the Booster Course Pass DLC, which adds an extra ''48'' courses to the port and eight more characters, giving it a massive edge over the original Wii U game in terms of pure content alone.

* AmericansHateTingle: Pink Gold Peach and the baby characters have a pretty big fanbase in Japan, while overseas, they're by and large (especially Pink Gold Peach; Metal Mario at least has precedent of being from a [[VideoGame/SuperMario64 beloved game]]) seen as uninspired clones that "steal" slots from more deserving characters.

* AwesomeEgo: Pauline's showiness first established in ''[[VideoGame/SuperMarioOdyssey Odyssey]]'' has reached full-blown AttentionWhore levels in this game, with her WaxingLyrical with lines from "Jump Up, Super Star" when being launched from a cannon or winning a race, and whipping out her stand microphone and [[GreatBallsOfFire pyrotechnics]] when performing a trick jump. But considering how likable of a character she's been since ''Odyssey'', it's hard to take all this as bad sportsmanship and more as pure joy, and it makes Pauline all the more fun to play as.

** Mario Circuit, which excellently showcases the game's characteristic antigravity feature with its Mobius strip layout. It's also on the game's Wii U box art.
** Water Park, which combines AmusementPark and DownTheDrain. Especially fun for fans of real water parks.
** Cloudtop Cruise, a course that takes place entirely in the clouds, with an airship section and a road through a thundercloud where bolts of lighting have to be avoided, set to an epic orchestral/rock score that quotes the famous Gusty Garden and Sky Station themes from the ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy'' series.
** Bowser's Castle, which has a giant Bowser golem that punches the track so hard it undulates, as well as a kickass electric guitar soundtrack.
** For many, the Star Cup is the best in the base game:
*** Sunshine Airport, a fun race around an active airport. It even has a segment where you race along a runway and glide up into the air, like an actual plane taking off.
*** Dolphin Shoals is a huge love letter to water-based levels of the whole Mario franchise, but what really sells it is its incredibly strong use of VariableMix: it starts out as an upbeat steel drum song, calms down into laid-back ambience when exploring the undersea caves, then exploding into ''astoundingly catchy'' jazz during the anti-gravity section. It only gets more awesome during the final lap where this rendition is played throughout the course.
*** Electrodrome, a high-tech racetrack that looks like it came from a rave party, with a kicking EDM soundtrack
*** Mount Wario, a race down a snowy mountain that feels like skiing, emerging from a giant helicopter onto the snowy summit, then through icy cliffs, an underground river, a hydroelectric dam, a pine forest, a slalom course, and finally a ski jump. It also happens to have one of the most acclaimed soundtracks in the game and the entire ''Mario'' franchise, seamlessly transitioning between sections to make it feel even more like a grand adventure.

*** [[VideoGame/FZero Mute City]] is one of the few courses that's fully in anti-gravity, on top of having a ton of boost panels to keep you going at top speed for the whole race.
*** Hyrule Circuit, a course which pays tribute to ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda''. Instead of coins, there are rupees to collect, and the familiar "item get" jingle plays when you get an item. There's even a part of the course where hitting three boosts in a row will reveal a shortcut and the "secret revealed" jingle.
*** Wild Woods has great [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic music]] and [[SceneryPorn scenery]], and a slide.
*** Animal Crossing, a course based off of the ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossing'' series of the same name, has bells to collect instead of coins, a stage that you can play on for any season at any potential time, and showcases the fun things from the franchise up until the track's official release, with its setting based off of ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossingNewLeaf''.
*** [[VideoGame/MarioKartSuperCircuit Ribbon Road]] has been reworked, and most agree it's for the better. You're [[ToyTime on a toy racetrack in a kid's bedroom]]. Beyond that, other course remakes from the base game and Wii U DLC largely embraced by fans include [[VideoGame/MarioKartDS Tick-Tock Clock]] (for staying faithful to the original while still giving it a heavy visual overhaul), [[VideoGame/MarioKartDS Wario Stadium]] (for being changed drastically with the additions of anti-gravity and underwater sections, which now makes it stand out from other Wario-themed courses in the series), [[VideoGame/MarioKartSuperCircuit GBA Mario Circuit]] (for its creative implementation of anti-gravity and the jazzy remix of its music), [[VideoGame/MarioKartWii Wario's Gold Mine]] (for being substantially less difficult than its original version), and [[VideoGame/MarioKartDoubleDash Baby Park]] (for retaining the anarchy of the original course, even ''more'' so when Double Item Boxes were reintroduced in ''Deluxe'', and making it seven laps again as opposed to only having five in ''DS'' and not feeling as chaotic there).
*** Big Blue combines elements of the aforementioned Mount Wario and Mute City, making for a tension-filled race that's exciting all the way through.

*** [[Franchise/{{Splatoon}} Urchin Underpass]], a battle course not only themed entirely after ''Splatoon'', but outright makes use of the exact arena from that game, albeit enlarged for ''Mario Kart 8 Deluxe''. Like with Hyrule Circuit and Animal Crossing, it features unique coins through ''Splatoon''[='=]s cash being used instead, uses the ability slot roulette sound effect for item boxes, features puddles of ink as obstacles of avoid, and has "Now or Never!" play in the final minute of the match instead of a sped-up version of "Splattack!", thus making the course a big love letter to Nintendo's big SleeperHit.

*** [[VideoGame/WiiSportsResort 3DS Wuhu Town]] comes back from ''7'', with the stage now being in HD and being set during daytime, thus allowing for the visual improvements to be made much more apparent. Like with GCN Luigi's Mansion, it also receives a remix of a completely different theme as opposed to the battle music from ''7'', that being a remix of the ''Wii Sports Resort'' theme (which received a previous arrangement for Wuhu Loop and Maka Wuhu in ''7'').

*** Sydney Sprint was the first city track to receive a wholly positive reception from players, mainly due to its great music, challenging but rewarding layout, and a much more vibrant atmosphere that helped separate it from Paris Promenade, Tokyo Blur, and New York Minute.
*** Berlin Byways is much more challenging than in ''Tour'', but that doesn't prevent it from being even more fun than it and its variants were before. Special mention goes to the Whomps, both because this is the only course in the series to feature Whomps as hazards despite their longevity... but also because ''[[CrossesTheLineTwice they're used to fill in gaps in the Berlin Wall]].''
*** Easily the most popular city track is Singapore Speedway. While it was already well-liked in ''Tour'', its remake in ''8 Deluxe'' updates the graphics and the lighting to make it a much prettier track than it was in ''Tour'', along with featuring an excellent remix of the course's music. What helps it stand out from the other city courses, however, is that the course is divided into sections after the first lap, with the final section beginning at the Gardens by the Bay, making it one of the only tracks in the game ''and the series'' to combine both overarching design ideas for tracks (laps and segments).
*** Athens Dash is often considered to be a top three city course, as it has an intricate layout with the hook of being set around the Acropolis, thus incorporating a variety of ruins into its design in unique ways that keep the course from feeling samey or boring. This also helps it get around the fatigue many feel regarding the oversaturation of cities, as the one brief urban segment of the course is built onto the roofs of traditional clay buildings instead of being on regular tarmac road. It also helps that, barring the Thwomps, nothing was lost in the transition from ''Tour'', nor were any odd design choices made, issues which plague most of the other city courses to some extent.

*** Vancouver Velocity was already a fan-favorite track in ''Tour'', being as well-liked as Singapore Speedway, and ''8 Deluxe'' makes it even better, it combines all its routes which results in a very varied circuit going through an autumn-phased forest, a unique long epic wooden pathway which now takes advantage of anti-gravity, a lively hockey stadium, and a colorful metropolis. It's a rare, yet welcoming example of a HailfirePeaks course in the ''Mario Kart'' series. Let alone the game, it's seen as one of the best track in the ''series''.
** Many of the Retro Tracks in the Booster Course Pass are just as great as they were before, with the return of fan-favorites such as [[VideoGame/MarioKart64 Choco Mountain, Kalimari Desert]], [[VideoGame/MarioKartDoubleDash Waluigi Stadium, Daisy Cruiser]], [[VideoGame/MarioKartDS Waluigi Pinball, Peach Gardens]], [[VideoGame/MarioKartWii Mushroom Gorge, Coconut Mall, DK Summit, Koopa Cape, Maple Treeway, Moonview Highway, Wii Rainbow Road]], and even [[VideoGame/MarioKart7 3DS Rainbow Road]]. In particular, Kalimari Desert now deviates midway through the second lap and ''actually'' lets you drive on the train tracks (which was something players were seen doing for years in ''Mario Kart 64''), Peach Gardens gets a retooled third lap where you drive through the course backwards, Waluigi Pinball retains its one-of-a-kind sound design (though its music track wasn't updated to match the newly updated Wario Stadium music track, despite having the same music track in ''Mario Kart DS''), Maple Treeway gets its half-pipes returned after they were removed from ''7'', DK Summit's shortcuts not only are still present but also improved by now allowing skilled racers pull them off without a Mushroom, and Waluigi Stadium gets a visual overhaul considered by many to be among the best in the Booster Course Pass. 3DS Rainbow Road keeps its unique three-sectioned layout (instead of the typical three-lap layout), now with even more gorgeous visuals and a beautiful remix of its soundtrack; it was seen as an excellent end to the first half of the Booster Course Pass, being the last track of the Moon Cup.
** Ninja Hideaway is far and away one of the most popular ''Tour'' picks among fans due to its intricate branching paths, wild turns, and incredible atmosphere that reflects the tricks and traps of a traditional Japanese castle perfectly.

** Wave 4 introduced a new course based on ''[[VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld2YoshisIsland Yoshi's Island]]'', and it is by ''far'' the most popular course in the Wave (which is no small feat, considering it comes with some of the more popular ''Tour'' courses, Wii DK Summit, and GCN Waluigi Stadium) -- and quite possibly the Booster Course Pass DLC as a whole. It's a NostalgiaLevel done ''incredibly'' well, with a downright astonishing level of attention to detail to capture as much of the game as the designers could, in what was an obvious labor of love. Even the intro and end-of-race themes get swapped out for the stage start and stage complete themes of the original game!

** Metal Mario is disliked by some people, because he is only a metal version of Mario with slightly heavier stats. Some people even hate his voice. That being said, [[AmericansHateTingle Japanese players]] and some ''VideoGame/SuperMario64'' and ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros64'' fans love him. Pink Gold Peach is also disliked for similar reasons, as are Tanooki Mario, Cat Peach, Gold Mario (who's a reskin for Metal Mario), and Peachette in the case of ''Deluxe''.
** In the Wii U version, Morton. Thanks to the way weight and acceleration classes interact with one another, [[ComplacentGamingSyndrome Morton is often considered the best character in the game with the right kart setup, often running circles around the competition]]. While some don't mind, especially with how interchangeable the Koopalings tend to be in other games they show up in, others despise Morton because of it, often citing him as ''8''[='=]s version of Funky Kong in ''VideoGame/MarioKartWii'', complete with the original version often being called ''Morton Kart 8''. Morton became less controversial in ''8 Deluxe'' when the buffs to other characters, especially with the mid-Booster Course Pass rebalancing, led to him being displaced by other heavyweight characters with equal or better acceleration and speed, such as Waluigi and Wiggler.

** Bowser, Dry Bowser, Wario, Morton, Roy, Waluigi, and heavy Miis are ubiquitously used for world-record Time Trial runs in ''8'' due to having the highest speed stat. Largely averted in normal racing, where the trade-off between speed and acceleration is more balanced than it was in previous titles, though the heavyweights still see plenty of use online (especially Morton and Waluigi). This was derailed by 200cc mode, which also outright rendered the "firehopping" technique completely useless -- due to the sheer speed, handling is ''vital'' for not falling off in 200cc, making lighter characters more useful. Top speed and acceleration doesn't exactly help when you're [[TooFastToStop too fast to actually stay on the track...]]

** From 2019/2020--early 2023, you'd be hard pressed to find an online lobby in ''Deluxe'' that doesn't contain at least one player using Waluigi on the Wild Wiggler with Azure Roller tires. This combination has a high top speed stat, a very high hidden Mini-Turbo (boost) stat, and handling and acceleration passable enough to adapt to the item-filled chaos. Donkey Kong and Roy also achieve the same stats as Waluigi with this combination, but take up more of the screen, which causes many players to ultimately settle on Waluigi. This combination was indirectly nerfed in the Wave 4 DLC by buffing most everything else.

** The Booster Course Pass tracks are heavily based on their equivalents in ''VideoGame/MarioKartTour'', but aren't direct imports -- while it's more noticeable in later courses, even the earlier ones have slightly more advanced lighting and some graphical updates. For example, the Toad balloons in 3DS Toad Circuit have fully modeled hands instead of fingerless "mittens". Likewise, their synthesized music is replaced by live performances from the Mario Kart Band.

** Berlin Byways has you passing the Berlin Wall, a melancholic monument to when Germany was divided after World War II... with Whomps filling in the gaps as obstacles to avoid. It's also filled with ''Mario''-themed graffiti.

** N64 Rainbow Road is a divisive remake. While the original was never anyone's favorite due to its absolutely insane length and lack of any geniune threat or challenge beyond the occasional roaming Chomp, the ''Mario Kart 8'' version somewhat overcorrects by not only shortening the track slightly, but reducing it to one lap with three sections.

** The Lucky Cat Cup is represented by the Lucky Bell, which is a symbol of good fortune in Japanese culture. Fittingly, Tokyo Blur and Ninja Hideaway are races in this cup.

** On N64 Yoshi Valley, due to the split paths of the maze, the Spiny Shell can occasionally go down the wrong lane and completely miss the player in first, causing it to take another lap to try and catch up. This can be a godsend if you're on your last lap, since it gives you time to finish the race before it catches up to you. Even better, if it takes too long to reach its target, it will ''despawn''.

** [[https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=mario+kart+8+sky+garden+music Many people came up with their own remixes for Sky Garden]] from ''VideoGame/MarioKartSuperCircuit''... and then Sky Garden was one of the courses released as part of the Booster Course Pass!
** In 2016, the official Twitter account for Nintendo UK posted [[https://twitter.com/nintendouk/status/738777798060482560 a screenshot]] of Toad and Wario crashing into Kalimari Desert's train in ''VideoGame/MarioKart64'' with the caption, "Good things come to those who wait. #[=MK8=]". Six years later, Kalimari Desert would be featured in Wave 2 of ''Deluxe'''s Booster Course Pass.

** Petey Piranha and Kamek were both heavily speculated to appear prior to their reveals; Kamek had [[WhatCouldHaveBeen previously been planned]] for both ''VideoGame/MarioKart64'' and ''8'', while Petey Piranha was originally from ''VideoGame/MarioKartDoubleDash'' and was planned for ''VideoGame/MarioKartWii''. Additionally, Petey Piranha received a course themed after him in ''Tour'' months before his reveal in ''8 Deluxe'' in the form of Piranha Plant Cove, which made him a prime target of speculation once it was announced that characters would be added in the Booster Course Pass.
** When new characters were revealed to be coming in the Booster Course Pass starting from Wave 4, everyone had the same 5 characters predicted; Kamek, Petey Piranha, Diddy Kong, Pauline, and Funky Kong. Lo and behold, by Wave 6, all 5 ended up in the game. Wiggler and Peachette on the other hand, [[UnexpectedCharacter not so much]].

** Many people guessed that Wii Rainbow Road would be the final course of the Booster Course Pass, due to the focus on ''Mario Kart Wii'', Rainbow Road's usual role as the last track of a ''Mario Kart'' game, and the base game's cups and the first half of the Pass all ending with a Rainbow Road course. Those who followed leaks came to the same conclusion, due to the final slot of the Spiny Cup being listed as a Wii course.

* ImprovedSecondAttempt: A common complaint about the game was that the Rainbow Roads, i.e., the newest one, N64 Rainbow Road, and SNES Rainbow Road, all made the rainbow look artificial. Wave 3 of the Booster Course Pass has 3DS Rainbow Road which, by contrast, features a rainbow that looks as though it's made of water (thus more like real rainbows). Yes, it looks as [[SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome gorgeous]] as it sounds. While Wii Rainbow Road appears to be made out of tiles of some sort, they have a shinier, more magical appearance than the LED-esque ones from the base game.

** GBA Sunset Wilds wasn't as oversimplified as Sky Garden, but still lacks most of the tricky zigzagging curves that made the original challenging, including the entire final segment of the course being reduced to a straight line. With the DancingBear that is the eponymous sunset no longer present, all of the course's flaws -- its flatness, short length, and rather generic layout -- are on full display, causing many players (even those who were fans of it before) to rank it as, if not one of the game's worst, then at least one of its most disappointing.

** The new Rainbow Road, while being three laps, is seen as {{anticlima|x}}ctically short by some players, likely due to being the [[ToughActToFollow follow-up]] to ''Mario Kart 7''[='s=] much-beloved Rainbow Road.
* ItsTheSameNowItSucks: While fans were ecstatic to see DS Waluigi Pinball return, there was some minor disappointment aimed at the fact that it uses the pre-existing rearrangement of DS Wario Stadium instead of using a new arrangement. While this was also the case in ''Mario Kart DS'', given that all of the courses up to Waluigi Pinball have had new arrangements (even in cases like Sweet Sweet Mountain and Sweet Sweet Kingdom, which used the same song but with a unique arrangement on each), on top of the rearrangement for DS Wario Stadium being specifically made with Wario and his traits in mind, some fans wish they crafted a new arrangement that fitted better with Waluigi Pinball in mind and to keep the new music trend going. With the Booster Course Pass content completed, the decision would come across extra egregious since Waluigi Pinball is the only course among 103 others in the game to directly re-use a song from another course.

** The various ''VideoGame/MarioKart64'' motifs, like the final lap jingle, confirmation sounds, trophy presentation, and characters shouting clips from previous games, like Luigi shouting "Bingo!" when he nails someone.

** The Spiny Shell sound when you're not in the lead (and manage to avoid getting hit by it on its way).

** ''8 Deluxe'' isn't the first ''Mario Kart'' game to have auto-accelerate; that feature was first introduced in ''VideoGame/MarioKartArcadeGP DX'' as a feature intended for players incapable of reaching the pedals (such as sufficiently young children).

* {{Padding}}: With the ''Deluxe'' version, the game has the largest roster of any ''Mario Kart'' game to date, with 42 characters pre-DLC and 48 post. However, among these are all seven Koopalings, five baby versions of other characters, and Metal and Tanooki/Cat versions of Mario and Peach. Some players felt these made the roster feel only superficially big, especially with popular EnsembleDarkhorse characters from previous games like Diddy Kong, Funky Kong, and Wiggler not initially making the cut for this one (although all of them would return in the Booster Course Pass), and Baby Rosalina and Pink Gold Peach being created specifically for this game. Adding to that, all 42 characters included with the base game are available from the go in the ''Deluxe'' version, making some players feel decision fatigue at the sheer number of choices available.
* PanderingToTheBase: Most of the track selections in the Booster Course Pass, barring those from ''64'', ''Super Circuit'', ''7'', and ''Tour'', are tailor-made to pander to fans of ''Mario Kart Wii''. Not only does ''Wii'' have the most retro courses in the Booster Course Pass at a grand total of 8, but many of the retro courses from other games are ones that also happened to be retro courses in ''Wii'' itself, including SNES Mario Circuit 3, DS Peach Gardens, GCN Waluigi Stadium, and GCN DK Mountain.
* PolishedPort: ''Mario Kart 8 Deluxe'' for the Platform/NintendoSwitch, which includes all the extra DLC content from the original version of the game, brings back the dual-slot items from ''Double Dash!!'', increases the game's resolution when the console is docked and fixes a minor framerate glitch from the original version, adds in a bunch of new battle modes that are much more like what you'd expect from the series, and adds local-wireless multiplayer for up to 8 players on as few as 4 Switches (since each unit can support up to two players in a local wireless game). On top of the above, Nintendo would later add new content such as Labo support, [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild Breath of the Wild Link and the Master Cycle Zero]], and the Booster Course Pass DLC, which adds an extra ''48'' courses to the port and eight more characters, giving it a massive edge over the original Wii U game in terms of pure content alone.

** The announcement that the Koopalings got into ''Smash Bros. for [=3DS & Wii U=]'' as alternate costumes while Bowser Jr. still didn't get into the [=DLC=]s for ''Mario Kart 8'' left many Bowser Jr. fans livid at the Koopalings. Thankfully, this was alleviated when Bowser Jr. was added to the ''Deluxe'' edition for the Switch.

** Finishing a Grand Prix in the 150cc engine class now automatically counts as finishing the same cup in lower engine classes, awarding you the appropriate trophy and stars for all of them. No more [[FakeLongevity wasting time completing Grand Prix again in 50cc and 100cc]] just for OneHundredPercentCompletion! Mirror Mode and 200cc do not count, however, so you will still have to go through them separately.

** The tulip field in Tour Amsterdam Drift did not see any model updates (unlike, say, DS Peach Gardens, which largely swapped ''Tour'' flower models for HD ones from ''8'') drew a lot of scrutiny for just how rough the copy-pasted low-poly models look, particularly on a system that can deliver far better.

** This was the closest ''VideoGame/FZero'' fans got to a new game during the extreme SequelGap between ''VideoGame/FZeroGX'' and ''VideoGame/FZero99''. The extra downloadable content helps: Mute City, Big Blue, and the Blue Falcon vehicle in the DLC Packs, a Captain Falcon amiibo racing suit, and a lightning-fast 200cc mode.

** The defining gimmick of GBA Sunset Wilds -- the sun setting and night falling -- was axed in its Booster Course Pass iteration. This greatly soured opinions on the course, with many feeling like its slot was wasted as a result (especially since this iteration being based on the remake featured in ''Mario Kart Tour'', which ''does'' feature the sunset).

* WinBackTheCrowd: Satoru Iwata believed that ''Mario Kart 8'' would be the game that would help the struggling Wii U boost in sales. [[http://www.polygon.com/2014/6/11/5801862/mario-kart-8-wii-u-sales It worked to an extent]], but not well enough to keep the console from going down as a failure for the company. It fared better on the Switch, becoming its best-selling game with over ''43 million'' units sold by the end of December 2021; it ended up surpassing ''VideoGame/MarioKartWii'' as the best-selling game in the series, and by extension the best-selling racing game ''of all time''.

* AmericansHateTingle: Metal Mario, Pink Gold Peach, and the baby characters have a pretty big fanbase in Japan, while overseas, they're by and large (especially Pink Gold Peach, as Metal Mario has precedent of being from a [[VideoGame/SuperMario64 beloved game]]) seen as uninspired clones that "steal" slots from more deserving characters.

** Unlike in ''Wii'' and ''7'', Rosalina's base shattered due to her being overused online and overshadowing the other Cruiserweight characters. This is on top of her new, Peach-like voice and having a baby version of herself as a part of ''8''[='=]s roster.
** The non-''Mario'' characters ([[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda Link]], [[VideoGame/AnimalCrossing Villager, Isabelle]], and in ''Deluxe'', the [[Franchise/{{Splatoon}} Inklings]]) have been welcomed with open arms by many fans who find it neat to see such a {{crossover}} outside of ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'', with some even expressing that ''Mario Kart'' should become the kart racing equivalent of that series. Others dislike that these beloved Nintendo characters seem to have come at the expense of beloved ''Mario'' characters and roster veterans, particularly in the Wii U version which lacks Diddy Kong, Bowser Jr., and Dry Bones (though they would all be added back in ''Deluxe'', the latter two in the base game and Diddy via the Booster Course Pass). The non-''Mario'' characters were also DLC in the Wii U release, while the {{Decomposite Character}}s continued to fill the roster even via DLC. Meanwhile, still others are upset that despite the emphasis on ''VideoGame/FZero'' in this game (two racetracks and the return of the Blue Falcon vehicle from ''Mario Kart Wii''), Captain Falcon is nowhere to be seen as a playable character. (He does have a Mii costume unlocked by scanning his Toys/{{amiibo}} figure, but that's not a lot of comfort.)

* ContestedSequel: Few will call ''Mario Kart 8'' a bad game, with many considering it one of the best ''Mario Kart'' games (especially the ''[[PolishedPort Deluxe]]'' UpdatedRerelease, which is considered the definitive version for its improvements and expansions to the highly underwhelming Battle Mode from the original, various [=QoL=] enhancements, and many new characters and tracks in both the base game and its Booster Course Pass DLC), with many loving the [[SceneryPorn amazing HD graphics]], the imaginative track design, the DLC, and the [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic great soundtrack once again]]. Many of these fans consider it ''the'' best ''Mario Kart'' game so far. However, other aspects like the initial character roster, the initial Battle Mode, various [[ScrappyMechanic mechanics]] and [[BrokenBase gameplay aspects]] of the game, and the fans' impression that it replaced ''F-Zero'' due to its similar use of anti-gravity are a lot more controversial. This extends to its ''Deluxe'' version, as some would have preferred a brand-new ''Mario Kart'' for the Switch instead of a port with content that easily could have been added to the Wii U version[[note]]although with Nintendo deeming the Wii U system a complete failure and discontinuing it right as the Switch was coming out in 2017, it was only natural that ''8'' would get ported over to the Switch[[/note]].

* EnsembleDarkhorse:
** Waluigi. Many were sad when he was omitted in ''7''. But he was one of the first characters announced to be returning in ''8'', making his fans very happy.
** The Koopalings. They've been popular with fans since their introduction, and now they are all finally playable, much to the fans' delight. [[RealMenWearPink Roy]] in particular is popular among fans (through Morton later became much more divisive thanks to his status as a a HighTierScrappy).
** Metal Mario, particularly among the Japanese, ''VideoGame/SuperMario64'', and ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' fans. Pink Gold Peach isn't so lucky in this regard due to lacking said precedent, however.
** After the first DLC pack was released, online matches became practically flooded with Link players. They rival the number of Rosalina players (and happen to have similar stats as well, being Cruiser-weight).
** The ''Animal Crossing'' characters joined Link after the release of the second DLC pack. It's very hard to come across an online race that doesn't have at least two Isabelles or Villagers. Of course, it helps that Isabelle was a popular character to begin with.
** As of ''Deluxe'', the Inklings were also tightly embraced by the ''Mario Kart'' community.

* NintendoHard: ''Deluxe'' elevates 200cc into this. Namely, the AI is now an actual threat due to ''Deluxe'' fixing the ArtificialStupidity problem from the original[[note]]On the Wii U, 200cc still uses 150cc AI, causing them to crash and fall off constantly[[/note]]. This on top of how difficult 200cc already is.

** Shroom Ridge wasn't hated in ''Mario Kart DS'', but it was generally considered to be one of the weaker and less interesting courses when compared to the likes of [[VideoGame/SuperMario64 Tick-Tock Clock]] or [[VideoGame/SuperMarioBros3 Airship Fortress]], and especially since it also served as a bit of a DisappointingLastLevel in the DS Flower Cup due to it immediately following other fan-favorites such as [[VideoGame/SuperMarioSunshine Delfino Square]] and [[PinballZone Waluigi Pinball]]. Its inclusion in the Booster Course Pass for ''Deluxe'' resulted in it gaining a new lease on life, as well as a stellar [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic remix of its music]].

** Riverside Park and Boo Lake from ''Super Circuit'' generally tended to be overlooked by their more difficult and unique counterparts in their original game, Lakeside Park and Broken Pier respectively. Their versions in ''Deluxe'' both reuse ''Tour''[='=]s already well-received remakes of them, but now with Boo Lake's underwater portion being in anti-gravity, Riverside Park receiving one of the strongest visual upgrades of any Booster Course Pass track and marking the debut of Ptooies in the ''Mario Kart'' series as obstacles on the course, and both tracks receiving excellent rearrangements of their music.

* SpiritualAdaptation:

** Fans of ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles'' quickly noted that Wild Woods looks quite similar to Frontier Village, and like to think of it as an unofficial ''Xenoblade'' course.

** This game's incarnation of Bowser's Castle is also fiendishly difficult due to its back-to-back use of obstacles and its overall treacherous track design. [[BestLevelEver Not that everybody complains about it, though.]]

** Wii Grumble Volcano is back and trickier than ever, with narrow paths over lava after the first lap and lots of sharp turns coupled with large elevation changes.

** Super Bell Subway. It already has a multitude of unexpected guard rails, but the subway trains are what really make this course difficult. Unlike the cars on N64 Toad's Turnpike, the trains are ''huge'', and they appear in the narrowest parts of the track.

* SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome: ''8'' may have the most gorgeous visuals of the franchise thanks to the Platform/WiiU's improved graphics. Even racetracks from past games are almost unrecognizable from their original appearances. It's especially notable with ones from ''Wii'' and ''7''. It's hard to believe how much different Moo Moo Meadows looks after only one generation, for example. And that's before getting into all the background details that were added, especially those added to GCN Baby Park. ''Deluxe'' takes this even further and makes them look better than they did on the Wii U. Even though the Booster Course Pass' visuals received mixed reception during the DLC's early life, later tracks received acclaim for their visual presentation, in particular 3DS Rainbow Road, with its rainbow track looking as though it's made of water like real rainbows are, and the players and track designs having their shadows cast on the planets like an eclipse. Other standouts include DS Waluigi Pinball, GBA Snow Land, Wii Maple Treeway, DS Peach Gardens, GBA Riverside Park, Wii DK Summit, GCN Waluigi Stadium, Tour Singapore Speedway, GCN Daisy Cruiser, Wii Moonview Highway, Tour Vancouver Velocity, Tour Rome Avanti, SNES Bowser Castle 3, and Wii Rainbow Road.

** [[Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog "Gotta go fast!"]] is often used to describe 200cc. Many have snarked that the brake button is finally useful for once. There's evem an unlockable Sonic amiibo suit. The "Two speeds: Fast and WAY TOO FAST!" line from the original ''Super Mario Kart''[='=]s commercial is also used in the same context.

** FridgeHorror as it might be, there's something [[BlackComedy oddly humorous]] about the prospect of using [[ActionBomb Bob-ombs]] in [[MistakenForTerrorist Sunshine Airport, Super Bell Subway, Coconut Mall, or a city course, especially New York Minute]].

** FridgeHorror as it might be, there's something [[BlackComedy oddly humorous]] about the prospect of using [[ActionBomb Bob-ombs]] in [[MistakenForTerrorist Sunshine Airport, Super Bell Subway, Coconut Mall, or a city course]].

** Upon the Super Horn's reveal, many have claimed the Spiny Shell's "tyranny" is over at long last, which is kind of true: while it can destroy any Shell if used at the right time, and it can be picked up by the race leader, it's also quite rare to come by.

** "Woomy on a Vroomy", upon the announcement that [[Franchise/{{Splatoon}} Inklings]] would be playable in ''Deluxe''.

** The Red Shell has been made [[GameBreaker needlessly broken]] in the game, to the point it can be even more lethal than a Spiny Shell in certain circumstances. Unlike in the previous installments where the Red Shell would take the most direct route to the racer ahead of the user, it now follows the track to reach the player ahead. This makes it ''sound'' less reliable, except that this means it can now veer its way around track obstacles, making its homing properties that much more accurate. Despite it no longer taking the necessarily fastest route, it locks onto its target at a fixed speed that is much faster than the average driving speed, causing it to be a recurring nuisance. It will even follow its target into the air to hi tthem during glider segments or cannon shots. Granted, items can still deflect them, but with the return of the Coin item from ''Super Mario Kart'', there's no longer a guarantee of gaining a defense mechanism against Red Shells, which will most likely lead to a chain reaction of them hitting you over and over.

** The Red Shell has been made [[GameBreaker needlessly broken]] in the game, to the point it can be even more lethal than a Spiny Shell in certain circumstances. Unlike in the previous installments where the Red Shell would take the most direct route to the racer ahead of the user, it now follows the track to reach the player ahead. This makes it ''sound'' less reliable, except that this means it can now veersits way around track obstacles, making its homing properties that much more accurate. Despite it no longer taking the necessarily fastest route, it locks onto its target at a fixed speed that is much faster than the average driving speed, causing it to be a recurring nuisance. It will even follow its target into the air to hi tthem during glider segments or cannon shots. Granted, items can still deflect them, but with the return of the Coin item from ''Super Mario Kart'', there's no longer a guarantee of gaining a defense mechanism against Red Shells, which will most likely lead to a chain reaction of them hitting you over and over.

** FridgeHorror as it might be, there's something [[BlackComedy oddly humorous]] about the prospect of using [[ActionBomb Bob-Ombs]] in [[MistakenForTerrorist Sunshine Airport, Super Bell Subway, Coconut Mall, or a city course]].

** Riverside Park and Boo Lake from ''Super Circuit'' generally tended to be overlooked by their more difficult and unique counterparts in their original game, Lakeside Park and Broken Pier respectively. Their versions in ''Deluxe'' both reuse ''Tour''[='=]s already well-received remakes of them, but now with Boo Lake's underwater portion being in anti-gravity, Riverside Park receiving one of the strongest visual upgradse of any Booster Course Pass track and marking the debut of Ptooies in the ''Mario Kart'' series as obstacles on the course, and both tracks receiving excellent rearrangements of their music.

** With in-game vehicles being able to move on land, underwater or through the air, this feels like the closest fans will get to a sequel to ''VideoGame/DiddyKongRacing'', even though the title character was absence until the final wave of the Booster Course Pass.

** Bangkok Rush was criticized by some ''Mario Kart Tour'' players for stripping out many of the unique elements of the course present in that game. In particular, the boats with bouncy canopies are no longer accessible to drivers, the Ink Piranha Plants have been replaced by completely harmless Piranha Plants like those in N64 Royal Raceway, and the unique cars on the road like tuk-tuks with bouncy roofs were stripped out and replaced with Sidesteppers. Other changes made to the track make for some... peculiar design choices, like changing the railway market to not have a wooden plank leading up to the left side, but leaving the one on the right side -- which still allows access to the canopies on the left in a much less elegant fashion. However, Bangkok Rush is still generally regarded as one of the better city tracks in the game because the overall layout is still one of the most complex and creative in the entire lineup.

** While the hate for Baby Daisy hsa died down over the years, Baby Rosalina is despised by many fans as she was made just for this game and [[{{Retcon}} jeopardizes]] Rosalina's actual past self according to ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy''[[note]]Technically, they can coexist since Baby Rosalina is [[CaptainObvious a baby]], while Rosalina's past self is a little girl. However, some fans are nonetheless worried that Nintendo will start treating Baby Rosalina as the "true" younger version of Rosalina, retconning her backstory as was revealed in ''Super Mario Galaxy'', especially seeing as the storybook shows her with strawberry blonde hair while Baby Rosalina has the same platinum blonde hair as her adult self[[/note]].

*** The prefix leak had made it obvious there’d be only 2 Wii tracks in the final 2 waves. Thus, almost nobody predicted Moonview Highway to appear in Wave 5, especially since there was no leaks including it at all prior to its reveal. Theories regarding its inclusion range from it replacing GCN Mushroom Bridge mid-development as part of a larger series of changes regarding course order to it replacing one of the blank course slots (which it did, as it is labelled as "Cnsw_63" in the game's files) or even Wii's Rainbow Road (which would be proven wrong when it was revealed to be coming in the final wave).

** Much like previous ''Mario Kart''s, audience members in bleachers are 2D sprite animations placed on top of invisible vectors. Since they're usually far off in the background, this tends to not be noticeable... except in Tour Sydney Sprint, where they're within arm's reach inside of the Sydney Opera House, making their low-quality renders and few frames of animation ''very'' prominent. This can also be seen inside of Rogers Arena in Tour Vancouver Velocity, though to a lesser degree due to the more open layout. While this was also the case in the ''Mario Kart Tour'' version of the courses, this visual flub is much more pronounced when viewed on a modern television instead of a dinky phone or tablet screen. On the other hand, the 3D spectators the game has scattered around the sides of the tracks are ''way'' out of scale compared to the racers. It's incredibly weird to be loading in the next race and see a Toad that's three times bigger than Bowser standing on the sidelines.

** Much like previous ''Mario Kart''s, audience members in bleachers are 2D sprite animations placed on top of invisible vectors. Since they're usually far off in the background, this tends to not be noticeable... except in Tour Sydney Sprint, where they're within arm's reach inside of the Sydney Opera House, making their low-quality renders and few frames of animation ''very'' prominent. This can also be seen inside of Rogers Arena in Tour Vancouver Velocity, though to a lesser degree due to the more open. While this was also the case in the ''Mario Kart Tour'' version of the courses, this visual flub is much more pronounced when viewed on a modern television instead of a dinky phone or tablet screen. On the other hand, the 3D spectators the game has scattered around the sides of the tracks are ''way'' out of scale compared to the racers. It's incredibly weird to be loading in the next race and see a Toad that's three times bigger than Bowser standing on the sidelines.

** GBA Sunset Wilds wasn't as oversimplified as Sky Garden , but still lacks most of the tricky zigzagging curves that made the original challenging, including the entire final segment of the course being reduced to a straight line. With the DancingBear that is the eponymous sunset no longer present, all of the course's flaws -- its flatness, short length, and rather generic layout -- are on full display, causing many players (even those who were fans of it before) to rank it as, if not one of the game's worst, then at least one of its most disappointing.