Editor's take: Nintendo as part of its most recent Direct presentation highlighted new content heading to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Metroid Dread and Nintendo Switch Online. While it's encouraging to see Nintendo continue to support Mario Kart 8 Deluxe long after its launch, some fans were no doubt hoping for a brand new entry in the series.
The Booster Course Pass for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe will consist of six waves of content drops, each featuring eight remastered courses from previous Mario Kart games. This works out to 48 additional courses coming to the game by the end of 2023 that can be played locally and online.
Nintendo isn't yet sharing the full list of tracks, but said gamers can expect to see Choco Mountain, Tokyo Blur and Coconut Mall in the first wave.
The Booster Course Pass will be available to Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack members as the content is released. Non-subscribers will have the option to purchase the Booster Course Pass separately for $24.99.
Nintendo also announced it has added two new difficulty options to Metroid Dread. Rookie Mode increases health gained from items and decreases damage from bosses, while Dread Mode is essentially a one-hit-kill mode for those seeking a true test of their skills.
A planned update for April will add Boss Rush Mode, in which you'll face a gauntlet of bosses from the game to see how quickly you can take them down.
Elsewhere, Nintendo added classic RPGs EarthBound Beginnings and EarthBound to Nintendo Switch Online.
EarthBound Beginnings was originally released as Mother in Japan in 1989 for the Famicom. It wouldn't arrive in the US until 2015 for the Wii U Virtual Console, but its sequel - Mother 2: Gīgu no Gyakushū, or simply EarthBound - hit the SNES in 1995 and quickly became a fan favorite. A third game in the series, Mother 3, launched in Japan in 2006 for the Game Boy Advance but has never been translated to English.
The full Nintendo Direct presentation lasted more than 40 minutes and can be viewed below.