As expected, a mixed bag: yes you've got Tour Paris Promenade (a new classic), GBA Sky Garden is brisk and pretty, Toad Circuit is a perfectly fine starter course, and Shroom Ridge remains underrated as fuck. But you've also got the weakest version of Coconut Mall which just makes you wish you could play the 3DS or Wii versions, a completely bastardized N64 Choco Mountain, Ninja Hideaway is alright I guess but I'm sorry Tour Tokyo Blur just feels mid to me. And as everybody else has all rightfully mentioned, this looked mostly like crap when it came out compared to the base game - and even though I'm glad they were cleaned up a bit since then I still think Tour's visuals are really unappealing even when upscaled here. Still fun to race on most of these tracks but it's a shaky start.

Yikes what a letdown. After 5 years of nothting, the first thing we get is low quality ports of tracks from Tour. And I must empathize low quality. Tracks like Toad Circuit and Shroom Ridge (visually at least) look like actual play-dough, and while others like Paris Promenade and Choco Mountain look alright, they’re still a far cry from the look of the base game. Not to mention that Coconut Mall got nerfed big time. Ninja Hideaway is a really fun track, but It can’t carry the rest of the tracks for me unfortunately. On the bright side, the music still kicks ass, especially that Shroom Ridge remix, but otherwise, this first wave left a lot to be desired.

Wave 1 of the Booster Course Pass in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe offers a solid start to the DLC experience. This wave brings a mix of classic and modern tracks to the game, featuring courses like Paris Promenade from Tour, Toad Circuit from 3DS, Choco Mountain from N64, Coconut Mall from Wii, Tokyo Blur from Tour, Shroom Ridge from DS, Sky Garden from GBA, and Ninja Hideaway from Tour. Each track offers an enjoyable racing experience, though some missed opportunities are evident. In particular, the absence of anti-gravity sections in Coconut Mall's ramp area and Sky Garden leaves players craving for the added thrill of these unique features. While the track selection is generally decent, it could have been improved by swapping out Toad Circuit for Shy Guy Bazaar due to minor texturing issues in Toad Circuit, and replacing Shroom Ridge with Luigi's Mansion to maintain diversity within the Booster Course Pass, especially with Moonview Highway's inclusion later in the pass.

One noteworthy aspect of this wave is the graphics, which, while not terrible, do leave room for improvement. Texturing issues make some of the tracks feel like they were copied and pasted from Mario Kart Tour, failing to match the high standards set by the base game. As a result, the overall experience is slightly compromised, and the tracks don't quite live up to the visual excellence of the original game.

Wave 1 Score: 6.6/10