Wave 3 brings a more exciting mix of new tracks that add freshness and thrills to the game. Among the standout additions are London Loop from the Tour, Boo Lake from GBA, Alpine Pass/Rock Rock Mountain from 3DS, Maple Treeway from Wii, Berlin Byways from Tour, Peach Gardens from DS, Merry Mountain from Tour, and 3DS Rainbow Road. Despite the absence of ghost-themed tracks in this wave, Boo Lake shines as a fun choice, with the addition of water physics and anti-gravity mechanics making it a delight to race on. Alpine Pass, while not graphically impressive, still offers an enjoyable experience, thanks to its anti-gravity sections. Maple Treeway, originally from Mario Kart Wii, would have been a fitting addition to the Acorn Cup due to its reintroduction of halfpipes, adding an extra layer of excitement to races. In an alternate scenario where Maple Treeway launched in Wave 6, Moonview Highway would have taken its place, switching positions with Peach Gardens, which moved to the Rock Cup. Peach Gardens, though visually impressive, loses some of its original complexity in path choices, but the Booster Course Pass remake spices things up by having the final lap go in the opposite direction. However, the real showstopper of this wave is 3DS Rainbow Road. It not only impresses with its graphics but also introduces anti-gravity mechanics, making it a true highlight. Nintendo's choice to include these tracks in the last 3DS wave (or so we thought until Wave 6) was a wise one.

Gameplay: 8
Track Choices: 8
Graphics: 8

Wave 3 Score: 8/10

Even better than the last one. The inclusion of fan favorites like Maple Treeway, Peach Gardens, and 3DS Rainbow Road really goes a long way, especially considering how the visuals continue to improve. Boo Lake is also a welcome update, especially after last wave’s Mario Circuit 3. It’s weird to me how the GBA courses get the cool glow ups while the SNES courses appear to remain bland and flat. But anyways, while Rock Rock Mountain is probably the weakest looking track visually, it’s at least a fun track conceptually and implements antigravity well enough, not to mention it and London Loop both have really kickass guitar themes. Speaking of music, Berlin Byways probably has one of my favorite music tracks in the whole game. Like before, this wave still has some problems. Merry Mountain, while visually pretty, is a bit boring layout wise, and I still think the visuals could stand to use a bit more of an upgrade, but regardless, it’s still great to see these waves continue to improve!

Wave 3 was a step in the right direction for the Booster Course Pass with courses that I all really like. Maple Treeway and Peach Gardens were fun to revisit and see the changes made to them, Merry Mountain was a cool little track (no pun intended), and 3DS Rainbow Road was the best one out of the entire selection for me, no contest

They also brought back the half-pipe mechanic from Mario Kart Wii, but it doesn't feel as satisfying to pull off a trick as it once was

Still a good wave though

London Loop - your typical Tour track. pretty decent, and i love the inclusion of the chain chomps. of course the gimmick of the changing track is cool, but even that can’t save this mediocre track

Boo Lake - now this is good. i love that they took the water being hazard and just threw you straight into it. and ofc the atmosphere will always be perfect on these types of levels

Rock Rock Mountain - decent course, nothing really to talk about here other than the ending which was fun. not abhorrent but nothing to write home about

Maple Treeway - absolute classic remade beautifully for MK8. have always loved the atmosphere in this track and while it is sad they removed jerk off bridge, this remake is still great

Berlin Byways - definitely one of the better Tour tracks, but at the end of the day, it’s still a Tour track. the music is CRAZY on this one tho, those snare rolls are insane coming from Mario Kart lmfao

Peach Gardens - another classic remade beautifully. not much added new for MK8 other than near the end from what i can tell, but this is still a great addition

Merry Mountain - while i do understand the complaints with the course design people have with this, i personally don’t think it’s that bad. the visuals are absolutely stunning and due to me being such a sucker for snowy/winter-themed anything, this is a definite highlight for me


Rainbow Road - absolutely stunning both visually and sonically. the sound design and music is rly great in this one, all culminating to create an icy, magical trip through space. seriously, i can imagine what the road tastes like. a great closer for the best wave thus far.

that being said, none of these waves have been quite “great” yet. i’m still waiting for one to absolutely knock it out of the park

Qualitywise this one goes right in between waves 1 and 2. Not as solid as 2 but not as bad as 1. Peach gardens and 3DS rainbow road got pretty nice glowups, the city courses are boring as always, merry mountain, boo lake, and rock rock mountain are a bit bland, and they kinda did maple treeway dirty. I wish maple treeway could have gotten a full fledged remake of the course like a real mario kart 8 course rather than the half glow up it got that just makes it look kinda sad. Overall these booster waves are just kinda okay

De longe a Wave 3 é a melhor, uma excelente seleção de pistas, Maple Treeway ficou bem bonita e o remix é bem diferente do original, Rainbow Road do 7 só ficou melhor ainda, definitivamente minha Rainbow Road favorita junta com a do Wii, Peach Gardens possui uma terceira volta super interessante, ao invés de repetir as voltas anteriores, começamos pelo fim e terminamos no começo, Merry Mountain é simples mas bem legal (pra uma pista do Tour ficou extremamente LINDA), Berlin Byways e London Loop são ótimas pistas de cidade, Boo Lake ficou INCRÍVEL, por algum motivo eu sinto que o Boo Lake virou o novo Ghost Valley 2 do Mario Kart Wii, Rock Rock Mountain é boa mas comparado com as outras pistas foi a mais fraca.

Não faz parte da Wave 3 mas teve o Update da versão 2.2.0 que deixa você customizar os itens, acho que poderia ter sido adicionado antes mas ainda assim ficou bem divertido e engraçado com partidas que só podemos usar o Spiny Shell.