The Mario Kart series is no longer bound by the constraints of the Mario-verse. With Mario Kart 8's downloadable content, the franchise is plucking the best from Nintendo's other series: The Legend of Zelda, Animal Crossing, F-Zero and — as Nintendo shows in a new trailer for Mario Kart 8 — Excitebike.
The Excitebike Arena course is part of the first batch of Mario Kart 8 DLC, which hits Wii U in November. The course will have randomized ramps and speed boosts, the location of which changes every time you play (with the exception of Time Trials).
Mario Kart 8's first pack of DLC adds Link (and his sweet custom motorcycle), cat-suit Peach and tanooki-suit Mario as playable characters. In total, the pack adds four vehicles and eight tracks. A second DLC pack, which includes Animal Crossing's Villager, Isabelle from Animal Crossing: New Leaf and Dry Bowser, hits in May.
For more on Mario Kart 8, check out Polygon's review.
