The latest Nintendo Direct from this month turned out to be chock full of surprises for the fans. From the much-awaited Xenoblade Chronicles 3 to Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes, several fandoms saw their passion reignited after updates on their favorite franchises. And Mario found himself at the center of attention at the February Direct, as Nintendo’s mascot got not one, but two announcements detailing his upcoming titles.

The legacy franchise, Mario Strikers, is returning in a big way with ‘Battle League’. Releasing on June 10.

However, the most hyped Mario title had to be the seminal franchise Mario Kart. The community has awaited an update on Mario Kart 9 for a while now, so hopes were high going into the Direct. But much to their surprise, though they got a Mario Kart update, it wasn’t the one they were expecting.

Nintendo: the jury’s out on Mario Kart 8 surprise

Nintendo announced a massive update for the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, an almost five-year-old title on the Switch. The racing game will soon receive a DLC pack that will double the total number of tracks in the game. The Booster Course Pass would add a whopping 48 new tracks to the game. These courses are remastered versions of older tracks from the franchise, but with one significant difference.

The announced tracks seem to be graphical downgrades from the quality of tracks in the base Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. And fans noticed the stark difference in visual fidelity becomes even more noticeable when compared side-by-side to the existing tracks.

READ MORE- Massive Issue Could Derail Nintendo’s Massive Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Announcement

People are not happy. And many players are taking to Twitter to voice their opinions.

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This user believes gamers may never see a Mario Kart 9 as the series takes a page out of Rockstar Studio’s books.

That would sting.

The perfect meme-storm.

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Players can’t bring themselves to praise the DLC.

However, some have found a silver lining.

In conclusion, the hype has settled down since its first reveal in the Direct, as the Booster Course Pass has become a source of consternation for the fanbase. Notably, some fans remain hopeful about the visuals receiving an update before the first wave releases on March 18. But most fans seem to be apathetic towards the update.

What are your thoughts? Tell us in the comments below.