Nearly half of the Wii U's 7.29 million owners have purchased Mario Kart 8, which by September's end, had sold 3.49 million copies, according to Nintendo's latest earnings report.

Naturally, the company is now looking to extract additional revenue from its successful kart racer's sizable player base. So far, Nintendo has announced two packs of paid downloadable content, with the first bundle going live Wednesday, November 13, and the second batch arriving in May 2015.

But on an eShop where consumers' $8 can also buy timeless, full-length masterworks like Link to the Past, Super Metroid, Super Castlevania IV, Contra III, et al., it's tough to recommend exchanging those eight bucks for a grab bag of mostly mediocre add-ons.

Nintendo clearly didn't listen to fans' feedback after Mario Kart 8's May release, because this first edition of DLC makes the same mistake of using too many reskinned models and not enough unique characters. It makes no sense to build a speedy Mute City course and a sleek Blue Falcon machine without also creating that car's driver, Captain Falcon. Likewise, gaining big air in the bumpy Excitebike Arena would feel even better if gamers could actually use the Famicom-colored Excitebike rider. Instead, Nintendo is asking players to pay for Raccoon Mario and Cat Peach, despite the fact that Mario Kart 8 already includes Baby Mario, Metal Mario, Baby Peach, and Pink Gold Peach on its default roster.

Link's clunky Master Cycle is equally disappointing, as I'd rather see the Hylian hero riding his actual steed, Epona, instead of some metal sports bike covered in blue armor. If Daytona USA can have a real horse racing alongside motor vehicles, why can't Mario Kart? Nintendo could have improved Link's lackluster appearance by letting him utilize some of his signature equipment, such as shooting arrows instead of tossing turtle shells, having up-close sword slashes replace the portable piranha plant, or simply playing the Song of Storms and adding a rain shower to his lighting strikes.

While Link's grassy homeland of Hyrule does make a great setting for a race track (as do the aforementioned Excitebike and F-Zero worlds), the five other DLC courses are comparatively dull. Of the many levels Nintendo could have pulled from Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, Yoshi Circuit's sharp corners and bland backgrounds make it one of the worst possible selections; Peach Beach, Daisy Cruiser, DK Mountain, Mushroom Bridge, heck, even Baby Park's insane item barrage would have been a better choice. The short, simplistic Super Nintendo version of Rainbow Road also fails to deliver any of the excitement and imagination that Mario Kart's best courses show.

The DLC's only nostalgia-free levels, Dragon Driftway and Ice Ice Outpost, aren't particularly memorable, let alone enjoyable. The latter is almost entirely split into two tiny pathways, which restrict your driving space and increase the rate of unavoidable weapon spam. The former is full of slow, awkward upside-down sections, which remain more distracting and disorienting than they are fun, especially during cramped splitscreen multiplayer races.

With a better selection of tracks and a stronger cast of characters, Mario Kart 8's first attempt at paid DLC could have easily justified its $8 asking price. But until a sale cuts down its current cost, Wii U owners will get more mileage from their money if they choose to download one of the many classic titles featuring these mascots' most familiar roles.
 

For a complete analysis of Mario Kart 8, check out Operation Sports' full written review.