Summer's here and the time is right for racin' in the street...
Just be warned that some formidable new contestants are entering the asphalt, armed with turtle shells, banana peels, and a trunk full of potent mushrooms.
Mario Kart 8 now allows you and your stoned-est friends to race around a digital version of Los Angeles. The new L.A. level comes with the release of the five-year-old Nintendo game's "Booster Course Pass DLC," which gives access to an ongoing series of downloads featuring remastered courses and new surprises.
One of which is a brand-new updated race held on these here streets, whizz-banging you, Yoshi, and Princess Peach on a quick trip from a beach that's way too tidy to a freeway that's noticeably douchebag-free and a Downtown and Dodger stadium that looks more like they're in San Diego.
Nonetheless, a few obvious landmarks like City Hall, the Inglewood oil field, and the Santa Monica Pier, where the race ultimately ends, are enough to power-up our civic pride with the strength of a mainlined fire flower.
Maybe it doesn't have the cultural resonance or detailed streets of a Los Santos. Or the rubber-burning danger and specific intersections of a Midnight Club: Los Angeles. Or the all-too-believable rotting corpses wandering Venice's beaches and bud shops in Dead Island's "Hell-A."
No matter. You're playing Mario Kart in Los Angeles. Just take another bong hit and press start already.
