Nintendo of Europe surprised Mario Kart 8 fans yesterday with the reveal of a pair of brand new DLC packs, set to release over the next few months. Now the American Mario Kart 8 page has been updated with details on how we'll be able to obtain them on our shores. As mentioned previously, the first pack will arrive this November, while the second will arrive in May 2015. They'll set us back $7.99 each or $11.99 as a bundle.
The first pack will add Tanooki Mario, Cat Peach, and The Legend of Zelda's Link to the playable roster, while the second will add Dry Bowser and Animal Crossing's Villager and Isabelle. Each pack will also add four vehicles and eight tracks, bringing the total course count to 48. I hope you have enough hard drive room, because each pack will require 1 GB of free space.
Along with today's free Mercedes update is the option to pre-order the new DLC packs via Mario Kart 8's in-game shop or the eShop. You'll be able to purchase them individually or as a bundle (that way you won't have to wait until May to get the special discount), and they'll automatically be downloaded once they're made available. And for pre-ordering both backs, you'll be able to use the eight different-colored Yoshis and Shy Guys immediately.
Mario Kart 8 is available right now for Wii U. DLC Pack 1 arrives November 2014, while DLC Pack 2 arrives May 2015.