Over its several decades' worth of existence Nintendo has done well to protect its prized franchises, keeping the Marios separate from the Samuses. Granted, every now and again the properties do crossover, but that’s mostly reserved for the Super Smash Bros. realm.

With Mario Kart 8, however, Nintendo is breaking the mold not just in terms of franchise crossovers but also in terms of how they use DLC. Other beloved properties are creeping their way into Mario Kart, paving the way for more exciting franchise-jumping in the future.

By now most Mario Kart 8 fans are familiar with Nintendo's DLC plans, which include one pack in November and one in May. However, Nintendo has yet to really dig deep into the component parts of each pack, specifically with regards to each pack's contents. But today Nintendo Europe teased one of the new additions: the Legend of Zelda themed Master Cycle.

As one would expect, the Master Cycle borrows heavily from Zelda's lead with a design that fits within both universes. There's the cartoony color palette of the bike combined with the profile of Link's iconic horse Epona. More than that, though, the Master Cycle is just plain awesome, and will make this first DLC pack a must-own for Zelda fans.

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It also doesn't hurt that the November DLC pack includes Link as a playable character, alongside more traditional Mario Kart racers like Tanooki Mario and Peach. That way, Zelda fans can truly get in on the action.

It appears that Nintendo has truly gone for it when it comes to Mario Kart 8 DLC, which bodes well for the company in the future. If they are willing to unite franchises with these types of crossovers, it seems likely that they would do the same for other properties as well. Who wouldn't want to take Link out on the putting green in Mario Golf, or use Samus for Mario Party? Granted, it would be nice if these add-on characters didn't cost extra, but c'est la vie.

What do you think of the Master Cycle? What other types of DLC vehicles would you like to see added to Mario Kart 8?

Mario Kart 8's first DLC pack releases this November.

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Source: Nintendo Europe

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