Watch This New Mario Kart Track Take You On a Joyride Through L.A.

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.