Hot on the heels of the free Mercedes-Benz DLC, Nintendo announced it's taking preorders for Mario Kart 8 expansion packs that will include Zelda and Animal Crossing characters and maps.

The Zelda and Animal Crossing expansion packs combine to introduce eight new vehicles and add 16 more courses to the core game. The new characters in the two DLC packs are Zelda, Tanooki Mario, Cat Peach, Villager, Isabelle and Dry Bowser.

The Zelda and Animal Crossing packs, $7.99 each, may be bundled for a total price of $11.99 -- at least 1GB of free space is required for each DLC pack.

Another perk for bundling the packs, besides price, is the introduction of eight new colors for Yoshi and Shy Guy. The color perk will be available immediately after buying the the two DLC packs in a bundle.

Mario Kart 8's Zelda DLC pack has been slated for a November 2014 release date, while gamers ready to explore the Animal Crossing pack will have to wait until May of 2015 to drive Villager and Isabelle around the eight new tracks.

To carry karters over until the release of the Zelda expansion pack in November, the Aug. 27 launch of the Mercedes-Benz DLC brought with it the Mercedes Cup. Wii U racers all around the world can take part in the racing series, using carts taken from the real work and re-imagined through Nintendo's eyes.

"Three automotive icons from Mercedes-Benz will thrill fans of Mario Kart 8, the fun new racing video game for Nintendo's Wii U home console: the legendary Silver Arrow of the 1930s, the 300 SL Roadster from the 1950s and the current Mercedes-Benz GLA," says Mercedes-Benz. This cooperation between Mercedes-Benz and Nintendo means that for the first time in the history of the popular Mario Kart series, cars from the real world are available for the breathtaking races."

Mario Kart 8 has been updated with access to the Mercedes Cup. The only requirements to enter the tournament are a Wii U console, Mario Kart 8 and the free Mercedes DLC.

The Mercedes Cup tournament will conclude on Sept. 23.

While the Zelda and Animal Crossing DLC are fairly spread out, the strategy could help prolong the life of Mario Kart 8 as Nintendo's other system sellers slowing roll out. For the quarter ending in July of 2014, Nintendo reported that Mario Kart 8 sold 3.48 million copies to date and it said eight of its other titles had moved more than a million units.