Mario Kart 7 [video game]

First off - I have been a kart fan since the SNES version many years back . . . with my most recent versions being Double Dash and Mario Kart Wii. This version brought to the 3DS far exceeded my expectations. This was my first attempt with a new handheld nintendo since the days of the GBA first came out. I was pleasently suprised by the fluid nature and natural controls the system and games offered. Mario Kart 7 was one of the first games I picked up with the new system (the new mario and zelda OoT being the others. The tradition has stayed true for the most part of the game, but brought back some old flare and new flare. You now get speed boost from coins, and loose coins as you get "hit" by other players power ups. They stack to a certain point, but then you don't receive anymore added benefit from them. They added in some new attacks which was nice, 7 is a fun one where you get 7 items to use, the spit fire works great as well for taking down multiple racers. The other new feature was the parachute. You have some control of them in the air and can get a series edge over the competition if you use them properly. So practice practice practice. Graphics: The graphics are amazing! If you blew them up on a larger screen they wouldnt be the most advanced, but on such a small platform screen with a 3D interface, it honestly looks better than my wii with HD hookups (480p ...) on a 32" LED tv. Sound: Excellent. Traditional voices, music, and sfx brings this game to life and keeps giving it an edge. Gameplay: Same as before in terms of control, the added benefit of a parachute makes it interesting and can give more players a leading edge who are new to the genre. It's fast, fluid, and the UI is friendly on and off racing. Replay Value: With ample tracks, cups, and game play options. Players old and new will continue to find a way to revisit this game. Time trials keep your competition driven. Online multiplayer keeps you in the loop with your friends. The replay value will always be there. For a quick 3 minute race to beat a time. Or a 15 minute circuit. Over all, I give this game 9 out of 10. There are some hicups - slow online connections, frequently lost games when users loose signals, hard to remember "Friend numbers" (Come on Nintendo, User names!)and still having moments where you want to throw the game because of the infinite numbers of blue shells that go into play ONLY when you're in first place causing you the match. If you're on the edge on buying this game, and you have a 3DS it's a no brainer. This should be on the top of your list. Whether you've played it on the original SNES, or just started with the Wii, you'll enjoy the competitions, fluid graphics, fantastic mario sounds, and immersive game play that is Mario Kart 7.

After Ocarina of Time 3D, of course. This game is great. Gameplay-5/5--The computer player are almost as smart as humans, they steal item boxes and Coins that are in front of you, so you can't collect them, they are dead-on precise with items such as Green Shells, the all-new Fire Flower, Bob-ombs, and those Bananas. The Circle Pad is great for the game, and the regular +Control Pad cannot be used. There's an all-new 1st-person mode, where you can tilt your 3DS family console to steer your racer. If you just want to use traditional controls in 1st-person, just use the Circle Pad and don't move the system, or turn the gyro-sensor off in the Mario Kart Channel. The Mario Kart Channel is not like the Wii Version, but an in-game "status and StreetPass" record. You can adjust StreetPass settings, and race time-trial ghosts and in the Grand Prix with Miis that you've met via StreetPass. If you win, you get a new kart-personalization from the Mii if you didn't have it before. Coins make a return, they're used to increase your top speed and unlock kart customizations. Kart customs are new, you can select your Kart body, wheels, and glider. Some Kart bodies return from previous MK games, like the B-Dasher from MKDS. Gliding is new, you go throught air as well as water. The customs each have their own stats. Music-4/5--This game references older Mario Kart Games, especially Mario Kart 64. The one thing I hate- when you're in first place in a race, there's an added beat to the background music. It's good for the Nitro Cups, but for Retro, it's awful. Some retro cups and battle courses have 100% remade music, and it's good for the GP, but for the Battle Courses, ESPECIALLY N64 Big Donut, and DS...(can't remember the name) are worse and is just bad. Most of the music is epic, that's all I can say. Graphics-4.5/5--I love them, they're bright and vibrant. Not much else. Online-3/5--I don't use it much. The loading is long and I have more fun with computers. Just buy it.

I've been a huge fan of the MarioKart series since it was first released, I've played them all, and let me just say, never have any of them made me want to rip the game out of the system and smash it with a hammer...until now. I can't really complain about the graphics/music/3D etc, they are all really well done. Where this game gets hair-ripping out frustrating is actually playing it. Even on Easy mode, the computer will not let you win easily. The computers will rapid fire off the starting line almost every single time, while it's hit or miss for you. The power ups (weapons) in this game...OMG don't even get me started! TWO WORDS - BLUE SHELLS! Those mother$#@*#!% blue shells! The computer opponents seem to get these blue shells INCESSANTLY while me, well I've raced through all of the 50cc, 100cc, and working on 150cc and I have yet to get ONE SINGLE BLUE SHELL. NOT A SINGLE ONE! I run over every power up I can see...you know what I get? Banana....the FREAKING BANANA ALMOST EVERY SINGLE TIME! I now hate bananas in real life. Every time I go to the grocery store now I have to avoid the produce section, because I can feel them staring at me, and laughing... Oh, and lets not forget to mention the ink...THE INK...Oh yes, the wonderful ink...almost every race, just as you are about to make a tough jump, or just about to take an S turn, HERE COMES THE INK TO BLOCK YOUR VIEW...SUPER!! YEAH I LOVE INK! Oh, I was in 1st place the whole race, and got inked and blue shelled right at the last turn, and now come in 4th...yep, this happens frequently... This game infuriates me beyond belief but yet I keep playing because my blood pressure isn't quite high enough yet. As soon as finally beat this game, I'll be taking it out back and throwing it in my fire pit to cleanse my life of the evil that is Mario Kart 7. TLDR: Great game, you should definitely buy it, tons of hours of fun for the whole family.

Great game.

My 9 year old LOVES racing games like Mario Kart and Sonic All Stars. The other day we were at a brick and mortar and he was playing the 3DS there with Mario Kart 7 in it, and that was my first time really looking at the 3DS. I was quite impressed with what they were doing with such a small screen, and no glasses needed. We have an old DS, so I bought this for him behind his back. When it arrived and i "surprised" him with it, he was psyched. Then he was sad when it wouldn't fit in his old DS. I said, "Oh, it won't work in the DS? Only in the 3DS?" He sadly nodded at me, so I pulled out the new red 3DS from behind my back to give to him, telling him we were lucky I got one of those as well. Made his weekend. He can't get enough of this, and I got pretty hooked too. The controls are SO much better with the 3DS games, so the stick on the left makes driving a lot easier. Changing from one to another vehicle type is something we really enjoyed with the Sonic transformed on the Wii U, so I was glad to see that "updated" type of game play here. We really want Mario Kart 8 for the Wii U but we'll stick with this for the time being, it's a great way to pass the time till the next version comes out for the full sized consoles. There's familiar tracks here, as well as new ones, and the 3D effect makes it VERY enjoyable. Some different power ups and different car customizations give it a different feel as well. If you've enjoyed the Mario Kart franchise, but haven't seen it on the 3DS yet, get to a store and check it out. It's a whole new game...

Mario Kart 7 is the latest to a fantastic series that has drawn together families and friends worldwide. Indeed this latest game takes that to the next level with even greater wireless play and options. Furthermore, new gameplay options such as flying and underwater opens up doors to many new strategies. I broke this review down into groups of similar features: gameplay aspects and hardware/software considerations. The former would be your first impressions of the game while the second are comments on subtleties in the game. NOTE: AI denotes computer players. ======================== Gameplay aspects: 17/20 ======================== Racing Modes: 9.0/10 ---------------------------------- Tracks: 9.0/10 AI: 9.5/10 Variety: 10/10 ----------------------------------- Racing Modes encompasses any single player mode where you are racing against others, such as the Grand Prix. The new tracks were quite fun although I felt more could have been done to incorporate the new elements of flying and underwater. The tracks that were remade incorporated these new elements as well but overall, I felt that more attention should have been paid to smaller details i.e. where to put ramps for flying. Battle Modes: 3/5 ----------------------------------- Tracks: 1.5/5 AI: 3.5/5 Variety: 4/5 ---------------------------------- Battle Modes include Balloon Battles and coin runs. Overall, I felt that this was very poorly done, especially Balloon Battles. In a previous game, Mario Kart DS, the idea of blowing balloons very cleverly incorporated the Nintendo DS's mic and the tracks were very well thought out. Here, Nintendo seems to have forgotten that the 3DS also has a mic and the tracks look like they were pieced together by an amateur architect. Furthermore, I really looked forward to trying out combat in the air or underwater. Unfortunately, very few of the tracks incorporated the two and the few that did, did a terrible job. Wireless Modes: 5/5 --------------------------- Connectivity: 5/5 Ease of use: 5/5 Interaction: 5/5 Competition: 5/5 --------------------------- The wireless mode includes playing on the internet and local wireless. Local wireless now supports up to 8 people per game. This was a much-needed improvement and with the 3DS, we finally have it! Playing on the internet through Nintendo is not only fun, it is also children-friendly without sacrificing the quality. A big concern for young children playing online would be the people they meet on the net. Here, Nintendo cleverly incorporated chat features by using standard prescripts. This takes care of the problem of slow typing on the 3DS and also potentially very young people that might seek to go online. Not to worry though, these prescripts are very general and I have yet to want to express something where I could not find a prescript close to what I wanted to say. On my internet connection, I have not experienced any connectivity or lag issues. Your experience may vary. ======================================= Hardware/Software Considerations: 8.25/10 ======================================= Incorporation of the Nintendo 3DS features 8/10 --------------------------------------------------------------- SpotPass/StreetPass: 10/10 Incorporation of 3D: 1.5/5 Internet: 5/5 Gyro Sensors/Controls: 7.5/10 --------------------------------------------------------------- The Nintendo 3DS is a very powerful piece of hardware. With so many new features since the Nintendo DS, I have been longing to see a game that would incorporate all of it: 3D, StreetPass, SpotPass, etc. Mario Kart 7 comes very close to this: StreetPass and SpotPass gets you lots of good ghost data for Time Trials and other such goodies. Finally, a game where Spotpass and Streetpass actually significantly enhances my gameplay. Unfortunately, Mario Kart 7 seems to have forgotten that it's supposed to be in 3D. There is very little deepness to the game nor does anything seem to pop out at you. In fact, I played for hours before I realized my 3D was turned off. I finally realized when I wondered why I had not run out of batteries yet. Also, there is an option for gyro sensors control as well as First Person View. However, I rarely use those since I need to be aware of everything that is going around and behind me when I play. The Circle Pad did not seem to give me as much control over the steering as I would have liked though. Miscellaneous 8.5/10 ---------------------------- Graphics/Sound: 9.5/10.0 Continuity: 7.0/10 Overall Feel: 9.0/10 --------------------------- The graphics are gorgeous. I loved racing through just to see how beautiful everything looks. Unfortunately, this game seems to have lots of discontinuities while playing through. For example, after finishing a cup, you would be redirected back to the very first menu where you have to go through a series of repetitive cycles to get back to the Grand Prix. This becomes very annoying after awhile and quite time-consuming. Furthermore, menus and maps seem to take an abnormal amount of time to load. Although I am aware the data that the 3DS is loading is very large, the 3DS is also very powerful and should be able to load things much quicker. ============================================================= Conclusion 8.42/10: Overall, despite some drawbacks, this game is very fun. Given that the Nintendo 3DS is still a new system, there are not that many great games for it yet, so this is a must-have for any who own a 3DS. I am glad to see Nintendo is finally embracing that gamers want to compete with each other and the Internet is the most popular medium today. Yet they incorporated this without sacrificing the family-friendly environment Nintendo is famous for. I wish Nintendo could have spent more time on this game polishing it up and making it even better. This game definitely has potential and I am looking forward to seeing the next Mario Kart!

There is no question that Mario Kart is soon set to celebrate its 20th anniversary as one of the most acclaimed video game series for the Nintendo games. It has just been a non-stop fast & furious ride for Mario, Bowser and his friends from each angle. It has been on every system since the Super NES, and it hasn't seen the plumber and his friends and foes hit the brakes into the warp pipe even once. Still, there have been so many racing games that have tries to copy it and haven't succedded, or those who have been inspired by Mario and his friends race. Well whatever the case, Mario and his friends kept on evolving in the Mairo Kart games and they have never lost their luster. Now with the high-octane and mushroom speed, it is at it again for the Nintendo 3DS, and truthfully it is worth each and every race. Mario Kart 7 really brings in the big guns for the Nintendo 3DS, where some of the other Nintendo 3DS games, have missed their mark with the launch of the system. Hard to believe it is the 7th racing game for Mario and his friends, and this time around it has continued to evolve well by bringing in a swift mix of the new and the old. Just like Mario Kart DS and MarioKart Wii, gamers will race 32 tracks that are both new and from Mario Kart's past. The game definitely looks amazing with some new wrinkles into the game, as you have new racers and new courses too like racing in the new Music Park, where hopping on each note and insturment will help you cross the finish line, Shy Guy Bazaar, where it is a Middle Eastern flavor available, as you and your fellow racers try and cross the starting gate, while trying to glide from rooftops, and classics as well like Luigi Raceway from Mario Kart 64 and the speed and mall-madness of the Coconut Mall from Mario Kart Wii. Aside from the mix of old and new tracks as well, there are new racers that are here to challenge Mario, Yoshi and friends including Lakitu the cloud-dwelling and spiny tossing foe, Metal Mario (as a celebration to help celebrate the 15th anniversary of Super Mario 64,) Shy Guy and Wiggler to name a few. They bring a lot of new blood into the game, as well as new elements like customizing your karts with tires and gliders which will make you soar your way back to the asphault.You also can race underwater too, which will help you find shortcuts in the game, especially in redesigned courses like Koopa Trooopa Beach and new Cheep Cheep Lagoon. There are also a few new items in the game too including the fireball power-up, the tanooki tail which will help you swat passing racers, and the new Lucky 7 that is a seven-way mix of weapons like the shells both red and green, a blooper to ink foes, banana peel and and a star for invinciblity. The graphics in the game look amazing, as you score your way to the finish, as well as collect coins while on course to help yopu unveil extras to help customize your karts. The control is strong as well, in the classic mode, but there is one small hiccup with the new first person perspective. While the concept is good, in that mode you can race with others using the gyro sensor from the 3DS and steer your kart by swaying your racer back and forth, like the Wii Wheel was in Mario Kart Wii. That can take a bit to get used to for new racers, but for veterans they can also choose to play in the classic way as well. The sound is strong as well, by bringing in the classic scores and musical elements of the distinctive classic courses like Mushroom Gorge, but overall it is the gameplay that is fun in both single play and especially multiplayer too. The multiplayer adds extras with the Streetpass, and online gameplay like Mario Kart Wii showed, as you and 7 other racers try to race your way to the finish line. Overall, despite one small flaw, Mario Kart 7 is definitely a fast and furious game from start to finish, and it still is just as great for many gamers more than meets the eye. If you have enjoyed the chase that Mario Kart has brought before than you'll definitely love this Nintendo 3DS game. I definitely love this thrilling racer and it shows that some game franchises have never gotten old, they just have gotten better with age. It is definitely a must buy for your Nintendo 3DS that is sure to be a treat that many racers haven't been able to show for over 2 decades across the finish line. I absolutely recommend Mario Kart 7 from start to finish. Graphics: A Sound: A- Control: A- for classic gamers; B for Nintendo 3DS gyro sensor Fun & Enjoyment: A- for solo play: A for multiplayer Overall: A-

This game is great for all ages and provides a huge value (have been playing it off and on since shortly after its release in 2011). It can take a long time to get 3 gold stars on all tracks and unlock all the unlockables, but above that there is an online community which is still active in 2016 (which is where I have spent the majority of my time). The gameplay is classic Mario Kart on the go. This is the first time the handheld entries have felt as good as the home console versions to me-- the tracks are a lot more beautiful and full than the previous handheld entries. On GBA, the tracks were essentially just flat (very similar to SNES Super Mario Kart). This is is definitely not the case here. The point is driven home by the new mechanics for this game (the gliders) which allow you to choose alternate routes or time your booster item usage for some of the best shortcuts. The single player is similar to how it has been for many years. There are multiple cups in which you can enter at different speeds (50cc, 100cc, and 150cc). One downside to the 3DS version is that it does not have a 200cc mode or any track DLC (both present on the WiiU title, Mario Kart 8)-- this would have prolonged the fun for this title even more. If you have a 3DS and do not own this already, I would definitely give it a shot. You can find deals on it around $20 pretty routinely, so there is no reason not to pick it up!