Mario Kart 7

The words I’d use to describe Mario Kart 7 are “sticking to standards”. It’s pretty much a given that whenever there’s a new Nintendo system there will be a new Mario kart, no exceptions. And with the kind of sales the series gets, it’s a sure bet that, as long as Nintendo exists there is always going to be a new Mario kart, but is that a good thing? While the jury will most likely never be out on that one, I can say that Mario kart 7 will get the job done if you’re looking to have some fun with your 3Ds. As the core of Mario cart hasn’t changed that much, for this review I’ll just get into what the game added and what it should of added, but didn’t. The biggest new addition to the game is the ability to fly through the air and drive underwater. The game does a pretty good job at integrating both of these mechanics into the Mario kart series to enhance, and diversify its tracks. The ability to go air born is the better used of the two as it takes some skill to learn how to use, and can help improve one’s over all lap time for a couple of seconds when it’s used correctly. The ability to dive under water is really only used to create some hidden short cuts with in the level. It also gets rid of that terrible feeling you get whenever you get your cart to close to the water, fall in and end up in 6 place in an instant. However at the end of it all these functions act more like a face lift for most of the tracks in Mario Kart 7. They don’t even do much of anything in some levels. Like in Waluigi’s pin ball machine, where before you would get shot out of a cannon at the start of the stage. Now you get shot out, and the glider deploys. The next biggest improvement in some of the tracks themselves, while most aren’t really all that memorable some of them like Music Park, Maka Wuhu, new rainbow road, Rosalina’s ice world are tracks that I would like to see again in future kart games. The last thing ill mention is the new items in Kart 7. While most of them are reused from older karts, some of the new ones are great because they help balance the game. The tanooki tail is a great item for playing defense when you already have the lead, because it helps in avoiding a lot of the things that can really mess you up, like banana peals, red shells, green shells, and fire balls. The fire flower is another great addition as you can get more use out of it than any other item. The lucky 7 is also a really interesting item, you get 7 of the more common items in the game all at one time, as they circle around the kart. It is a more powerful item, but not as silly as the lightning bolt, blue shell or a bullet bill. Now for the disappointing parts of the game.

Nintendo has never really gotten its online act together and this game is no exception. The game does offer a lot of interesting new online modes, but ultimately none of them will leave you feeling like you’ve actually played against other people. I know Nintendo is trying to shield all the kids who play the game from the various four letter words that we adults tend to say, but enough is enough. This game really needed a voice chat and a messaging system to let players really connect with each other. It’s also disappointing to know that the game probably won’t ever get DLC even though it would have been a great asset. Also it would have been nice if they had used some kind of lobby system too . The last criticism that I have of the game is something that I have already touched on in this review, the game is still the same kart racer as the ds, and Wii one. Mario kart 7 isn’t as ground breaking as the DS one was, but it’s a solid entry in the Mario Kart series. And above all a great game for a hand held system, you can take it out anywhere play a couple of tracks with friends, or whoever's around, snap the lid shut and continue on with your business.