Mario Kart 7 (2011)
The first stereoscopic 3D edition of the premiere Kart Racing series starring Nintendo's famous mascots and the seventh home release in the franchise (ninth overall). It has a new first-person mode and kart customizations.
First released
Dec 4, 2011
Aliases
Mario Kart 3DS, MK7
Franchises
Mario, Mario Kart
Developed by
Retro Studios, Nintendo EAD
Published by
Nintendo
Platforms
Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo 3DS eShop
Genres
Driving/Racing, Vehicular Combat
Rating
ESRB: E, PEGI: 3+, CERO: A, OFLC: G
Releases
- 3DS - Mario Kart 7 United States
- 3DS - Mario Kart 7 United Kingdom
- 3DS - Mario Kart 7 Japan
- 3DS - Mario Kart 7 Australia
- 3DSE - Mario Kart 7 Japan
- 3DSE - Mario Kart 7 United States
Community reviews
Yet another great Mario Kart.
I bought this when I was fed up of waiting for my Wii U MK8 bundle to arrive a few months ago and it proved a more than satisfying game to fill that gap and I still regularly turn to it for some on the move Mario Kart goodness.
Visually I like it a lot, things are bright and the 3D works well and adds a sense of speed, although I have to have it turned low otherwise I’m constantly moving out the sweet spot and things get blurry. Tracks are varied with a wide variety of themes keeping things interesting. The Kart customisations, although not as cool as the ones available in Mario Kart 8 still offer some nice variety, especially considering this is the game where this concept was first introduced.
The driving doesn’t feel as smooth as MK8 and it’s not as fun to drive. It is the most fun to drive of all the handheld iterations I’ve played so far however with drifting being a satisfying experience. Gliding and driving underwater (both of which were introduced in this version) also feel great. The Kart variations offer plenty of variety in terms of how you want your Kart to drive. There’s no bikes here however, not something that bothers me as I rarely use them anyway but some people will find this an issue I’m sure. The weapons are as good as ever with my only complaint on this front being the super leaf item which I’m glad they dropped for MK8. Although it’s satisfying to hit people with it it’s just not that useful unless people are right next to you. There’s the usual rubber-banding AI although it’s nowhere near as obvious as on the DS version and the AI proves to be fun competition most of the time. The online of this game is great too. Not far behind MK8 in terms of the interface although there are less available options. I’ve never experienced any disconnecting or lag issues either so it gets two thumbs up from me.
At this point it’s worth pointing out one area that MK7 thrashes MK8, and that’s the battle mode. 8 dedicated arenas and two fun modes make it very enjoyable to play, especially online. I do wish that you could have a life limit rather than a time limit on the balloon battle mode however (like the classic N64 version) and it’s a shame that all the arenas are played out on one level and not multiple levels like block fort and double deck (again from the N64 version). This would have made things a little more interesting.
Content wise there’s the now standard 16 new tracks and 16 retro tracks. Most of the new tracks are great (big fan of the Wuhu tracks in particular) although a few perhaps a little confusing (I’m looking at you Wario’s Galleon). The retro track choices are good too (especially the n64 ones but I’m biased on that front) but it would have been nice if they’d jazzed up some of the older tracks (from the SNES and GBA) a little like they did in MK8 as they look a bit plain and flat when compared to the others.
The character list is interesting to say the least with the rather questionable inclusion of Honey Queen and Wiggler and the exclusion of Diddy Kong. Other than those oddities though the roster is solid in my opinion and offers a good variety of racers from light to heavy.
Overall this game is a lot of fun, the new items, mechanics, and courses are all great and the online is well implemented. Its flaws are quite easily looked over due to just how enjoyable the game is in general and I see this as the best hand held Mario Kart yet.
Visually I like it a lot, things are bright and the 3D works well and adds a sense of speed, although I have to have it turned low otherwise I’m constantly moving out the sweet spot and things get blurry. Tracks are varied with a wide variety of themes keeping things interesting. The Kart customisations, although not as cool as the ones available in Mario Kart 8 still offer some nice variety, especially considering this is the game where this concept was first introduced.
The driving doesn’t feel as smooth as MK8 and it’s not as fun to drive. It is the most fun to drive of all the handheld iterations I’ve played so far however with drifting being a satisfying experience. Gliding and driving underwater (both of which were introduced in this version) also feel great. The Kart variations offer plenty of variety in terms of how you want your Kart to drive. There’s no bikes here however, not something that bothers me as I rarely use them anyway but some people will find this an issue I’m sure. The weapons are as good as ever with my only complaint on this front being the super leaf item which I’m glad they dropped for MK8. Although it’s satisfying to hit people with it it’s just not that useful unless people are right next to you. There’s the usual rubber-banding AI although it’s nowhere near as obvious as on the DS version and the AI proves to be fun competition most of the time. The online of this game is great too. Not far behind MK8 in terms of the interface although there are less available options. I’ve never experienced any disconnecting or lag issues either so it gets two thumbs up from me.
At this point it’s worth pointing out one area that MK7 thrashes MK8, and that’s the battle mode. 8 dedicated arenas and two fun modes make it very enjoyable to play, especially online. I do wish that you could have a life limit rather than a time limit on the balloon battle mode however (like the classic N64 version) and it’s a shame that all the arenas are played out on one level and not multiple levels like block fort and double deck (again from the N64 version). This would have made things a little more interesting.
Content wise there’s the now standard 16 new tracks and 16 retro tracks. Most of the new tracks are great (big fan of the Wuhu tracks in particular) although a few perhaps a little confusing (I’m looking at you Wario’s Galleon). The retro track choices are good too (especially the n64 ones but I’m biased on that front) but it would have been nice if they’d jazzed up some of the older tracks (from the SNES and GBA) a little like they did in MK8 as they look a bit plain and flat when compared to the others.
The character list is interesting to say the least with the rather questionable inclusion of Honey Queen and Wiggler and the exclusion of Diddy Kong. Other than those oddities though the roster is solid in my opinion and offers a good variety of racers from light to heavy.
Overall this game is a lot of fun, the new items, mechanics, and courses are all great and the online is well implemented. Its flaws are quite easily looked over due to just how enjoyable the game is in general and I see this as the best hand held Mario Kart yet.