Mario Kart 7 review

It's-a fantastic!

Words: Justin Towell on November 29, 2011

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ThatGamerDude - November 29, 2011 2 p.m.

I honestly have to be the only person who hasn't bought a mario kart game yet. Hopefully once I get a 3DS that'll change!
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CancerMan - November 29, 2011 1:13 p.m.

This will be my first 3DS game. I am excite.
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TheFabricOfTime - November 29, 2011 1:02 p.m.

I would buy a 3DS for this one.
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talleyXIV - November 29, 2011 12:43 p.m.

It is about time that I get something else good for the 3DS. This will be a great Holiday season for Nintendo. I am really excited for Skyward Sword, Super Mario 3D Land, and this.
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GameManiac - November 29, 2011 12:39 p.m.

The instant I saw the 10 after reading this praiseful review, I actually started to cackle. I never expected it to receive a perfect score. My brother and I will adore this game, however he may not like the fact that snaking is gone. It's less than a week away as well, and I've yet to fully complete Super Mario 3D Land.
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Ravenbom - November 29, 2011 11:34 a.m.

"Err... the cartridge sticker isn't very colourful?" That negative should have been "Unimaginative name" or "Placeholder Name" because that name does basically sound like a pre-Alpha placeholder development name.
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Net_Bastard - November 29, 2011 10:33 a.m.

I'm still gonna see what the PSVita brings to the table. The first MNR , compared to the Mario Kart games, was amazing. I don't expect Road Trip to be all that different. Also, it's kind of sad that Nintendo had to hand this series off to a different company to get it to be this good.
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FunkyPickle - November 29, 2011 11:10 a.m.

Er, how is that sad? Sounds like a successful decision.
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metroid2099400 - November 29, 2011 1:26 p.m.

They didn't, though. All of the code was done by Nintendo, but Retro Studios (which is now a part of Nintendo) helped with the classic track design. It isn't as though they handed them the game in alpha and said: "Here, finish this, and make it good."
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xxbrothawizxx - November 29, 2011 2:05 p.m.

Retro didn't work on any of the new courses. They just redid the retro courses. I'm pretty sure Retro was under Nintendo's thumb throughout development. As for using Retro as a bit of a crutch, I don't mind because with the Wii U coming up they definitely have their work cut out for them.
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Darkhawk - November 29, 2011 10:25 a.m.

RE: Comparisons to Mario Kart 64 (the best in the series, natch): The best thing about MK64 was all the ways you could knock your opponents off track. Lightning bolts in midair to send them into the river (or worse; the track below in Wario Stadium), banana peels on sharp turns, etc. I have yet to see such imaginative destruction in any MK release yet, and I wonder where family-friendly 3DS will allow such malicious tactics. Anyone know yet?
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510BrotherPanda - November 29, 2011 9:54 a.m.

Like I said a couple times before...I'd rather wait to see how the PSVita fares first before jumping on any hand-held bandwagon just yet. All this talk about frame-rate and draw distance and whatnot...not all consumers have your robo-eyes, Justin...
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ObliqueZombie - November 29, 2011 9:28 a.m.

I've never been a racing game fan, ever, but Mario Kart isn't just a racing game I like--it's one I ADORE. Probably one of my favorite franchises both as a kid and now. I'd give a lot to play this one. I'm not sure I'd give the money for the system, but that's only because I have a job where I work intermittently while in college. Who knows what I'll buy with my Christmas and Birthday money! Great review, Justin. Not only did you make me super-hardcore want this game, it flowed well and kept telling me how awesome it was with every aspect of the game. Keep up the good work!
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shawksta - November 29, 2011 9:11 a.m.

I still dont get the Mario Kart Wii hate... Okay seriously, HOLY SH*T, I knew this game was gonna be good but I didnt know you would LOVE it THAT much justin. But then again, its the best Mario Kart Ever, and Nintendo finally stepped it up with online and thats worth allot. I definitly dont regret pre-ordering this back then. If you could just shed some light on one more factor, Where the hell is Waluigi? Is he unlockable or what?
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oneshotfinch - November 29, 2011 9:02 a.m.

After reading your review and the Destructoid review I have to say I'm confused as hell.
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mikeleddy83 - November 29, 2011 11:02 a.m.

Same here, Justin's usually spot on with his racing games but the dtoid reviews are usually in the right ballpark too!
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Ravenbom - November 29, 2011 12:26 p.m.

That's because it was reviewed by Jim Sterling. He's like the Rush Limbaugh/Michael Moore of the games industry in that he has very polarizing and controversial views and glosses over major points so he can justify his nerd rage. 1. You always have to carefully read his reviews. He usually glosses over things that would be major selling points. 2. He uses the full scale unlike most games journalists, so this means you usually have to subtract 2-3 from his scores or add 2-3 to his scores. 3. He's only playing Skyrim right now (as you can see from his articles it's all he's writing about recently). When he finds a game he loves then he really starts scoring other games like shit. He was probably pissed off he wasn't playing Skyrim. I'll read his opinion articles but rarely do I read his reviews.
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Ravenbom - November 29, 2011 12:27 p.m.

This was a reply to oneshotfinch but it made it look like a regular comment.
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ncurry2 - November 29, 2011 8:42 a.m.

Looks great, 3DS is becoming much more tempting. I don't think all the hate the Wii kart gets is justified. Play it with a gamecube controller and all gimmicks are out. Ya, playing a mario KART game on a motorcycle is a little lame but getting good enough to wheelie properly makes it fun. The courses are excellent, the controls are superb, the online portion is great. I just don't see why there's so much hate. It's infinitely better than double dash. My guess is most people didn't play it enough to really get good at it. If you say it's all on luck, I would love to crush you online and prove otherwise.
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WTeen8 - November 29, 2011 1:41 p.m.

Yeah, I don't really get it either. The gamecube controller fixes everything. And makes the game easier to boot! And the online was great. But back on MK7, seems great, if I get my 3DS for christmas, definitely want this.
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