Mario Kart 7

Mario Kart (tentative title) is an upcoming racing game in development for the Nintendo 3DS. It is the ninth installment of the Mario Kart series, the seventh in the main series, the third on a handheld console, and the first for the Nintendo 3DS. The game's release date in the United States is scheduled for Holiday 2011. In the game, players will be able to exchange Ghost Data and play online in multiplayer mode. Nintendo has confirmed that this game will bring "a bunch of new elements" to the Mario Kart series.

Gameplay
In this new installment of the Mario Kart series, Coins will make a prominent return. Coins have not been featured in this way in the last Mario Kart games since Mario Kart: Super Circuit. The option to select classic Mario Kart tracks is also available again in this game. This new Mario Kart title also has some new features. Players can now use air gliders, which can be useful for navigating through the air. In addition, players may now assemble their own karts, rather than select pre-set karts as in older Mario Kart games. It is possible to select the body of the kart, the wheels, and other additional accessories such as the glider, although some parts need to be unlocked before they can be used. This Mario Kart game marks the return of the traditional eight characters per race, as opposed to the total of twelve as seen in Mario Kart Wii. It will also be compatible with both SpotPass and StreetPass.

It is currently unclear whether or not motorbikes, which made their first appearance in Mario Kart Wii, will return in the game, as they have not yet been shown in any trailer or screenshot.

Playable

 * Mario
 * Luigi
 * Princess Peach
 * Yoshi
 * Donkey Kong
 * Bowser
 * Koopa Troopa
 * Toad
 * Mii

Other

 * Miis
 * Grand Goombas
 * Swoopers
 * Tiki Goons
 * Screaming Pillars
 * Cheep-Cheeps
 * Clams
 * Banzai Bills
 * Lakitus

Nintendo eShop Description
''A New Dimension of Kart Racing. The newest installment of the fan-favorite Mario Kart™ franchise brings Mushroom Kingdom racing fun to new heights, in glorious 3D. There are new customizable Karts with new abilities that will have players soaring through the skies on wings and propelling through the seas on their quest to become a Mario Kart Champion.''

Confirmed Items

 * Banana Peel
 * Triple Bananas
 * Green Shell
 * Triple Green Shells
 * Red Shell
 * Triple Red Shells
 * Spiny Shell
 * Mushroom
 * Triple Mushrooms
 * Star
 * Thunderbolt
 * Blooper
 * Bullet Bill
 * Bob-omb
 * Coins

New Courses

 * Unnamed tarmac race course. Peach's Castle appears here. Cherry blossom trees, and mushroom trampolines from Mushroom Gorge in Mario Kart Wii also appear in it.
 * Wuhu Island, a place that also appears in Wii Fit, Wii Sports Resort, Wii Fit Plus, and Pilotwings Resort. The course even has a remix of Wii Sports Resort's main theme.
 * Unnamed mountainous course with pipes and incoming boulders. It greatly resembles the pipe beta course, dokan_course from Mario Kart DS. There is also a cave and after is a forest.
 * Unnamed jungle course with Tiki Goons from Donkey Kong Country Returns. Here also plays a remixed version of the title theme from Donkey Kong Country Returns
 * Unnamed underwater course with Clams and Cheep-Cheeps.
 * Unnamed village course with windmills.

Retro Courses

 * Airship Fortress (Returning from Mario Kart DS)
 * Luigi's Mansion (Returning from Mario Kart DS)
 * Maple Treeway (Returning from Mario Kart Wii)

Trivia

 * In the E3 demo version, the banners at the start/finish lines now use the new Mario Kart logo.
 * Shigeru Miyamoto joked that the game should be called Super Mario Kite.