Mario Kart 7

Mario Kart 7 is a racing game for the Nintendo 3DS. It is the ninth installment of the Mario Kart series overall, the seventh in the main series (hence the game's title), and the third on a handheld console. This is the second (the first was Super Mario 3D Land) installment in the Mario series overall (excluding crossover installments) to be localized to Dutch, Portuguese, and Russian. Additionally, it is also the first Mario Kart game to be developed by more than one video game developer, Nintendo EAD and Retro Studios, and the second Mario Kart to have a different video game developer, the first being Mario Kart: Super Circuit.

The main new feature of this installment is the hang gliding and underwater driving which allows racers to glide through the air and race in underwater sections of the new and old tracks. Kart customization is also introduced instead of racing in pre-made karts like previous titles. In the game, players are able to exchange Ghost data and play online in multiplayer mode. Players can also receive Ghost data via SpotPass and race against other player's Ghosts from around the world. Nintendo stated that the game brings "a bunch of new elements" to the Mario Kart series.

Mario Kart 7 is the first Mario game to use the Nintendo Network service as it offers the ability to create custom communities, which would then become one of the features of the service.

Features
In this new installment of the Mario Kart series, Coins make a prominent return. Coins have not been featured in this way in the last Mario Kart games since Mario Kart: Super Circuit. Coins are to be found along a race track, and can be underwater, on the road, or in the air. Collecting coins on different tracks will allow the player to unlock vehicle parts used for customization. The option to select classic Mario Kart tracks is also available again in this game.

Mario Kart 7 also has some new features. Players can now use air gliders, which can be useful for navigating through the air and also use propellers to drive underwater. 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 the glider, although some parts need to be unlocked before they can be used, mainly through collecting coins during races. Mario Kart 7 returns to the traditional eight characters per race like previous installments, instead of the total of twelve as seen in Mario Kart Wii. It is also compatible with both SpotPass and StreetPass.

Similar to preceding games, an overall "game ranking" of ★, ★★, or ★★★ is shown next to the player's nationality flag if the player has earned the designated ratings in all cups and in all classes. The overall ranking can also be seen while participating at a Grand Prix. The game shows the overall ranking at the results of the last course before the overall results of the last cup being shown.

Among other gameplay innovations is the vehicle's behavior in the courses. Each element to assemble the vehicle has a function that grants an advantage on certain courses. In other words, speed and handling alter if the player is driving through land, underwater, or in the air. Gliders also provide speed and duration for the vehicle when airborne and can be controlled using the. Players can tilt the either up or down to fall gently or quickly, respectively. Additionally, when driving underwater, the kart's handling, speed and drifting can considerably change compared to when driving on land.

This Mario Kart installment also introduces the option to race in a first-person view, where the player watches the race from the character's viewpoint and can race by tilting the system, instead of the usual third person view in the other six installments. In this view, the player can also see the vehicle's steering wheel in front of the character. The gyroscope, which gives the player the ability to steer the kart in first-person mode by tilting the, can be enabled or disabled by going to the Mario Kart Channel, going to the player's Mii's icon on the bottom right, going to "Settings", and lastly, selecting "Use" or "Don't Use" when going to "Gyro Sensor".

In a minor note, a small additional beat of the track's music plays if the player gets ahead in first place. The small beat fades when the player slows down the kart via braking, going off-road, or getting hit by an item. This happens only when the player is playing any cup beyond 50cc.

Motorbikes, which made their first appearance in Mario Kart Wii, do not return in the game. Tricks, which were also introduced in Mario Kart Wii, do return and can be used with Gliders for more speed. The manual for the game refers to tricks as Jump Boosts. The Single Player version of VS mode from the other Mario Kart games and the mission mode from Mario Kart DS are also absent.

Controls

 * /: Accelerate / Rocket Start (press and hold when the countdown shows 2 before the race starts)
 * : Brake / Reverse
 * : Steer / Auto Drift
 * : Hop / Manual Drift / Perform tricks in midair.
 * /: Use item
 * : Switch map view
 * : Pause / Resume
 * : Display HOME Menu
 * : First-Person Camera
 * : Steer / Auto Drift (First person view only)
 * : Second-Person Camera

Grand Prix
As usual in the Mario Kart series, Mario Kart 7 has the Grand Prix, where a single player has to compete against computer-controlled opponents in order to obtain the trophies of the eight cups in the game. The Grand Prix has three engine classes, 50cc, 100cc, and 150cc. The higher the engine class, the harder the races will be against the opponents. In this mode, by beating the first cups available, the user unlocks the other cups as well as new elements such as the kart's part (by collecting coins in each race), or a new playable character. By completing all the engine classes available at the start, the player unlocks the Mirror class.

A notable change featured in the game is the point system given to the racers after a competition in Grand Prix mode. It is similar to Mario Kart: Double Dash!! and Mario Kart DS, but racers who place below top 3, get an extra point. Below is a chart of the point spread comparison between these seven games:

Time Trials
Time Trials allows the player to complete all the laps of a race course in the fastest time possible. Mario Kart 7 saves the player's records, and a Ghost for the combo that he or she used. Through Nintendo Network connection, the player can exchange his or her Ghosts to other players, compare their records, and even compete with their Ghosts. Up to seven Ghosts can be raced against at the same time, making it an 8-player race.

VS
In Versus Mode, players can customize the races selecting personally the order of the racecourses and change other settings, such as setting the computer difficulty, the requirements to win the races, and the engine class of the player's and computer players' karts. Unlike in Mario Kart DS and Mario Kart Wii, this mode is no longer available in Single Player mode. In Download Play, the players that do not have the Mario Kart 7 game card in their handhelds play as Shy Guy, like in Mario Kart DS, and are unable to customize their kart.

Battle
In Battle Mode, the player can select one of the two types of battles available in Mario Kart 7 and one of the six battle courses that appear in this mode. Three of the six battle courses are new, and the remaining three battle courses are from previous installments in the series.

Balloon Battle
Racers compete each other by popping the opponent’s balloons to gain points in a time limit of two minutes. All racers start with three balloons and must use the items from the Item Boxes to take away a balloon from their opponents. Hitting a rival is worth a point. If the racer loses all balloons, half of the player's points will be removed (with a maximum of three points) and the player respawns with three balloons.

Coin Runners
In Coin Runners (Coin Battle in Europe), racers collect the Coins spread in the battle course within the time limit of two minutes. The racer that has the most Coins at the end wins. Racers can use the items to hit the opponents and make them drop a maximum of 3 coins of the coins they have collected. Unlike Mario Kart Wii, only up to 10 coins can be held onto at once. Coins collected in this mode do not count toward the coin total to unlock kart parts.

Online Multiplayer
With the Nintendo 3DS's online capabilities, players can look for other users for online play, local or global range. Players can choose a worldwide competition to race against other users that are connected, race with friends that were met, via StreetPass, or play in communities formed by users with customized rules for the races. Just like in Mario Kart Wii, Mario Kart 7 has the Mario Kart Channel, that shows updates of online activity automatically through the SpotPass and StreetPass modes. With StreetPass, the users can exchange their Miis, Ghost Data from Time Trials, players' names, and information of communities, while the user will only receive Ghost Data from other users and community recommendations, via SpotPass.

VR
When players take part in online races or battles, points are added to or removed from their VR (short for VS Rating), based on their finishing position. The main purpose of VR is determining the skill of players, to match them with players of a similar skill level. Players start with 1000 VR (rather than 5000 VR, as in the previous Mario Kart game). Online play in Communities does not use the VR system.

Drivers
Mario Kart 7 includes 17 total drivers (8 starting drivers and 9 unlockable drivers). The following is the order of what weight classes go by in order from lightest to heaviest: Feather, Light, Medium, Cruiser, and Heavy. Waluigi was meant to appear in the game as a playable character, but was scrapped due to time contraints. However, his course, Waluigi Pinball made an appearance as one of the retro tracks. Also, this is the only game in the Mario Kart series to have Wario as an unlockable character.

Character statistics
Just as in Mario Kart Wii, characters get their own specific stat boost that accounts for kart customization, based on their weight class. The units are out of 6. In general, lighter characters have high values ​​of Acceleration, Handling, and Off-Road, while heavier characters have high values ​​of Speed and Weight.

Rival order
Much like in Super Mario Kart, all playable characters have a rival order, the order CPU drivers finish at the end of the race. However, unlike in Super Mario Kart, it is more simplified, as two characters are set instead of single characters followed by another single character, etc..

Each character's rivals will never change; for example, Bowser will always appear in a Grand Prix if the player is playing as Mario. However, if a set character is supposed to be unlockable, the set character is replaced by a default character, until the unlockable character can be used. That will make the default character a third rival that occasionally appears in the race.

Body frame
Depending on the character, the kart body that's chosen may appear bigger or smaller. This affects how big of a target that character's kart will be; for example, smaller body frames are harder to hit. The character's weight determines the body Frame size.

Items
Many classic items make a return in Mario Kart 7. The game introduces three new items – the Fire Flower, the Super Leaf, and the Lucky Seven. The Thunder Cloud, POW Block, and Mega Mushroom from Mario Kart Wii are absent from the game. The Fake Item Box from previous installments is also absent, along with Boo. Similar to its predecessors, players receive items by driving through an Item Box found on courses. When players drive through an Item Box, the Item Roulette will select an item. In Mario Kart 7, Coins can be found on the track. Players can collect the coins by driving through them. Picking up a coin increases a player's top speed. If players collect ten coins, their kart is at maximum speed and cannot gain additional coins. Players lose coins if they get hit by an item or fall in a pit. Collecting a certain amount of coins unlocks vehicle parts to select them in the vehicle's customization menu.

Courses
Mario Kart 7 introduces 32 courses that include 16 new courses and 16 retro courses, which include two courses from Super Mario Kart, three from Mario Kart 64, one from Mario Kart: Super Circuit, two from the Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, four from Mario Kart DS, and four from Mario Kart Wii. It also features three new battle stages, and three Retro ones. Only the Mushroom Cup and Shell Cup, as well as the battle courses are available from the start, but upon unlocking them they are available for all game modes, and not just for that specific Engine Class, unlike past installments. Mario Kart 7 has three courses -- Wuhu Loop, Maka Wuhu, and Rainbow Road -- that have three sections each, with each section counting as one lap. The following charts show the North American English names of the tracks, with their European and Australian variants in italics. Like in Mario Kart DS, the retro tracks' lengths have been shortened, except the DS retro courses, which have been widened.

Vehicle customization
Mario Kart 7 introduces the option to personalize the player's vehicle before getting to the race. The player can select the body, the tires, and the glider to build the desired kart. By collecting many Coins from the races in Grand Prix mode, the player can unlock a new body, tire, or glider to use. It is possible to acquire ten coins in a race. As the user chooses the parts, the stats may vary, regarding to the parts' combination and that the vehicle works better in particular situations.

Vehicle parts and stat boosts
Each part affects each kart's stats differently. There are also 17 kart bodies. The following is a list of the stat boosts that are applied, and the units are out of 6. However, only the Speed, Acceleration, Weight, Handling, and Off-Road stats are visible in-game. This list shows the North American kart names. If the kart has a different name in Europe, the European name will be put in parentheses under the North American name. All kart parts are sorted based on how they're ordered in-game, starting with the standard parts.

Unlocking criteria
The only parts that don't need to be unlocked are the Standard kart, the Birthday Girl, the Bolt Buggy, the Standard tires, the Roller tires, the Monster tires, and the Super Glider. To unlock a different kart part requires a certain total of coins collected from every race in Grand Prix. Once the player has reached that amount, a random kart part is unlocked. The only exceptions to this rule are the gold parts and the Beast Glider.

Random parts
Players can unlock random parts by collecting the following coin values:

Ghosts
Just like in Mario Kart Wii, Mario Kart 7 has Normal Staff Ghosts and Expert Staff Ghosts, which appear in the Time Trials game mode. The Normal Staff Ghosts are available at the start, but when players achieve a certain time, the Expert Staff Ghosts will be unlocked.

Update history
Mario Kart 7 is the first Nintendo 3DS game to use the 3DS's ability to patch games, spurred by significant shortcut exploits found on certain courses. Updating is free, with the data being categorized as 3DS Add-On Content; the patches can be deleted at any time, and have no effect in Single Player and Local Multiplayer, but are mandatory to play online. An SD Card is required to download the patches, however.


 * Version 1.1 of May 15, 2012 (43 SD Card blocks)
 * Resolved shortcut exploits for Wuhu Loop, Maka Wuhu, and GBA Bowser Castle 1 when playing online. Does not affect offline play; the exploits remain in Single Player and Local Multiplayer, and Ghosts that used these exploits are unaffected.
 * Starting on May 15, 2012, all players must download this update to access Online Multiplayer.

Nintendo eShop description

 * The newest installment of the fan-favorite Mario Kart™ franchise brings Mushroom Kingdom racing fun into glorious 3D. For the first time, drivers explore new competitive kart possibilities such as soaring through the skies or plunging into the depths of the sea. New courses, strategic new abilities and customizable karts bring the racing excitement to new heights!

Beta Elements
The game featured a demo in which 3 courses could be played. These courses are Rock Rock Mountain, Cheep Cheep Lagoon and Shy Guy Bazaar.

Glitches
Some of the most well known glitches are found in Wuhu Loop, Maka Wuhu and GBA Bowser Castle 1, if executed correctly they allow the driver to skip sections of the track. On May 15, 2012 an update was released that made these glitches unusable in multiplayer, but they are still allowed while playing offline.

Staff
Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development developed Mario Kart 7, with Retro Studios as Co-Developers and Artists. The music composition is credited to Kenta Nagata and Satomi Terui.

References to other games

 * Super Mario Bros.: The Fire Flower appears for the first time as a usable item that throws fireballs. The layout of the course Piranha Plant Slide greatly resembles the tile sprites from this game.
 * Super Mario Bros. 2: The Shy Guy Bazaar course makes references to the elements from this game such as the addition of Magic Carpets (being ridden by Shy Guys) and vases in their original colors.
 * Super Mario Bros. 3: The Super Leaf appears as an item, and the Angry Sun appears on a blanket in Shy Guy Bazaar.
 * Super Mario Kart: The Pipe Frame returns from this game, however it uses the dual exhaust design from Mario Kart 64 instead of the single exhaust from Super Mario Kart. Mario Circuit 2 and Rainbow Road return as retro courses. Collecting coins also returns from this game.
 * Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3: A small portion of Wario Shipyard's music is a remix of this game's main theme.
 * Donkey Kong Country: DK Jungle's music is a remix of the Jungle Hijinxs theme from this game.
 * Mario Kart 64: Some musical pieces are remixes from this game such as the main title screen, the results screen and Rainbow Road. A segment of the theme for the course Toad's Turnpike can be heard in the newer course, Neo Bowser City. Chomps appear in Rainbow Road similar to how they appear in  Rainbow Road from that game. Luigi Raceway, Koopa Troopa Beach, and Kalimari Desert return as retro courses, plus Big Donut returns as a playable battle course.
 * Mario Kart: Super Circuit: Bowser Castle 1 returns as a retro course, plus Battle Course 1 returns as a playable battle arena.
 * Super Mario Sunshine: The possible Toad artwork can be seen on Toad Circuit on the Mario Kart banner near the starting line.
 * Mario Kart: Double Dash!!: Part of the Bowser's Castle and Rainbow Road themes are based on their respective themes originating from this game. Also, the Barrel Train returns from this game. Daisy Cruiser and Dino Dino Jungle return as retro courses, and finally, the countdown timer for starting a race or battle returns with a new design.
 * Mario Kart Arcade GP: The way that Coins give the kart a small boost upon being collected originated from this game.
 * Mario Kart DS: The Egg 1 and B Dasher return from this game as kart parts. Luigi's Mansion, Waluigi Pinball, DK Pass, and Airship Fortress return as retro courses, plus Palm Shore returns as a playable battle arena. During multiplayer with someone who doesn't have the game, Shy Guy becomes their automatic character like in this game.
 * Super Mario Galaxy: The Comet Observatory and the starting planet of Gateway Galaxy appear in the background in the course, Rosalina's Ice World. A part of Space Junk Galaxy's music is also remixed in the course. Rosalina and Honey Queen both originate from this game.
 * Mario Kart Wii: Most of the gameplay in Mario Kart 7 is based off of this game. The first part of the Award Ceremony fanfare music is from said installment as well. Minecarts from Wario's Gold Mine can be seen on Wario Shipyard. Tricks return from this game. The menu selection music is based on said music from this game. The roster and map sprites also return from this game. Mushroom Gorge, Coconut Mall, Maple Treeway, and Koopa Cape return as retro courses.
 * Donkey Kong Country Returns: DK Jungle is based on and includes elements from this game.
 * Super Mario 3D Land: The new look for the Super Leaf introduced in this game is shown as one of the newest items for the Mario Kart series and also used for the logo for the Leaf Cup. Also, the cardboard cut-out Goombas reappear in Piranha Plant Slide.

References in later games

 * Mario Kart Arcade GP DX: Gameplay elements such as the glider and underwater racing return in this game.
 * Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze: Donkey Kong plays this game during his idle motion. Also, he is confirmed as playing as himself.
 * Mario Golf: World Tour: The countdown timer and the signal light returns in Speed Golf to signal the start of the first hole.
 * Mario Kart 8: Music Park, Piranha Plant Slide, and DK Jungle return as this game's retro tracks. The glider and underwater racing mechanics return. Customization returns as well. Some vehicle bodies, tires, and gliders from Mario Kart 7 return also.
 * Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS: Rainbow Road appears as a stage in this game. The Rainbow Road theme music can play on the aforementioned stage, along with a remix of Rainbow Road themes from handheld Mario Kart games. In addition, various trophies reference content from this game.
 * Super Smash Bros. for Wii U: The Rainbow Road theme, a remix of Rainbow Road themes from handheld Mario Kart games, and a remix of this game's Circuit theme appear as music tracks for the Mario Circuit stage. Various trophies reference content from this game.

Reception
The game has received generally positive reviews. As of December 12, 2013, Metacritic has an average score of 85, including 64 positive reviews, and 9 mixed. Gamerankings has an average score of 85.17% based on 50 reviews. The game sold over 420,000 units in its first 4 days in Japan. As of March 31, 2014, Mario Kart 7 is the 2nd best selling game for the Nintendo 3DS, having sold about 9.62 million copies worldwide.

GameXplain has given the game's Multiplayer 4.5 stars out of 5, and Single-Player a 3.5 out of 5. Audrey Drake of IGN gave the game a 9.0/10. She criticized the character roster for being small and the potential of the Spiny Shell "screwing up" the race, but she praised the innovation and the polish the game provides. She wrote, "overall it’s a well-polished experience that fans of the kart-racing genre - or of the Mushroom Kingdom - should not hesitate to pick up". Gametrailers gave it a 8.8/10. Griffin McElroy of Joystiq gave it 4.5 stars out of 5. He praised the game for being well-polished with only a few flaws, noting the Spiny Shell as "unavoidable" and "race ruining". Adam Biessener of Gameinformer gave it an 8.50/10. He praised the first person view, the new tracks, and the new glider and underwater features while criticizing the Battle Mode, and online modes "being a distraction rather than a destination". He ended with, "Mario Kart 7 isn’t 100 percent golden, nor is it going to make believers out of anyone who wrote off the series years ago. Taken on the whole, though, this is one of the best entries in the series. As a fan, I’m thoroughly pleased". 1up gave it a B- grade. Tom McShea of Gamespot gave it a 8/10. He remarked that the game has "been the same as previous entries of the series, but the innovations have kept it fresh", while criticizing the online structure and lack of mission mode. Justin Towell on Gamesradar gave it a perfect 10/10. He praised the fanservice and how "anyone can pick up and enjoy" the game. However, Destructoid rated the game a 5.0/10, criticizing how this game is practically the same as any other game in the Mario Kart series. They ended it with, "Mario Kart is in need of a severe shake up. This stagnant, crawling, and indolent effort is not it".