Mario Kart 7

Mario Kart 7 is a racing game developed by Nintendo EAD and Retro Studios 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 (not including the Mario Kart Arcade GP series), 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. Once Nintendo introduced retail games that could be downloaded via the Nintendo eShop, Mario Kart 7 was released in 2012 for the eShop, where it requires 635.38 MB (5,083 blocks) to download.

Features
Mario Kart 7 features the standard gameplay present in preceding games in the series, with the gameplay style being very close to that of Mario Kart Wii. Players compete for gold trophies in the eight Grand Prix cups, consisting of four Nitro Cups and four Retro Cups, a returning feature from Mario Kart DS and Mario Kart Wii. Along with Grand Prix, Time Trials and Battle Modes also return. Time Trials have players race on tracks to set records, as well as race against their own or other racers' ghosts. Battle Mode features two different modes; Balloon Battle and Coin Runners, the latter returning from Mario Kart Wii. Players can set their own rules for Battle Mode, choosing CPU difficulty, which items will appear or team games. Online races and battles return, allowing up to 8 players to race or battle using the Nintendo Network online service. Players can also create custom communities, which can be accessed by other players via codes.

Mario Kart 7 also has some new features. Players can now use hang-gliders to navigate through the air and propellers to drive underwater. In addition, players now assemble their own karts, rather than select preset karts as in previous games. It is possible to select the kart's body, wheels, and 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-driver race like in previous installments, instead of the total of twelve as seen in Mario Kart Wii. It is also compatible with both SpotPass and StreetPass.

In this new installment of the Mario Kart series, coins make a prominent return. Coins have not been featured in this way in the recent 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 up to a maximum of ten slightly increases the player's top speed and, if enough are collected, 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.

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 mechanics 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 quickly or gently, 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 and battle in a first-person view. This function allows the player to watch the race and battle from the character's perspective and can race by the system. In first-person view, the player can also see the vehicle's steering wheel in front of the character with an emblem on it. 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 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, an extra track with beats is added to the course's music if the player gets ahead in first place at top speed (frontrunning). This track fades when the player slows down via braking, going off-road, or getting hit by an item. This happens only in 100cc, 150cc and Mirror class.

Motorbikes, which made their first appearance in Mario Kart Wii, do not return in the game. On the other hand, Tricks return, known as jump actions, and are now the sole way of obtaining a boost, known as Jump Boost, when the kart jumps because of a ramp or an element of the course. The jump action can also be performed on glider ramps to receive a speed boost when gliding starts. The map is viewed in the bottom screen, but unlike in Mario Kart DS, the map doesn't display course hazards and obstacles. The Single Player version of VS mode from the other Mario Kart games and the mission mode from Mario Kart DS are also removed.

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 jump actions in midair.
 * /: Use item
 * : Switch map view
 * : Pause / Resume
 * : Display HOME Menu
 * : First-Person View
 * : Steer / Auto Drift (First-person view only)
 * (except up): Third-Person View

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 parts (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 race in Grand Prix mode. It is similar to Mario Kart: Double Dash!! and Mario Kart DS, but racers who place below third get an extra point. Also, 4th place is not a losing place, similar to Super Mario Kart, Mario Kart 64, Mario Kart: Super Circuit, and Mario Kart Wii (which has 12 racers). 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. There are three new courses, and the remaining three are from previous installments in the series.

Balloon Battle
Racers compete by popping their opponents' 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. Players who lose all of their balloons will have half of their points deducted. Up to three points can be taken away, and the player re-spawns with three balloons.

Coin Runners
In Coin Runners (Coin Battle in the PAL region), racers collect the Coins scattered 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 their opponents and make them drop a maximum of three coins that they have collected. Unlike in Mario Kart Wii, only up to ten coins can be held 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 Mario Kart Wii). Online play in Communities does not use the VR system. Also, a player's VR counts for both races and battles, as opposed to Mario Kart Wii with races affecting VR, and battles affecting BR (Battle Rating).

Characters
Mario Kart 7 includes 17 total drivers (eight starting drivers and nine unlockable drivers). Each driver is categorized into any of five weight classes: Feather being the lightest, followed by Light, Medium, Cruiser, and finally Heavy. This is the only game in the main Mario Kart series to have Wario as an unlockable character (Wario is also unlockable in Mario Kart Arcade GP DX). The player's Mii never appears as a CPU driver, but Miis the player has obtained via StreetPass for this game's Mario Kart Channel can occasionally appear as a CPU driver during the standard Grand Prix mode.

On a side note, all of the starting characters were the same as in Super Mario Kart but with Donkey Kong in place of Donkey Kong Jr..

Unlockable drivers

 * While this is Shy Guy's first appearance as a selectable playable character, players without a card using Download Play are restricted to an alternate colored Shy Guy.

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. The only exception to this is Wario, who does not have a third rival due to both of his main rivals being starting characters.

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, Metal Mario being the only exception, as he's medium size despite being a heavy character.

Background characters
These characters appear in the background of certain stages and do not affect the racers in any way.

Hazards and obstacles
These characters and features serve as hazards on tracks and can directly affect racers if hit.

Vehicle parts
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, a new set of tires, or a new glider to use. It is possible to acquire a maximum of ten coins in a race. As the user chooses the parts, the stats may vary according to the parts' combination, and the vehicle will work better in particular situations.

Available parts
There are 17 kart bodies, 10 tires, and 7 gliders for a grand total of 1,190 kart combinations. The following is a list of all the avilable parts, using the American names. If the kart has a different name in PAL regions, the PAL name is put in parentheses under the American name. All kart parts are sorted based on how they're ordered in-game, starting with the standard parts. The following notation is used:


 * * = Changes color, depending on the character.
 * ** = Changes color for Daisy, Rosalina, and Honey Queen.
 * *** = Not used by male or gender-indeterminate CPU drivers.
 * **** = Not used by CPU drivers, except for Miis obtained via StreetPass from this game's Mario Kart Channel, if they are equipped.

Unlocking criteria
The only parts that are already unlocked are the Standard kart, the Standard tires, the Super Glider, Bolt Buggy, Birthday Girl, Monster tires and Roller tires. Unlocking 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:

Drivers' and vehicle parts' statistics

 * For the in-game tables from which these values were derived and for the tables to translate those values into the actual statistics used by the game, see Mario Kart 7 in-game statistics.

Statistics shown in the vehicle customization screen
In contrast with Mario Kart DS and Mario Kart Wii, which directly added the characters' and vehicles' physical parameters to obtain their final values, the game introduces the Points which are conferred by characters and vehicle parts. In each statistics, the points given by the character, body, tires, and glider are summed to obtain a final value called Level (Lv) which is then used by a table to convert the level into various related physical parameters used by the game. The Level of five statistics is displayed in the vehicle customization screen:


 * Speed: The top speed of the kart on land.
 * Acceleration: The rate of speed increase when holding the acceleration button.
 * Weight: The weight of the kart. Karts with higher weight knock away vehicles with lower weight.
 * Handling: The turning ability of the kart on land. A higher stat means vehicles turn sharper.
 * Off-Road: The grasp of the kart. Karts with higher Off-Road slip less on certain terrain and are faster, to the point of being able to charge Mini-Turbos. Not to be confused with handling.

Said Level is represented through bars by adding two points to the sum of points, then dividing the result by four, resulting in values ranging from 0.75 to 5.5. As an example, the process through which the statistics of a certain combination of character and vehicle parts are calculated and displayed is shown below:



Drivers' statistics
The following table shows the statistics of the various drivers. In addition to the statistics shown in the vehicle customization screen, there are the following statistics:


 * Water Speed: The top speed of the kart while driving underwater.
 * Air Speed: The top speed of the kart while gliding.
 * Water Handling: The turning ability of the kart while driving underwater.
 * Air Handling: The turning ability of the kart while gliding.
 * Mini-Turbo: The length of the kart's mini-turbo speed boosts.
 * Stability: How much the tires stick to the ground and how much the kart tends to tilt sideways when turning and drifting.
 * Drift: How much the kart slips when a drift begins.

The following table reports the statistics in points.

Vehicle parts' statistics
The following table shows the statistics of the various parts in points.

Items

 * For the probability of obtaining each item when an Item Box is opened in the various modes, see Mario Kart 7 item probability distributions.

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 last two of which do not return in Mario Kart 8). The Thunder Cloud, POW Block, and Mega Mushroom from Mario Kart Wii are absent from the game. The Fake Item Box from Mario Kart 64, Double Dash!!, DS, and Wii is also absent, along with Boo (which didn't appear in Mario Kart Wii). 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 addition to Item Boxes, 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. Also, unlike in its predecessor, the item warning sound will only play if a Spiny Shell or a Bullet Bill is approaching.

One prominent change to the classic items is that the Spiny Shell now has been redesigned into a wingless form, similar to the one found in Mario Kart 64 and having a new sound effect. Its overall behavior is also changed as well; the shell now flies lower to the ground and is able to hit other racers on its path. In addition, the explosion is noticeably less powerful compared to previous installments.

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. A new feature of Mario Kart 7 is that three of the courses – Wuhu Loop, Maka Wuhu, and Rainbow Road – have three sections each, with each section counting as one lap. The following charts show the American English names of the tracks, with their PAL variants in italics. Like in Mario Kart DS, the retro tracks' width have been shortened, except the DS retro courses, which have been widened.

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 the player gets a time higher than the Normal Staff Ghost of a track, the Expert Staff Ghost of the same track will be unlocked.

Update history
Mario Kart 7 is the first Nintendo 3DS game to use the system'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 offline play, 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!

Critical 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. Critics generally praise the new glider and underwater mechanic that the game adds, but often cite how similarly it feels to past entries of the Mario Kart series.

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. 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 race-ruining bullshit". Adam Biessener of Gameinformer gave it an 8.5/10. 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". 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, Jim Sterling of 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". He ended it with, "Mario Kart is in need of a severe shake up. This stagnant, crawling, and indolent effort is not it".

Sales
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, and also the best selling Mario game on the 3DS.

Pre-release and unused content
The 7 in the original logo featured a different design than the final logo. Original demos featured many elements from Mario Kart Wii, such as menu music, Dash Panel textures and a winged Spiny Shell. Several tracks shown in early trailers lacked details shown in the final version, such as the lack Wigglers in Wii Maple Treeway and the lack of ramps in Wuhu Loop, Mario Circuit and Rock Rock Mountain.

Differences in multiplayer modes
When playing in multiplayer mode, both locally and online, there are several changes made to the tracks, most likely to retain a stable connection.


 * One of the two Mountain Goats was removed from Daisy Hills.
 * There is only one Sidestepper in Cheep Cheep Lagoon, as opposed to two.
 * In the bazaar section of Shy Guy Bazaar, one jar was removed. Also in the gliding section, there are fewer Shy Guys on flying carpets.
 * In Wuhu Loop, the first group of cars consists of only two cars instead of three. The last group of cars near the finish line were removed entirely. Also, the wind turbines near the lighthouse have no rotor blades.
 * In Mario Circuit, the coin placement in the castle area was changed. Also, one of the two Giant Goombas is absent.
 * In Music Park, the second of three Bouncing Notes was removed.
 * Piranha Plant Slide has no Item Boxes flowing with the water. Also in the section before the finish line, the Giant Goomba and the boards resembling it were removed.
 * The Fish Bones in the tunnel in Wario Shipyard are absent as well as the Sidesteppers before the gliding section.
 * One Tiki Goon and one Frogoon were taken out of DK Jungle, reducing their number to two and one respectively.
 * There are no penguins in the underwater section of Rosalina's Ice World.
 * One of the two Thwomps in Bowser's Castle is absent.
 * The two ceiling lights in the second room of DS Luigi's Mansion were removed.
 * In N64 Koopa Beach, three of the six Sidesteppers are absent: Two underwater and one before the finish line.
 * In DS Waluigi Pinball, there is only one Pinball rolling around in the open area before the finish line.
 * N64 Kalimari Desert has only one train on its rails as opposed to two.
 * DS DK Pass does not have any snowballs in the part that goes uphill. Also most of the snowmen are absent.
 * There are no Cheep Cheeps in the underwater section of GCN Daisy Cruiser.
 * One of the two Wigglers in Wii Maple Treeway was removed.
 * Wii Koopa Cape has no moving Item Boxes in the area where the water flows with the track. Also, there are no Cheep Cheeps in the underwater area.
 * There are fewer Rocky Wrenches in DS Airship Fortress.

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 available while playing offline.

Staff
Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development developed Mario Kart 7, with Retro Studios as Co-Developers and Artists. Retro Studios was also responsible for contributing to the Donkey Kong series attributes in the game, mainly the DK Jungle track. The music composition is credited to Kenta Nagata and Satomi Terui. Shigeru Miyamoto and Satoru Iwata were the game's general and executive producers respectively.

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 jars 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. Some voice clips are reused. Also, the Barrel Train returns from this game. Daisy Cruiser and Dino Dino Jungle return as retro courses, and finally, the 3-2-1 starting countdown 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.
 * New Super Mario Bros.: The playable Lakitu's artwork in Mario Kart 7 is a color swapped version of Lakitu's artwork from this game. Koopa Troopa's artwork is also reused from the 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 music is from the 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. Some voice clips are reused. Mushroom Gorge, Coconut Mall, Maple Treeway, and Koopa Cape return as retro courses.
 * Mario Super Sluggers: Some of Wiggler's voice clips are taken from this game.
 * 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 used as the logo for the Leaf Cup. Also, the bush and Goomba Boards 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 animation. 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: The Wii U follow-up includes various elements from this game. 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. Neo Bowser City returns as a downloadable retro course.
 * Mario Kart 8 Deluxe: The Koopa Clown kart body returns. Wuhu Town returns as a retro battle course. Lunar Colony has a moon section with low gravity just like Rainbow Road.
 * 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.

Trivia

 * The Nitro Courses use the current Mario Kart logo on their starting banners, while Retro Courses still use the classic logo.
 * When unlocking a new kart part, if the player goes to the Mario Kart Channel to change parts, no jingle sound will play and the gift icon will not be there. However, it will still appear when going into the Grand Prix or Time Trials.
 * This is the only Mario Kart game that doesn't have its corresponding year of release on the title screen.
 * This is the Mario Kart game with the most track name differences depending on the region with a total of eight racetracks and one battle course.