It may not revolutionize the genre, but does it really have to?
User Rating: 9 | Mario Kart 7 3DS
This game is amazing. The track designs are perfect, allowing secret shortcuts, including great obstacles, and generally excelling, and the 3D effect couldn't be better. Those who've played mario kart before know to expect by now. Mario Kart 7 adds some new items- the fire flower, which does exactly what you would expect, and the tanooki suit, which allows you to flick nearby karts with your tail. The problem is it's nigh-on impossible to get close enough to a kart to do that. The last new item isn't really new- the lucky seven gives you seven items to use, but one of those a bob-omb, and if a kart touches it you both blow up. Another is a star, but another kart could easily collect it. So the new items are disappointing, but at least not crazily out of control like in Mario Kart Wii. There's a new feature though- kart customisation. Using this, you can piece together a kart using wheels, the kart itself, and the glider to go with it. It's so much better than ever before, allowing you more freedom with karts than ever. There aren't many characters to choose from, but you can play as the 3DS's mii. Just not as anyone else's mii. The character options aren't bad, but there could be more of them. Another addition is the glider. Off certain ramps, you can soar through the air. It's faster than driving, so you should stay in the air as long as possible. There is a time trials mode as well, which is made better by streetpass and via the online mario kart channel. Which brings me onto another thing: the online. This is brilliant, as you can not only search for random players, but play with friends, and create your own custom communities with set rules for what items appear. And there's also local multiplayer as usual. This is an excellent Mario Kart game, second only to Mario Kart DS.
