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When
a band has made
three or more albums
there’s a typical
belief that band is
what it is.
Generally the band’s
not going to change
anything drastically
and alienate a fan
base that grew to
like them for what
they did. David
Bendeth has said
that before and I
agree with it.
Establish what you
do well, go forward
with that and add a
few things every
album. That same
thing can be applied
to video games and
it definitely
applies to
Mario
Kart 7
recently released
for the Nintendo
3DS. Every Nintendo
system gets it’s
turn with
Mario
Kart,
it’s a tradition,
also a tradition…
the games being
remarkable.
Mario
Kart
invented the kart
racing genre and
every year they
release a title it
sets the new
standard for it too.
Even though it’s for
a portable system,
Mario
Kart 7
definitely sets a
new standard for
these types of games
with a strong amount
of additions and
add-ons to an
already successful
formula. Back for
the first time since
the Super Nintendo
days are coins.
Collecting coins
gives you a speed
boost and it gives
you a higher maximum
speed with your
kart. It also
unlocks kart
customization parts.
Coin collecting is a
big add-on but being
able to drive
underwater and being
able to glide in the
air inside of
different tracks is
the biggest add-on
with the game. The
first time being
launched into the
air or diving
underwater is a
blast for every kart
racer and revisiting
old levels from
previous games and
having that
incorporated is a
huge boost to fun
coming from
Mario
Kart 7.
Also new with
Mario
Kart 7
is a first-person
perspective with
gyroscopic controls.
With the 3DS it’s
highly intuitive and
it’s a breeze to
control and play
through. You’d think
that it wouldn’t be
that fun to play
like this because…
well let’s face it
kart racers are all
about a third person
viewpoint but it
works in
Mario
Kart 7
because of those
gyroscopic controls
and how responsive
and simple it is.
Those
are the three
strongest additions
in
Mario
Kart 7
but graphically, the
game has been
updated plenty and
as far as gameplay
goes it remains as
strong as ever. A
special mention does
need to be made for
changing the formula
slightly on some
tracks. Instead of
the typical laps the
addition of
‘sections’ instead
of laps and having
there be three of
those is a terrific
change of pace on
some tracks to go
along with gliding
and diving.
There
are a couple of
glaring holes with
Mario
Kart 7.
The first is the
roster. The regulars
and the musts are
here but I’d like
just one
Mario
Kart
game to feature the
roster of rosters of
Nintendo characters.
Villains, heroes,
lackeys, friends,
allies, everything-
I’d like to have a
huge roster of 50+
racers. It’s doable
and it would be
amazing to see that
kind of chaos in a
Mario
Kart
game.
The other hole is
that while gliding,
diving, and the
change of laps to
sections, there
needs to be a little
bit more. Add mini
games, add something
to that extent,
basically add
something to the
formula to change
something up. What’s
here works, but some
more additions would
be nice.
Mario
Kart 7
is an awesome game.
It’s the latest in
the
Mario
Kart
franchise so it sets
the standard for
kart racing games.
Several new
additions and a ton
of online and
multi-player options
make it a great game
for any 3DS owner to
have. More
characters and some
more changes to the
typical
Mario
Kart
formula would be
nice, but that feels
like somewhat of a
finicky complaint.
Pick this up
immediately and
enjoy.
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