Mario Kart 7

Mario Kart 7is a 2011kart racing video gamedeveloped byNintendo EADin cooperation withRetro Studiosand published byNintendofor theNintendo 3DS.As with the previous games in theMario Kartseries,players participate in racing on variousMario-themedtracks,playing as one of seventeen differentMariocharacters.While racing, the players make use ofpower-upitemsthat either assist their character or hinder opposing characters. New additions to the game includehang-glidingattachments for karts, the ability to drive underwater, the ability to drive in first person, and the ability to fully customize the vehicles' builds. The game supports both local andonlinemultiplayerfor up to eight players. The game was a critical and commercial success, becoming thebest-selling game on the Nintendo 3DSwith over 18.99 million copies sold worldwide.

Mario Kart 7
North American packaging artwork
Developer(s)	Nintendo EAD Retro Studios
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Director(s)	Kosuke Yabuki
Producer(s)	Hideki Konno Yasuyuki Oyagi
Designer(s)	Yoshihisa Morimoto Tom Ivey
Programmer(s)	Yusuke Shiraiwa Tim Little
Artist(s)	Masaaki Ishikawa Ryan Powell
Composer(s)	Kenta Nagata Satomi Terui
Series	Mario Kart
Platform(s)	Nintendo 3DS
Release	JP:1 December 2011 EU:2 December 2011 AU:3 December 2011 NA:December 4 2011
Genre(s)	Kart racing
Mode(s)	Single-player,multiplayer

Gameplay

See also:Gameplay in the Mario Kart series

Racing in first-person is one of the new elements in this game along with hang gliding and driving underwater. The map seen in the background is Rock Rock Mountain, the fourth and last race of the Flower Cup.

Mario Kart 7carries on traditionalMario Kartgameplay in which players race against each other ingo-kartsacross 32 courses (new and retro). Most are based on various locations in theMarioseries,but two new courses are set onWuhu Islandlocation from theWii FitandWii Sports Resortgames.In addition to traditional button controls,Mario Kart 7can be played using the Nintendo 3DSgyroscope,in which the action is viewed infirst personand the player steers the kart simply by tilting the entire game system. While most gameplay occurs on the top screen of the 3DS hardware, the bottom screen shows an overhead map of the race course. While driving, the players may usepower-upitems, obtained from running into item boxes located at specific points on the track, that are used to hinder the progression of opponents or to help the player in the race. Some of these power-ups include the series staple itemsKoopaShells,BananaPeels, andSuper Mushrooms.Three new items were added:Fire Flower,which allows the player to shoot up to ten fireballs, the Super Leaf, which gives the player a tail that allows them to flip over nearby players, collect nearby Coins, and deflect items, and the Lucky Seven, which bestows seven items at once.Coins are also scattered about the tracks; collecting them increases the kart's top speed. Up to ten coins can be collected in each race, but some will be lost if the player comes into contact with hazards or goes out of bounds. Jump actions let players obtain a brief burst of speed when hitting a button prior to driving off ramps,hang gliderattachments sometimes allow for controllable gliding segments as well.In the previous installments, driving the kart into a body of water has been considered going out of bounds and would penalize the player by delaying them or being picked up byLakitu.InMario Kart 7,however, the karts are fullysubmersible,thus adding fully underwater track segments.

The game features sixteen playableMariocharacters, including Wiggler, Honey Queen,Lakitu,and Metal Mario, who are new to the series, as well asMiicharacters saved in the Nintendo 3DS Mii Maker, bringing the total to seventeen. Like in the previous installments, characters are divided into three different weight classes, which impact their driving styles.Mario Kart 7introduced the ability to customize vehicles prior to races. Vehicle bodies, tires, and hang gliders can be customized with differing control attributes.Mario Kart 7offers 32 different race tracks, which consist of 16 new tracks and 16 tracks from priorMario Kartgames.

Mario Kart 7features foursingle-playergame modes:Grand Prix,Time Trial,Balloon Battle, and Coin Runners. Some modes featuremultiplayeroptions. In Grand Prix, the player races against sevencomputer-controlledopponents in one of eight different cups, each featuring four tracks. The player receives points based on their finishing position in each race ranging from one to ten. After all four races, there will be anaward ceremonyand the player receives a trophy if they place in the top three of the final standings. Players will also receive a star rank for their performance ranging from one to three stars. In Time Trial, the player races alone to finish the course in the fastest time possible using a Triple Mushroom that can be used at any time during the run. The best time for each track issavedand recorded as aghost,which the player can compete against in later trials. If the player hasSpotPassenabled on their Nintendo 3DS, they will be able to download ghosts from other players and can race against up to seven other ghosts simultaneously.In the Balloon Battle and Coin Runners battle games, the players drive around one of six arenas (three for this game and three from the previous installments) to collect items and attack their opponents to score points within the time limit of two minutes. The player could playonlineviaNintendo Networkuntil April 2024,participating in races or battles with up to seven other players.

Development

Nintendo EADbegan development onMario Kart 7in early 2010.The idea to havehang glidingandsubmersiblekarts came during the development of the previousMario Kartgame,Mario Kart Wii,and was one of the first gameplay mechanics implemented.The ability to customize the player's kart was added in order to make gameplay more strategic and to boost themultiplayerexperience.The game was first publicly announced atE3 2010under the tentative titleMario Kart 3DSand then shown again atE3 2011,where it was announced for a late 2011 release.

BecauseNintendogs + Catswas scheduled to be released first,Mario Kart 7was given lower priority and only eight staff members were assigned to begin work on it. When it was time to focus on the game, producerHideki Konnorealized that there was not enough staff available due to many other titles being developed at the same time, includingThe Legend of Zelda: Skyward Swordwhich had its production extended into 2011. In order to finish the game in time for the 2011Christmas season,Nintendo consulted withRetro Studios,which had just finished makingDonkey Kong Country Returns,to co-develop the game.Retro started work onMario Kart 7in December 2010. The team focused on producing the classic racing courses, remakes of courses from the earlierMario Karttitles, in order to learn both "lessons about the development process [forMario Kartgames] "and" about what makes a good course from adesignperspective. "

The game'ssoundtrackwas composed by both Kenta Nagata, who worked on the previousMario KarttitlesMario Kart 64andMario Kart: Double Dash,andStar Fox 64 3Dcomposer Satomi Terui.

Shortly after its release, it was discovered that three race tracks (Wuhu Island, Maka Wuhu and GBA Bowser Castle 1) had containedglitchesthat allowed players to skip over a significant portion of the track, often exploited as acheatduring online play. An update to fix it in online play was released in May 2012.

Reception

Reception

Aggregate scores

Aggregator	Score
GameRankings	85.17%
Metacritic	85/100

Review scores

Publication	Score
Computer and Video Games	9.4/10
Destructoid	5/10
Edge	9/10
Eurogamer	8/10
Game Informer	8.5/10
GameRevolution	A−
GameSpot	8/10
GamesRadar+
GamesTM	8/10
Giant Bomb
IGN	9/10
Nintendo Life
Nintendo World Report	8.5/10
Official Nintendo Magazine	93%

Mario Kart 7has received generally favorable reviews. It holds an 85/100 rating onMetacriticbased on 60 critic reviews and an 85.17% rating onGameRankingsbased on 45 reviews.IGNscored it a 9/10, praising "a handful of incredible innovations" and the game's multiplayer, particularly community features and customizable racing rules, but criticizing the small roster of only 17 characters, compared to that ofMario Kart Wii's 25 characters.Computer and Video Gamesgave the game a 9.4/10andEurogamergave it an 8/10.Nintendo World Reportgave the game an 8.5, stating that it is more of the same and the gliding mechanics feel underutilized.

On the more negative side,James Stephanie SterlingofDestructoidgave the game a 5/10, stating that "sticking to tradition has not worked in Nintendo's favor" and saying the new glider and underwater sections "exist to provide the illusion of variety rather than actually altering the core experience".Giant Bombscored the game a 3/5, noting "your enjoyment ofMario Kart 7will likely hinge on your continued appreciation of [the series'] formula ".

Accolades

IGNawardedMario Kart 7theIGN's Editors' Choice.Mario Kart 7was nominated for "Best 3DS Game" and "Best Driving Game" atGameTrailers'2011 Game of the Year Awards, but lost both respectively toSuper Mario 3D LandandForza Motorsport 4.Digital Spy awardedMario Kart 7the "Best Game of 2011" for the Digital Spy readers' awards of 2011. EdgeawardedMario Kart 7as the best portable game of 2011.During the15th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards,theAcademy of Interactive Arts & SciencesnominatedMario Kart 7for "Racing Game of the Year"and"Handheld Game of the Year".

Sales

Mario Kart 7sold 3.48 million units in the U.S. as of August 2014.In Japan, the game has sold over 1.5 million units as of January 25, 2012.By March 31, 2023, the game had sold 18.99 million units globally.The game has been nominated for "Favorite Video Game" twice in theKids Choice Awards,but lost toJust Dance 3in the 2012 edition andJust Dance 4in the 2013 edition.

External links

• Official website(in Japanese)