LogFAQs > #955564821

Mario Kart 7 (3DS)
Wrapping up Mario Kart DS after all this time reminded me that I never completed this one to my own criteria either, and that it would be an easy one to knock out of my backlog and an easy number for my list.

Actually, despite having had this one basically since launch (it came out in early December 2011 and I got it for Christmas), I hadn't done too many cups. All 8 cups on 150cc, and the four main cups on 50cc.

This one certainly plays a lot better than DS. I really, really like the feel of this one. Almost as much as I like the feel of 8. Everything is pretty smooth and I like the gameplay additions.

This set of stages might just be the most unique in all of Mario Kart. It lacks a lot of the "standard" stuff that you see in each game, aside from Mario Circuit and a generic circuit to start out with, and of course the traditional Bowser's Castle and Rainbow Road at the end, but those are always so unique that I hardly count them as "generic." But there's really nothing else quite like Music Park, Wario Shipyard, Shy Guy Bazaar, Piranha Plant Slide, Neo Bowser City, and the Wuhu tracks. Even some of the ones that are kinda similar to stuff we've seen, like DK Jungle and Rosalina's Ice World, are pretty good. And of course, the retro selection in this one is excellent. My only minor gripe here is a very personal and specific one - part of the appeal of retro tracks for me is to see tracks from handheld games on a console, and vice-versa. So to include Waluigi Pinball and Airship Fortress, as much as I love them both, in this one instead of saving them for 8, is a little disappointing.

While I normally enjoy the roster on the handheld games being smaller and thus largely void of filler like babies and pallet swaps, this one was just crazy. Lakitu and Metal Mario are one thing, but Wiggler? Honey Queen?? And both of them with no Waluigi? This roster was kind of a mess, even though my go-tos, Rosalina and Toad, were both there.

One thing I did do with this one was try playing online, and to my surprise, there were actually people playing it online! 10 years after release, and with Mario Kart 8 on both Wii U and Switch! And I had fun! I do remember playing some Board 8 Mario Kart 7 nights. Those were fun. I remember one time when we played a cup, and my placements in said cup were 8th, 8th, 1st, 8th. Wacky stuff. Man I wish we could do one of those for this game again.

Overall, this is a really solid Mario Kart. One that kinda gets lost being stuck between Wii and 8, which is a shame. I think even I've underrated it in the years since 8 was released. Not anymore.

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darkx
Games beaten in 2021 - 26; Most recent - Mario Kart 7