out, playing a copy of Super Mario Kart. From then on, I was hooked. The series seemed to

be made for me. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, it’s incredibly easy to pick

up and play, and you get to throw freaking koopa shells at your opponents. It’s also

been one of the few series in gaming that really hasn’t had a misstep. Now, I wasn’t

a big fan of the motion control aspect of the Wii version, and I know that some, although

this list doesn’t include me, were not a fan of Double Dash. But for the most part,

this series has been one of the best, from beginning to present, in all of gaming. Of

course, with a title like Mario Kart 7, some might infer that this latest entry in the

series may be more of the same, but this is actually the freshest entry in the series

in a very long while. Mario Kart 7 features the Grand Prix mode

that we’ve all come to know and love from past entries in the series, and yes, as far

as this goes, we have seen it before. There’s still the 50, 100 and 150cc cups, and you’ll

still be going across a variety of themed tracks. The difference, however, is that these

tracks no longer force you to stay on the ground. For the first time in a Mario Kart

game, Mario Kart 7 allows you to fly off of special ramps and soar into the air with a

glider. Couple this with the 3D effect that the 3DS does so well, and the series gets

flipped on its head. In addition to these segments, which are very common, there are

less common underwater sequences. Now, it may just be because the air sequences give

so much control, but the water ones feel a little sluggish. That isn’t necessarily

a bad thing, though, as this change of pace helps to keep things interesting.

Controls in Mario Kart 7 are some of the best I’ve ever played on a handheld. A or Y is

accelerate, R is jump and drift, and X or L is the item button, and with steering being

handled by the circle pad, this means that you’ll have access to every button at all

times. The 3DS feels like it was just made for this game, it’s really astounding. Now,

the not as astounding thing is that a first-person mode can be used by pressing up on the d-pad,

but if you have the 3D effect on, you’ll have to literally spin in your chair to keep

the effect working properly, and with 3D, that will probably lead to some vomiting.

Of course, multiplayer is the best aspect of any Mario Kart game, and Mario Kart 7 is

no exception. 8 person races are now available, and I experienced absolutely no lag in my

time with this mode. I did get booted from a few races, but this should go down after

the game is out for a little while. Racing against people from Japan, Germany, England

and France at the same time is cool. Visually, Mario Kart 7 is one of the most

impressive games I’ve ever seen on the 3DS. From rain effects to the tremendous environments,

this game looks like a Gamecube game, maybe even a little better. Sound is what you would

expect, with all of your favorite tracks, for each track, returning. I hate the Rainbow

Road song, though. It’s not the actual music. It’s the fact that it’s the soundtrack

to me falling off of the edge. Mario Kart 7 is a fantastic game, and if you

own the 3DS, this is an absolute “must purchase.” This will get played for more time than just

about anything on the 3DS, I guarantee it. So what are you waiting for? Go get it!