Mario Kart 7

Mario Kart 7 is the 3DS installment of the Mario Kart. It is for the Nintendo 3DS and is the seventh installment in the Mario Kart series (and the ninth installment in the whole series including the arcade installments). It is currently the only Mario Kart game on the Nintendo 3DS. Ghost data is able to be exchanged and online gameplay is available in multiplayer mode in this game.

This installment allows players to customize their own vehicle instead of driving default vehicles in previous games including hang gliders.

Gameplay
This game had many several radical changes to make it different from previous Mario Kart games.

Players now have the option of collecting coins while racing. At specific points in the games, the karts will sprout either hang gliders and propellers, allowing for racing in the air and underwater. This is the first time a character can go underwater anywhere and not drown.

The game also has kart customization options, allowing players to make custom karts out of a set of pieces, but some of the pieces need to be unlocked first. The game also introduces Retro Karts (Karts returning from other Mario Kart series).

Several courses from past Mario Kart games return in the Retro Cups, including Luigi's Mansion, SNES Rainbow Road, Mushroom Gorge, Daisy Cruiser, Kalimari Desert, and Bowser's Castle 1. There are only three retro battle arenas, unlike in Mario Kart Wii, where there are six battle arenas.

The game has the option to race in first person view, meaning that the players can see the track up close for the first time through the character's own eyes, tilting the 3DS side to side to steer.

Unlike Mario Kart Wii, the game returns to the traditional eight characters per race. To add on to this, bikes, which were introduced in Mario Kart Wii, do not return in this game, but the player is able to perform tricks.

It is also compatible with StreetPass and SpotPass.

Starters

 * Mario
 * Luigi
 * Princess Peach
 * Yoshi
 * Bowser
 * Donkey Kong
 * Toad
 * Koopa Troopa

Unlockables

 * Princess Daisy
 * Wario
 * Rosalina
 * Metal Mario
 * Shy Guy
 * Queen Bee
 * Wiggler
 * Lakitu
 * Mii

Other

 * Grand Goombas
 * Tiki Goons
 * Screaming Pillars
 * Clampies
 * Cheep-Cheeps
 * Swoopers
 * Banzai Bills
 * Green Lakitu
 * Stingbies
 * Frogoons
 * Chomps
 * Penguins
 * Boos
 * Birdos
 * Sidesteppers
 * Snowmen
 * Fishbones
 * Rocky Wrenches
 * Piranha Plants
 * Dinosaurs
 * Mega Wigglers
 * Music Thwomps
 * Miis
 * Piantas
 * Walking Trees
 * Shy Guys
 * Toads
 * Waluigi (cameo)

Character Statistics
Like in Mario Kart Wii, certain characters receive specific boosts for stats depending on their weight class.

Items

 * Banana (Triple Bananas)
 * Green Shell (Triple Green Shells)
 * Blooper
 * Red Shell (Triple Red Shells)
 * Spiny Shell
 * Mushroom (Triple Mushrooms)
 * Star
 * Golden Mushroom
 * Thunderbolt
 * Bullet Bill
 * Bob-omb
 * Coins (return from Mario Kart: Super Circuit and Super Mario Kart)
 * Fire Flower (new)
 * Super Leaf (new)
 * Lucky 7 (new)

Vehicle Customization
Mario Kart 7 introduces the feature that allows players to customize their vehicle. Before racing, players are able to choose their body, tire and glider to have their kart built. The other parts require Coins to be unlocked. The build of the kart determines how the vehicle handles in situations.

Vehicle Parts and Stats
Each part can affect the statistics of the vehicle. The units of the stats are out of 6. The stats of Speed, Acceleration, Weight, Handling and Off-Road are only visible in-game. The list displays the names in North America, the European names will be displayed in parentheses under the North American names.

Unlocking Criteria
The parts that are not required to be unlocked are the Standard body, Bolt Buggy, Birthday Girl, Standard tires, Monster, Roller and Super Glider. To unlock the other parts players must collect a certain amount of Coins to be collected from Grand Prix mode. Once the Coin amount is reached, a random part will be unlocked. Only the gold parts and Beast Glider have a certain criteria.

Coin Requirements
Players are able to unlock other vehicle parts through the following Coin amounts.

Staff Ghosts
Much like in Mario Kart Wii, Staff Ghosts appear in this game. To unlock Expert Staff Ghosts, players must beat the Normal Ghosts that are available from the start of Time Trial mode.

Technical Features
The 3D in this game is praised by most players and critics. Things such as flower petals and bats will fly at the player in this game. Another thing noticed that had never been done before was the competition the player's character's face had. For example, when Mario and Luigi get close to each other, they would stare at each other competitively and keep an eye on each other. This was something new that never had been done before in a Mario Kart game. The game's frame rate is at about sixty frames per second, even in online matches, which is good (considering the fact that online gameplay in Mario Kart Wii was slower by around 30 to 40 frames per second).

Reception
The game was an outstanding success according to its reviews. Mario Kart 7 has received worldwide critical acclaim. The first review, from Famitsu, gave the game a 37/40. They praised the Community feature, making the game more accessible and finding the opponents using StreetPass was also a positive feature. The reviewer states that it's accessible enough that even new players can enjoy it, and when you get into it, you really get into it. Computer and Video Games gave the game a 9.4/10 and Eurogamer gave it an 8/10. Nintendo World Report gave the game a 8.5, stating that it is more of the same and the gliding mechanics feel underutilized.

It currently holds an 85/100 rating on Metacritic based on 60 critic reviews. The game is currently the top on Global Charts according to VGChartz as it has currently sold 2,115,873 copies worldwide under 15 days.

Trivia

 * This is the only Mario Kart game where Wario is an unlockable character.
 * This is also the only post-Mario Kart: Double Dash!! game where Waluigi is not a playable character (though he was supposed to appear in the game as a playable character). However, his track Waluigi Pinball made an appearance as one of the retro tracks.
 * This is the only Mario spin-off game where Waluigi's course is seen without Waluigi as a playable character.
 * This game marks the second time Rosalina is playable in the series. Her other playable appearances are in Mario Kart Wii, Super Mario 3D World, Mario Kart 8, and Super Smash Bros. 3DS/Wii U.

References in Other Media

 * Super Mario Bros.: Piranha Plant Pipeway is made in a Super Mario Bros. tileset-like way, but with it looking more modern.
 * Super Mario Bros. 2: Shy Guy Bazaar's appearance looks a lot like many locations in Super Mario Bros. 2 do and has Magic Carpets ridden by Shy Guys and vases looking the same as the ones Cobrats would come out of.
 * Donkey Kong Country Returns: DK Jungle is in appearance very similar to the Jungle world in Donkey Kong Country Returns.