- Publisher: Nintendo
- Release Date: Dec 4, 2011
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Dec 2, 2011With almost ten years of thrilling races behind them, even the most fine-tuned racing fireballs can show signs of fatigue. But rather than risking a break-down, Nintendo was smart enough to dismantle its Mario Kart core formula in order to correctly refreshen each and every one of its clogs before putting them back together. As an added bonus, the mechanic repainted it nicely and added some of the latest technologies. The end result roars at soon as the engine starts, and promises to run nicely for quite some time thanks to solid online features.
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Nov 29, 2011It's without question the greatest handheld Mario Kart yet, and a welcome addition to a phenomenal series.
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Nov 29, 2011Mario Kart 7 is THE game the 3DS has been in dire need of. Sadly, it raises the bar so high for almost everything else, most 3DS games don't even look like they belong on the same system.
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Jan 5, 2012All in all, the multiplayer component of Mario Kart 7 is solid, addictive and fun.
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Dec 14, 2011The deepest, richest, and greatest installment in the already-rock solid franchise, and it's the most compelling reason to go out and buy a 3DS. Now go do it already. I'll see you on the track.
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Dec 9, 2011Cleverly balanced to entertain and challenge, with the ideal selection of tracks and items, an immersive online structure and all possible options of interaction between players, this title will be stuck to many 3DSs for years.
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Dec 7, 2011From top to bottom, Mario Kart 7 stands as the best entry in the series.
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Nintendo GamerJan 14, 2012As complete a racing game as you could hope to play. [Christmas 2011, p.54]
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Dec 16, 2011Mario Kart 7 could be the system seller Nintendo waited for. The online mode offers some great improvements so that you easily can join games of your friends directly from Nintendo 3DS friend list. The rest of it is pure Mario Kart fun.
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Games Master UKDec 16, 2011The greatest parts of the previous Mario Karts, crushed into a cartridge the size of DK's brain. [Jan 2012, p.78]
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Nov 28, 2011The "7" that Nintendo 3DS deserves, with a extreme replayable value and the most funny and crazy races. If you wanted a game that justifies your 3DS purchase, this is the one you were looking for. As Mario Kart DS, a timeless game that we would recommend until the end of the days.
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Nov 25, 2011As complete a racing game as you could hope to play. All that's good about the previous Karts, distilled and mixed with a trillion ideas of its own. Excellent.
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Nov 28, 2011The best Mario Kart game yet with an online platform that'll keep you racing for years.
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Dec 14, 2011If you have a 3DS, and can handle the idea of a cartoon-like racing game, you absolutely must get this game. Believe it or not, Mario Kart 7 is the very best version of the formula yet.
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Nov 29, 2011Impeccable gameplay that will be loved by fans, in a great new entry of the Mario Kart series. We only miss some more options and flexibility in the online modes, and more content for the single player mode. A must-have for Nintendo 3DS owners.
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Dec 8, 2011Even though Nintendo have used this formula for their latest Mario Kart game, they have added enough changes and tweaks plus the inclusion of 3D to truly make this title stand out from its predecessors. Gaming mechanics are strong and the controls work perfectly on the 3DS, although the gyroscope is a little iffy.
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Dec 6, 2011You've got to own this game if you've got a Nintendo 3DS. If you find a shiny new 3D handheld under the Christmas tree, don't hesitate to pick this game up. It'll surely prove to suck hours and hours of your system's diminuitive battery life away, but once you plug in, you won't want to put it down.
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Jan 3, 2012One of the strongest offerings on the 3DS. Despite the familiarity of its overall design, the old racer's still got plenty of juice left.
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Jan 3, 2012Mario Kart 7 is a great evolution in the context of the portable console. It stands out with its graphics, being at that level one of the best games for 3DS, maximizing the three dimensional effect so as to provide a remarkable game in visual terms.
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Dec 28, 2011As an apology for Mario Kart Wii, Mario Kart 7 gets high marks indeed, and it definitely has the depth and longevity to remain in constant rotation on my 3DS.
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Dec 16, 2011With new driving mechanics to create a fresh feeling, refinements based on all previous games and a solid online system, this is the best entry in the Mario Kart series so far.
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Dec 13, 2011Once again Nintendo delivers a great, addictive and extremely enjoyable racer. You can't go wrong with this one!
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Dec 12, 2011This was always going to be good, it is Mario Kart after all, but I think Nintendo has exceeded expectations this time. The additions really do add to the game's format, and the improvements to the online system make it a joy to play. Best Mario Kart yet? Well that's a matter of opinion, but it's certainly up there near the top.
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Dec 11, 2011The 3DS gains itself another must-have title – a solid combination of timeless racing and robust online multiplayer that will be enjoyed for years to come.
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Dec 5, 2011Mario Kart 7 offers up some StreetPass functionality this time around. You can view stranger's profiles, stats, VR rating, and even acquire ghost data for you to beat.
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Dec 5, 2011After Super Mario 3D Land, Nintendo has another hardware seller in Mario Kart 7. While Super Mario 3D Land redefined 3D jump'n'runs, Mario Kart 7 sets also new standards for fun and arcade racers. Mario Kart 7 offers the deepest multiplayer experience in the franchise, but that's not all. It's the cool mix of good old features and fresh gameplay elements, which makes the game so cool.
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Dec 2, 2011With a good amount of unlockable content and plenty of multiplayer options, this is a biggest and deepest Mario Kart experience yet.
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Nintendo PowerNov 30, 2011Mario Kart 7 certainly delivers on that [novelty] front with some excellent track design, the solid controls that we've come to expect from the series, and some worthwhile additions (like added items and the ability to fly.) [Dec 2011, p.76]
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Nov 30, 2011It's not brave, it's not innovative, but neither should it be casually dismissed as 'more of the same'. That winning formula has been prodded and poked and buffed until it gleams, leaving us with a game that is, at the very least, the finest Mario Kart since the original. For some, it might be even more than that.
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Nov 30, 2011Nintendo has clearly been experimenting with how to better exploit its system's obvious potential, and its solution is a natural, graceful implementation of 3D that complements and even improves its games, rather than feeling tacked on.
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Nov 29, 2011An exquisitely polished game with few flaws.
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Nov 29, 2011Though the character roster should have been larger, and a cheap blue shell can still screw up an otherwise perfect race, MK7 still offers enough innovation to keep this old formula feeling fresh. With memorable new tracks, well implemented gyro controls, the triumphant return of coins and a handful of new modes, Mario Kart 7 is full of win.
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Nov 29, 2011No one does kart racing quite like Nintendo and this seventh release in the beloved series really shines with its masterful track selection and impressive online package.
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Nov 28, 2011Probably the best Mario Kart ever seen, with a careful balance of the new and familiar and the most complete online service ever from Nintendo.
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Nov 28, 2011It seems that number seven is indeed a lucky number, because Mario Kart 7 is the best 3DS-game yet and the most succesfull Mario Kart-game in the series. Thanks to the superior additive of air gliders, which can be useful for navigating through the air, and of propellers to drive underwater, the levels are better than ever. We've got ourselves a new favourite Mario Kart!
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Dec 10, 2011Mario Kart 7 is good enough to continue the success of the series and it's original enough to be played with satisfaction from who has played the previous chapters.
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Nov 29, 2011Nintendo hasn't recreated the wheel with Mario Kart 7, but the time spent in the garage has paid huge dividends. With a console-worthy list of modes and options, brand new gameplay paradigms, the best track roster in series history, and new customization depth to plumb, it certainly makes a case to be the best Mario Kart yet. It doesn't turn kart racing on its end, but it finds a near-perfect medium of similarity and discovery as it walks the fine line of risk and reward without spinning out.
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Dec 10, 2011Mario Kart 7 is a strong follow-up in a series which has long straddled the line between mass-appeal shoo-in and nod to the nostalgia. It doesn't take many risks, but that rarely hurts it apart from a general lack of surprises and a disappointing presence of blue turtle shells. Regardless, it's an attractive, addictive, and accessible installment with some of the best online play we've seen to date coming from Nintendo. Don't expect to be surprised, but buy with confidence all the same.
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Dec 1, 2011Despite the lack of innovation, all fans of the series will enjoy this seventh chapter and also in general 3DS owners should consider buying it, as it's one of the best chapters of the entire saga.
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Dec 27, 2011If you haven't picked Mario Kart 7 up yet, you are going to miss out on such an amazing experience.
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Nov 30, 2011Mario Kart 7 isn't a huge leap forward for the series. Instead, it's another damn fine iteration in a proven series.
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Nov 29, 2011Mario Kart 7 isn't 100 percent golden, nor is it going to make believers out of anyone who wrote off the series years ago. Taken on the whole, though, this is one of the best entries in the series. As a fan, I'm thoroughly pleased.
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Nov 29, 2011Though Mario Kart 7 invents nothing, the game works wonderfully today. 16 new tracks plus 16 remakes, many online matches and an idea that continues to operate successfully. 8 players, 3D effect, fun, and hang gliding.
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Feb 14, 2012It's not doing anything revolutionary on it's own, but serves the loyal audience with the best offering Nintendo can muster – and that's pretty good indeed.
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Jan 17, 2012Super gameplay that has stood the test of time bringing some news to give the actual experience another dimension. Mario Kart 7 is a must-have title for every single 3DS holder with the Internet / live buddies access – mainly due to its great multiplayer. It's a pity those are not included already.
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Pelit (Finland)Jan 10, 2012Even with Retro Studios helping the 7th installment is pretty much the same game. At minimum unfair elements like the blue shells should be corrected. Still even with the ultra-conservative approach multiplayer is satisfying. [Jan 2012]
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Jan 10, 2012This is still the same Mario Kart as you've played over and over again. You still drive in karts, trying (and failing) to avoid different projectiles while crying foul at the competition. It's also just as addicting as ever.
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Dec 14, 2011The game doesn't re-invent the wheel, or even try to, but what it does, it does well.
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Dec 13, 2011While the game is starting to show its age and display a slight lack of imagination, it's safe to say that there aren't too many Nintendo 3DS games that can match the enjoyment derived from Mario Kart 7.
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Dec 11, 2011It's another Mario Kart game, through and through. The formula remains unchanged with Nintendo hesitant on adding anything more than minor details. Luckily, the formula's a good one.
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Dec 9, 2011Solid gameplay, inspired design and great graphics. Mario Kart 7 is not a revolution, but it's exactly the racing game that 3DS needs.
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Dec 7, 2011Strong racing foundations let down by a weak single player are quickly made up by some of the best multiplayer components found in any Nintendo game. Best played online and with friends, this is Mario Kart for the socialite.
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Dec 5, 2011Mario Kart 7 is a solid Nintendo sequel. The only real obvious flaw is probably that the formula is starting to feel a little old. In most other aspects its a very good product, with great graphics, varied tracks, good online functionality and overall very entertaining gameplay.
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Dec 5, 2011Mario Kart 7 is simply Mario Kart. The few differences from the previous games are just a soft change in the original formula. The new gliding experience is quite interesting and represents the best innovation in this franchise. This is an awesome game for the newcomers, but veteran players could be a little bit tired by the "new console, same game" strategy.
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Dec 2, 2011It's frustrating, rewarding, addictive and entertaining in almost equal measure, and as much as you'll rant and moan when your lead is snatched away on the last corner, you'll keep going back for more. To call it the best original game on 3DS might be overstretching the meaning of the word 'original' but, all the same, this is something that no 3DS owner should be without.
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Dec 2, 2011Mario Kart 7 is the same incredibily funny Mario Kart. The balance between driving ability and item usage is not perfect, but the formula still works.
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Nov 30, 2011Mario Kart 7 features the best racing yet in the franchise, though it takes a step back in other areas.
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Nov 29, 2011Yes, it feels pretty much exactly like 2005′s Mario Kart DS with better graphics. But it's still too good to put down.
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Nov 29, 2011It is the quintessential Nintendo party game, and a recommended purchase if you happen to have a friend or two with a 3DS, which should be a bit more likely now that Black Friday is over.
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Nov 28, 2011If MK7 is so brilliant, though, where's that fifth star? I'm withholding it because the best thing you can say about this is that while it improves on a near-perfect 64-bit game, it doesn't make any major advances. The 3D is excellently done, but totally disposable (in fact, you probably will dispose of it before you get your first cup).
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Nov 28, 2011Quotation forthcoming.
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Nov 25, 2011It's robust, but it lacks some creative effort on Nintendo's part. Newcomers will love it, while series stalwarts will find its novelties welcome, if largely inconsequential. But it's nevertheless one of the stronger entries in the series, balancing the orthodox precision of the original with the playful silliness of the more recent iterations more successfully than ever.
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Dec 6, 2011When you're on the track, Mario Kart 7 feels better than any Mario Kart before it, and for most fans of the series that will be enough. But it's the same basic formula we've seen in every Mario Kart since the SNES original.
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Dec 12, 2011Change, for Nintendo, comes in deliberate drips. And in the case of Mario Kart 7, slow and steady still manages to win the race.
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Feb 6, 2012Unless you are a big Mario Kart-fan, this game might not be worthbuying. By all means, it's fun the way only Mario Kart can be, itlooks more stunning than ever before and if you need new tracks it caneasily offer hours of entertainment. But Nintendo must have made this game on autopilot.
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CD-ActionDec 27, 2011An old Mario Kart enhanced with a couple of details like gliding, swimming and customizing your vehicle. It seems Nintendo is running in circles chasing its own tail. [January 2012, p.75]
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Dec 9, 2011If you didn't like the earlier Mario Kart games, then Mario Kart 7 most likely won't convert you. But for fans it's one of the best in the series especially while playing with friends.
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Dec 5, 2011Whether you love this iteration or not relies entirely on your tolerance of Mario Kart being Mario Kart. Unbalanced, flukey, stagnant even, but still managing to offer plenty of fun.
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Dec 4, 2011Fans of the games don't want an overhaul or drastic innovation but just an understanding that Mario Kart needs to shift forward with bolder moves rather than tentative baby steps. Nintendo need to be braver in their thinking and stop considering the franchise along straight lines.
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Nov 29, 2011This time, the changes are a scattering of smaller ones. Track layout tweaks, customization quirks, 3D effects, first-person karting, and a power-up that adds to the general level of kart chaos by letting one player unleash seven items. MK7 isn't a kart game with a defining voice -- it's just a solid little kart game with a bunch of little tweaks.
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LEVEL (Czech Republic)Jan 19, 2012Arcade racing game cooked by well-tried foolproof recipe entertains you most of the time but there are a few frustrating moments too. [Christmas 2011]
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Nov 29, 2011Despite the game's slavish adherence to the Mario Kart formula, Mario Kart 7 has moments where it shines simply by executing that formula really well. Still, other than your personal history with Mario Kart, your enjoyment of Mario Kart 7 will likely hinge on your continued appreciation of that formula, and friends to enjoy it with, more than anything else.
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Nov 29, 2011As derivative as a game can get, and while we pour scorn on so many other games for rehashing themselves, something tells me this will get a free pass from many critics and gamers. That strikes me as ironic since Mario Kart 7 is the one game I'd hold up as the least deserving of any kind of leniency. It being an unadventurous and predictable retread, however, is only half of Mario Kart 7's problem. The other half is the fact that it's a lethargic and mundane game, easily outpaced by games that could be considered knock-offs of the formula Nintendo itself perfected.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 745 out of 947
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Mixed: 162 out of 947
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Negative: 40 out of 947
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Dec 5, 2011
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Dec 4, 2011
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Dec 4, 2011