Mario Kart 7

 3DS
User Score
8.2

Generally favorable reviews- based on 947 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 745 out of 947
  2. Mixed: 162 out of 947
  3. Negative: 40 out of 947
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  1. Nuteboy100
    Nov 7, 2016
    4
    Mario Kart 7 was one of Nintendo's big chance to be recognized, and they failed. Horribly. Mario Kart 7 has good game-play, and customization is fine, its that the character roster is very small, only compromises of 12 characters. Online mode is hacked at times, leaving a player vulnerable to being hacked, or meeting hacker on a race, and leaving servers down for maintenance

    Speaking    Mario Kart 7 was one of Nintendo's big chance to be recognized, and they failed. Horribly. Mario Kart 7 has good game-play, and customization is fine, its that the character roster is very small, only compromises of 12 characters. Online mode is hacked at times, leaving a player vulnerable to being hacked, or meeting hacker on a race, and leaving servers down for maintenance

    Speaking of "leaving", Nintendo left some things out. What happened to quick race?! Or what about the beloved missions from Mario Kart DS?!? They decided not to add those.

    That isn't all, the whole game is one big glitch. Maka Wuhu has a glitch that can skip three quarters of the whole track. What promises to be a revolutionary game would've been one if they fixed everything and added what the players wanted.

    I would give this game a skip.    … Expand
  2. wegie125
    Dec 3, 2017
    0
    I don't think they could really mess up Mario Karty, this was by far the most advanced on a handheld. It had potential that they just ignored though. They had a chance to bring back the mission mode from the original mario kart on the DS and it was missed out. Sad to see. So close to perfection
  3. Lustikurre
    May 13, 2014
    3
    + New amazing tracks (including 1-way tracks).
    + Aquatic racing and gliding.
    - A.I cheating, - Powerslide babyfied, - Skill = luck - Removed game modes (Single race and Mission mode) If you ever played the DS version of mario kart you know what a mario kart game should play like. Nintendo has removed all skill in this game as the powerslide is now automatic so you cannot catch up    + New amazing tracks (including 1-way tracks).
    + Aquatic racing and gliding.

    - A.I cheating,
    - Powerslide babyfied,
    - Skill = luck
    - Removed game modes (Single race and Mission mode)

    If you ever played the DS version of mario kart you know what a mario kart game should play like. Nintendo has removed all skill in this game as the powerslide is now automatic so you cannot catch up if you're behind or broaden your lead with pure powerslide skills.

    The whole game is mostly based upon luck now. Will you get bombarded with blue shells? The answer is moslty "Yes", especially when you're in the lead at the final lap. You cannot do ANYTHING to avoid them either. On the 1-way tracks the A.I is always faster than you for some odd reason, making it even harder to finish in first place.

    Another let down is the removal of the single race and the mission modes from the DS version.
    I loved being able to play race after race with the cource chosen at random for me, or playing the cool missions once in a while, but Nintendo oddly chose to remove features instead of adding new ones.

    All in all this is a stripped down version of the DS version and my conclusion would be that if you don't own the DS version I'd say give that version a go before this one. Trust me, the gliding and the aquatic racing isn't better than skillful powersliding and more game mode options.    … Expand
  4. cwepahguy225
    Jul 5, 2014
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Mario Kart 7 has a tiny character roster, with lots of crappy characters. Because there is no anti-gravity, hang gliding and underwater racing felt random and out of place. The big downside is the fact that races have only 8 people instead of 12. Customization was cool, but there weren't enough options.… Expand
  5. Tritonio
    Jul 3, 2017
    4
    Meh... Single player is too random for me to enjoy. Feels like you constantly need to focus on item management and when to switch positions with someone else. If you immerse yourself to the actual race (like I want to do when playing a racing game) you'll end up losing at the finishing line because of some shell hitting you. And winning because of a finding a good item at the last momentMeh... Single player is too random for me to enjoy. Feels like you constantly need to focus on item management and when to switch positions with someone else. If you immerse yourself to the actual race (like I want to do when playing a racing game) you'll end up losing at the finishing line because of some shell hitting you. And winning because of a finding a good item at the last moment doesn't feel fulfilling either.

    Multiplayer with strangers is harder but feels more balanced and less random than when playing single player though. Unless you have someone hacking but even then they usually just stay at first place and you can quite often ignore them.    … Expand
  6. Focaccia
    Jul 15, 2017
    1
    Mario kart 7 underwhelmed me a lot. The controls were meh, and the replayability is almost inexistent. Some retro tracks are a nice addition but the new tracks and new characters are boring. The game was just meh in every single aspect. As a handheld game, it maybe sort of okay, but as a Mario kart game, it doesn't do the franchise justice.
  7. DolphinReviews
    Jul 20, 2022
    3
    It exists... really all you can say about Mario Kart 7. It's a bland, unoriginal entry in a great series.
  8. GDsReviews
    May 27, 2022
    1
    Mario Kart 7 has a good soundtrack, but easily the worst character roster and controls of any Mario Kart game. It is extremely easy to accidentally engage the Gyro controls while steering with the 3DS’ control stick. Some of the new tracks are split into sections rather than laps, adding a new challenge to the series that was carried over into Mario Kart 8. Overall, the wonky controls andMario Kart 7 has a good soundtrack, but easily the worst character roster and controls of any Mario Kart game. It is extremely easy to accidentally engage the Gyro controls while steering with the 3DS’ control stick. Some of the new tracks are split into sections rather than laps, adding a new challenge to the series that was carried over into Mario Kart 8. Overall, the wonky controls and atrocious character roster makes this easily one of the worst entries in the Mario Kart series.… Expand
  9. Theowy
    Jul 1, 2023
    0
    I like this game alot and I got on a rainbow road speedrun highscore and I was proud of it but i dont like how supposedly the different karts have different effects

Awards & Rankings

5
#5 Best 3DS Game of 2011
3
#3 Most Discussed 3DS Game of 2011
4
#4 Most Shared 3DS Game of 2011

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
85

Generally favorable reviews - based on 73 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 64 out of 73
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 73
  3. Negative: 0 out of 73
  1. Gameplanet
    Feb 14, 2012
    80
    It'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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  2. Gamer.no
    Feb 6, 2012
    70
    Unless 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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  3. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Jan 19, 2012
    60
    Arcade 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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