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Mario Kart 7 - the good, the bad,... the ugly?


xdaniel
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So, after some four days of a hell of a lot of Mario Kart 7, I've started forming an opinion about it. I'll address some specific points in a sec, but overall... I'm kinda on the fence, and am wondering about how everyone else here feels about the game.

 

The good:

  • Graphics and sound are really good
  • Some new segmented tracks with only one lap, as opposed to classic three lap circuits only
  • Good selection of returning courses, ex. Waluigi Pinball
  • Network functionality seems rather sophisticated, although I haven't really tried it yet
The not-so-good:
  • 3D effect looks nice, but doesn't exactly do much for the game
  • Gliding mechanic is nice as well, as long as you don't get hit by something during a mandatory glide across a bottomless pit
The bad:
  • The AI is a cheating bastard, getting Blue Shells in 4th place, you getting hit by them over bottomless pits, or getting hit by several attacks at once
  • Removed perfectly fine items and drivers (fake item boxes and Dry Bones) while instead including useless and/or dumb ones (the racoon tail and the Queen Bee??)
  • No single player VS mode, only Grand Prix
  • Drift turbos feel random and not really controllable
The way I see it, it's a step up from MKWii, but far below MKDS. The DS one is pretty much my personal gold standard for a kart racer, and this here... well, it's still a fun game despite its flaws, yet it's not gonna knock MKDS off of the podium.

 

Now what do you think? Did MK7 live up to your expectations, or were you underwhelmed by it?

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Maybe it's because I haven't played a Mario Kart except for 7, DS and 64, but I really never saw a problem with it. There are a few hiccups, sure, and it's definitely not the best (64 holds that for me) but I like it much more than DS.

 

I think the AI is a step up from before; before I was able to do all 150cc courses with only a little effort, I needed to try a couple times this time around. I can't really say I've had experiences with 4th placers getting blue shells, though.

 

As for characters, Shy Guy is my only character I use due to his sheer awesomeness, so I can't say I'm hurt. In fact, I'm happy to play as him in Gran Prix, something you couldn't do in DS, if I remember correctly.

 

Items? I like the raccoon tail, honestly. If you're using it for offensive, then yeah, I can see why you don't like it. But in times where there is a shells behind you, or a seemingly unavoidable banana in front of you, you don't have to waste a shell to get rid of it. Simply use your tail and whip the item. I wasn't a fan of the FIB, as it worked as a harder hitting banana, and easy to spot, unless strategically placed.

 

I'm an online player, though, so maybe it doesn't really affect me because of that reason.

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I gotta address some elephants in the room concerning the roster that have bugged me: Metal Mario, and lack of Waluigi. Queen Bee and Wiggler may be a bit esoteric of choices, but at the very least they're unique character designs, which is more than can be said for Metal Mario, a lazy single-texture model clone of Mario with a different weight class. As for Waluigi, I find his removal to be particularly silly because he became a staple addition to the Mario Kart series since Double Dash, appearing in every MK since (except 7, obviously).

 

Xdaniel covered everything else fairly well, and I don't feel like I have anything to add in terms of the gameplay (except it's nice to see that MK7's online mode was able to support all the tracks from the game, unlike MKDS).

 

My overall thoughts: MK7 is a good game, but really, it could've been a hell of a lot better.

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I think the AI is a step up from before; before I was able to do all 150cc courses with only a little effort, I needed to try a couple times this time around. I can't really say I've had experiences with 4th placers getting blue shells, though.

 

As for characters, Shy Guy is my only character I use due to his sheer awesomeness, so I can't say I'm hurt. In fact, I'm happy to play as him in Gran Prix, something you couldn't do in DS, if I remember correctly.

 

Items? I like the raccoon tail, honestly. If you're using it for offensive, then yeah, I can see why you don't like it. But in times where there is a shells behind you, or a seemingly unavoidable banana in front of you, you don't have to waste a shell to get rid of it. Simply use your tail and whip the item. I wasn't a fan of the FIB, as it worked as a harder hitting banana, and easy to spot, unless strategically placed.

 

I like having a challenge as well - and yes, DS was relatively easy after a while, even on 150cc - but getting thrown back from 1st to 6th or 7th place because someone on 4th got a Blue Shell is not a challenge, that's simply unfair. I would've dismissed that as a fluke or something, but it's happened three or so times to me already.

 

Having Shy Guy as a regular character is fine (he was single-cart multiplayer only on DS I think), but I'm really not sure about the newcomers in the game, especially the Queen Bee or Wiggler. They're unique character designs, as BullockDS stated, but does anyone actually want to play as them, or have them as their standard character? Honestly I can't say for sure, but on the other hand, I have seen disappointment about ex. Dry Bones being gone - I'm disappointed, too, as he was my character of choice in DS.

 

Okay, after trying to use it for defense a few times, I can see the raccoon tail's use in those situations - it has saved me from a few Red Shells already. But with you describing the fake item box as a harder hitting banana, I can't help but in turn compare the Fire Flower to a harder hitting shell, meaning it's equally... well, maybe not useless, but unnecessary? I liked placing fake item boxes in fields of real ones (or with the right timing even right inside a real one), which other unobservant drivers would drive straight into. That might have worked even better on MK7, as it's lower screen map isn't as informative as the DS one, and doesn't even show many moving track obstacles (ex. balls on Waluigi Pinball), item boxes, etc., while MKDS showed ex. fake item boxes in red.

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...but I'm really not sure about the newcomers in the game, especially the Queen Bee or Wiggler. They're unique character designs, as BullockDS stated, but does anyone actually want to play as them, or have them as their standard character?

 

Oh, don't get me wrong, I wasn't really defending their presences (in fact, I also think that Queen Bee and Wiggler are very iffy choices, especially in a game with a small-ish roster). I was just stating the fact that they have unique designs to illustrate why I think Metal Mario is by and far the worst newcomer (that is, by virtue of him being the most half-assed design, and thus the biggest waste of a precious character slot in my view). In the end, I would definitely nuke Queen Bee, Wiggler, and Metal Mario right the fuck out of the roster to make room for better characters (Waluigi, Dry Bones, and... Birdo, maybe?) if I drew up the MK7 roster. Oh, and not make Wario a hidden character either (but that's a rant for another time).
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