Well today I am a happy person. It appears there is a form of snaking (straight-stretch mini turboing) in Mario Kart 7. It isn't as glaring as when it was in Mario Kart Double Dash or Mario Kart DS, but it is there, and it appears to give a considerable advantage to just driving the course.
I've forever been a supporter of snaking (SSMTing) and I think the elimination of it in Mario Kart Wii was a reason why the game was disappointing. I'll write later on about why I think this is great.
How would you play Mario Kart Wii? Here's an inflatable kart that is playable for the game. And apparently, it's going fast on Amazon.com; there's only a few left. It's one of those crazy things where it looks good in pictures, but it must seem really lame in person. I'd probably go with a boomchair instead.
Anyway, if you want to pick up one of the few remaining, hit up Amazon here.
Game Set Watch posted a couple of really cool videos from the filming of the Mario Kart 7 commercial. It shows some of the work done into putting the retro commercial together.
I'm wondering what happened to the karts after the filming was done.
Give it up to Destructoid for keeping it real and sharing their thoughts on Mario Kart 7. They don't think the game is great, and their focus is on what is new. They believe a lot of the game is a rehash of past titles, and the new features just don't put it over the top.
Familiar problems would be bearable if not for the other big issue with Mario Kart 7 -- it's just too damn slow. Even budget kart racers like Jimmie Johnson's Anything With An Engine are faster and more exciting than this. The game's casual pace goes hand in hand with the fact that it hasn't changed one bit, and each separate issue enhances the other, exposing Mario Kart 7 for the weary and humdrum affair that it is. When even budget racers realize that the genre needs shaking up with fresh ideas and/or at least a measure of energy, it's almost depressing to see the world's leading kart racer trudge out of the starting gate with such a dismal, sluggish, outdated little offering.
Fact of the matter is that kart racers are old news, and this is one of the most routine kart racers on the market. Even series like Dynasty Warriors and Madden boast fresher features with each iteration than those found in Mario Kart 7, and as someone who usually has no problem with sticking to a winning formula, not even I can justify how formulaic Mario Kart has become. Nintendo has truly played it safe with Mario Kart 7, but it's done so to such a degree that the game could be accused of cowardice. Something bolder needed to arrive, something that shook up a very tired style of game. Nintendo shockingly chose not to take that brave step this time around.
Lightning Gamer posted this video of how online play in Mario Kart 7 goes. If you haven't seen it yet, here's a chance to check it out. It's in a different language, though.
Mario Kart 7 is the best in the series so far, and it carries itself like it is too. Throughout, there is a sense of triumphant, exhilarating culmination that rings out loud like the doom-siren of an incoming red shell. It's no longer enough for Mario Circuit to skirt round the edges of Peach's castle - now, the drawbridge is lowered and the track leads directly onto the royal red carpet, leading you through the main hallway before spitting you out high above the Mushroom Kingdom. Conversely Bowser's Castle opens its portcullis outwards, so you can screech around the hideous smelting factory that passes for a moat in the King Koopa's neighbourhood.
This is beyond awesome. Antoine Guédès, a designer at Rubbik, posted a link to a CSS version of SNES Mario Circuit 1. You can actually drive around using the directional keys on your computer. It's not blocked off, so you can drive off and through boundaries. It is really cool.
I've seen this in a couple places, and I'm putting it here. Apparently, several websites say that Nintendo was in such a frenzy to get Mario Kart 7 done in time for the holiday shopping season that they called upon Retro Studios to get a bulk of the work done.
I initially saw this on MyNintendoNews, so take it for what you will.
Here's video of DK Jungle in Mario Kart 7. It's a fairly straight-forward course with the exception of having to watch out when gliding to the final stretch.
The people at 1Up are hosting a Mario Kart event Dec. 5 to celebrate the release of Mario Kart 7. There will be several tournaments, including one for Mario Kart 7 and Mario Kart DS.
Nintendo's latest Mario Kart game, Mario Kart 7, is launching soon. Next weekend, as a matter of fact! To mark the arrival of the last big game of 2011 (besides that laggard The Old Republic, anyway), 1UP is hosting a community meet-up here at our offices featuring food, prizes, and the opportunity to humble your favorite (or least favorite) editors with a Blue Shell. Join us the evening of Monday, Dec. 5 (the day after Mario Kart 7's launch) at 5:30 p.m. to participate in a MK7 tournament and compete for prizes provided by Nintendo! 1UP's editors will be on-hand, and we'll try to strong-arm some of our friends from IGN into participating as well.
Video of the SNES Rainbow Road in Mario Kart 7 has been posted. It is as dangerous and tricky as it was back then. But obviously the karts are different this time around, so the challenge will be slightly different.
There is a couple of things I caught while watching this video:
1. In all current Mario Kart games, when you get hit by the blue shell, your kart goes up and falls down without advancing any further. In this game, the kart goes off to the left (skip to 0:46 to see it). The kart was on the right when this happened, so maybe you go toward the other side of the track when hit. It's almost as if, when timed right, you can zoom straight by instead of having to go left or right to avoid the post-hit bomb cloud.
2. This player got the Tanooki tail while in first place. I believe the Tanooki tail will be one of the most powerful items in the game, and to get it while in first makes me sad and happy at the same time. If someone is in second coming after you, it is the perfect defensive tactic. Plus, it covers a lot of the track, so it's going to prove very difficult to get by. This is going to be a hefty challenge, for sure.
The Street Pass LA team will be hosting its second Mario Kart 7 tournament Dec. 4, the day of the game's official release! This should be an awesome event.
The tournament will be held at Powersurge Video Fun and Fitness in Los Angeles.
Rules and information will be updated before the tournament. In the meantime, go tell them you're going on their Facebook event page.
