Editing Mario Kart 7

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|image=[[File:Mario-Kart-7-Box-Art.jpg|250px]]<br>'''United States box cover'''

|developer=[[Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development|Nintendo EAD]]<br>[[Nintendo SPD|Nintendo SPD Group No. 3]]<br>[[Retro Studios]]

|publisher=[[Nintendo]]

|genre=[[Genre#Racing|Racing]]

|modes=Single-player, local multiplayer (up to 8 players), online multiplayer

|platforms=[[Nintendo 3DS]]

|input={{input|3ds=1|3dstilt=1}}

}}

==Gameplay==

===Features===

''Mario Kart 7'' features the standard gameplay present in preceding games in the series, with the gameplay style being very close to that of ''[[Mario Kart Wii]]''. Players compete for gold trophies in the eight Grand Prix cups, four consisting of the [[new course]]s and four consisting of the [[Classic course|retro courses]], a returning feature from ''[[Mario Kart DS]]'' and ''Mario Kart Wii''. Along with Grand Prix, Time Trials, and Battle Modes also return. Time Trials have players race on tracks to set records, as well as race against their own or other racers' ghosts. Battle Mode features two different modes; [[#Balloon Battle|Balloon Battle]] and [[#Coin Runners|Coin Runners]], the latter returning from ''Mario Kart Wii''. Players can set their own rules for Battle Mode, choosing CPU difficulty, which items will appear or team games. Online races and battles return, allowing up to 8 players to race or battle using the [[Nintendo Network]] online service. Players can also create custom communities, which can be accessed by other players via codes.

''Mario Kart 7'' also has some new features. Players can now use hang-gliders to navigate through the air and propellers to drive underwater. In addition, players now assemble their own karts, rather than select preset karts as in the previous games. It is possible to select the kart's body, wheels, and glider, although some parts need to be unlocked before they can be used, mainly through collecting coins during races. ''Mario Kart 7'' returns to the traditional eight-driver race like in the previous installments, instead of the total of twelve as seen in ''Mario Kart Wii''. It is also compatible with both SpotPass and StreetPass.  

Among other gameplay mechanics is the vehicle's behavior in the courses. Each element to assemble the vehicle has a function that grants an advantage on certain courses. In other words, speed and handling alter if the player is driving through land, underwater, or in the air. Gliders also provide speed and duration for the vehicle when airborne and can be controlled using the {{button|3ds|Stick}}. Players can tilt the {{button|3ds|Stick}} either up or down to fall quickly or gently, respectively. Additionally, when driving underwater, the kart's handling, speed, and drifting can considerably change compared to when driving on land.  

In a minor note, an extra track with beats is added to the course's music if the player gets ahead in first place at top speed (frontrunning). This track fades when the player slows down via braking, going off-road, or getting hit by an item. This happens only in 100cc, 150cc, and Mirror class.

===Controls===

*{{button|3ds|B}}: Brake / Reverse / Drop from glider

*{{button|3ds|Stick}}: Steer / Auto [[Drift]]

*{{button|3ds|L}}/{{button|3ds|X}}: Use item

*{{button|3ds|Stylus}}: Switch map view

===Modes===

====Grand Prix====

A notable change featured in the game is the point system given to the racers after a race in Grand Prix mode. It is similar to ''[[Mario Kart: Double Dash!!]]'' and ''[[Mario Kart DS]]'', but racers who finish a race in fourth place or lower get an extra point. Also, 4th place is not a losing place, similar to ''[[Super Mario Kart]]'', ''[[Mario Kart 64]]'', ''[[Mario Kart: Super Circuit]]'', and ''[[Mario Kart Wii]]'' (which has 12 racers). Below is a chart of the point spread comparison between these seven games:

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====Time Trials====

====VS====

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====Battle====

=====Balloon Battle=====

[[File:Balloon Battle - MK7.png|thumb|left|Free-for-all Balloon Battle]]

===Online multiplayer===

====VR====

=====Names in other languages=====

{{foreign names

|Ita=PC / Punti Corsa

|ItaM=Race Points

|Por=PO / Pontos Obtidos

|PorM=Earned Points

==Characters==

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===Background characters===

These characters appear in the background of certain stages and do not affect the racers in any way.

*[[Boo]]s

*[[Mii]]s

*[[Monty Mole]]s

*[[Shy Guy]]s

*[[Toad (species)|Toad]]s

*[[Maw-Ray|Unagi]]

===Hazards and obstacles===

These characters and features serve as hazards on tracks and can directly affect racers if hit.

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|align=center|{{classic-link|DS|Airship Fortress}}

|Banzai Bills are fired from a cannon near the starting straightaway of the track. They fly along the straight path in different positions based on where they were fired. They disappear once they hit the road where the starting line is located.

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|align=center|[[File:MK7 Barrel.jpg|100px]]<br>[[Barrel]]

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|align=center|{{classic-link|Wii|Maple Treeway}}

|Two Big Wigglers walk around the top of the tree section of the track. Racers simple bounce off of them rather than wiping out.

|Boulders fall from mountain tops and roll down the track, flipping over any racer that hits them. They are destroyed upon hitting walls.

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|align=center|[[3DS Music Park|Music Park]]

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|align=center|[[File:MK7 Bumper.jpg|100px]]<br>[[Bumper (Mario Kart series)|Bumper]]

|align=center|{{classic-link|DS|Waluigi Pinball}}

|Bumpers are located on the pinball table section of the track and will bump racers back when they collide with them. Pinballs will also ricochet off of bumpers.

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|align=center|[[File:MK7 Car.jpg|100px]]<br>[[Car (obstacle)|Car]]

|align=center|[[File:MK7 Clampy.jpg|100px]]<br>[[Clampy]]

|align=center|[[3DS Cheep Cheep Lagoon|Cheep Cheep Lagoon]]<br>{{classic-link|GCN|Daisy Cruiser}}

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|align=center|[[File:MK7 Crate.jpg|100px]]<br>[[Crate]]

|Crates are scattered inside the airship of the track and act identically to Barrels. A Banana, a Mushroom, a Green Shell, or a Star may fly out when broken, but will stop a racer in the process. Crates cannot be broken in Time Trial mode.

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|align=center|[[3DS Piranha Plant Slide|Piranha Plant Slide]]

|The water from these Warp Pipes can cancel out the glide of any player that drives under it. The Warp Pipes themselves serve as an obstruction.

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|align=center|[[File:MK7 Fish Bone.jpg|80px]]<br>[[Fish Bone]]

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|align=center|[[File:MK7 Flipper.jpg|100px]]<br>[[Flipper (Mario Kart series)|Flipper]]

|Goombas appear on various tracks. They act in the same way they did in past installments, slowly waddling back and forth on certain parts of the track. If the player uses a [[Shell]] to destroy the Goomba, a [[Dash Mushroom|Mushroom]] will spawn in its place.

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|align=center|[[3DS Daisy Hills|Daisy Hills]]

|Hot-air balloons float in the air. Touching them will cause the racer to bounce off them.

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|align=center|[[File:MK7 Lava Bubble.jpg |80px]]<br>[[Lava Bubble]]

|Lava Bubbles jump out of the lava between the ramps near the end of the track, causing players who hit them to spin out.

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|align=center|[[File:MK7 Rocky Wrench.jpg|100px]]<br>[[Rocky Wrench]]

|align=center|{{classic-link|DS|Airship Fortress}}<br>{{classic-link|GBA|Battle Course 1}}

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|align=center|[[File:MK7 Screaming Pillar.jpg|100px]]<br>[[Screaming Pillar]]

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|align=center|[[File:MK7 Thwomp.jpg|100px]]<br>[[Thwomp]]

|Thwomps act identically as they did in past installments, stopping racers who hit them and flattening them if they fall on them.

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==Vehicle parts==

Players can unlock random parts by collecting the following coin values:

*50

*100

*250

*300

*400

*500

*800

*900

*1,000

*1,200

*1,800

*2,000

*2,500

*3,000

*4,000

*4,500

==Drivers' and vehicle parts' statistics==

===Statistics shown in the vehicle customization screen===

In contrast with ''[[Mario Kart DS]]'' and ''[[Mario Kart Wii]]'', which directly added the characters' and vehicles' physical parameters to obtain their final values, the game introduces the ''Points'' which are conferred by characters and vehicle parts. In each statistics, the points given by the character, body, tires, and glider are summed to obtain a final value called ''Level'' (''Lv'') which is then used by [[Mario Kart 7 in-game statistics#Statistics Translation Tables|a table]] to convert the level into various related physical parameters used by the game. The Level of five statistics is displayed in the vehicle customization screen:

*'''Speed:''' The top speed of the kart on land.

*'''Acceleration:''' The rate of speed increase when holding the acceleration button.

*'''Handling:''' The turning ability of the kart on land. A higher stat means vehicles turn sharper.

*'''Off-Road:''' The grasp of the kart. Karts with higher Off-Road slip less on certain terrain and are faster, to the point of being able to charge [[Mini-Turbo]]s. Not to be confused with handling.

Said Level is represented through bars by adding two points to the sum of points, then dividing the result by four, resulting in values ranging from 0.75 to 5.5. As an example, the process through which the statistics of a certain combination of character and vehicle parts are calculated and displayed is shown below:

[[File:MK7 Bolt Buggy Garage.png|thumb|center|400px|A combination consisting of [[Bowser]], [[Bolt Buggy]], [[Monster (tire)|Monster]] [[Tire]]s, and [[Parafoil|Paraglider]].]]

!rowspan=2|Element

!colspan=5|Points conferred

!Off-Road

|-style="color:red"

|'''4'''

|'''0'''

|'''0'''

|-style="color:green"

|'''7'''

|'''1'''

|'''3'''

|-style="color:blue"

|'''7'''

|'''0'''

|'''15'''

|-style="color:darkorange"

|'''0'''

|'''1'''

|}

In addition to the statistics shown in the vehicle customization screen, there are the following statistics:

*'''Water Speed:''' The top speed of the kart while driving underwater.

*'''Air Speed:''' The top speed of the kart while gliding.

*'''Stability:''' How much the tires stick to the ground and how much the kart tends to tilt sideways when turning and drifting.

*'''Drift:''' How much the kart slips when a drift begins.

The following table reports the statistics in points.

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