Mario Kart 7

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Template:Infobox Mario Kart 7 is an upcoming racing game in development for the Nintendo 3DS. It is the ninth installment of the Mario Kart series overall, the seventh in the main series (hence the game's title), and the third on a handheld console. The game's release date is scheduled for December 2011 (1st for Japan, 2nd for Europe, and 4th for the United States). In the game, players will be able to exchange Ghost Data and play online in multiplayer mode. Nintendo has confirmed that this game will bring "a bunch of new elements" to the Mario Kart series.

Gameplay

In this new installment of the Mario Kart series, Coins will make a prominent return. Coins have not been featured in this way in the last Mario Kart games since Mario Kart: Super Circuit. The option to select classic Mario Kart tracks is also available again in this game. Mario Kart 7 also has some new features. Players can now use air gliders, which can be useful for navigating through the air and also use propellers to drive underwater. In addition, players may now assemble their own karts, rather than select pre-set karts as in older Mario Kart games. It is possible to select the body of the kart, the wheels, and other additional accessories such as the glider, although some parts need to be unlocked before they can be used. When the player is selecting a character and changing things to their kart the selection theme is played. Mario Kart 7 marks the return of the traditional 8 characters per race, as opposed to the total of 12 as seen in the previous installment. It will also be compatible with both SpotPass and StreetPass.

Among other gameplay's innovations is the vehicle's behavior in the courses. Each element to assemble the vehicle will have a function that will grant advantage on certain courses: for example, the type of wheel selected may work well in concrete road, soil or rough terrain that a course may have. Gliders also provide speed and duration for the vehicle when airborne and can be controlled using only the . Additionally, driving underwater, the kart's handling, speed and drifting can considerably change compared to when driving on land. Mario Kart 7 also introduces the option to race in first-person view, where the player will watch the race from the character's seat, instead of the usual overview of the track from his/her back in the other six installments. In this view, the player can also see the vehicle's steering wheel in front of the character.

Motorbikes, which made their first appearance in Mario Kart Wii, will likely not return in the game, as they have not yet been shown in any trailer or screenshot. However, Tricks, which were also introduced in Mario Kart Wii, will come back to be part of Mario Kart 7's gameplay.

Confirmed Characters

Returning Drivers

• Mario
• Luigi
• Princess Peach^{[video 1]}
• Princess Daisy
• Toad^{[video 1]}
• Yoshi^{[video 1]}
• Koopa Troopa^{[video 1]}
• Bowser^{[video 1]}
• Donkey Kong^{[video 1]}
• Wario
• Rosalina
• Shy Guy
• Mii

New Drivers

• Lakitu (red shell)
• Metal Mario

Other

• Miis
• Grand Goombas
• Swoopers
• Tiki Goons
• Screaming Pillars
• Cheep-Cheeps^{[video 1]}
• Clampies^{[video 1]}
• Banzai Bills
• Lakitu (green shell)
• Penguins^{[video 2]}

Nintendo eShop Descriptions

"Mario Kart E3 Trailer"

A New Dimension of Kart Racing. The newest installment of the fan-favorite Mario Kart™ franchise brings Mushroom Kingdom racing fun to new heights, in glorious 3D. There are new customizable Karts with new abilities that will have players soaring through the skies on wings and propelling through the seas on their quest to become a Mario Kart Champion.

"Mario Kart Preview"

Mario Kart™ 7 preview. Stay tuned for more information about this upcoming game!

"Mario Kart 7"

The newest installment of the fan-favorite Mario Kart™ franchise brings Mushroom Kingdom racing fun into glorious 3D. For the first time, drivers explore new competitive kart possibilities such as soaring through the skies or plunging into the depths of the sea. New courses, strategic new abilities and customizable karts bring the racing excitement to new heights

Confirmed Items

Returning Items

• Banana Peel
• Triple Bananas
• Green Shell
• Triple Green Shells
• Red Shell
• Triple Red Shells
• Spiny Shells
• Mushroom
• Triple Mushrooms
• Golden Mushrooms
• Star
• Thunderbolt
• Blooper
• Bullet Bill
• Bob-omb

New Items

• Fire Flower
• Super Leaf
• An item representing the 7 in the Mario Kart 7 logo

Other

• Coin

Confirmed Tracks

According to Hideki Konno, Mario Kart 7 will include sixteen new courses.

New Courses

File:ToadMK7New.jpg

Toad in a new Arabian-themed course.

• Unnamed tarmac race course. Peach's Castle appears here. Cherry blossom trees, and mushroom trampolines from Mushroom Gorge in Mario Kart Wii also appear in it.Also appearing on this course are large pipes, similar to Mario Raceway, and Grand Goombas.
• Wuhu Island, a place that also appears in Wii Fit, Wii Sports Resort, Wii Fit Plus, and Pilotwings Resort. The course even has a remix of Wii Sports Resort's main theme. Unlike past Mario Kart tracks, with three laps each, this track only has one, because of its large size.
• Demo Track 1, An Unnamed mountainous course with pipes and incoming boulders. It greatly resembles the pipe beta course, dokan_course from Mario Kart DS. There is also a cave and after is a forest.
• Demo Track 2, An Unnamed underwater course with Clampies and Cheep-Cheeps.
• Demo Track 3, An Unnamed jungle course with DK's House and Tiki Goons from Donkey Kong Country Returns. The Golden Temple also appears and players can drive inside it. The Music is a remixed version of the title theme from the game.
• Unnamed village course with windmills, similar to that of Bianco Hills, which seems to appear in the Mushroom Cup.^{[video 2]}
• Unnamed snow course. The Comet Observatory also appears here.^{[video 2]}
• Unnamed Arabian-themed course with Mushroom-shaped buildings, which takes place at night-time.
• A Bowser course that resembles a factory or a futuristic course, where it's raining outside.
• Unnamed theme-park like course. A giant Blue Toad balloon with strings appears. It slightly resembles Pinna Park.

Retro Courses

Luigi on Kalimari Desert.

• SNES Mario Circuit 2
• N64 Kalimari Desert
• N64 Luigi Raceway
• DS Airship Fortress
• DS Luigi's Mansion
• DS Waluigi Pinball
• DS DK Pass
• Wii Maple Treeway

Trivia

• The banners at the start/finish lines of new courses use the new Mario Kart logo. Retro courses still use the old Mario Kart logo.
• Shigeru Miyamoto joked that the game should be called Super Mario Kite.

External Links

• Brief footage
• Nintendo World 2011 Demo
• More Brief Footage (Footage at 4:04)
• Nintendo Network @ E3 2011 - Games