Mario Kart 7 | Teen video game review

There’s a reason why Mario has dominated the gaming scene for nearly 30 years: He’s cute and familiar, and hitting his head on question marks and tokens is easy (and, more importantly, addictive). I’ve played many of Mario’s games over the years, but the recent launch of Mario Kart 7 for Nintendo 3DS was the first time I’ve driven the little guy around in a 3D setting. For the most part, the 3D was underwhelming, but I loved zipping my kart through space and diving underwater for tokens. To get a real gamer’s take on it, I asked my 15-year-old son, Carson Burke, to take Mario Kart 7 for a test-drive. His teen review follows—and watch Hipsqueak for more reviews from our expert kid gamers! —Amy Carr

 

Mario Kart 7 brings a new 3D twist to the famous Mario Kart series of games, with new characters, levels, items and new ways to customize your kart.

While this game has several remarkable new levels, it also contains some of the best levels from past Mario Kart titles for Game Boy Advance, Wii, Nintendo 64, and more, and with three different difficulty levels it is exceptionally easy to jump into with no previous Mario Kart experience. With game modes such as balloon battle, coin runners, time trials, multiplayer, and the all-popular grand prix, it isn’t easy to get bored of this game very fast.

New characters such as Metal Mario, Lakitu, Honey Queen, Wiggler or your own personal Mii can be unlocked by collecting randomly placed coins during the races.

My favorite new feature in Mario Kart 7 is the hang glider attached to the back of every character’s kart, allowing you to soar high in the air and past your competitors. While some of these incredible new features enhance the game, the 3D technology left me wanting more. After playing several levels with the 3D mode on, I realized the only difference I found was the headache I was beginning to feel. With the 3D mode turned off, however, Mario Kart 7 is terrific, long-lasting entertainment for all ages. —Carson Burke