Last month, as I was feeling sad because the new tracks were getting released for Mario Kart 8 and I didn’t have access to my Wii U (it was sent by sea from Japan), I broke down and picked up Mario Kart 7 for 3DS (the fact that it was on sale was further incentive). It’s a great game, and I’ve been having a blast playing it, but it really hit me when I finally did get my Wii U again and went back to playing MK8, and was again blown away by how beautiful a game it is.
I’d been wanting this ever since I got my Wii U in January, but being the cheap bastard that I am, was waiting for a deal. I finally picked it up through the Mario Kart 8 promotion (you can get a free copy of this, Pikmin 3, Wii U Party, or New Super Mario Bros. U), and I’m still in awe of how gorgeous this game looks now on my TV screen. And you know what? On a weekend where I also got Mario Kart 8, I ended up playing more of this, and it really felt just so damn good to be doing it. This is the 3rd time I’ll be playing this game, and it makes me so happy that it feels like such a new experience. I can honestly say that this is my favorite gaming experience this year so far.
You’ve probably heard all of the praise for this game already (except maybe for the new “Battle Mode,” which is not liked by many, but that I haven’t tried yet). My first impression when I started playing it on the day it came out was that it felt “magical.” That’s the sensation you first feel as you start playing, in this beautiful colorful world (it’s just astounding how good this game looks, even compared to PS4), with a fun soundtrack, and tracks that just constantly wowed me by their originality. I’m no Mario Kart expert or super fan – the last version I played was the one on the DS – but I’ve been having a blast playing through all of the tracks over and over during the weekend, and also going online for some races. I’m now at a point where I’m trying to figure out how I can improve my play (I can consistantly win at 50cc and 100cc, but I’m still pretty hit-and-miss at 150cc, especially after I do a couple of bad turns) and that’s really what you want a game to make your feel. I can’t wait to play some local multiplayer with friends soon.