News Articles
Wednesday30th Nov 2011
News Hori's Mario Kart 7 3DS Wheel Is UK-Bound
Plastic fantastic?
Mario Kart 7 launches in Europe this Friday, hoping to emulate the storming sales success of Mario Kart Wii, with a peripheral to match. Hori's Mario Kart 7 steering wheel will be available across the country in December. Essentially it works along the same lines as the Wii Wheel: clip your 3DS console into place, activate the...
Tuesday29th Nov 2011
News Iwata Asks Sheds Light on Mario Kart 7's Creation
Retro and Nintendo in harmony
By now you've presumably read our Mario Kart 7 review, giving the latest 3DS racer a well-deserved 9/10 score. If you want to know more about how the game was put together, Nintendo's got you covered with an Iwata Asks interview all about MK7. Nintendo president Satoru Iwata spoke to series producer Hideki Konno and...
News Mario Kart Communities Intended for 3DS Operating System
What happened?
The online communities function in Mario Kart 7 was originally supposed to be a system-wide function, according to director Kosuke Yabuki in a new Iwata Asks MK7 uses communities to allow players to gather together and share times and progress, somewhat like a clan. According to Yabuki, this feature was supposed to be included in the...
News 20 GAME Stores Gear Up for Mario Kart 7 Launch Contest
Have you got what it takes?
With Mario Kart 7 ready to speed off from the 3DS starting grid this week, Nintendo and GAME have teamed up to bring a contest to you this week. This Saturday, 20 GAME stores across the UK will offer an official fastest lap competition. The fastest player in each store at the day's end will win £25 to spend in GAME —...
Friday25th Nov 2011
News Send Your Friend a Mario Kart 7 Item to Brighten Their Day
Here comes Bullet Bill!
Mario Kart 7 is out next week, and to get you geared up (sorry) Nintendo has revamped the game's official website with new videos, information and social features. By visiting the items page you can send any of your Facebook friends an item from the series, so why not be the best friend ever and send them a Spiny Shell? We're...
News Nintendo Finishing Mario Kart 7 Was an "Act of Emergency"
Calling all cars
Mario Kart series producer Hideki Konno has revealed Nintendo saw finishing work on Mario Kart 7 as an "act of emergency", according to a new Japanese Iwata Asks article (via Eurogamer). Konno reveals the game started development with just eight staff attached, but that once team members were peeled off to wo
Wednesday23rd Nov 2011
News Miyamoto Not a Huge Fan of Mario Kart 7 Customisation
But he came around
One of the biggest additions to Mario Kart 7 is the ability to change up your racer to suit the surroundings: big tyres, little tyres, that sort of thing. That's not to say that everyone within Nintendo was keen on including customisation though, with gaming genius Shigeru Miyamoto revealing he was against it initially. Speaking...
Friday18th Nov 2011
News West Coast Customs Creates Real Life Mario Karts
If only they were street legal
Just as we guessed when Nintendo announced its presence at the LA Auto Show, the company's team-up with West Coast Customs is all in aid of Mario Kart 7. West Coast Customs — best known for its appearances on Pimp My Ride of course — created two life-size Mario Karts to promote the upcoming 3DS racer, out in early...
Friday11th Nov 2011
News More Mario Kart 7 Courses Revealed
Dare you discover them?
If you want to find out some of the retro courses that have made the grade in Mario Kart 7, the latest update to the game's official Japanese website might throw some light on the situation. The game's Shell, Banana and Leaf Cup courses and six battle arenas have now been unveiled, with selections from Mario Kart 64, Mario...
Monday7th Nov 2011
News GAME and Gamestation Give Away Mario 3DS Pouches
But only if you pre-order
With Super Mario 3D Land out next week and Mario Kart 7 hot on its heels two weeks later, GAME and Gamestation are stepping up their pre-order initiative with two giveaways. Pre-order customers will receive a 3DS pouch bearing artwork from the relevant game when they purchase their game. Neat giveaway items, but as we'd bet...
Monday31st Oct 2011
News Two New Characters Take To the Mario Kart 7 Grid
You may bee surprised
Metal Mario and Lakitu are two of the already-confirmed characters joining the roster in Mario Kart 7 in December, but they're not the only new faces you'll be able to pick. Honey Queen from Super Mario Galaxy and Wiggler, first seen in Super Mario World have both signed up as competitors in Nintendo's big 3D racer. Last week...
Monday24th Oct 2011
News Classic Courses Captured in Mario Kart 7 Stills
Balloons at the ready
It's no surprise that Mario Kart 7 features courses from previous games, but now you can race by land, air and sea some past tracks might work a little differently. In the new shots below we've got some aerial action in Mario Kart Wii's Mushroom Gorge, the return of Balloon Battle in a Super Mario Kart-inspired battle stage and...
Friday21st Oct 2011
News Mario Kart 7 Online Features Come Into View
Group effort
As promised, Nintendo has opened up about the online features in its big multiplayer title for 2011, Mario Kart 7. One of the big new features is the ability to create groups for your friends, letting you organise players into specific skill, location or friendship groups, with these shared via StreetPass too. You can also custom rules...
Thursday20th Oct 2011
News Mario Kart 7 Art Shows DK, Peach and Big Blue Shells
All the right ingredients
Last week's Mario Kart artwork — Mario Kartwork, if you will — has been quickly overtaken by this new set of pictures showing Donkey Kong, Princess Peach and Mario all enjoying their brand new rides. Peach's regal mobile looks fine and dandy with its tiny wheels, while DK and Mario have both decked out their rides with...
Thursday13th Oct 2011
News Mario Kart 7 Art Races Your Screen
Sorry, that should say "graces"
It's wall-to-wall artwork these days, with new Kirby art released today and now some character artwork for Mario Kart 7 screeching in too. The underwater art is particularly nice, and even if the other artwork has been seen so far it's still a nice reminder that we'll all be able to play some Mario Kart on 3DS in less...
Thursday6th Oct 2011
News Mario Kart 7 Screens Come Up Tails
That pesky thing gets everywhere
The Tanooki suit is back, and how. As well as a starring role in Super Mario 3D Land, it's also set to feature as a power-up in Mario Kart 7, as these new screens show. The tail attaches to the back of your kart and, as you'd expect, can take out other racers with a quick swipe, as you can see in this screenshot...
Friday16th Sep 2011
News Go First-Person in New Mario Kart 7 Trailer
All systems go
The motion controls in Mario Kart Wii divide opinion amongst gamers, so it'll be fascinating to see the reaction to the new first-person gyroscope controls in December's Mario Kart 7. The new mode is briefly shown in the new trailer below, alongside new additions such as the Fire Flower power-up and returning favourites too. There's...
Tuesday13th Sep 2011
News Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7 Release Dates Confirmed
Gyroscope controls also announced
Prepare yourselves, Mario fans, because the two most anticipated 3DS releases of the year now have confirmed release dates. We've known for a while now that Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7 would be arriving on the 3DS this November and December, respectively. Nintendo have now confirmed the dates that we can...
Wednesday10th Aug 2011
Rumour MTV Has Release Dates for Mario 3DS Outings
Salt at the ready
Nintendo's press release this morning for the Flame Red 3DS launch mentioned upcoming titles but only stuck to its vague November and December windows for Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7. Now the MTV Multiplayer blog thinks it has the exact North American release dates. The blog puts Mario's 3D platformer out on 13th November...
Wednesday3rd Aug 2011
News This is Your Mario Kart 7 Logo and Artwork
Seventh heaven?
Mario Kart 7 is the official name for the House of Mario's next racer, and here's the official logo to make that even clearer. The logo might not be much to look at, but the accompanying artwork is certainly a lot easier on the eye, depicting Mario, Luigi and Bowser in a range of vehicles. We played the game in June and more recently...
Thursday28th Jul 2011
News 3DS Mario Titles Land in November and December
Official titles revealed
Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7 will launch in November and December this year respectively, Nintendo has announced. The company made the decree in the same statement that outlined the new 3DS price drop and Game Boy Advance Virtual Console games
Monday18th Jul 2011
News Nintendo Returns to Comic-Con with Multiple Playable Games
18 titles spread across Wii, 3DS and DS
Nintendo is set for its return to Comic-Con in San Diego this year and among other activities, the special Nintendo Gaming Lounge will be set up so that attendees can stop by and try out some of the latest releases. As well as Nintendo's booth (#5135) at Comic-Con, the Nintendo Gaming Lounge situated in the...
Sunday12th Jun 2011
First Impressions Mario Kart (3DS)
Mario Kart goes 3D!
The Mario Kart titles have become a staple of Nintendo's consoles and handheld systems over the past 19 years, so the fact that a new game is being released for Nintendo's new 3DS system comes as no real surprise. What does come as a surprise is how many new ideas the developers have injected into this newest rendition and the...
Saturday11th Jun 2011
News We May Have 8-Player Online with Mario Kart 3DS
Bring on the competition!
There will be a number of new features in the upcoming Mario Kart for 3DS, and if all goes according to plan, an increase in the number of players competing against each other online will be one of them. Mario Kart DS featured four-player online and Nintendo is looking to double this figure with the 3DS instalment. The game...
Tuesday7th Jun 2011
News Mario Kart 3DS Video Slipstreams Behind Screenshots
Blue sparks flying
You've probably already seen the Mario Kart 3DS screenshots, but it'd be better to see the game moving, right? Right. The video below shows the game's customisable karts, aerial and aquatic racing and more. No Blue Shell either, which is a good thing, though there should be no chicken-counting at this stage. Nintendo has promised...
News Mario Kart 3DS Drives, Glides and Dives this Year
Land, sea and air
Mario Kart was confirmed for release this Christmas, resulting in much rejoicing, but it's the new additions to the series that will likely get gamers geared up (sorry) for the upcoming 3D racer. Whereas previous games have stuck fairly closely to the standard kart or bike formula, the next instalment will see racers taking to the...
News Mario Kart 3DS Confirmed for This Christmas
You'll have to shell out
Reggie Fils-Aime just confirmed that Mario Kart for 3DS will be released this Christmas across the world. The video also showed off the new customisable karts that let you choose a base model, tyres and special ability, showing the karts going underwater, gliding and more. You'll be able to buy this game at Christmas. Are...
Wednesday4th May 2011
News New Elements Planned for Mario Kart on the 3DS
Is this what you were hoping?
With the exact release date of Mario Kart on the 3DS still undetermined, we can at least take solace in that fact that when it does launch, we'll be experiencing a somewhat refreshed franchise. In an interview conducted by Nintendo Power magazine, 3DS producer Hideki Konno spoke about how Nintendo wants to introduce...
Monday2nd May 2011
News Iwata: "We Need Big Games to Hit 3DS Sales Targets This Year"
Needs big name players to step up
Nintendo's set itself a target of selling 16 million 3DS consoles around the world in the coming financial year, but president Satoru Iwata knows the company will only succeed if the main attractions come out swinging. Speaking at a financial results briefing, the question was raised about whether big Nintendo...
Thursday10th Mar 2011
News Mario Kart Without Items Isn't Mario Kart, That Includes the Blue Shell
Hideki Konno explains the importance of its inclusion
We can't expect franchises to stay the same forever, but when the crowd-dividing Blue Shell was introduced to the Mario Kart series back in Mario Kart 64, maybe not all of us expected it to stay through to the modern day instalments. Hideki Konno is one of the main players behind the series,...
