Gamescom 2011 Hands On: Mario Kart 7 (Nintendo 3DS)

What it is: Ever since Nintendo came up with the idea to make many characters from its hugely successful Mario franchise drive karts around virtual tracks, fans flocked to every installment of the Mario Kart franchise, making it a blockbuster for the Japanese company.

Now, with the newly released Nintendo 3DS handheld console, a new Mario Kart game is being prepared, dubbed Mario Kart 7, even if it’s technically the ninth game in the series. Still, this doesn’t mean that fans won’t have anything big to see in the new game, as quite a few things have been added over its predecessor, Mario Kart DS.

How it is: Even at first glance, you can tell that it’s a brand new Mario Kart game, as the visuals look much sharper and you can even believe that you’re playing the Wii version, albeit on a much smaller screen instead of a TV.

The first big changes are presented right from the get-go, as players can now customize their karts by fitting different sorts of wheels, which impact traction on various surfaces.

Once you start the race, Mario Kart 7 really comes into its own, as even with the 3D turned on, the game runs silky smooth, at a great 60fps framerate. What’s more, it doesn’t let go, not even during the all-new parts of the races, where the karts can either glide through the air, thanks to a special hang glider that pops onto the vehicle, or go underwater, with the help of a tiny propeller shoots out the back.

As usual, the AI is quite hard on drivers, using all of its powers to take them out or at least slow them down. Thankfully, the circuits aren’t that hectic, but it’s going to take time and practice to unlock all their secrets.

The 3D mode complements the racing action, and makes it much easier to line up your kart to power blocks or to the coins spread onto the road, which give speed boosts or upgrade your defenses. Still, like with any portable racing game, you tend to move the console around, so the 3D effect quickly breaks. As such, if you want to race in 3D, you’d better make sure you’re standing still and not make any sudden movements with your hands, not even in anger for hitting a banana peel.

When and on what: Mario Kart 7 is out in December this year, exclusively for the Nintendo 3DS.

We have a special page with all our Gamescom 2011 coverage.