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Mario Kart 7 Review Thread: First Reviews In

C

Codeblue

Member
What was wrong with the GB review? He was pretty complimentary of the games tracks, new additions, told us it was the same MK formula that we loved, and if you were sick of that formula then maybe it wasn't for you, and like every MK it shines the brightest with friends.

Like all reviews, the score is irrelevant. He pretty clearly outlined who he recommended this game to and who should think about passing.
 
A

AceBandage

Banned
Codeblue said:
What was wrong with the GB review? He was pretty complimentary of the games tracks, new additions, told us it was the same MK formula that we loved, and if you were sick of that formula then maybe it wasn't for you, and like every MK it shines the brightest with friends.

Like all reviews, the score is irrelevant. He pretty clearly outlined who he recommended this game to and who should think about passing.
Click to expand...



The problem is the arbitrary removal of points simply because a game is in a franchise.
If it aint broke, don't fix it.
 
C

Criminal Upper

Banned
Thrakier said:
That's pretty much spot on. Sterling redeemed.
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I don't think my eyes can physically roll farther into the back of my head.

Sterling is a troll, and bases the majority of his reviews into getting a rise out of fans of said series.

It's what you do to make up for your lack of writing talent, and overuse of dick analogies.
 
N

Nert

Member
AceBandage said:
The problem is the arbitrary removal of points simply because a game is in a franchise.
If it aint broke, don't fix it.
Click to expand...

I highly doubt that reviewers start off with every game being a perfect score, only to go on and "remove" points in direct relation to the number of flaws it has. Maybe something was competently made but didn't particularly excite them?
 
N

NihonTiger90

Member
Codeblue said:
What was wrong with the GB review? He was pretty complimentary of the games tracks, new additions, told us it was the same MK formula that we loved, and if you were sick of that formula then maybe it wasn't for you, and like every MK it shines the brightest with friends.
Click to expand...

Wasn't a 10/10, therefore, trolling.
 
M

megalowho

Member
Lingitiz said:
Its more of a criticism on how they speak of the games on the podcasts and stuff, and not really the scores.. Whenever they've talked about Zelda or MK this year, they constantly drone on about how "Oh that's a Zelda game, I bet it'll play like a Zelda game." For them, these Nintendo franchises get brushed aside because of the fact that they've been part of very long running franchises. It seems crazy to me that they have that view even when said franchises get releases like every 3 years.
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But that sentiment rings home for me, personally. It's not just a games journalism thing. Nintendo franchises, many of which I love and are among the most polished in gaming, have a tendency to iterate very slowly. They play it safe and offer similar experiences for good reason, with any given release their younger audience will be experiencing Mario Kart or Pokemon or whatever franchise it might be for the first time. They want to put their best foot forward, and in many cases that best foot formula is already established.

It's good to hear that this Mario Kart is on point and doesn't fuck things up, and yet I have zero desire to play it. I've just had my fill at this point, peaking a few years back with the DS release. Unless something dramatic comes along that I have to see it's just not interesting to me anymore, and I appreciate a review that can acknowledge this without being nasty or acerbic.
 
W

Wrestlemania

Banned
What's with none of the reviews mentioning time trials and ghosts? I imagine it's because there's not a lot of competition there yet, but once the game is out it's going to be time trial competition that's really going to shine.
 
P

plagiarize

Banned
Lingitiz said:
Its more of a criticism on how they speak of the games on the podcasts and stuff, and not really the scores.. Whenever they've talked about Zelda or MK this year, they constantly drone on about how "Oh that's a Zelda game, I bet it'll play like a Zelda game." For them, these Nintendo franchises get brushed aside because of the fact that they've been part of very long running franchises. It seems crazy to me that they have that view even when said franchises get releases like every 3 years.

Btw I have no problems with GB, in fact i'm a subscriber. Its just a view of theirs that i've been getting annoyed with.
Click to expand...

i wonder if franchise fatigue has more to do with how old a franchise is in years for them rather than number of titles. personally i fatigue on something much quicker with yearly releases than i fatigue on something like Zelda or Mario Kart which are 3 or 4 years apart, but Zelda and Mario Kart have been using the same formula for many more years than COD has been.

perhaps it's that feeling that games should always evolve their game play and that making a game like they made them a few years ago is a negative thing.

i hope game journalism grows out of that. if someone criticised a film for being like something made in 2000 rather than 2010 i'd think them very strange.
 
S

StickSoldier

Member
Meh, as much as I hate to see Mario Kart get a low review it doesn't really bother me. I personally feel like they should have got someone who wasn't tired of Mario Kart to review it. It's like getting someone to drink beer, who actually doesn't like it anymore! It was set up to get a low score no matter what.

As for most people who aren't tired of Mario Kart, this will bound to be a great entry to the series. I'm glad to here that it's going to back it's roots of being more racer than party game. Can't wait for Sunday.
 
U

UncleSporky

Member
Willy105 said:
Mario Kart has been getting bashful reviews since the 90's, it's not that big a deal.
Click to expand...

po2Je.jpg
 
C

chickdigger802

Banned
Ryan Davis's review is pretty much on the spot.

Unified Mario Kart Alpha Theory.

And i'll add to that. If this is your first mario kart, +2 stars. If it isn't,-1 or -2 stars, depending on your mood.
 
C

Codeblue

Member
I started with the first one and it was my favorite right until MKDS. Even nostalgia couldn't overcome how much I enjoyed that game.
 
Q

quinntendopower

Banned
the original is still the best in terms of just hitting apexes using the jump turns. multiple jumps, jump side momentum canceling, so perfect. you had to be on point, no mid drift adjustments other then cancelling.

a shame the portable games are the only ones since the original that seem to promote the use of skill over the use of "balance"

i'll check this out. just hoping all the new tracks aren't littered with dynamic moving SHIT that just fucks up racing lines and consistency like all the other fucking games did.
 
M

marc^o^

Nintendo's Pro Bono PR Firm
Mafro said:
Edge 9/10 http://www.next-gen.biz/reviews/mario-kart-7-review
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Oh my.
EDGE said:
Nintendo has clearly been experimenting with how to better exploit its system’s obvious potential, and its solution is a natural, graceful implementation of 3D that complements and even improves its games, rather than feeling tacked on. It’s a delicate balance, and one it’s struck twice: once with its hardware, and again by elegantly intertwining Mario Kart 7’s numerous mechanics into a coherent, balanced whole, making for the most rewarding racing experience since that beloved SNES original. As a package – with its wealth of courses, characters and customisation options, its time trials and online modes – this surely beats it. Nintendo may have taken its time producing the game – when doesn’t it? – but never has the wait for a new Mario Kart been so worth it. [9]
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m.i.s.

m.i.s.

Banned
These are the most intricate course designs in the series, and also the best. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the 16 retro-styled courses, which feel a little flat in comparison. They’ve been retooled with coins, ramps and the odd underwater section, but they were designed around old systems ill-befitting the new ones, the SNES and GBA courses throwing up right-angles, the Wii tracks ludicrous width.
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What is the reviewer trying to say here? "intricate" and "best" in the first sentence and "flat" in the next. Most of the retro courses are taken from the Wii, GCN and N64 versions. Which Edge have critically panned in the past.

Maybe it's a different reviewer from previous Mario Kart reviews- though Edge claim to speak with one voice - and I take on board the acclaimed online aspect of the game. But the review is not making much sense to me. There is little to suggest to me that MK7's new tracks are any different in form than from MK Wii. Yet, Edge awarded MK Wii 6/10 and this 9/10.
 
U

UncleSporky

Member
He says "in comparison." He's saying that it's obvious the new stages are the best because when you play the old ones you can just feel that they are not as good.

In other words it is perfectly consistent that Edge panned the previous games, he's saying that those old courses are bad by comparison to this new set.
 
m.i.s.

m.i.s.

Banned
UncleSporky said:
He says "in comparison." He's saying that it's obvious the new stages are the best because when you play the old ones you can just feel that they are not as good.

In other words it is perfectly consistent that Edge panned the previous games, he's saying that those old courses are bad by comparison to this new set.
Click to expand...

I see what you mean.

The tracks in MK7 do follow a similar design style to the Wii version I thought - though with additional air and underwater sections.
 
U

UncleSporky

Member
Next he will ask whether you can modify the items because fuck blue shells.

Then he will be briefly excited and ask if it's just like the way you can do it in Smash Bros.

Then he will ask if you have to put in friend codes for every person.

etc.
 
G

Ghost23

Member
If Gamespot is going to pull the "doing nothing new" card on every new Nintendo game, they better be consistent and pull it on other sequel games as well.
 
P

pramath

Banned
FuzzyNorman said:
If Gamespot is going to pull the "doing nothing new" card on every new Nintendo game, they better be consistent and pull it on other sequel games as well.
Click to expand...
To be fair, Modern Warfare 3, Assassin's Creed Revelations, Battlefield 3 and Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary all got points docked for that very reason.
 
H

Hero

Member
pramath said:
To be fair, Modern Warfare 3, Assassin's Creed Revelations, Battlefield 3 and Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary all got points docked for that very reason.
Click to expand...

I think a bigger reason to dock the aforementioned games though is that they seem to be on a yearly/bi-yearly cycle. There's something to be said about stagnation and it's really what killed the music genre as well as extreme sports games. Considering Mario Kart games are only once per console/handheld cycle I don't think the same argument can really be made against it.
 
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