Wednesday, January 11, 2012

I cannot tell a lie: I completely loathe Mario Kart 7's Neo Bowser City course

The headline above is my way of letting all of you know that I'm finally the proud owner of a copy of Mario Kart 7.

Actually, I've been not-so-secretly playing through this 3DS title for the last week or so (I say not-so-secretly because I've tweeted about my experiences on a few occasions), but I didn't want to say anything here until I was ready to race on line.

Why did I wait? Well, I'm one of those odd folks who have to unlock as many of the game's characters, karts and wheels as possible through solo play before I compete against actual human beings. (I've unlocked all of Mario Kart 7's racers so far, but I've got a ways to go before I can say the same thing about its karts, gliders and wheels.)


                          Does anyone actually play the game this way?

Speaking of racing on line, I recently set up a community for readers of this blog, in case any of you are interested in such a thing. Here's the community's code: 22-7203-7866-8075. (If you've started a community, or if you know of any that are "open and affirming," so to speak, let me know in the comments section, will you?)

Anyway, back to my experience with Mario Kart 7 thus far and which courses I love and which ones I loathe: My favorite of the game's new courses at the moment Music Park and my least favorite is the aforementioned Neo Bowser City. Which courses are you guys and gals liking and which ones are you hating at the moment?

Buy: Mario Kart 7

22 comments:

diaglyph said...

MK7 is certainly a fun game :)
My fav track, mainly cos it brings back memories is the SNES retro track - I remember when Mario Kart first came out on the SNES, played heaps with my sister and cousins :) fun memories!
Not sure about which track I don't like.
I think for me the biggest issue is how crap I am at 100cc and 150cc. I just can't seem to navigate well :( I find myself sliding all over the place and hitting walls, not to mention the cheating AI!!

Viewtiful_Justin said...

My favorite track is Piranha Plant Slide. So retro! And the least favorite? Maybe the new Bowser's Castle? I don't really dislike any of them!

Oh, and I have a community, too. Currently it's only Robb and I, but I'd love to put an open invitation out to anyone on this blog!

Blooper Squad: 30-7133-1290-1498

Join us!

Bryan Ochalla said...

Ah, I like your choice for fave track, Diaglyph! I have to say, as much as I like the SNES retro track, I tend to forget about it. I do like playing it, though.

As for being crap on 100cc and 150cc: Keep at it! Really, it's just about getting to know the tracks like the back of your hand, so you know when to slide, etc. Or at least that's been my experience.

I finished going through the mirrored tracks last night and, wow, some of them were tough for me. I've gotten so used to racing them in the "correct" direction that it's hard to think of them any other way!

Bryan Ochalla said...

Hey there, Justin! Ah, I like the Piranha Plant Slide track, too. So many of the new tracks are wonderfully designed, don't you think?

As for the new Bowser's Castle: I actually like that one quite a bit! Well, except for those underwater portions -- you know, where the pillars of fire are just begging to be run into. Argh!

Anyway, thanks for mentioning your community. I just joined! Will look to play you at some point. I've yet to play anyone in a community, BTW. So far I've just been racing random folks using the "worldwide" option...

Viewtiful_Justin said...

Me, too! Robb and I raced once in our community, but...nothing else in a community. The worldwide stuff is nice, since it stores those people so you can race again later.

And those underwater portions are why I dislike that track, too.

Bryan Ochalla said...

Yeah, all of the communities I'm currently following tend to be pretty barren. I'm guessing mine will be that way, too, but I thought I'd make it anyway.

Who is your favorite racer and what's your favorite kart, BTW? My fave racer is Lakitu (followed by Koopa and Metal Mario) and fave kart is the cloud one (followed by the clown kart). I love the looks of the boat kart, but it doesn't seem like it has any real benefits...

Unknown said...

Fab! I have another community to add! Can't wait to race you! My personal Fave is the new rainbow road, and my least fave is Maka WuHu.... You'll understand why soon enough...

Bryan Ochalla said...

Hey there, Kevin! I'll try to pop in now and then and race people. Like I said earlier to Justin -- I tend to stick to randomly racing people "worldwide" lately, but I really should get over that and join some communities now and then, too.

As for liking the new Rainbow Road: I do, too! I hated it at first, as I drove off the edge all the time, but now I really like it. It's certainly beautiful, at the very least.

Also, I know why you hate Maka WuHu. Ugh. Why do people insist on ruining games like this? Thankfully, I've rarely had to race on that course on line, so only a few people have been able to cheat :)

Viewtiful_Justin said...

You can cheat through Maka Wuhu? Explain?

Bryan Ochalla said...

There's a glitch that allows people to shortcut through the level, as far as I'm aware, Justin. I don't know how to do it myself, though. I'll take a look for a video and post it here if I find one, OK?

Bryan Ochalla said...

Ugh. Here you go, Justin: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnv62Yk_moc

Unknown said...

It's a great course, but the glitch ruins it...

diaglyph said...

ugh I just proved my point again :(
I joined in your online game just now in MK7. Tried couple rounds, and found myself frustrated - always getting hit by things (like a driver, not in Star mode, would easily bump me off), bumping into fences, always getting the brunt of explosions or shells *sigh* I'm just crap :(
That's why I don't like 100cc/150cc - I just find it too difficult to control :( (it also explains why I don't like any car racing type games in general) I don't think know the track well will help me. I've had this problem with just about all Mario Kart games (even the original SNES game). I have no probs with 50cc - yea yea I know easy, but it's doable for me.

Bryan Ochalla said...

Kevin: Yes, I agree wholeheartedly. In fact, I just (well, about 15 minutes ago) had to play the course twice, and both times someone seemed to cheat.

BTW, you were racing at the same time, weren't you? At the very least, I raced against a Kevin that looks just like you. If it *was* you, you beat me in every race, I think. Ha ha! Good job :) I really got creamed a few times...

Bryan Ochalla said...

Diaglyph: I'm sorry :( I understand how you feel, though -- it's exactly how I'd feel if I tried to play an FPS on line, or something like that. Hell, I feel that way quite a bit when I play MK7 on line! I like it too much to give up on it, though.

Anyway, I don't think you should feel bad at all. If you prefer playing at 50cc, go ahead and play the game that way! I know there are plenty of communities out there that focus on 50cc play, right?

David (skookumrawk@yahoo.com) said...

I'm a pretty ham-fisted player, not a lot of finesse. I mean, I hold my own, but I'm gonna have trouble unlocking all the players. But oh man I'm enjoying playing MK7 online. The Communities are kind of nice, you still get a point even when you're in last place, so your meagre total gradually goes up and you see it when you join the Community. Racing Worldwide is more stressful for me, but also more exciting, as I try to hold onto my VR score.

I live an otherwise unexciting life, as you can surely tell.

Bryan, as a new reader who is now checking your blog daily, I can't turn down this opportunity to ask for a Friend Code exchange. I've added you. I'm David at 4468-1016-2484. I've joined your Community, but all but the largest Communities do indeed seem barren when I check them out. Even IGN's, which had thousands of members at one point. But maybe if you announced a get-together at a certain time for one night...?

Incidentally, if anyone else wants to exchange Friend Codes, with me, I'd be thrilled! I'd love SwapNotes from creative, intelligent people (with an appreciation for retro gaming)!

Bryan Ochalla said...

Hey there, David! Welcome to my blog :)

I hear you about being a bit ham-fisted at times. For me, it's all about getting to know the courses so well that I can ignore what the other racers are doing and slide around the corners properly, etc. Unfortunately, that's really difficult to do while racing others on line. Plus, I just get so damn excited while racing other people that it's hard to control myself sometimes. Still, I can't help but get on line now and then and give it a try :)

As for your request to exchange Friend Codes: Sounds great to me :) I'll add you shortly, OK? (If not tonight, first thing tomorrow. I promise.)

I'll definitely pop my head into my community from time to time obviously, but I think the best place to find me at most times will be in the "worldwide" section on line. I like what you suggest about announcing a get-together for a certain date at a certain time, though. I'll give it some thought tonight/tomorrow, OK? Regardless, thanks for the idea!

Bryan Ochalla said...

OK, David, just added you. Looking forward to seeing you at the races :P

David said...

Thanks, Bryan! Glad I found your blog (Thank Tiny Cartridge) - I share your interests, think you're a great writer, and appreciate how you obviously value your readers!

Bryan Ochalla said...

You're welcome, David! And thank you for the kind words. So glad you found out about me and this blog through the always amazing Tiny Cartridge. Hopefully I'll see you around here (esp. in the comments section) a lot in the coming days/weeks/months/years :)

kidicarus222 said...

As long as we're talking about the tracks, I have to say I like that the designers made such blatant shoutouts to older Mario games. The touches in Piranha Plant Slide and Shy Guy Bazaar are much appreciated by people like me who worry that older games don't get their due. That said, I also realy like Music Park, just because the designers let their creativity go wild, regardless of whether there was a tie to a specific previous Mario game.

And BTW, thanks for posting those online communities, Bryan and Justin

Bryan Ochalla said...

Oh, I agree, Drew! I love any game that calls to mind SMB 2/USA, one of my all-time favorite Mario games.

Also, I think Music Park is an absolutely wonderful track. Skidding around that first set of piano keys never fails to bring a smile to my face. I also think it's great how the music in this track is enhanced by those piano keys, or by the drums you hit later on, etc.

As for posting communities links here, Drew: You're welcome! I've actually been meaning to publish a post containing links to various gaymer-friendly communities, but I have yet to do so -- mainly because I want to get permission from the folks who started those communities before sharing their codes/links. I'll get on that later today/tomorrow, though, and hopefully publish said post soon...