Start your engines… Mario Kart 7 for Nintendo 3DS is out this Friday!

28th November, 2011 – With the ability to drive underwater and glide through the air to find new shortcuts, all-new kart customisation options, online play, brand new and enhanced retro courses and fun new race modes, Mario Kart 7 for Nintendo 3DS offers something for every racing fan when it launches on 2nd December 2011.

Mario Kart 7 gives you the chance to make the Mario Kart experience your own, in a customised kart made to your specifications. Players can race on land, underwater or through the air using new abilities which have been introduced especially for Mario Kart 7. The gliders automatically deploy when you launch off a ramp, allowing you to fly through the air, or use the new ability to drive through water, giving you new ways to overtake your rivals no matter what the terrain.

Nintendo is also introducing four new characters to the Mario Kart roster. Play as Metal Mario, first seen in Super Mario 64 (Nintendo 64), Lakitu, Honey Queen, the queen who ruled over the bees in the Super Mario Galaxy (Wii) series, and Wiggler, Mario’s iconic caterpillar-like enemy. In true Mario Kart tradition you can also choose to race as one of your favourite Mario characters, with popular characters making a special comeback in Mario Kart 7, including Rosalina, Daisy and Mario’s rival Wario. In addition to these well-known characters, players can use their own personal Mii character as their racer. This large choice allows you to choose your favourite character and tweak your kart to create a tailor-made racing experience.

Mario Kart fans will enjoy mastering the 16 new courses, including Piranha Plant Pipeway, Wario’s Galleon, Koopa City and Wuhu Mountain Loop, a rally course where you can race along an ‘A to B’ route, rather than the traditional three-lap route.  Mario Kart 7 also includes some retro courses that fans will recognise, such as Mushroom Gorge from the Wii version and Luigi’s Mansion from the Nintendo DS version. Fans can look forward to mastering 32 courses, made up of 16 new and 16 remastered retro courses returning in Mario Kart 7, including shortcuts and features that utilise the new abilities to glide through the air and drive underwater.

Players can also unlock parts for their karts by collecting coins during their races. Each customisable part gives you a competitive edge when racing in the different environments.  Build your kart from a combination of frame, wheels and - for the first time - glider. A selection of frames such as Growlster, Pipe Frame, Tiny Tug, Cact-X and Barrel Train can be added to a selection of wheels such as Slim, Slick, Wooden or Mushroom wheels to gain an edge over the varying terrains on the courses. 

Mario Kart 7 brings together racers worldwide; simply connect wirelessly - locally or over the Internet - to race against friends and Mario Kart fans from across the globe. You can even construct your own Communities and define your racing mode and items, so you can play your way against your friends.

The StreetPass functionality of the Nintendo 3DS system allows you to exchange data from your game with other players, including: player profiles that show VS Rating, win and loss records and the number of coins you’ve collected throughout the game. With SpotPass enabled you can receive a variety of ghost data to race against, even allowing for a full eight-player race between you and the ghost data. All of these data will be available to players via the Mario Kart Channel within the game for all StreetPass and SpotPass users.

Other new features you can look forward to include the Lucky Seven item, a brand new power-up that grants the driver a ring of seven different items: the Green Shell, Red Shell, Dash Mushroom, Banana, Bob-omb, Super Star and Blooper. With this power-up you now have seven different items at your disposal, and you have control over which to use. Other new items available for the first time in Mario Kart 7 include the Fire Flower that allows you to throw balls of blazing fire at your challengers and the Super Leaf, which makes the fan favourite Tanooki Tail appear on the back of your kart to knock other drivers and items out of the way.

An extra treat for Mario fans; if you pre-order your copy of Mario Kart 7 you can receive an exclusive Nintendo 3DS pouch with a Mario Kart 7 design and an official Nintendo mug! To claim your exclusive goodies simply place a pre-order at one of our selected online retailers now:

Takealot.comKalahari.comExclus1ves.co.za
BTGames.co.za (pre-order also available  at BTGames in-store)

Your pre-order giveaway will be shipped to you with your copy of Mario Kart 7 on launch day, or if you place your order with BTGames, you can choose to collect your parcel in-store from launch day.

For more information about this and other features, you can now visit the official Mario Kart 7 website at http://www.nintendo.co.za/mariokart7. Visit the Items section and challenge your friends ahead of the game's release!

Mario Kart 7 will be in shops from 2nd December, only for Nintendo 3DS.