Mario Kart 7

Shells, banana peels and that one damned blue shell right before the finish line. Mario Kart 7 brought all of this adrenaline-fueled anarchy to the 3DS and added something the series had not seen for a long time: racing not only on the ground, but also in the air and underwater.

The heart of the game remains the proven formula of arcade karts with item collecting, but the seventh entry expanded it significantly. Gliders let you soar after springing off a ramp above the track, and the underwater propeller lets your vehicle plow the ocean floor. For the first time, you can also assemble your own kart from parts, choose the body, wheels and glider, and fine-tune the handling to your style. Added to that is a first-person view with tilting of the whole console, which fully utilizes the 3DS gyroscope.

The development was handled by Nintendo EAD in collaboration with the British studio Retro Studios, the creators of the Metroid Prime series, who helped fine-tune the tracks and the visual side. The game came out at the end of 2011 and, besides new circuits, offered carefully remade classic tracks from previous entries. Online multiplayer for up to eight players and communities allowed you to test your skills against people all over the world.

Commercially, it was a huge success. Mario Kart 7 became one of the absolute best-selling titles of the entire console with sales well over ten million copies, placing it at the very top of the 3DS charts. Critics praised the smoothness, balance and clever use of the new mechanics, though some pointed out that it was more of a polishing of a familiar formula than a revolution.

For many players, the seventh entry is still synonymous with pocket-sized Mario Kart to this day. It introduced elements such as gliders and underwater passages that became a standard even for the later, mega-successful Mario Kart 8. It is the type of game you pull out on a train ride or on the couch with friends, and suddenly it is midnight.

Why play it: Perfectly accessible, addictive and still fun racing in your pocket, which on top of that laid the foundations of the modern shape of the series.