Danwen Huang wins December's Find-Game review competition
Published: Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Congratulations to Danwen Huang who has won December's Find-Game review competition. Danwen sent in a well written, animated review of Mario Kart 7 – racing game - for the Nintendo 3DS. This game, the latest in the Mario Kart series (released early December 2011), has been extremely popular this Christmas. Having been chosen as December's competition winner, a £50 Amazon voucher is already on its way to Danwen. Danwen Huang's review of Mario Kart 7 can be read in full below.
We are already taking entries for January's competition (our first one for 2012) so if you have been lucky enough to have been given a new game for Christmas – please let us know what you think of it – we are waiting to hear from you. Even if you only want to write a line or two – that's ok, though if you take your time and send in a more comprehensive review - you never know – you could be this month's winner and pick up our extremely generous prize (another £50 Amazon voucher to spend on whatever you want).
The competition couldn't be easier to enter. All you have to do is use the search bar at the top of the page to find the game you want to review. Click on the Enter £50 review competition button, type your review or comments and then click on submit review. Our rules are very straightforward and generally as long as your review hasn't appeared anywhere else and there is no abusive language it will normally be accepted. Your review can be about a game you really enjoyed playing or one you have thrown away in the dustbin in disgust. It can be any genre of game, for any console. We would also be interested to hear what you think of any of your gaming hardware or accessories. If it is on the Find-Game site then it can be reviewed for the competition.
We would like to thank everyone who sent in a review in December – we know time has been short with all the parties, family gatherings and shopping expeditions so we really do appreciate your effort.
Apart from Danwen's excellent review we would also like to mention Nariece Sanderson's review of Super Mario 3D Land (also for the Nintendo 3DS) – "a bright and sunny marriage of all things Mario", Deanna Crook's review of Alice in Wonderland (Nintendo Wii) – "the music is as good as the film itself" and Robbie's review of Sony PlayStation 3 Console 320GB Slim Model with Uncharted 3 and Faster Blu ray Movie Bundle – "for what you get its fully worth the price".
Good luck if you decide to enter January's competition. Here is the winning review from December.
Mario Kart 7 (Nintendo 3DS) reviewed by Danwen Huang
As you approach the finish line the sense of satisfaction swells up inside you, then a blue shell approaches and blow it all up. Yes this is still the mario kart we love and hate but with a new obscure title- which is much better than calling it the 'super original' mario kart 3D- also means several new additions to the enduring franchise.
PilotKarts 7
As many are probably aware of you can now soar through the air and go underwater with your amazing 3-in-1 go-kart. It also means your'll be able to litter banana skins underwater and in the air which I know would excite fly-tippers. On a serious note, these section provide a fresh experience to the usual rubbing of tires on tarmac and rainbows. For example underwater sections feels 'floatier'. However the real highlight is the gliding sections which allow you to admire awe-inspiring scenery from high up. Gliding has a surprising amount of control in most cases as skilled manoeuvres will allow you to discover short cuts and pick up speed, whereas rubbish gliding skills means you'll be dropping into the abyss and become Lakitu's fishing target.
Pimp your kart
Another brand new addition to the series is the ability to customize your kart by mixing different parts. These are unlocked randomly as you accumulate enough coins during races on or offline in Grand Prix mode. So if you ever wanted to apply mushroom wheels to a boat-like kart, you can. Though I would not advice random mixing (even if winning a race using a cloud donning a pink umbrella with mushroom wheels does sound epic) since different parts affect things such as weight, speed, handling etc. For instance sponge wheels are light but gets a bit wobbly underwater and a big glider makes you glide longer but reduces your speed. This new addition added an extra purpose to single player as you'll want to keep playing to unlock more parts that you can experiment with.
The cake lovers community
Ever since online play was introduced in Mario Kart DS it has become a stable to the series. Thankfully the speed of which the game finds opponents to battle has greatly increased from that of MKDS. Before, hearing the loading jingle loop over a thousand time for 5 minutes straight was common; in MK7 everything is done in a flash and joining a match is only a click away. A new option is the community option where you can join different communities: be it a community of schoolmates that has a cheesy group name or em... carrot cake lovers. Soon there might even be a Find-Games community- or is there one already?
Regulars
Like every new Mario Kart there are new stages and the selection available here are as creative and a feast for the eye as ever. Whether your driving through a lane of cherry blossoms, a giant piano or on the moon, it all starts to feel like a crazy holiday where you can fly, race, go underwater and throw turtle shells at each other. Oh and is all in mouth watering 3D. In addition the new items (fire 'fireball thrower' flower, Tanooki 'spinning' tail and Lucky 'chaotic slot machine' seven) further adds to the annoy yet fun aspect of mario kart.
Conclusion
Mario Kart has garnered a lot mimics through out the years but this game shows why none of those copies can't beat the original source. New ways to play, better online, 8 player racing, customisable karts, streetpass ghost data, tons of unlockables and a tricky but interesting first-person-motion-controlled-racing are some of the reasons why this is the most wholesome and entertaining mario kart yet. A great end to a somewhat rocky year for the 3DS.
PilotKarts 7
As many are probably aware of you can now soar through the air and go underwater with your amazing 3-in-1 go-kart. It also means your'll be able to litter banana skins underwater and in the air which I know would excite fly-tippers. On a serious note, these section provide a fresh experience to the usual rubbing of tires on tarmac and rainbows. For example underwater sections feels 'floatier'. However the real highlight is the gliding sections which allow you to admire awe-inspiring scenery from high up. Gliding has a surprising amount of control in most cases as skilled manoeuvres will allow you to discover short cuts and pick up speed, whereas rubbish gliding skills means you'll be dropping into the abyss and become Lakitu's fishing target.
Pimp your kart
Another brand new addition to the series is the ability to customize your kart by mixing different parts. These are unlocked randomly as you accumulate enough coins during races on or offline in Grand Prix mode. So if you ever wanted to apply mushroom wheels to a boat-like kart, you can. Though I would not advice random mixing (even if winning a race using a cloud donning a pink umbrella with mushroom wheels does sound epic) since different parts affect things such as weight, speed, handling etc. For instance sponge wheels are light but gets a bit wobbly underwater and a big glider makes you glide longer but reduces your speed. This new addition added an extra purpose to single player as you'll want to keep playing to unlock more parts that you can experiment with.
The cake lovers community
Ever since online play was introduced in Mario Kart DS it has become a stable to the series. Thankfully the speed of which the game finds opponents to battle has greatly increased from that of MKDS. Before, hearing the loading jingle loop over a thousand time for 5 minutes straight was common; in MK7 everything is done in a flash and joining a match is only a click away. A new option is the community option where you can join different communities: be it a community of schoolmates that has a cheesy group name or em... carrot cake lovers. Soon there might even be a Find-Games community- or is there one already?
Regulars
Like every new Mario Kart there are new stages and the selection available here are as creative and a feast for the eye as ever. Whether your driving through a lane of cherry blossoms, a giant piano or on the moon, it all starts to feel like a crazy holiday where you can fly, race, go underwater and throw turtle shells at each other. Oh and is all in mouth watering 3D. In addition the new items (fire 'fireball thrower' flower, Tanooki 'spinning' tail and Lucky 'chaotic slot machine' seven) further adds to the annoy yet fun aspect of mario kart.
Conclusion
Mario Kart has garnered a lot mimics through out the years but this game shows why none of those copies can't beat the original source. New ways to play, better online, 8 player racing, customisable karts, streetpass ghost data, tons of unlockables and a tricky but interesting first-person-motion-controlled-racing are some of the reasons why this is the most wholesome and entertaining mario kart yet. A great end to a somewhat rocky year for the 3DS.
A selection of games/hardware reviewed in December's competition
 Mario Kart 7 Nintendo 3DSNintendo DS
from £29.79  |
 Assassins Creed RevelationsPC
from £17.99 |
 Mafia 2PC
from £7.85 |
 Super Mario 3D Land Nintendo 3DSNintendo DS
from £28.97 |
 Sony PlayStation 3 Console 320GB Slim Model with Uncharted 3 and Faster Blu ray Movie BundlePlaystation 3
from £219.95 |
 Grand Theft Auto Episodes from Liberty CityPC
from £11.95 |
