Eric Neigher, Contributing Editor: Everybody loves Mario Kart, David -- but not everybody loves the 3DS. I watched you play for a bit, and while the little 3D effect started to hurt my eyes, and Nintendo's ridiculous bevy of cute booth babes distracted my mind, I must say it looked like a pretty traditional port of Mario Kart from the regular ol' DS. Any major changes or updates you came across?
David Wolinsky, Contributing Editor: This Mario Kart boasts the most tricked-out rides this side of Xzibit's body shop. It's got hydraulics, lifts, and purple neon lights in every car, along with bass-thumping radios and Nintendo Wiis in every trunk. Wait, no. It has none of that. Mario Kart 3DS takes to the air and briny deep in some portions of the levels I played, which may or may not be representative of final courses. When you drive off a cliff, a glider wing emerges, and you can careen around the air to make what's hopefully a smooth landing. I couldn't tell whether you could pick up extra speed in these sections, but it was fun... so that counts for something, right? The water sections don't change things drastically: Your car handles largely the same, but you have to steer clear of fish. So, yeah, nothing revolutionary... but they're nice additions all the same. Before you experienced temporary blindness from the 3DS, what did you think of Mario Kart? Is the formula wearing thin, or do you still find it engaging?
Eric Neigher: Purple lights and the car dances? I'm not sure we need that kind of influence in Mario Kart, man. As for the threadbareness of the series, I think that when it comes to multiplayer, Mario Kart still has a lot of love to give -- although we didn't get to actually play multiplayer, right? But when it comes to single-player, many better options abound for racing titles. Good thing nobody plays Mario Kart for the single-player! Anyway, the game looked fun and fast-paced, and doesn't seem to stray too far from the tried-and-true formula. How did you find the controls? Did the addition of the 3DS thumbstick make a difference in any way? Did you use the stylus at all?
David Wolinsky: Now that you mention it, the thumbstick made steering a little sloppier. It was far more useful in the hang-gliding sections, where you can soar in any direction... but it was a little more imprecise when it came to handling the normal road. And no, the stylus was locked away snugly inside the 3DS, so I'm not sure of its applications here, if any. It seems like the A.I. doesn't rubberband as cheaply as it has in the past, and if anything, that presents a nice (and honest) challenge. I had to claw my way to the front of the pack, finishing in 1st place only one out of three races. Then again, it was my first time playing it, and Mario Kart always gets easier once you know the lay of the land.
Eric Neigher: I do so hate that rubberbanding, I tell ya. Any new characters, items, track features, or anything else that we should know about?
David Wolinsky: Nothing immediately leaps to mind, but personally, I'm always glad to see the Koopa Troopa back in action and behind the wheel. It's tough to say what's going to wind up actually in the game and what was stuff made just to showcase the game for this demo. Ah, the uncertainty of stuff shown at E3!
Eric Neigher: Fair enough. These booth babes and their mendacious ways... if you can't trust a Mario Kart demo, what can you trust?
