To see so many baffling exclusions is a little disheartening. Mario Kart Wii featured a total of 25 playable characters.

While all these characters are great (though some of them look really goofy while driving a kart), the size of the roster is a little disappointing. The full character roster includes 17 characters, including basics like Mario, Luigi, Bowser, Yoshi, Donkey Kong and others, while unlockable characters include Lakitu, Metal Mario, Wriggler, Honey Queen etc. You choose from 8 characters, and as you progress, you unlock more. The game boasts of 32 tracks, with 16 of them returning from previous games with adjustments and additions made to their design to incorporate the new features of Mario Kart 7, and 16 are all new tracks. Grand Prix races, divided in 8 cups, each having 4 tracks, are available off the bat when you begin the game in three difficulty levels- 50cc (easy), 100cc (medium) and 150cc(hard). The structure of the game is similar to previous entries in the series. Mario Kart 7 is just as fun as everybody would expect it to be, if not more, with all new additions that refresh the formula, much needed tweaks that make the unbalanced gameplay more balanced and excellent online play. Each new Nintendo system after SNES has received a Mario Kart installment, and each has been known for just how fun it was, despite all its faults.

That has always been the identity of the Mario Kart series.

Mario kart 7 all characters