The fourth round of the Mario Kart contest pits 3D vs HD in the ultimate battle, with Mario Kart 7 competing with Mario Kart 8 for your votes. The winning title will move on to face the winner of last round's contest, Mario Kart Wii, which managed to outrace Mario Kart DS in a photo finish for the records.


Mario Kart 7 and 8 proudly represent the modern era of Nintendo gaming, as both mastered online play while boasting new graphical updates and characters. Mario Kart 7 released in most countries in early December, 2011, on the Nintendo 3DS. The most noticeable upgrade over previous releases is the inclusion of Gliding and Underwater segements of tracks. By hitting special boost pads, racers can soar into the air with a glider, or continue the race by diving into the deep blue sea. While neither of these features did too much to change the overall racing mechanics, they do add a nice level of visual flair, and managed to immerse racers like never before. To aid in this immersion, the 3DS special 3D effect was added into the game, which truly manages to capture the wonders of the world of Mario Kart.


Besides the graphical updates, many small tweaks to the formula were made to improve the overall experience for racers. Coins make a triumphant return in Mario Kart 7, and are joined by newcomer item Lucky 7. The Lucky 7 essentailly hands players a plethora of useful items, all at once, but only if you are lagging behind. Karts are also customizeable for the first time in Mario Kart 7, which adds a competitive aspect to choosing your character, or you can just go for looks. On top of this, the online mode recieved a large overhaul, allowing for Patches (no more glitches in online races) as well as Communities, an easy way to race with a group of friends online.

A few years after its 3DS version was released, Nintendo made Mario Kart 8 and released it within this past year on Wii U systems everywhere. While Mario Kart 8 is not the most innovative game on this list, it is certainly not the least, and seems to take the best features of the past few Karting games and wrap them up into one whole package. Perhaps the largest addition to Mario Kart 8 is the anti-gravity mechanic, where racers can race upside down and recieve boosts by hitting obstacles. While not much changes on screen it can change the way you race, and allows for a large amount of creativity when combined with the flying and underwater sections brought over from Mario Kart 7.


The Wii U version also brings back Bikes and adds ATV's into the mix to spice things up a bit. Despite these inclusions, many fans have expressed a dislike over the lack of Battle Courses in Battle Mode. The tracks are taken directly from normal racing courses, causing concern over the mode's enjoyability. Thankfully, DLC may finally be an option for fans looking for courses, playable characters and more, as Nintendo is releasing rounds of DLC for the game. Already released are a set of new Kart parts based on Mercedes Benz automobiles. Coming in Novemeber is a set of new tracks, courses and characters (with Link from The Legend of Zelda joining in) and May 2015 will see similarly themed Animal Crossing DLC for sale.

Now that you've been reacquainted with the latest Mario Kart releases, which was your favorite version? Let us know by placing your vote in the poll above, and in the comments section below.