I went to 2 different K-Marts, neither had it. K-Mart is awesome for deals but they seem bad about getting games in a timely manner. Ah well. Hopefully it won't be like Kirby where they got the game in a week late and it was no longer eligible for the free gift card. I'll check back later in the week.

I just unlocked a kart that looks like a bee. So cute

@DrFinkelstein

You also have Daisy, Wario, Rosalina, and Lakitu. That's it though for unlockable characters.

@kgtennispro

Okay, so there is some kind of surprise awaiting me.

Joined both communities but haven't done much playing yet. I'll go through the new cups before bed.

I also joined each community. I'll be playing soon.

Done with 50cc FOREVER (Just finished off getting 3 stars in all of them )

I've played a bit of online tonight. I did two random races, a random battle, and one 4 race cup in the default Mario community. Pretty flawless and fun! But it's weird that the VR score is the same for races and battles, unlike the Wii version where you have separate rankings.

@kgtennispro

That's the first thing I did in the game today! A fellow congrats! Though, the 100cc isn't so easy... heh.

Alright need to take another break for dinner.

This game is killing my thumb/wrist, lol

I'll be joining the communities in a bit and hopefully get some online games going! Is the channel supposed to install anything on the main menu though? It said it was installing something on the SD card but I haven't seen anything at all in regards to a Mario Kart channel.

Just did the first two new cups and Retro cups in 100cc. Triple-starred them all--they're much easier to get now! Or maybe I'm just that good. Impressions of single-player so far:

+Looks really nice. The 3D effect works well, the courses are bright and appealing, the characters are modeled well and the framerate is consistent.

+The new main tracks are all quite good from my first go-around. Right now, Wuhu Loop, Music Park and Rock Rock Mountain stand out to me the most. Solid Flower Cup!

+The choices for the Retro tracks might be the best yet, in general. Luigi's Raceway is a lame one, but most of the others so far have been quite strong, particularly the DS inclusions.

+Unlockable karts seem like a cool addition; hoping there isn't some "ultimate combination" out there that everyone's going to use!

+The coins are a nifty addition and add some strategy to the proceedings.

+The glider feels great and is an excellent addition all-around.

+Jumps are much faster and don't feel obnoxiously floaty like in DD or (to a lesser extent) MKW.

And now the bad...

-Coins max out at 10? That's kind of...annoying. Why not just do what SMK and SC did and max the speed limit at 10, but let you collect more for protection?

-Still bummed about the 8-a-race thing. I miss the huge rooms of MKW!

-My main complaint right now is how little seems to have been added. I had this same problem with MKW, which was disappointing until I realized how outstanding the WiFi is. For MK7, when I booted up the single player and saw a scant selection of game modes, it was pretty disheartening. MKDS added a great Mission Mode for one of its stand-out features...where is that? And where is any sort of new single-player mode? Am I crazy for hoping for more than 16 new tracks (again)? I still feel like I'm going to be waiting for the "Smash Bros Melee" of Mario Kart.

-Time limit for Battle Mode instead of survival? What a dumb change! I'm one of the guys who can't stand Time in Smash and wonder why all of the games have that for the default. At least give us the option! What's the point in having balloons at all if it doesn't matter how many times you get hit?

I've got some chips on my shoulder with the series, but when all is said and done, I really bought this for the online. I'm going to try it shortly--hopefully it's as replayable and fun as MKW's, if not moreso! Looking forward to taking you guys on/down!

EDIT: Oh hey, Ploot! Let's rumble.

@TriforceBun

I don't really mind that the coins max out at 10. You use coins to unlock new content so instead of being able to quickly get a ton, new upgrades are more spaced out so you don't easily acquire them.

@TriforceBun
Currently playing in a worldwide with a few others here! Join us, mah brotha!
Well, currently waiting for room... Grr.

TriforceBun said:

-Time limit for Battle Mode instead of survival? What a dumb change! I'm one of the guys who can't stand Time in Smash and wonder why all of the games have that for the default. At least give us the option! What's the point in having balloons at all if it doesn't matter how many times you get hit?

Nintendo does seem kind of obsessed with not allowing for many options for battle mode and sticking in weird limits each time around. But at least this is a step up from team battle only to me. Ah well.

Sorry ploot!

I dislike this pair who keeps voting for SNES Rainbow Road ;p

GRARG! I had to quit. My friend really wants to join and she can't fit in!

Edit - She decided to stop trying. Aww.

I've been trying to join your room but it's always full and I have to just spectate!

There, finally got in!

Should we try a community shin dig after this one?

@kgtennispro
Yes, please!