So let’s see which are the cornerstones of good Mario Kart 7 racing and what things should you do to improve your game and even beat those “3 Stars 15000+ VR” japs.

1. Understand that skill won’t always make you win: This is something that many people can’t seem to understand, but the fact is that Mario Kart isn’t a conventional racer and unlike for example Gran Turismo 5, good driving won’t always get you the first position.

Get Blue Shelled at 20 meters from the finish only to have all the “pack” come behind you and massacrate you with Red Shells will likely make you finish last, or at least not in the first positions. If this happens just accept that luck plays an important role in MK7 and that you can go from 1st to 8th position in just a few seconds, and move on.

The opposite can also happen, I’ve been able to go up from 8th to 1st position on the last lap with just some good items and some Mushroom-enabled shortcuts.

With that said, skill is obviously very important too, and you’ve got to learn to combine some sleek racing with a strategic use of items.

2. Play defensive: One of the cornerstones of good MK7 skillfull playing is pretty simple: always have a defensive item hanging at the back of your kart, be it a Banana or a Shell (not a Bomb, if someone hits you it will explode, hitting you and everyone around). The “Triple Banana” item is the holy grail of Mario Kart 7 if you are in the first position since it will allow you to take 3 different projectiles aimed at you from behind.

But knowing when to go on the offensive is also on the key aspects of MK and what will make you become a “pro” player instead of merely a “good” one. This brings us to…

3. Know when to use your assets: Say you are on the 2nd position, it’s the last lap, and you’ve got a Red Shell (RS). The pack is really tight and a single hit can cost you 5+ positions.

Most people will go for the safest route, which is just playing defensive with the Red Shell as protection and finishing 2nd. Pretty good! But 1st nets you many more points… let’s see if could have gone for it!

In this cases you must evaluate the risk/reward ratio. If the nearest players behind you don’t have any shells or projectiles (just some bananas or a mushroom), then go for the 1st player. Hit him with the Red Shell! Make sure he doesn’t have a banana hanging out though (most will have).

The key moment is just before an item pickup since many players tend you drop their items at that exact moment. Try to launch your RS when that happens. Of course sometimes it won’t work, but, in a nutshell: you’ve also got to use your items aggressively.

4. Watch the bottom screen for items once in a while: Now, you should obviously concentrate on the road before you, but try to peek at the item screen when you are in a straight line (for example) to watch for dangerous items like Blue Shells (BS) or Lighting Bolts (LB).

If you see a Blue Shell you can try to slow down to second position before it’s launched although this is usually not worth it since people tend to launch it really quickly. If you are about to get hit with a BS use whatever item you had in the most possible “annoying” way and try to get near your rivals so that they also get hit by the BS explosion.

If someone has a Lightning Bolt the only thing you can do is to try to NOT be in the air at that moment, since you will fall to your doom.

5. Drift, always drift: This is a very basic one, but know that drifting is essential to be any good at Mario Kart 7. Drift as closely as possible to corners and walls, and always aim for the Red Miniturbo if you can . Even in small curves you can always try to get a Blue Miniturbo which can help a lot.

Also, try to use the mini-boost to get over short off-road terrain sections which will lead you to a launchpad such as in Luigi’s Mansion or in Dino Dino Jungle.

So after the all the stir that the negative Uncharted 3 reviews have caused, I needed to write something to voice my opinion - an opinion that I think most “average gamers” will share.

It happens to be based on the huge backlash that those reviews caused but I want to make a point for all games, all genres, video gaming as a whole.

I’ll put it bluntly: you can’t give Uncharted 3 a 4/10 or even a “C” like “The A.V. Club” did. It may sound like a childish tantrum, but I genuinely think that you can’t (regardless of the opinion you have on the game) give something like Uncharted 3 that score.

The world of gaming has been trying for years to get the same respect as the cinema industry. So it seems fitting that the review trends are also going that way.

I’m saying this because it’s probably the first time in history that such a well made “blockbuster” game gets such low scores from some isolated websites – sure, some harsh publications like Edge have previously given some “AAA” games lower scores than the average, but they always had their fair reasons and they were never in the 4-5 range.

Now it seems that it’s alright to give a game score based on how it “feels” to us, on our opinion. There’s a reason why I never trust or even care about film or new music album scores. Most of the time the reviewers have a very different taste and what they find amazing I find terrible, and vice versa. Not with gaming.

I’ve been playing games for a long, long time. Not from the beginning, but shortly after the NES was launched I was already marveling at the amazing 8-bit worlds that Nintendo created. And there was a crucial point that over the years people seemed to miss.

Games CAN be good, average, or bad. Whenever someone tells me that “it’s just a reviewers opinion”, I tell them that it’s not. I know many of you agree with the point that “reviews are just opinions”, but I want to make clear that I think in this industry you can “quantify” how good a game is.

You can measure how good the graphics are, how immersing the music is, how engaging the gameplay is, how responsive the controls are.

And this is the key point of the article. The “greatness” of a game is not based on an opinion, it’s based on multiple factors. And that’s why all my life I’ve followed reviews, bought games based on them and I’ve never regretted a single purchase I ever made.

Yes, I have also bought “average” games, but I knew what I was getting into. The best example I can think of is the PlayStation 2 JRPG Star Ocean 3. I love that game to bits and it’s probably among my favourite RPGs of all time, but at the same time I know its limitations. I understand them.

Even though I like Star Ocean 3 much more than Final Fantasy XII, I would rate the first one with a 7,5 and the second one with a 9. Why? Well, Star Ocean’s story is not very good, the voice acting is laughable, the music can the extremely annoying and the graphics were not good even for its time.

What it has, though, is some incredibly amazing post-game content with some brutal super-bosses which boast millions on HP and some cool legendary weapons which can be really hard to get. The combat is excellent and the game can be really, really addicting.

Oh, the joy of seeing a screen full of huge numbers

Final Fantasy XII on the other hand has some incredibly good graphics (for a PS2 game), very solid gameplay, an engaging story, excellent music and an overall “polishment” which definitely deserves no less than a 9.

I prefer Star Ocean 3, but the better game is Final Fantasy XII.

Why did I just write about two long-forgotten games from a gone-by era? Because the same can be applied to Uncharted 3.

You may not like the cinematic gameplay, the (sometimes) repetitive shooting or even the “B-movie” story. But you can’t deny that the gameplay is extremely engaging, the graphics are the best in any console platform, and the controls are spot-on and extremely responsive.

You can’t deny that Uncharted 3 is, and always will be, a 8+ game. Anything else would be just wrong, and sorry to say it, giving it a 4 undermines the credibility of any reviewer no matter what.

I for one would never trust that reviewer to buy a new game again, or wouldn’t you be annoyed that because of his “opinion” you just ignored one of the great masterpieces of this generation and instead bought “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” which the same website awarded an 8?

Is it really worse than that game? Is Uncharted 3 really only 3.2 points better than “Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing” which holds an average score of 8 on Metacritic? Is it only a little better than the infamous Superman 64 which holds an almighty 23% in GameRankings?

Didn’t think so.

Some go as far as saying  that this is the best Zelda ever made, and with good reason: Skyward Sword is currently at a 98 Metacritic score, one of the highest this generation and only 1 point lower than the best game of all time (yes, Ocarina of Time, with a 99).

This type of scores usually get lower as more reviews pour in, but we’re talking about the last swan song for the Wii so this could even end up like this.

Excited? We certainly are!

Check out Metacritic’s compilation of Zelda: Skyward Sword reviews.

Satoru Iwata has recently explained to investors that the e-Shop is going to be improved with multiple new features, mainly 3D demos and sleep-mode downloads.

The demos will unfortunately be only for games that have already been released. No sneak peeks of coming titles.

Nintendo is also launching a browser version of the store for PC’s and mobile devices.

The japanese company is even going to support DLC and micro-transactions in the future!

“We are aiming to accelerate our digital business, the importance of which is expected to become even higher in the future. Several new functions will be added to the Nintendo eShop.”

“In terms of usability, we know that there are still several issues with the eShop. We are now preparing for the Nintendo eShop to be available on the web so that you can access it via PCs or smartphones too.”

- Nintendo president Satoru Iwata

But among all the high-profile releases like Super Mario 3D Land, there is a little gem called Cave Story 3D no one is really talking about.

But knowing that it’s revered as a cult classic in the PC scene and that this 3D port is seemingly even better, Cave Story 3D could end up being this years Nintendo 3DS’s GOTY.

Reviews until now:

Gameblog.fr: 100

“This 3DS remake of the cult Cave Story fits the bill. It’s nicely re-done, all the while keeping what made the original a brilliant game. Perfect gameplay, inspired level-design, mesmerizing musics and enticing plot: no element of this remake can disappoint the fans of good old action platforming “oldschool” games in 2D. A gem of passion you have to play.”

Nintendo Life: 90

“Cave Story has always been an extremely charming and engaging experience, but never before has the game come alive with the type of depth and realism that the 3D visuals and lighting effects provide. When you couple all of this together with the classic high-quality platforming and shooting action of the original, not to mention an amazing remixed soundtrack, you end up with what has to be one of the most impressive video game remakes we’ve seen in recent years and a title you absolutely should not miss.”

Gamertell.com: 97

“Cave Story 3D is more of an experience than a game, and one that players will remember long after it’s done. If you own a 3DS, put Cave Story 3D on your wish list”

Start saving money for a very busy month with this masterpiece and ol’ Mario!

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I’ve spent many hours thinking what was what made Ocarina of Time. I could never nail it down, but I always came to the same conclusion: it was the experience as a whole, everything coming together in a way that was almost magical.

And, no, it wasn’t nostalgia either. This summer I (among millions of other eager gamers) experienced the 12-year-old adventure with new eyes. Older eyes, less impressed by things. Eyes that have seen some truly amazing games this generation.

But the feeling was still there: something “clicks” when you finally see the credits roll, something very deep inside which, just for a moment, touches your inner soul.

The puzzles of Ocarina are still brilliant a decade after. The story is still epic and gripping, even if it’s generic. The combat is admittedly simple now but still effective and fun.

As much as I loved Wind Waker and Majora’s Mask (and hated Twilight Princess with its dark, dull, lifeless landscapes), Ocarina of Time will always have a place in my heart as the best game ever made.

Until now.

Incredible sword fights with amazing graphical effects. One word to describe this: epicl

Maybe I’m jumping the gun, maybe I’m letting the hype confuse me. But I have a blind faith in Skyward Sword.

All I’ve seen, all I’ve heard, all I’ve read… you can feel that this game is destined to be something special. Everything seems to come together the same way that it did for Ocarina of Time a decade ago.

The full realization of the Wii’s potential (after all this is what we were promised -full motion controls where you could feel the sword in your hand, where you could be the hero).

The incredibly inspiring tunes are also here (seriously, listen to the music in the “Romance” trailer below and tell me that you didn’t smile a little).

The beautiful (and I mean this word -this game is pure art) graphics with its vibrant colors.

The story with (finally!) a backstory for the relationship of Link and Zelda, and of course an epic tale of swords and magic which will lead us to (yes!) Ocarina of Time.

The time is coming. Soon we will finally be able to open the golden package, smell the lovely “new nintendo game” scent and slowly put the magical disk in our consoles.

Meanwhile, prestigious (and harsh) publications like Edge are already giving 10′s to this game. And again, the last Zelda to get a perfect score in that magazine was… guess what? Ocarina of Time.

Seems like a new golden age in gaming is coming. Long live the Wii, PS3 and 360 era!

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The Oficial Nintendo Magazine (ONM) awarded an incredible 98% to the new Zelda aventure, Skyward, saying that “it’s the best Zelda ever made”.

This is quite amazing taking into account that the Zelda series is famous for its quality…. could Skyward Sword finally surpass the legendary Ocarina of Time? Seems so!

The new motion controls, beautiful graphics and engaging story have definitely impressed the ONM reviewers.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword comes out on the 18th of November in Europe and on the 20th of November in the US.

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Nintendo has just released some amazing trailers directly from their Tokio game Show 2011 Conference.

All the heavy hitters are here in glorious 3D, so go now to the Nintendo 3DS e-Shop and download them!

The available trailers are for the following games:

-Super Mario 3D Land

-Mario Kart 7

-Kid Icarus: Uprising

-Paper Mario 3D

-Luigi’s Mansion 2

-Animal Crossing

-Mario Tennis 3D

Enjoy!

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But with so many heavy hitters, which are the ones that you should really buy?

5. Need for Speed: The Run 3D

Need for Speed has always been a respected franchise, and for good reasons: featuring an incredible sense of velocity and thrilling car chases, NFS always delivered. At least until the last iteration which definitely didn’t meet expectations.

The Nintendo 3DS version promises lots of tracks, more than 40 licensed cars (Lamborghini, McLaren, BMW and Porsche among others) and some really tight controls. The graphics are also of PS2-Wii quality, which is pretty good for a handheld. The 3D effect is quite impressive as is usually the case for most racers.

But the most interesting feature will be the complete online and local multiplayer which will enable us to compete with anyone with an Internet connection around the world. And the autolog feature only makes this even more exciting.

Autolog will perpetually connect you to EA’s servers and automatically upload all your stats, times and achievements. And best of all, it will work with StreetPass so you can have some healthy competition (exchanging “record times”) whenever you walk near someone with a SP enabled Nintendo 3DS.

4. Sonic Generations 3D

A venerable gaming icon, Sonic!

Sonic Generations 3D is the first adventure starred by the blue hedgehog in years to look really, really promising. The trademarked fast gameplay and inventive platforming is as good as ever, the 3D graphics are incredible and the short burst-play sessions are perfect for a handheld.

This game is shaping up like an essential purchase for our Nintendo 3DS, so what more could we ask for?

3. Mario Kart 7 (3D)

When you get into a Mario Kart game, you know what to expect. Great graphics, tight controls, charming characters, and above all, fun gameplay.

Mario Kart 3D will have all of this while taking it one step further by adding a convincing 3D effect and two interesting gameplay additions: gliders and propellers. These accessories will allow for some interesting on-air and underwater gameplay which will spice things up.

The icing on the cake will be the addicting online multiplayer and the option to modify and decorate the karts. This game is definitely going to be a massive smash hit and something that could propel the Nintendo 3DS to the top chart positions this Christmas.

2. Cave Story 3D

This could be a huge sleeper hit. No one is talking much about Cave Story 3D, but this little gem is considered to be a true PC classic of the last decade.

Now fully remastered and in 3D, this platformer is ready to rock our socks and immerse us in one of the most charming worlds ever made.

With extremely sharp and responsive controls an a fascinating plot, Cave Story 3D will take the portable gaming world by storm on November 4th in Europe (the 8th of November in the US).

1. Super Mario 3D Land

The italian plumber is back! Made by the same developers who created SMG2, Super Mario Land 3D Land will feature a mix of old-school platforming (Super Mario Bros. 3) and new-gen Mario.

The gameplay is extremely addicting and the 3D graphics are as sharp and colorful as always. And best of all, the 3D effect is actually being used for actual gameplay, meaning that you will need the extra precision provided by the stereoscopic effect to make some difficult jumps.

All in all, you can be almost 100% sure that this is going to be a true masterpiece which will (alone) justify buying a Nintendo 3DS. Mario, we missed you!

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This week sees the release of two of the most awaited Nintendo e-Shop games: The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Anniversary Edition and the venerable Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins.

The first one will be a completely free release commemorating the 25th anniversary of Zelda, while the second one will cost around 5$ and it’s obviously being released now to get people hyped for the Super Mario 3D Land launch in November.

Zelda: Four Swords Anniversary will feature a single player mode as well as the multiplayer mode which we all loved some years ago.

The games are scheduled for a Wednesday e-Shop launch.