(This review is not blinded by nostalgia btw, if it was I would of made the score a 9.5/10)
Mario Kart 7 is a decent game, though I personally prefer more games to this like Mario Kart Ds and Double Dash. A Problem I have with this is that there is no special thing about it unlike Wii's motion controls, 8's antigravity or Ds's mission mode. Also the character selection is a bit of a mess, I mean we have Metal Mario, Honey Queen, and Wiggler, unlike fan favorites like Funky Kong, Dry Bones, Waluigi, or Petey Pirhanna!. (That last one was a bit of a joke) Otherwise this Mario Kart is pretty good with some decent stages like Ranibow Road, Koopa Cape, and Mushroom Gorge. (Also Mushroom Gorge's theme slaps!!). Even though most people probably dont like the Battle mode I do, and think it has some great stages like the bee stage.
Overall this game is good but not great so if you like a standard mario kart on the go, then pick this up! Score: 7.3/10
Edit: Forgot to say this but yes, Blue Shells do appear every 40 to 50 seconds during a race so instead the score is 7.1/10
Edit 2: Also The first person mode is pretty mediocre. The items in this game are ok like the Fire Flower, Bullet Bill, and Lucky 7 but some are just bad like the Blooper and Tail (Which was probably done to promote Super Mario 3D Land. So now the score is 6.8/10.