I'll show you mine if you show me yours

I sadly can't remember exactly who it was, but someone on Twitter last week prompted me to take a look at the amount of time I've spent with my most-played 3DS titles.

I was a bit surprised by what I found. So surprised, in fact, that I decided to snap and share a photo (or two) of it. Here are the first three results:

And here are the next three:

In case you can't make out the game titles and play times showcased in the admittedly crappy photos above, here they are: Animal Crossing: New Leaf (488.26 hours--uh, yikes!), THE "DENPA" MEN (42:51), Theatrhythm Final Fantasy (33:38), Mario Kart 7 (32:32), Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime (22:22) and THE "DENPA" MEN 2 (17:30).

What are all of your most-played 3DS titles at the moment, if you're willing to share?

Coming this Monday: The second 'Mario Kart 7 Gaymer Night'

The inaugural "Mario Kart 7 Gaymer Night" that was held on Jan. 30 was such a success--and such a blast--that I thought I should schedule another.

So, anybody who has a bit of free time this coming Monday night (Feb. 13) and who is itching to race against a slew of open-minded gamers should feel free to pop their heads into The Gay Gamer community starting at 7 pm PST/10 pm EST.



In case you've yet to join The Gay Gamer community, here's the info you'll need to do so: 22-7203-7866-8075.

No worries if you won't be able to participate this time around for whatever reason; more "Mario Kart 7 Gaymer Nights" are sure to follow in the coming weeks and months.

So, what did you think of the first Mario Kart 7 gaymer night?

Now that the inaugural "Mario Kart 7 Gaymer Night" is over, I'd like to ask all of you who participated what you thought of it.

I'm especially eager to hear what you thought of:

* the day (Monday) that was chosen,
* the time (7 pm PST/10 pm EST) that was chosen, and
* the, er, "venue" (150cc, all items, etc.) that was chosen for this event.

Also, if you wanted to join in on the fun but didn't due to any of the aforementioned particulars, let me know that, too.



I'd really like to plan another one of these shindigs--and for sooner rather than later--but I'm not exactly sure how to go about it. Should it be scheduled it for the same day and same time as the first one, or should it be scheduled for a different day and time? Should we continue to use the 150cc community I set up a while ago, or would you prefer to use a 100cc or 50cc community instead?

Please let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.

Finally, I'd like to thank everyone who popped in for even a few races last night. (I was only able to partake in three "cups" myself, due to a rather hungry husband. Next time I'll feed him first, I swear!)

Also, I'd like to thank, many times over, the mysterious man behind the Video Games Made Me Gay tumblog for suggesting this little meetup in the first place.

See also: 'Who's up for a Mario Kart 7 gaymer night?'

Who's up for a Mario Kart 7 'gaymer night'?

The day all, er, some, er, a small handful of you have been waiting for has (almost) arrived! Which day, you ask? Why, the day you get to race other readers of The Gay Gamer and the Video Games Made Me Gay tumblog in Mario Kart 7.

As for when this oh-so-fabulous day--evening, really--will take place: This coming Monday, Jan. 30, at 7 pm PST.

If you've always wanted to see how terrible I am at Mario Kart 7, aim your 3DSes at The Gay Gamer community--22-7203-7866-8075--at the aforementioned time and then arm yourselves with as many blue shells as you can handle.

Thanks to the great guy behind Video Games Made Me Gay, by the way, for suggesting this little soiree and for allowing me to steal the "Gay Pride Mario" image seen above from his tumblog.

The Great Gaymathon Review #51: Mario Kart 7 (3DS)

Game: Mario Kart 7

Genre: Racing

Developer: Nintendo, Retro Studios

Publisher: Nintendo

System: 3DS

Release date: 2011

Is the seventh Mario Kart game the best one yet? Hoo, boy, that's quite a question. My knee-jerk reaction is to say no, it isn't, but the only predecessor that can compete with and possibly surpass it--in my opinion, obviously--is Mario Kart Wii. (Note: I've played and enjoyed every Mario Kart game in existence except Double Dash!!) As such, I'm thinking I should compare and contrast the innovations each of these titles brings to the series in order to come to a conclusion as to which one earns top billing on this blog. Starting with Mario Kart Wii: It has more items (19 vs. 18, three of which are new), more racers (24 vs. 16) and more vehicles with which to race--including motorbikes, which I thought were kind of cool. It also allows for "waggle" control, which is especially fun if you use the steering-wheel accessory, and online races of up to 12 players. Mario Kart 7, on the other hand, adds coins (last seen in Mario Kart: Super Circuit) back into the mix, allows players to customize their karts in a multitude of ways, introduces gliders that aid airborne vehicles, includes SpotPass and StreetPass functionality and offers up an alternate control scheme that enables players to steer by tilting their 3DS systems. Both games feature the same number of tracks (32, 16 of which are new and 16 of which are pulled from previous entries) and similar-enough gameplay, graphics, music and modes. Given all of that, I'm ... not any closer to being able to choose a "winner" than I was at the beginning of this write-up. If possible, I'd suggest getting them both, as I consider both of them to be top-of-the-heap Mario Kart games. (Don't worry, that's a good thing.) If you can only choose one, though, I'd probably go for the Wii iteration, as I find it a bit easier to control and I prefer its course and kart selection.

See also: Previous 'Great Gaymathon' posts

I can't get the Coconut Mall theme out of my head (and other musings on Mario Kart 7's soundtrack)

I'm sure this admission will surprise no one, but I've been playing a lot of Mario Kart 7 lately. How much is "a lot"? Well, I've played it for over 23 hours so far. That may not sound like a lot to some of you, but it's rare for me to play a game for that amount of time these days.

Anyway, all of that racing has produced a rather annoying side effect: I can't get the game's soundtrack out of my head! The worst offender: The song that plays while racing on the Coconut Mall course.



It isn't unusual for this jangly, piano-driven tune to be stuck in my head for hours at a time. Thankfully, I like the song about as much as I like the course (it's one of my all-time favorites), so there's no need to worry about my sanity. Yet.

That's not the only Mario Kart 7 track that has perked my ears, mind you. I'm also quite fond of the tunes that accompany the Daisy Hills, Music Park and Rainbow Road courses. (Listen to the last one by playing the following video.)



As much as I like all of the above-mentioned themes, I think they're a bit subdued when compared to the series' most classic tunes, don't you think?

Also, what do all of you think about Mario Kart 7's soundtrack in general? How do you think it compares to its predecessors? Finally, which songs are your favorites?

See also: Previous Mario Kart 7 posts

I cannot tell a lie: I completely loathe Mario Kart 7's Neo Bowser City course

The headline above is my way of letting all of you know that I'm finally the proud owner of a copy of Mario Kart 7.

Actually, I've been not-so-secretly playing through this 3DS title for the last week or so (I say not-so-secretly because I've tweeted about my experiences on a few occasions), but I didn't want to say anything here until I was ready to race on line.

Why did I wait? Well, I'm one of those odd folks who have to unlock as many of the game's characters, karts and wheels as possible through solo play before I compete against actual human beings. (I've unlocked all of Mario Kart 7's racers so far, but I've got a ways to go before I can say the same thing about its karts, gliders and wheels.)


                          Does anyone actually play the game this way?

Speaking of racing on line, I recently set up a community for readers of this blog, in case any of you are interested in such a thing. Here's the community's code: 22-7203-7866-8075. (If you've started a community, or if you know of any that are "open and affirming," so to speak, let me know in the comments section, will you?)

Anyway, back to my experience with Mario Kart 7 thus far and which courses I love and which ones I loathe: My favorite of the game's new courses at the moment Music Park and my least favorite is the aforementioned Neo Bowser City. Which courses are you guys and gals liking and which ones are you hating at the moment?

Buy: Mario Kart 7

Mario Kart 7 or Super Mario 3D Land?

A question to all of you who have played both Mario Kart 7 and Super Mario 3D Land: Which 3DS game do you think I should buy first?

Don't worry, I intend to own both of them at some point, but at the moment I'm planning to buy just one of them between Christmas and, say, the end of January (assuming I can hold out that long).

As for which way I'm currently leaning: Super Mario 3D Land seems like the better bet as a "first game," given its single-player focus. That said, Mario Kart 7's online multiplayer modes sound awfully appealing, too.

Oh, hell, maybe I'll just get them both at the same time. Should I cave at the last minute, though, I'd greatly appreciate hearing which of the two above-mentioned games all of you would buy first if you were me.

Tell me if you've seen this before

Speaking of the Gay Geeks and Gaymers tumblog, I just saw the Mario Kart-inspired t-shirt design below (order shirts bearing the design here) while scrolling through it.

Nintendo should have included one of these shirts with every copy of Mario Kart Wii, don't you think? Or would it have hit too close to home for players of that game?



Regardless, it's certainly an image I can relate to--since I've been eviscerated by many a blue shell while playing the last entry in the Mario Kart series.

Hopefully I'll have better luck while playing Mario Kart 7, which will hit store shelves around the world in just a few weeks. (Pre-order the North American version here.)