The ultimate Mario Kart race is on…and online via your Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection in Mario Kart DS. Drawing on more than 30 courses and battle arenas from every game in the Mario Kart series - not to mention tons of new ones, Mario Kart DS allows you to play as Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Wario, Yoshi, Donkey Kong, Toad, Bowser and Shy Guy as you put the pedal to the go-kart metal, grab coins to max out your speed and blast rivals with the ever-popular arsenal of red, green and spiked Koopa shells in a race to finally put to rest the question of who is the true king of the Mushroom Kingdom racing circuit. 
Race the Mushroom circuit | 
Mario is a veteran of the circuit.
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Choose your favorite character.
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Peach is a master drifter.
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Select the Kart you want.
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Bowser is the bruiser of the track.
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Watch your position in the pack.
View larger. | Progressing Through the Game
Place first in Grand Prix circuits or clear skill-based missions to open up increasingly difficult and thrilling circuits. Of course, players can have multiplayer races on any open courses or battle in arenas. Game Modes: At Least Five Ways to Play
Whether you prefer to race by yourself or to mix it up with friends, Mario Kart DS is a game with something for everyone. Features five different game modes, these include a 'VS' and 'Battle' mode that are available in multiplayer for up to eight players via local wireless connection while all modes are available singleplayer. See a complete list and description of the play modes below: - Grand Prix Mode: In Grand Prix Mode, the driver who earns the most points at the end of a four-course cup is the victor. Mario Kart DS features eight different cups, with each cup featuring four different tracks.
- Time Trial Mode: Your objective in Time Trial Mode is to get the fastest time that you can on a single track. . You can save your best runs as ghost data and share them with a friend.
- VS Mode: A competitive mode that can be either singleplayer. or multiplayer. In the singleplayer. version you'll race against computer-controlled karts, while in multiplayer you'll race against human opponents who play using their own Nintendo DS systems.
- Battle Modes: Mario Kart DS contains two battle modes.
- Balloon Battle Mode: Your goal is to pop your opponent's balloons by attacking/stealing them by colliding into an opponent via a mushroom boost, before your own balloons are popped.
- Shine Runners: In this mode the driver who collects the most Shine Sprites is the winner.
- Mission Mode: In this mode you are given sets of specific missions that you must clear in order to move on to the next set of missions. What could wait at the end?
Special Powers, Weapons, Moves & Features
Turbo power-drifting and item tossing is the order of the day, whether players are racing around an obstacle-filled track or battling in an arena. Use familiar items taken from every game in the series like Green Shells, homing Red Shells, Bananas, Bombs, Lightning and the destructive Spiny Shell, not to mention new ones like the Blooper. The touch screen features a map that shows items being fired at players, who can even tap it with their fingers mid-race to zoom in or out. Wireless Communication: Even More Ways to Play:
Mario Kart DS features three different forms of wireless game play: two kinds of local wireless game play and Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection online game play. Mario Kart DS offers two different options for LAN Wireless game play: DS Download Play, in which only one player has Mario Kart DS and all players have Nintendo DS systems, and Multi-Card Play, in which all players have Mario Kart DS and Nintendo DS systems. DS Download Play
As with all DS Download multiplayer games, the DS Download Play in Mario Kart DS requires that only one player has a copy of the game. Unlike past DS games, however, DS Download Play in Mario Kart DS allows multiple players who have the game card to play with multiple players who do not have the game card. DS Download Play offers the following features: - 2-8 player simultaneous wireless game play.
- A choice of multiplayer racing, Balloon Battle, or Shine Runner modes.
- Players who own Mario Kart DS can choose their own characters and use personalized icons, while players who do not own Mario Kart DS must play as Shy Guy and cannot use personalized player icons.
- Track selection is limited to eight tracks for racing and three arenas for Balloon Battle and Shine Runner modes.
- DS Download Play is limited to the 100 cc engine class
Multi-Card Play
Multi-Card Play requires all players to have their own copies of Mario Kart DS, giving players more options, modes and tracks to choose from. Multi-Card Play offers the following features: - 2-8 player simultaneous wireless game play.
- Your choice of multiplayer racing, Balloon Battle, or Shine Runner modes.
- Players can choose from different engine classes.
- No limits on character choice.
- No limits on track choice.
- Player's win/loss ratio is saved and tracked.
- Players who race locally are automatically added to each other's friend roster and then can race via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.
- Players can trade ghost data wirelessly, allowing them to race against each others' best times.
Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection:
Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection is a free online game-play service provided by Nintendo to Nintendo DS owners. It offers seamless access to online game play and an environment that is welcoming to gamers of all skill levels. Features include: Whether it's the updated graphics that retain the side-scrolling feel of classic games in the Sonic franchise, an expansive world to race through and explore or the multiple and new ways to play, Sonic Unleashed offers something for players of any age or level of ability. - 2-4 players racing simultaneously.
- Choice of playing with:
- Friends only (players registered as Friends)
- Rivals (players with similar skills)
- Recent opponents
- Regional racers (players in their country)
- World racers (players anywhere in the world)
- No limit on course choice, but each player votes for a course and the course with the most votes wins (in case of a tie, the course is chosen randomly)
- No limit on character choice
- Players can create and use personalized player icons
Connecting to the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection will be quick, easy and seamless. Players can go to an official Nintendo hotspot and immediately go online and start playing. To use their home Wi-Fi routers, players first must configure the DS to connect to their routers by entering the router's network ID and optional security key or install the Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector on their PC and configure the DS to enable it to share the PC's broadband connection. After that, players can go online anytime without further configuration. Friends are registered to the friends roster either by exchanging and entering Friend Registration Keys or by playing local Multi-Card Multiplayer mode together. |
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 Right on track |
| Review Date: November 15, 2005 |
| Reviewer: Lestor neeker Wong, Singapore |
It seems just like yesterday when the original Mario Kart made its debut on the SNES in 1992. The game was a hit back then, and it isn't difficult to understand why. A racing game that emphasizes on sabotaging your opponents with weapons like banana skins, flying shells and lightning bolts was almost unheard of then, and to do so with your favorite Nintendo characters was, quite simply, pure bliss. Not surprisingly, the game captured the hearts of many gamers then.
Fast forward to the year 2005. Fans of the series have seen a few sequels through the years, but the DS version of Mario Kart was greeted with much more anticipation than its predecessors. The main reason, obviously, is the game's inclusion of integrated online play. For the first time in Mario Kart's history, gamers can now take on players from all over the world as long as they're using a wireless router that is supported by Nintendo. The game also allows up to eight players to multiplay in close proximity with only one copy of the cartridge, which essentially means that a gamer who decides not to buy the game can still perform a download play and race against a friend who owns a cartridge.
Of course, to enjoy the other features in Mario Kart DS, you'll still have to purchase the game, especially when you're interested in taking on the single-player campaign. As with previous instalments, Mario Kart DS has a grand prix mode, which comprises of four races each that are span across eight different competitions. This means a total of 32 tracks for your racing pleasure. 16 of these tracks are brand new, but the rest consists of classic ones from previous renditions of Mario Kart. These include the Moo Moo Farm from N64, Peach Circuit from the GBA and even the original Mario Circuit from the SNES. These will no doubt bring much joy for Mario Kart fans.
Yet, even in the presence of the classic tracks, the newer tracks do not pale in comparison. The innovative minds at Nintendo have once again developed a series of circuits that are visually stunning, mildly challenging and always entertaining. You'll get to race through a pinball machine, a clock and even an airship fortress! The combination of both old and new tracks is indeed a masterstroke that allows you to engage new challenges, as well as indulge in some nostalgia.
Mario Kart DS also has a mission mode that requires you to perform a series of tasks within a certain time limit. These include collecting a designated number of coins, passing through a series of numbered gates in sequence, and even hitting specified enemies with specified weapons. The missions are divided into "worlds", and each world various stages. Completing all stages in a world will unlock a "boss fight", which could involve winning in a race against the boss, or even to knock him out from a platform. Defeating a boss unlocks the next world, up to a maximum of six worlds and a total of 54 missions. Obviously, the missions get tougher as the game progresses, but they aren't exactly impossible to complete. Gamers who enjoy more than merely racing should find the mission mode in Mario Kart DS a fun and captivating feature.
The other modes in the single player campaign include a VS challenge and a battle mode. The VS challenge basically pits you against seven CPU-controlled racers in a never-ending series of races. This is the perfect training ground for learning the techniques of the game. The battle mode consists of a balloon battle and a shine runners game. The balloon battle requires you to burst the balloons of your opponents, while the shine runners game requires you grab as many shines as possible. These two mini-games are quite forgettable when played alone, so it's recommended that you engage them with a friend or two. Bursting balloons has never been so much fun.
A Mario Kart game is never complete without an array of usable weapons against your fellow racers. In Mario Kart DS, the arsenal gets even better with the inclusion of some new items. One of these new weapons is the Bob-omb, which causes an explosion. If used accurately, the Bob-omb's impact on an opponent is tremendous, as it drastically slows down his or her progress. The Bullet Bill is another new item that is extremely cool. Using it will turn you into a flying bullet. You'll find yourself bursting forward with much speed, knocking over anyone who dares stand in your way, and most importantly, covering a lot of ground. The Blooper, one of Mario's nastiest enemies, is the third new addition. It'll squirt ink onto your opponent's windscreen, causing a temporary loss of vision. The range of old and new items more than complement each other, and you'll no doubt find great usage with them as you progress.
The controls of Mario Kart DS are extremely simple, making it a game that anyone could pick up and play without much hassle. Of course, learning more techniques are useful when you intend to go online for some real challenge, and the game does give you a repertoire of skills to master. One of them is turbo drifting, which requires you to drift, and then quickly press the left and right button on your D-pad to cause your tires to catch fire. Releasing the drift immediately after that will result in a temporary burst of speed. This technique is extremely useful in chasing a seemingly loss cause.
The real meat of the game, obviously, is the online feature. Once you get connected, you'll be able to search for players who're also online at the same time. It may take a while for you to get a full quota of four players, but the game works with one or two opponents as well. You'll have to race through a standard Grand Prix in an online game. You'll also get to vote on which track you want to race, so that you can at least gain an upper hand by (hopefully) getting a track that you're familiar with. It's also advisable for you to practise on the various tracks before proceeding, since you won't want to finish last all the time!
As mentioned earlier, you can also play with fellow friends with the use of only one cartridge, but the player who doesn't have a cartridge will, by default, be using Shy Guy as a character. The player only needs to turn on his DS when another player hosts the game, and he should be able to "download" the game into his DS for a quick race. As with online play, it takes a while for the connection to be established, but my experience with multiplaying has found no lag at all during the gameplay, which is definitely great. Beware, however, when you send a bolt of lightning towards your friend - regular attempts at this could possibly lead to a loss of friendship at the end of the races!
If you're a fan of Nintendo-style graphics, Mario Kart DS will not disappoint you. The game retains the usual awesome graphics from the past, and provides a great sense of details even for a supposedly "cartoony" presentation. The DS' dual screen also comes in handy here, as you can watch the action on the top screen, while still referring to the touch screen for a real-time map. The map is especially useful for dodging attacks from behind. The audios are also highly enjoyable, combining great music and sound effects seamlessly. Somehow, the sound of "vroom vroom" seems to blend perfectly to the lively, catchy tunes in the background. If only prime time radio is that good.
In summary, Mario Kart DS is everything you can expect from a Mario Kart game, and perhaps just a little more. The inclusion of online play makes the experience a little better, but even if you've no access to it, the single player campaign should still be good enough to keep you going back for more. Just remember to change your underpants. |
Just plain awesome
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| Review Date: August 11, 2006 |
| Reviewer: N. Durham, Philadelphia, PA |
| As of this writing, Mario Kart DS is hands down the absolute best game available for the DS. As one would expect from the long running series, Mario Kart DS allows you to play as Mario and co. in a series of go-kart races. The gameplay mechanics will feel like putting on an old glove for longtime fans of the series, while newcomers will have no trouble getting into the game. As you progress through the various circuits, you'll find bonus tracks, karts, and characters to unlock as well, which adds a nice amount of replayability to the single player mode. Along with the new tracks, there are some retro tracks available as well taken from the past incarnations of the series. The real main attraction of Mario Kart DS however, is the fantastic Wi-Fi multiplayer mode. There are only a handful of DS games which support Wi-Fi capability, and none is better at it than Mario Kart. This is where the real meat and potatoes of the game lies, and you'll have a hard time putting down your DS after getting a taste of it. The game looks, sounds, and plays phenominally, and all in all, Mario Kart DS is yet another excellent, must own, first party title for the DS, and the Wi-Fi options make it even more of a smash. |
Mario Kart DS is easily the best in series
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| Review Date: November 16, 2005 |
| Reviewer: C. Bakehorn, Bloomington, IN |
I had my doubts about Mario Kart DS in the early stages of its development. Mario Kart: Double Dash (Gamecube) was never one of my favorite games, and I was hoping that Nintendo would stick to the roots with their DS edition of the high-selling, fan-favorite racing game. With Mario Kart DS, they've done just that.
It seems that the developers took everything great from Super Mario Kart (SNES), Mario Kart 64 (N64), Mario Kart Super Circuit (GBA), and Mario Kart: Double Dash (GC) and put all of those elements into a single Mario Kart game. When you consider how wonderful all of these games have been and how much fun they still are today, that's quite an achievement. Mario Kart DS features some of the same gameplay modes that fans have seen for years: Grand Prix, Time Trial, and Battle. They're the same as always, with three ranks of difficulty in Grand Prix and several different battle modes in Battle.
Nintendo didn't stop with the classic game modes. In fact, they added another interesting mode called "Challenge" in which you pick up certain numbers of coins or do a set number of power slides in a lap under a certain amount of time. These challenges can be excruciatingly difficult but they make you a much more weathered Mario Kart player and therefore are a great addition to the game. Also, Multiplayer has come in the form of Nintendo's first WiFi-enabled online multiplayer DS game. The races in WiFi multiplayer are relatively simple but it's a great addition to the game nonetheless.
On the track itself, the controls are easy but don't utilize the DS very much--driving is done with the directional pad, acceleration and braking are done with the A and B buttons, power sliding is done with the R trigger, and item usage comes from the L trigger. This simple system goes alongside several classic items and three new ones. The Bullet Bill thrusts you forward knocking anyone in your path off of the track. The Bob-Omb explodes, causing anything in its blast radius to spin out and slow down considerably. Last of all, the Blooper spits ink on every other racer's screen, making steering very difficult due to limited visibility.
Visually Mario Kart DS stands out as one of the best-looking Nintendo DS games to date. It faithfully recreates some of the classic 3D tracks from Mario Kart 64 and Double Dash (like the ghost house level from MK64 and Luigi's Circuit from MKDD) while also bringing SNES and GBA tracks to life in 3D. Of course, there have also been sixteen new tracks added to the mix, making a grand total of 32 different tracks that all look unique but beautifully show off the wacky Nintendo universe. The music from all of the classic tracks return as well (even the GBA tracks) and the new beats are as catchy as the old ones. Sound bytes, like the different celebrations and yelps of pain when a character is hit with a shell, sound just like they always have.
Mario Kart DS is the essential Nintendo DS game. If you've almost given up on the DS, than you clearly haven't played Mario Kart DS and for that reason you're missing out. MKDS is being sold for $35, and if you see it how I do, that's $1.09 per race track and you could easily get more than a few dozen hours of enjoyment out of this before you want to play something else. Is Mario Kart DS worth it? I'd say so. |
Perhaps the best Mario Kart to date!
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| Review Date: December 2, 2005 |
| Reviewer: Matthew Marko, Omaha, NE USA |
Mario Kart has always been a brilliant series. From the classic, simple-yet-eternally-playable Super Mario Kart through the newfound 3D chaos of Mario Kart 64, to the new-retro mix of Super Circuit for GBA to the co-op fun of Double Dash, Mario Kart usually doesn't disappoint. What's more, every game offers a slightly different experience. It's never more of the same, because each game has its own unique feel.
Mario Kart DS is another in this line. The game is 3D, but it also pays tribute to games of the past in the Retro circuit with courses from all four previous games. Which mean that there are 8 2D tracks from Super Mario Kart and Super Circuit. And 8 blasts from the not so distant past from Mario Kart 64 and Double Dash. That's 16 courses, right there. And on top of that, there are 16 new courses designed for this game. Yes, that's right, 32 tracks.
The most amazing amount of tracks isn't enough, though. There are plenty of characters. The list as it stands is Mario, Luigi, Donkey Kong, Bowser, Princess Peach, Yoshi, Toad, Wario, Waluigi, and the unlockable Daisy, Dry Bones, and even a super secret ROB for all you retro-fans. And each character will eventually get a total of 7 karts each, giving you a massive choice for customization.
But customization doesn't end there. Mario Kart DS offers a symbol editor that will allow you to create a custom emblem in a stylus-powered paint program. While normally I don't care for such things, the stylus makes drawing and editing extremely easy. And the emblems have a use, which I'll detail later.
Mechanics in game have changed little. You can go forward and back, fire weapons, hop with R, and powerslide through turns. The powerslide is important, especially in the 100 and 150CC grand prix mode, unless you want to come in the middle of the pack. Weapons are still incredibly useful, and you still get the best ones when you're losing. Lightning bolts and blue shells can truly be equalizers, and the new Bullet Bill and Blooper are unique, clever, and fit in very well with the mechanics of the game.
The GP mode is a staple of Mario Kart, but there's an addition of a mission mode. These special requirement mini-stages lead up to various boss battles with classic Mario villians and are pretty inspired. They start mind-numbingly easy, but eventually become fairly tricky. It's a nice addition to the single-player game. But I imagine that's not what you're playing for.
Multiplayer. Ah yes, Mario Kart has always been a multiplayer game. And never more so than now. You can play with up to 8 people together using the wireless play, and only one person need have a copy of the game (though the others are stuck with default Shy Guy as a racer, and have no say in courses and whatnot). There is the normal races, the standard baloon-destroying battle mode, and a new shine runners game (not something I care for, but you may). The multiplayer runs perfectly, with almost no hint of slow-down. It truly is pretty amazing to see in action, though getting 8 people together with DSs may take some work.
Which leads me to the final thing. Nintendo's Wi-Fi Connection, WFC, which allows your DS to go online using a wireless router. This isn't too complicated, but outside the scope of the review. So head to [...] for information about how to go online. The online experience with Mario Kart is pretty wonderful for Nintendo's first online title. You'll be paired with 3 other racers for four races on tracks you choose. Sadly, not all the tracks are available online (the more complex tracks were left out, probably due to trouble making them run fluidly) and you can only have 4 players, but it's a great experience to be playing online against Kart racers from all over the world, and it opens up a whole world of ideas for new online experiences. AND, it's FREE. That's more than enough reason to try, if you ask me. I'm sure you'll be able to at least find a nearby hotspot if you live in any moderately populated area, so go ahead and give it a try.
Some notes on the online game:
your stats (win/loss) are kept track of automatically, on a profile that is made up by the game and the DS working together, so keep your DS and your game as a 'set' if you will. Also, dropping out of a game will net you a loss for every person that was racing. So a full game will net you 3 losses.
Other than that, I'm out of thigns to say. Mario Kart is one for the ages, though, and this may be the best one yet. It's worth it, even if you have no intention of playing online. Enjoy your race!
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Vroom vroom....Mario Kart lovers rejoice!
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| Review Date: January 16, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Fig Newton, Alabama, USA |
To be concise:
If you're a fan of ANY of the previous Mario Kart games and you have a DS, YOU'VE GOT TO GET THIS GAME! It features a flawless blend of new and old that makes this immersive and consuming game addicting and just so much fun! It features some new courses, some old courses, your standard set of characters and a few unlockables, the trusty old set of items from koopa shells to lightning bolts.
There's a lot to do in this game, which is anything but easy: grand prix mode, which contains 32 courses, with three different difficulty levels: 50 CC, 100 CC, and 150 CC, so all in all, you've got 96 courses to beat; time trials (race through a course as fast as you can); battle mode (beat up other players before they beat up you); mission mode (some missions require you to collect a certain amount of coins, some require you to break boxes, etc., plus bosses for each level); multiplayer mode in which you can play with up to seven other friends wirelessly with only one game cartridge; WFC mode in which you can play people from around the world with a wireless connection; plus more.
The controls at first feel cramped, but after a couple of races, you'll get used to it and be fine. The graphics are very pleasing, considering it's on such a tiny little device; they're similar to that of Mario Kart 64. The game's challenging, but not too challenging. And like I said, there's so much to do! And you can do it all on the go!
In my opinion, the game's portability, immersiveness, and seemingly endless gameplay constitute this as the BEST Mario Kart game released so far! |
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