If you’ve ever played a Mario Kart game, you’ll be at home here. The controls are, for the most part, identical – except for the change of the accelerator button to A, and brake to B, for obvious reasons. So that’s two buttons and a d-pad for control – something virtually everyone can understand. But, there’s more to it then that. Tapping the R button will send kart up in the air, and turning at the same time will launch the kart into a powerslide – and whipping the d-pad from side-to-side will also enable you to get a little speed boost, which is more critical than ever before. In fact, don’t expect to win on 150cc or online without mastering this technique. So, while beginners can have their fun, more experienced players can also fine-tune their boosting, among other little things – depth is a wonderful thing.
Slip-streaming other racers will result in a rather useful speedbost, while red-shelling Toad never gets old
Then there is the great equalizer – the power-ups – which can be deployed with a quick tap of the L button. Of course, old favourites return. The banana peel, green and red shells make up the staple of the arsenal, while the ghost also returns. The new power-ups are all quite good, really. The highlights are definitely the squid, which drops ink all over the screen making it rather difficult to see, and bullet-bill, which will launch the kart half way around the track at rocket speed, destroying any other kart foolish enough to be in the way. These give even the most untalented of drivers a fighting chance – successive purple homing shells will ruin the race of even the best driver.
Making up the driving roster are characters you would expect – Mario, Luigi, Donkey Kong, Bowser, and so on. While none of the characters available at the outset are new to the series, some of the unlockables are – one of which is rather ridiculously obscure. On top of that, each player now has two different karts to choose from – the traditional kart, of course, and a customized kart for each player. For example, Luigi has a giant vacuum cleaner, Toad a giant mushroom, and Yoshi an egg. Oh, and then there are the unlockable ones – that makes three for each character, for those counting at home.
The bulk of the single-player component lies in the various grand prix races. There are three difficulty levels in total – 50cc, 100cc, 150cc – where the karts and opponents get progressively faster and much, much more aggressive. While not terribly difficult on the first two difficulties, crank things up to 150cc and things get much more interesting. Not as interesting as we’d like, mind, but much tougher than the likes of Mario Kart 64 and Double Dash. Still, it won’t be long before seasoned karters have beaten every cup. But, there is a ranking system which should the extend lifespan here somewhat.
Of course, time trial makes it triumphant return and reminds us why Mario Kart is possibly the best time trial game out there. Different lines and, of course, boosting power slides, will see seconds shaved off a time for weeks – and then there are the shortcuts, which will drop times down even further. Oh, and, in a stroke of near-genius, there’s the ability to send and receive ghosts from other DS carts. Handy.
There are eight different cups in all, resulting in a healthy 32 tracks. Of these, 16 are completely new, and 16 are retro – four tracks have been taken from each of the past Mario Kart games, bringing that fuzzy feeling of nostalgia. The new tracks are also, for the most part, extremely good. Desert Hills and Waluigi Pinball excellent tracks, while Tick Tock Clock (of Super Mario 64 fame) and the Airship Fortress (the last level of Super Mario Bros. 3) are pretty innovative. Mastering each track, and finding their little shortcuts, will not happen overnight.
Remember Super Mario Kart, and the way it divided the screen in half to display a map? Well, it’s a no-brainer that this has happened in Mario Kart DS. The lower map is extremely well detailed, and can be switched between an overview of the entire track, or just the area local to your player. This second option is the best – it tells you where nearby racers are, and has so much detail that you can actually race around the track without looking at the main screen. On top of that, it does the little things – like displaying the power-ups carried by each of the other racers, for example – which make it more than just dual-screen for the sake of it, unlike many other DS games.
Not pictured: Yelling and screaming Baby Mario in the back seat
New to the game are the driving missions. There are six levels in all, each with eight sub-missions, including some rather inventive boss battles. Basically, these things are Gran Turismo style license tests, which don’t offer any unlockables. They’re an amusing distraction, but really, they are only for those who finish their games 100%.
Battle mode is now available in single-player, which is nice. Balloon battle is the main element here, with the goal being to ram shells, or any other available power-up, up the nearest opposition kart. The last player with any balloons remaining is the winner. But, rather than just the standard three balloons, Mario Kart DS comes with two extra balloons, which must be manually inflated by holding the select button or, cleverly, blowing frantically into the DS microphone. There is also the new addition of the shine runners mode, which consists of collecting stars from around the various battle arenas. Of course, pelting the opposition will force them to drop shells, and allow you to pick them up instead. It’s ok, but the balloon battles are much more entertaining.
Like always, the game is a blast when more than one DS around – up to eight players can embark on a crazy Vs race, or fight it out in the battle mode. Single cart multiplayer is also supported, and it’s fully featured too, with the only restrictions being a limited number of tracks. This is where the game really shines – the thrill of nailing someone with a shell right before the finishing line, then rubbing it in their face, is always nice.
But, as well as conventional multiplayer, there is also the coveted online mode – the first of its kind from Nintendo. To be honest, it is somewhat disappointing. Nintendo have gone the idiot-proof route, which means there isn’t a whole lot of options to choose from. There is no battle mode online, track selection is limited in order to prevent lag and, staggeringly, there is no way to communicate between your opponents – short of scribbling insanities on your kart’s custom decal in the built-in paint facility, anyway (though we know you’re all far too mature for that). The microphone is RIGHT THERE – would it of been that difficult to implement some sort of communication between people?
There are four different groups you can race against online – regional and worldwide players, friends, and rivals, which are fairly self-explanatory. Adding friends is somewhat if a chore. Every cart has a unique friend ID – a series of twelve characters – which, if you want to add someone to your list, must be entered in by both you and the friend. Hmm. On the good side, finding people to play against isn’t terribly difficult – provided you don’t mind staring at the ‘searching for opponents’ screen for a while. The game automatically tries to find four people, and will take a long time trying to find them – it takes a long time before it gives up and will finally start a game with less players. A manual way to force a game would have been nice – common sense, even. While the multiplayer mode feels extremely primitive, particularly when compared to any sort of PC online service, it is still good fun. The world of online is glad to have you, Nintendo.
As you would expect, the presentation is typically Nintendo. Each of the character’s are lovingly detailed and superbly animated – a staggering feat when you consider you don’t even see the characters out of their karts. The tracks are even better to look at, especially the new ones. They are all busy and full of life – for example, the waterfalls in Yoshi Falls are particularly eye-catching. If there is a problem here, it’s that the textures become noticeably blocky if you stay still for so long – but that’s hardly something anybody will be aiming to do, so it isn’t a big issue. The sound is also typically Nintendo, with those simple but infectious tunes on almost every track. On top of that, they also reflect the atmosphere of each course – the Airship Fortress is particularly menacing, while Peach Gardens and Delphino Square are noticeably upbeat. Oh, and the characters all have their trademark catch phrases, which can be heard almost constantly when you’re in a tight pack. There aren’t many samples, but they rarely become annoying – hearing Yoshi utter his own name when he passes an opponent will have you gushing every time.
As you can see, going too slow and increasing the resolution makes things somewhat blocky
Mario Kart DS has, surprisingly, managed to live up to the hype placed upon it – almost. The one player is thankfully much more entertaining than it has been in recent times, thanks to harder – but not hard enough – 150cc cups, the interesting driving missions and a much-appreciated single player battle mode. In multiplayer, the game is even better. The only significant disappointment comes from the somewhat simple online mode – but even that is nothing to be sneezed at. Basically put, Mario Kart DS is a complete package, with something for everyone. If you have a DS, you really have no excuse not to buy this game. And if you don’t have a DS, then this is the best incentive you will ever get.
. My WiFi record is standing at a healthy 103 - 36. I have put allready at least 20 hours into the game.
Nismo.
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