Mario Kart (NDS)

Advantages: Simplicity of gameplay and a variety of tracks. Multiplayer genius!
Disadvantages: Does not make use of dual screen technology.

...often cloned but never bettered. Mario Kart is such a title. In its various formats be it that of the original Super Nintendo, N64 or Gamecube versions it stands head and shoulders above other driving games in terms of track design, multiplayer fun and good old fashioned playability. However, despite Mario Karts various incarnations being great games in their own right, there has always been a sense that I had yet to see a complete Mario Kart title. ...
...considerable aplomb. Mario Kart DS is a racing game so as such has no plot. However, thanks to an array of ten familiar characters available for selection from across the length and breadth of the numerous Mario titles it is not difficult to see were racing rivalries take place. Fights between such characters as brothers Mario and Luigi and evil doppelganger Wario are commonplace. Of course, the plot to all racing games is largely superfluous to ... Read review

Advantages: Great single player
Disadvantages: Balance issues online

...Nintendo platform since the SNES, Mario Kart returns once more for an outing on the DS. Bringing his buddies into the mix, Mario lines up on the starting line again with the likes of Luigi, Princess Peach, Yoshi, Donkey Kong and many more for mayhem on the asphalt. Various bright and sometimes cutesy themes taken from the Mario universe translate into different racetracks. Exotic and exciting tracks like Luigi’s Mansion – a nod to the ghost-hunting ...
...the N64 and the Gamecube Mario Kart outings. Playing single player is satisfyingly difficult, although not overly so. From the beginning of Grand Prix you can start in 50cc mode, which is conquered fairly quickly, as it is the slowest and easiest. 100cc is a little quicker, while 150cc mode provides a good challenge and the computer is unrelenting. Each cup of Grand Prix is split into four tracks and getting the most points overall wins you the ... Read review

Advantages: The best in a long line of games. Simple, great graphics
Disadvantages: None

...have different abilities. For example Mario is a good all rounder but the larger characters such as Bowser have a higher top speed but slower acceleration. I always choose toad who has excellent acceleration, you will need it when you crash or are hit by a shell. The next thing to do is choose a single race and a track or a grand Prix where you race over different tracks. There are 8 grand Prix's to enter but you need to complete the easy ones first ...
...the basics but what makes Mario kart such a fun racer is the ability to pick up power ups on every lap, for example a mushroom gives you a turbo boost, a green shell that you can fire at enemys, and a red shell is like a homing missile taking out the first racer it locks onto. These power ups add a great dimension to the game, you can be comfortably in first position but get hit by a bomb or squid ink, you can go right back to last place, it's nail ... Read review

Advantages: Tons of tracks, immensely playable, excellent WiFi multiplayer, down right fun
Disadvantages: May be a little easy, cutesy graphic style not to some peoples taste

...a big fan of the Mario Kart series, having played them all from the SNES version back in the day, to the 21st Century offering of Double Dash, I was desperately hoping that this game would be good. I couldn't begin to think of how I would cope with the disapointment if this game turned out to be rubbish, all the other games having impressed me so much. I would probably seek councilling, or just give up on games altogether, my life would be a complete ...
...be big. So, was Mario Kart DS up to standard? Did it impress me as much as the first ever Mario Kart did all those years ago? Well heres the breakdown... Graphics ------------- As many will know, the graphical style of Nintendo's Mario games are a kind of colourful, cartoony style, and this has been carried through the many varying offerings of Mario and his chums, from Mario Paint (a naff Mario themed paint program for the SNES) to Mario 64 ... Read review

Advantages: 32 tracks, Wi-Fi compatible, Free Wi-Fi connection, Easy to set up Wi-Fi, beautiful graphics and sound, 12 selectable characters and 36 karts.
Disadvantages: Characters: missing Kooper Trooper, where did R.O.B come from?, Wi-Fi features are limited.

...the release of the 5th Mario Kart game. Many companies have unsuccessfully tried to mimic the success of Mario Kart, we've had Wacky Racers and Crash racing just to name a few knock-offs. Its been 13 years since Super Mario Kart graced the Super Nintendo and became a timeless classic. So how can Mario Kart DS possibly compete with such brilliance? Mario Kart DS (MKDS) is easily the best of all of these. I can say this because I own all five of them ...
...back to the Mario Kart basics with fresh new graphics and an array of new features. What makes the Nintendo Dual Screen's rendition the best? --- 32 Racing Tracks --- The great thing about MKDS is that it comes with 32 playable tracks. Of these 16 are new to the game while the 16 are classic tracks from the 4 previous versions of the Mario Kart franchise. In my opinion the two classic tracks that are missing are Wario Stadium from SK64 and Kooper ... Read review