Mario Kart DS is one of the best DS games there is. The online play is fantastic, the single player is great, the difficulty, for the most part, is well balanced, and the graphics are some of the best seen on the DS (even though its an oldish game). I found it very hard to find a flaw with it.
The gameplay is typical Mario Kart - it takes the best elements of all the Mario Kart games before it, and culls the stuff nobody liked. Because of this, the gameplay formula is something that's evolved over a long time, and it shows - it's great fun to play, even if you're not particularly a fan of racing games, and the online play allows anyone to play multiplayer. The game is simple at its most fundamental level, so anyone can play, but don't be deceived; on the harder difficulty settings it really becomes difficult to win, and is a great challenge. The only snag here is that it uses the classic Mario Kart "Rubber Band AI", where if you're winning by too much on a harder difficulty, the items you get and the speed of the enemies will become more harsh and unforgiving in an effort to make it more of a challenge. This makes it a bit frustrating sometimes, as it's easy to feel like you're being cheated. This doesn't happen against human players, however - in the world of online play everything becomes fair.
The items you get are similar to all the old stuff from the Mario Kart games; mushrooms that give you a speed boost, the bullet that fires you past enemies, the star that makes you fast and invincible, and the shells that you fire at opponents to give you the edge. It's all very well done, except for one item - the blue shell. Some people love it, but these tend to be the people who aren't so good at the game because it's the item that goes against the "fair" rule. Basically, whoever is first gets hit by the unavoidable shell, and stunned for a little while, making staying in second place for most of the race the only safe strategy to avoid the most annoying of annoyances. This is, I feel, a bit of a screw-up in the balance of the game, but it's not game-breaking, and Nintendo clearly feel that it's necessary as the blue shell is in every one of the Mario Kart games. Ugh.
The graphics are great for the DS. They're very pretty, and although they obviously don't stand up to the top graphics of today, they are some of the nicest I've seen on the DS. They also fit the style of the game perfectly, and are very polished. The same goes for the audio of the game - the sound effects are fun, and the music is infectious and you'll find yourself humming along while playing - typical Nintendo really.
Overall, the game is fantastic. If you haven't got it already you should be asking yourself why not, as even those who aren't fans of racing games will find fun in this title. The flaws in the game as minor, and don't detract from the game experience enough to warrant a non-recommendation, and although it's not perfect, there's nothing that can be described as "bad" about it. It sits at the top of list on metacritic, giving it the title of "best DS game", and although I wouldn't go so far as to call it that, it is a great game and not worth missing.
Disclaimer; I post all my reviews on multiple reviewing sites under the username "Ultima2876", where applicable.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
It's time to race...with no wires attached! The acclaimed Mario Kart series has gone ... more
wireless, letting you race and battle locally with up to eight karts at once, regardless of whether everyone has a Game Card. Plus, play with up to three people around...
Postage & Packaging: £1.94 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Its time to race...with no wires attached! The acclaimed Mario Kart series has gone ... more
wireless, letting you race and battle locally with up to eight karts at once, regardless of whether everyone has a Game Card. Plus, play with up to three people around ...
Postage & Packaging: Free standard delivery on all orders over £30 Availability: Stock On Order
It's time to race...with no wires attached! The acclaimed Mario Kart series has gone ... more
wireless, letting you race and battle locally with up to eight karts at once, regardless of whether everyone has a Game Card. Plus, play with up to three people around...
Postage & Packaging: free Super Saver Delivery Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
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
Advantages: Simplicity of gameplay and a variety of tracks. Multiplayer genius! Disadvantages: Does not make use of dual screen technology.
Shortsharpshock 08.06.2006 (08.06.2006)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Mario Kart DS (Nintendo DS)
Advantages: Racing play is origional, wepon feature is fun Disadvantages: Repetitive, Repetitive, Repetitive, does not use the DS functions well, pointless mini games,
Oct 1st, 2008
very helpful by (100%):
