Mario Kart Races Online!
Personally, I’ve never been the greatest fan of the Mario Kart series. The SNES version was original and fun, but I always felt that the N64 and GameCube versions were lacking something. The N64 version was a great multiplayer experience, but the single-player could be completed in about 3 or 4 hours if you had any skill, and the GameCube version tried something new but failed to capture that Mushroom Kingdom spirit of old. However, I’m quite pleased to say that the Nintendo DS version captures everything good about a key Nintendo franchise and adds something new to the mix – Online play.
The gameplay is excellent, with plenty to do. You can choose the Grand Prix mode, which unlocks new tracks and characters. There are two types of Grand Prix, each with 4 cups, 4 races per cup. Nitro GP consists of all new tracks to race on, whereas Retro GP recreates your old favorites. If you don’t feel like competing for the various cups, you can choose the Time Trial, VS, Battle and Mission modes. Time Trial has you racing around each unlocked track, trying to beat personal times. For every track there is a Staff Ghost to unlock, and it’s quite difficult to unlock the Ghosts for every track. VS is a simple race mode. You can customise your options, choosing engine types out of 50cc, 100cc and 150cc and the difficulty of the CPU players. You then race across the tracks you’ve unlocked. Battle mode consists of Balloon Battle, where you try to pop your opponents balloons, and Shine Runners, where you try and collect the individual “Shines”, or Stars. I personally felt that the Balloon Battle mode is much better, as Shine Runners just feels like a clone. Last but not least theres the mission mode, where you try to complete a number of objectives within the time limit, and are rewarded with a letter grade at completion. There are 6 levels to complete, with 8 missions plus a boss battle to complete per level. Should the single player mode not entice you, you can then play the Multiplayer mode. This ranges from single card play via DS Download play to International play over Nintendo Wi-Fi. This was the mode I liked the best, especially seeing as the infamous friend codes aren’t needed. However, it is a shame about the lack of modes, with only a VS mode available. I personally would have enjoyed it more if there has been an online battle mode. All of these modes are backed up by some solid controls and great rumble on turns, which makes for some very good gameplay
The graphics in Mario Kart DS have that very personal Nintendo feel. The 12 selectable character (plus one secret downloadable character) are all very well designed, as are the tracks, which are nicely detailed, and a fair step above the N64 version. I felt that perhaps barring Metroid Prime Hunters, these are some of the best graphics on the DS. It runs very smoothly, with no lag or pop-up, which is great for online play. The considerable step-up from the N64 version really does make this a must have game for the DS
Audio is great on MK DS, with some great classic Nintendo theme tunes and some catchy one liners being uttered by the races. I definitely recommend grabbing a good pair of earphones for this game, as it can make the experience when you’re racing with them. The audio holds up well online as well, which is great, as you get to hear the cartoony cries of your felled opponents. Overall, truly excellent graphics, gameplay and audio make this one must-have purchase for anyone and everyone with a Nintendo DS system
The Bad: Limited online modes;
