Mario Kart DS – Review

You’ve all heard the gaming term ‘Killer App’, well as far as the DS goes, Mario Kart is it. That is as much a review as you really need before whizzing out to buy this title, but if you like your reviews with a little more depth, keep reading.

Mario Kart is a classic game, all gamers young and old will know of its greatness. Mario Kart DS features tracks from SNES, N64, Gamecube and GBA versions of the games but also a lot more, 16 new tracks to be exact. Although it’s gaming nostalgia at its finest, it’s also new and fresh. There’s so much on offer here that I could go on endlessly, but I won’t.

The interface is simple. You navigate the menu using the touch screen. You’re met with single player, multiplayer and Nintendo wi-fi mode (which will be covered shortly). Single player breaks down into Grand Prix, Time Trials, VS, Battle and Missions. Each of these has various options also. It’s packed full! You can unlock new karts, courses and more by playing through the single player game and the great thing is it’s not so difficult that you can’t beat it. The controls are spot on, they’ve not tried to get fancy and utilize the touch screen for steering, this is old school gaming goodness. The D-Pad controls steering, A for Accelerate, B for Brake, L Trigger for item usage, R Trigger to jump and drift. All the racing action takes place in the top screen with an overhead map shown on the bottom screen along with placeholders. The only real negative points I can find with the game overall is that it would have been nice to be able to change the default controls and assign the R Trigger as accelerate because your thumbs, yes both of them, will become sore when playing for long periods and you will be playing for long periods. Also that damn ‘drift boost’, which involves rocking left and right on the D-Pad whilst in drift (right trigger) is a bit of a dog to use. But that’s it really.

Pixilation smixilation, I’ve read some complaints that the graphics are pixilated and all I can say is, give it a rest. The graphics are beautiful, this is the DS, not the PSP so stop comparing. Looked at alone, this is a lovely game, lush graphics, colors and depth. The tracks are fantastic and there’s little to no jaggies. Another graphical addition is the ability to make your own car decal that will be displayed on the vehicle when you race and also be your own personalized online avatar. A game can be truly taken to new heights with the help of a nice soundtrack and Mario Kart is no exception. The songs are chirpy and vary dependent on the courses you’re on. The character sounds are also spot on, there’s really little else to add. Deaf and hard of hearing gamers will have no problems with this title at all.

Playing with friends is always a lot of fun, playing with friends in other countries, on a handheld is truly sublime. Hooking up with someone from Holland, when you’re sitting in your games room in the UK and not suffering any lag or problems is amazing and it is all so easy to set up and get online. The only complaints would be not being able to join friends who are already playing or having some form of invite system coupled with a lobby system. Also, the fact that there is no ‘end’, you keep playing or quit and there’s no way of telling your friends you’re leaving. This also leaves a window open for sore losers to drop out mid race and there’s not a damn thing you can do about it. You really need to set up a time to meet your friends and that’s a downer because if they’re 5 minutes late or early it can be a pain in the behind as you tap fingers and wait for them, or them wait for you. Lastly with the online complaints is the fact it is race only, there are no other modes, bummer. Don’t let these points ruin an overall sparkling review, these are fairly small niggles in the grand race of things and with good friends you will have a great time racing online. You don’t need to only play with friends, so if you have none, fear not. You can play with strangers from your own continent or from the entire world. This really is a title that encourages interactivity and true shared gaming experiences.

Princess Peach is here along with her counterpart Daisy, so if you truly want to play a female character, you can. A point of note though is that the Princess has one of the worst kart selections, they’re all a bit too slow. Unsure if this was on purpose, but it is a little annoying. Daisy’s are a little better, but still not great. For the most part many of the characters in the Mario Universe seem fairly genderless, despite being boys I’m assuming. My personal favorite is Yoshi, bless him. Guys, gals and those in between are going to adore this title regardless.

If you’re looking for a key title to add to your DS games library, you’ve found it. This is gaming nirvana. It has depth, style, a brilliant learning curve and you can play it online with friends all over the world, or, as just mentioned, you can play with complete strangers. Add this to the fact you can also play single card download play with friends who don’t have the title, and you can’t really go wrong with this game. It is just, wonderful. The developers have made a well balanced game that sticks to the classic Mario Kart format and zooms past the checkered flag with flying colors. Buy it.

Review by Angela

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