Mario Kart DS

Originally written 4-4-12

When it comes down to the constant releases of one sequel after the other to a successful franchise, the only way one should go is up, in theory at least. As some of us know this isn't always the case, since some sequels fail to live up to the standard set by their predecessor. Mario Kart, which was originally released in 1992 for the Super Nintendo is one of those rare exceptions. The series has enjoyed a great deal of success, and with every sequel there has been some type of improvement. Which brings us to the fifth game in the Mario Kart line up for the Nintendo DS, Mario Kart DS.

Mario Kart DS lives up to its legacy by delivering a fantastic, fantasy racing experience. It sticks to everything that made Mario Kart fun in the first place and turns it up a bit. The game contains various features from the earlier games that old fans will quickly recognize. It's also an upgrade visually and in its multi-player. Without wasting anymore time I'll just get right down to business.

Game Play:

Mario Kart DS is a single and multi player game that follows the characters of the Super Mario Bros. universe, as they try to win the first place golden trophy across all cups. The game begins with only 4 playable cups, that are made up of 4 tracks in each cup in the Grand Prix. The Prix is broken into two categories. The first one is Nitro Grand Prix, here, exists 2 cups with the new tracks to the series. The second one is Retro Grand Prix, and this features 2 more cups and many different tracks from the first four games. Both Grand Prix's have a total of 4 cups with 4 tracks each making it 32 tracks total.

The game has three engine classes that not only act as the speed but also the difficulty; 50, 100, and 150, with 50 being the easiest and 150 being the toughest. There are 8 characters that can be selected; Mario, Luigi, Wario, Bowser, Princess Peach, Toad, Yoshi, and Donkey Kong. Each of the characters have their own attributes to suit the player's driver preference. For example, some characters may excel in speed and acceleration, but are lacking in handling and drifting, or the other way around. I mainly like to deal with characters who are far superior in both handling and drifting, because this makes turning those very sharp turns a lot easier.

The game still features the special items that you can pick up to use as turbo power ups such as mushrooms, or other items that can be used as weapons, such as red turtle shells that resemble heat seeking missiles or banana peels to slip up drivers. An extra ability which was introduced in Mario Kart 64 called the turbo slide, is a sliding move that can be used when the kart is drifting on sharp turns. When this technique is performed correctly, the kart will receive a quick boost. This is a technique that must be mastered, because the AI and even human players have it down to a science. Personally, I abuse the hell out of this move and I pull it off on every single turn I make, because you have to if you want a chance at winning first place consistently.

As usual, the race tracks aren't very easy to get through. They contain many hazards for you to completely avoid, such as piranha plants shooting fireballs, and in Waluigi's Pinball track, giant pinballs rolling into the race track that will knock you for a serious loop. The cool thing about this is that the AI players are not immune to the hazards, they also suffer a similar fate whenever they collide with these things.

When the first two cups of both Prix's are completed, then 2 more cups will be unlocked along with extra characters, with my favorite character in the whole game being Dry Bones, who happens to be the skeletal remains of a dead turtle. When the the Special Cup is completed on 150 a second time I think, then another engine difficulty appears called Mirror 150. This turns the tracks around and has the characters racing them the opposite way adding to the replay.

There are up to five modes to try out. Grand Prix is the main game. Time Trial has you racing your ghost, which happens to be whatever character you achieved the best time with on a certain track. Vs. Pits you against the other racers on any track you choose. This is great for practice, especially if you're having trouble with performing the turbo slide at will. Missions is pretty cool, here, you perform certain objectives such as pulling off the turbo slide a few times or hitting objects with turtle shells to pass the mission. Once the missions are completed for that particular stage, you will face an end boss. Some of the missions help you into becoming a better player while some are just annoying, like trying to hit a bunch of moles with green turtle shells as they jump out of their holes.

My personal favorite is Battle, which features two different games: Balloon Battle and Shine Runners. The former, which I love to play, pits you against the other characters in an all out Kart war on a designated track, with the goal to pop each others balloons with items. Shine Runners I really don't like as much. You have to try and collect as many shine coins as possible in a limited time, you can take other players shines by hitting them with objects. These can be played during Wireless Connection only. The most fun in the game is no doubt in the Wi-Fi multi-player for the main Prix, which can only be done with four players. This mode you will play against some really tough people and some really sucky ones too.

Mario Kart DS can be great and very addictive fun, but it's not without flaws though, and I find them to all be in the game play. There's a difference between being either tough or cheap, and the AI can be very cheap to the point of being downright annoying and frustrating. Like the rest of the series, the individual attributes for the drivers is rendered meaningless, because once the game starts everyone is faster than you with better handling. You have to rely on well honed skills, and more importantly, the items you are randomly given and here lies the problem. Most of the time it will feel like you're never getting what you need. When a red shell is all you need to get into first place, most of the time, you will receive something completely useless, while if the AI is in second place, it will almost always receive everything it needs to nail you multiple times over. Many times I began a race in first place, I would be hit up to four times with the super purple shell, which can find you at any time and get to you at any speed, or shrunken down to size only to be robbed of first place. Another thing that bothers me, is how quickly the characters can recover from weapon attacks. On some occasions they seem to have little effect, and the racer is either right back on your tail, or you just couldn't gain enough ground on them.

The AI's advantages only continues; every time a race begins, at the right time during the countdown you can perform a rocket start, which gives you a big burst of speed at the very beginning. This is a move you must have down, because the AI will pull this off with up to six characters every race, and you will find yourself in a big hole really quick, plus getting worthless items to fight back. And if this isn't bad enough, characters that aren't fast enough according to their attributes will become speed demons out of nowhere. I know the Mario Kart series has its die hard fans and I'm one of them, but how people can ignore these annoying disadvantages is beyond me. I usually come in first place most of the time, but it still bothers me to the point where I could just turn it off some times.

Controls:

This is one area that the series has always been top notch at. The controls are very responsive, and if it feels like a kart may be too sensitive or too rough, then it's more than likely the kart's features. All of the buttons are used in some way, with acceleration and brake buttons on the main face, plus the shoulder buttons performing different functions such as using your item or performing a small hop. The turbo slide is performed by holding the R button down, while at the same time moving the directional pad left from right during sharp turns. This performs very well in nearly any situation. If it feels like you can never get it out, it's not at all due to the lack of control responsiveness. It boils down to only one thing, practice, and lots of it too.

Graphics/Music/Sound:

Everything looks very well to me from character designs to backgrounds. The characters have finer looking 3D sprites with well animated motions, from steering the karts to taking wild tumbles. I really like some of the stage designs. Waluigi's Pinball is a very cool stage, with one segment featuring a complete pinball set up with ball-bouncers, plus a hyper speed moment that resembles those old bonus point areas from the pinball games, where the ball shoots in and fires out pretty quick. Tick-Tock Clock is another favorite for me, it has a moment where the kart's race across moving clock gears, and a third favorite I can think of is Airship Fortress that has a nostalgic feel to it. This is a race track that takes place on the battleships first introduced in Super Mario Bros. 3. This stage has a battleship in the background firing off gigantic Bullet Bills in the racers direction. Many of the stages have something that stands out. I love many of the stage set ups, full of bumpy roads and even very big hills where you can feel the increase in speed, the pinball stage stands out here for me in this.

I like the updated look for the retro stages, Bowser's Castle feels a lot larger than what it was before. One of the things I think brings out the best in a lot of stages is the camera work, which is definitely worked brilliantly with a fixed camera that follows your driver even through the sharpest turns. Plus close ups on many of the stages hazards, such as the huge pinballs and fire balls from piranha plants looking a whole lot cooler.

Some folks I heard from mention that the music is rather average. I'm probably 50/50 here, since some stages uses the music better than others. Tick-Tock Clock has a personality all on its own. The BGM may sound kind of dull, yet it reflects that stage very well. Waluigi's Pinball has this game show like, and even casino like theme that just gives off this feel of a big gamble. The BGM for Bowser's Castle is a disappointment for me though. Although the stage is pretty good, it doesn't have that menacing like feel reminiscent of earlier entries. The sound effects has some decent moments with good voice overs. Princess Daisy sounds completely different from Peach and far more energetic to boot. Dry Bones I some times find to be hilarious, because he forever sounds like cracking bones.

Replay:

The multi-player is basically where serious fans will spend the most time, but the single player has a lot to offer. The Wi-Fi play only allows 4 players, and at the time it never bothered me. I had fun during this on several occasions. Unlocking all of the tracks on 150 is a challenge all by itself, and having to do it again during the Mirror mode only adds more to it.

In closing:

It's a Mario game, so of course it's great for kids of all ages. Grown ups and casual gamers will probably get a kick out of this too, but I can imagine the AI playing a negative role in their enjoyment though. Fortunately, the different difficulty settings actually make a difference, so this can make a nice icebreaker for someone who doesn't normally play games.

Now, although Mario Kart 7 for the 3DS may feel like a rehash of this game to some, personally, I think it renders this one outdated in a way with its better online play and updated graphics; and because of this, it's a little difficult to recommend this game in this day and age. I think this will only be valuable to serious Mario Kart fans. If you don't have a 3DS then pick this up, if you do, I highly recommend dropping this in favor of its sequel.

Rating: 8/10

Pros: Maintains the greatness found in the series, fun multi-player

Cons: Frustrating AI holds it back quite a bit