Reviews
Review For Mario Kart DS
by Sean Kelly
The long running Mario Kart series moves to DS. How does this handheld version hold up?
STORY
Since it's a Kart-racing game, there is no story.
CONTROLS
The controls haven't really changed much since the first Mario Kart for the SNES and that's a good thing. You can use items with both the X and L buttons, however it is near impossible to press X without removing your figure from A. Same goes with pressing Y to change the map view.
GAMEPLAY
Mario Kart has always been about very simple gameplay and MKDS is no exception. It would be very easy for a first-time player to get used to the game.
As always, the game has progressive difficulty. You are very likely to breeze through 50cc, however if you can't mastered advanced moves, such as the powerslide, by the time you reach 150cc, you may start eating the other Karts dust.
A neat feature in this game is that the item you get from item boxes usually depends on what place you are in the race. If you on in first, you will get items (such as Banana Peels) to protect your spot, while if you in last you will get items (such as Mushrooms) to speed you ahead.
The game's mission mode is neat add on. However, some of the objectives are crazy (such as a certain number of Powerslide boosts in one lap).
The online play is as good as it can be. I find the online play is very draining on the DS' battery, so I don't really use it that often.
Finally, the introduction of the Retro Circuit was a good touch and really helped extend the replay value.
GRAPHICS
I was very impressed by the graphics in the game. In fact, Mario Kart DS is one of the better looking games for the Nintendo DS. In addition, many of the stages (such as the Pinball stage or Airship) features plenty of eye candy. It was also neat seeing stages from the SNES original redone in 3D.
SOUND
This game actually has pretty good sound. There is usual Mario music and sound effects (I really liked hearing the themes from the original Mario Kart again). However, there is almost many many ambient sounds in the stages, such as bumpers for Pinball or canons in the Airship.
OVERALL
Mario Kart DS was the reason I purchased a Nintendo DS in the first place and it is one of the best games for the system.
Ratings
S-Story C-Controls G-Gameplay GR-Graphics SO-Sound
| Reviewer | S | C | G | GR | SO | Overall (NOT AN AVERAGE) |
| Sean Kelly | N/A | 9/10 | 9/10 | 10/10 | 8/10 | 10/10 - A+ |
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