Mario Kart DS

Mario Kart DS is a stunning game in the six title Mario Kart sub-series, featuring WiFi Multiplayer and a mission system.

Mario Kart DS is the first Mario Kart game to appear on the Nintendo DS, and the first to support eight-person play, WiFi/Internet play, and a nifty map that even shows incoming projectiles, which takes use of the DS' bottom screen.

Playable Characters
A total of twelve Nintendo mascots take part in the fifth installment of the fourteen-year series. The eight that made it happen in Mario Kart 64 can be chosen at the beginning, but the player must win gold trophies in Grand Prix mode to unlock four bonus characters:



Grand Prix, Time Trials, Versus Modes
As per the N64 and Double Dash!! versions of the series, sixteen new courses were added into the game (in the usual Mushroom, Flower, Star, and Special Cups). But, sixteen old courses, four from each of the SNES, N64, GBA and GCN versions reappeared in four new cups, totaling thirty-two courses in eight cups. In addition, six battle courses appeared, two being reused from previous games.

The non-battle courses appear in three modes:
 * In Grand Prix mode (single-player only), a player competes in each cup in 50cc, 100cc, 150cc, and Mirror 150cc engine classes, with ascending speed and difficulty. The game takes the point system of Double Dash!! by awarding 10/8/6/4/3/2/1/0 points for 1st-8th place. Also, a rating of how well a player performed is shown after the trophy presentation: ***, **, *, A, B, and C. An overall "game ranking" of *, **, or *** is shown in the Records area if the player has earned the designated ratings in all cups, all classes.
 * In Time Trial mode (single-player only), a player goes for the fastest time on a course. Interestingly, the items rating of a kart determines how many mushrooms a player has to boost with (3.3 = 1, 6.7 = 2, 10.0 = 3). Players can choose to race against their best time as a ghost, the staff ghost (raced by a Japanese Nintendo staff player with a * game ranking), or no ghost.
 * In Versus mode (single/multiplayer), player(s) choose their karts and head out on the race track for some quick fun. Up to 8 players can play locally via wireless play – simple mode only uses one game card but is limited and everyone having a game card creates the full experience. In single-player mode, the player can choose a) engine class, b) how hard the CPU will be, c) whether the courses will be chosen, in order, or random, whether the rules are d) free (neverending), # of wins (1st place only counts), or # of races raced (going up to 32 creates the "All-Cup" of Mario Kart DS), and e) activating teams.

Courses Table
__HIDER__ The following is a table that shows a) all courses, separated by cup, b) * signifies that the course is playable via Wi-Fi, c) Time Trial staff ghost time, and d) Time Trial staff ghost character and kart combo (see below for kart stats).

Battle Mode
In Battle mode (single/multiplayer [same setup as versus, for both]), players play a different aspect of kart racing that was born from Mario Kart 64 on one of six courses, two of them from past games. The courses are: And the two types of battle are: "Burst your opponents' balloons with items! If all your inflated balloons burst, you lose! Blow into the mic to inflate your balloons!" "Collect more Shines than anyone else! Steal opponents' Shines to add to your total. Those with less Shines get booted over time." In single player mode, CPU bots are available to "practice" your skill for the real game against friends locally. Sadly, Battle Mode is unavailable on the wireless connection.
 * Nintendo DS
 * Twilight House
 * Palm Shore
 * Tart Top
 * Block Fort N64
 * Pipe Plaza GCN
 * Balloon Battle: The classic battle mode from 64, this aspect gets a new twist in DS. In 64, each player choose a character and got three matching balloons. Players used items to "pop" balloons by hitting them with shells, bananas, even stars. When a player reached 0 balloons, he or she was out of the game. In DS each player starts with one balloon, but they can "blow up" their balloons using the microphone feature on the DS (or holding the SELECT button). Each player has 4 balloons in stock (5 balloons in total), but can only have up to three at a time. The less balloons a player has, the better items he or she gets from Item boxes (blue shells, lightning, and Bloopers are removed from this mode). The following is what the game describes this mode as:
 * Shine Runners: Adopted from the GCN version, 9 Shine Sprites are scattered onto the course at the beginning. Players try to capture Shine Sprites, but being hit causes a player to lose one sprite – it moves to a random spot for someone else to grab or retrieve the sprite. In the meantime, a clock ticks down to 0. Anyone with or tied with the lowest Shine total when the clock hits 0 is eliminated. The clock resets itself to a lower time and the battle continues until one is left (there are 9 sprites to avoid a tie, but it is possible to a) have two players with 4 sprites trying to get that last 1 on the course when time expires, and b) have three players with 3 sprites each. In this case, no one is eliminated and the clock resets as usual.) The less sprites a player has, the better an item (lightning returns, a deadly item that only one with no sprites can get, but blue shells and Bloopers remain out). Description from the game:

Mission Mode
Mission mode (single-player only) is a new mode for the Mario Kart series. It involves seven levels, each containing eight "missions" and a boss battle. Each mission and boss battle earns the same ranking as a Grand Prix, almost always depending on how much time is left. There are varying mission types: There are some one-time isolated missions as well that are self-explanatory. Each mission takes place on a course, often blocked off in some areas (sometimes even a battle course!) and players are given a character in their own standard kart (CPU players are also in standard karts). Sometimes mushrooms are lain across the track to help the player complete the mission.
 * Driving through gates – driving in between literally half of a tire, and they are always numbered and must be entered in order.
 * Collecting coins – as said.
 * Destroying item boxes – most of the time these item boxes will contain Mushrooms to boost you to a high ranking. Sometimes the Item Boxes will move, and the player will have to catch up with it! Additionally, in later missions fake item boxes will try to slow the player down!
 * Using stars, Bob-ombs, or shells to destroy enemies – a Wario-exclusive mission, with one Luigi and one Yoshi.
 * Driving backwards – tough! Players must use the B button to move and directions on the D-pad are reversed. Sometimes combined with other types!
 * Performing power boosts within a certain lap – as said. More power boosts are often required to finish faster, meaning a higher ranking.
 * Racing a CPU player for one lap – item boxes contain mushrooms and stars that the CPU can't use – the key to victory. CPU players will get turbo starts.

When at least a * ranking is achieved on all missions and bosses in the first six levels, Level 7 is unlocked.

Boss battles are unique. They have their own battlefields and different strategies are used to beat them.

Mission Table
__HIDER__ The following includes: a) mission #, b) mission description (straight from the game; we bold what the game highlighted in red), c) time limit for the mission (0:00 signifies it's a race, thus no limit), d) course, and e) character the player is.


 * * Conjectural title based on surroundings.
 * ** Despite not being mentioned, the player drives in the opposite direction!
 * 1GCN version
 * 2GBA version
 * 1Using green shells (solo or triple) and Bob-ombs
 * 2We lied – this is the only gate mission that is unordered.
 * 3Players can use any means – normal or powersliding – to finish.

Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection Mode
Mario Kart DS also boasts the fact that it is the first game to go online – now, it is possible for up to four players around the world to race each other in Nintendo WFC mode (single-player to connect). Yet, there are some limits to prevent lag – that is, to keep the flow of the race active and not use a player's position, then have him pop up suddenly somewhere else later – that disappointed many, but it still wins on a key note – it's a fun experience, win or lose.

The following changes from the main game are enforced:
 * Only up to four players.
 * Thus, a different point system. See chart at right.
 * 100cc engines
 * No triple bananas or shells
 * No spilled items onto course to be used or tripped on – items are just lost
 * No items held behind racer
 * Items can't be selected early
 * 12 of 32 courses are omitted

The process is simple: players connect using a wireless connection or a Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector, preferably high-speed. Then, racers choose to search for other players in "Friends" (see below), "Rivals" (players with a similar record), "Regional" (players in same country), and "Worldwide" (most likely to lag). Other racers searching in the same category are randomly grouped. The game tries to get four players, but will eventually settle for three or two if necessary. Characters choose their characters, karts, then choose the course they want for the first of four races.

In addition to the 20 courses listed in order of when it is encountered, there is also a random button. After everyone's selection is placed, a course is chosen based on the responses. (If 3 players each pick a different course, the game randomly picks one. If 4 players choose 2 courses, 2 each, the game randomly picks from those two. If 4 players choose 2 courses, 3 for one course and 1 for another, or 2 of 3 players pick one course, majority always rules.) It goes like so for 4 races, then the points are tallied up, and after the match a player's wins and losses are totaled. (Each player receives one "win" for finishing ahead of a player and one "loss" for finishing behind of a player. For example, a player winning a 3-player match receives 2 wins and 0 losses. A player coming 2nd in a 4-player match receives 2 wins and 1 loss. A player tied for third in a 4-player match gets only 2 losses, as compared to 3. A player tied in a 2-player match is simply called a tie and does not affect either player's record.) Players can continue after the match to play the same racers again or quit to restart the process to find other players.

Issues
A) Friend Code System. Each copy of the game comes with a 12-digit code known as a "friend code". Players can enter other codes into your "friend roster" to create a friend list, where Wi-Fi records between the player is stored. When a friend is online at the same time, a symbol will appear above the Wi-Fi strength symbol, whether trying to find racers or during racing. Yet, both (or more) players must have each (or all) of their friend codes registered and be looking in the friends section at the same time to hook up, and, if you found a great player to befriend elsewhere online, there's no communication or friend code swap – the only way to race again is to do it right away by "continuing" after a match.
 * Problem: Friend system is very limited, requires knowledge of when and what code beforehand to work properly.

B) Disconnecting. Take this scenario into consideration:
 * Bob started in a four-player match, but two people have disconnected since, and he is now in a two-player match against a three-star player, and has come 2nd and 3rd in the first 2 races. It is 20-11. Bob realizes that he could still win the match with some luck and skill. He wins the next match, bringing the totals to 25-21. But, in the fourth race, the three-star player is a full half-lap ahead with one lap to go. Bob realizes that he has run out of luck, but he has researched about Wi-Fi online and has learned a very sneaky trick. He leaves his DS, bringing his kart to a stop, finds his wireless router, and disconnects it. He smirks, knowing that in the end, he gets the edge in the record-book.

What happened?:
 * The two players who disconnected early most likely gave up and turned off their DS. When this happens, the player is charged with the same number of losses as there are other players, in this case 3, even if they are not in last place. Players can disconnect at any time, but if they cancel before the first course is chosen, there is no effect on the win-loss record. Other players finishing the whole match gain one win per disconnector.
 * Refer to the point spread chart for WFC. Mid-match, thanks to disconnectors, the point spread can change. When it goes down from 4 to 3 players, the point conversion is not affected for the top three. Yet, from three to two, it is. In the first two races, Bob lost 3 and 6 points to the three-star player, respectively, under the 10-7-4(-1) point spread. But, if he had won the last two races, under the 10-5 point spread, he would have recovered 10 points – and would have won, 31-30, even though he came in 3rd once and only won two out of four races (which should be a tie at best). Unfair? Absolutely.
 * Players most often disconnect when losing, of course. Unfortunately, a glitch in the game seriously effects the final results, and this is exactly what Bob does in the scenario. Instead of turning off the DS, he disconnects his actual connection. For each player from the start of the match, including disconnectors, Bob's loss total is reduced, in this case by 3. And the poor three-star player? He would have gained 3 wins, but when everyone disconnects, it takes no effect on the remaining player's record.
 * To restate and make clear: if Bob would have played it out and lost the 4th race, the result would have been 35-26, in favor of the three-star player, who would have gone 3-0 for the match, 1 win from Bob and 2 wins from the disconnectors. Bob would have gone 2-1 for the match, the 1 loss from the three-star player. Instead, Bob used the glitch to go 0 - –3, and the three-star player went 0-0 – Bob gets the edge in the end. Disconnectors often make it harder for the best players to get more wins, since they run before the match can be completed. There are some racers who have a record like 3000-0 – some turn out to live up to their record, but most turn out to be mediocre, and all have been dubbed "disconnectors" by many online communities.


 * Problem: Disconnectors change the outcome of the match and even deny the true "best" player in the match of any showing for it, while it reflects in a loser's record, unfortunately, the right way. It greatly troubles the experience for some players.

Karts
Also unique about Mario Kart DS is its 36 different karts (excluding Shy Guy), 12 being standard karts similar to Mario Kart 64. Originally, only 3 karts are available to each character, each related to him or her in some way (1 standard kart). As the player wins Grand Prix tournaments, it's up to 7 karts, adding four karts from other characters. Once winning every tournament possible in 50cc, 100cc, 150cc, and Mirror, each character can be paired in any of the 36 karts, making 432 combinations (excluding Shy Guy). Each Kart has six ratings:


 * Speed: How high the top speed of the kart can go.
 * Acceleration: How quickly the top speed is achieved.
 * Weight: A heavier kart can knock over a lighter kart to the side.
 * Handling: How tight the kart normally turns.
 * Drift: How tight the kart turns while drifting.
 * Items: When a ? Block is hit, how good the item will be (a high items rating signifies a higher chance of getting a Banana Bunch in first place, Triple Mushrooms in 3rd/4th, etc).

The following ratings are from 0 to 10 in one-tenth intervals. The Items rating will be either 3.3, 6.7, or 10. For the three karts related to a character, each one will have those different three ratings, the standard kart always being 6.7. In addition, not only does the kart affect weight, but the character (Bowser will make one of Peach's karts much heavier), so weight is omitted.

Highs are shown in green and lows are shown in red (except for Items). To conserve space, it has been split into two rows. Look to the right of the Kart name for stats.



Note: Margin of error &plusmn; .2 points

Critical Acclaim

 * Mario Kart DS still maintains a 9.2 average at Gamestats, #1 on the Nintendo DS (as of 15:40, 22 December 2006 (EST)).
 * Gamespy reviewer Bryn Williams admitted that online, Nintendo "trimmed it back a little too much for my liking", but was certain that "Even with a few online flaws, this is the best Mario Kart ever.." (5/5; Multiplayer: Great)
 * Gamespot reviewer Justin Calvert had similar quips with the online feature: "Whether these opponents were leaving voluntarily or because of network problems is anybody's guess, but it's equally irritating either way." Yet, he finished up similarly by saying "Mario Kart DS is without a doubt one of the best games to hit the Nintendo DS to date." (9.2/10; Gamespot Editor's Choice; DS Game of the Year)
 * IGN reviewer Craig Harris commented that "it's just hard to ignore just how limited the online presentation is." But again, he finished with this: "The only way to finish this review is just to say it: this is the greatest Mario Kart game ever developed, and is without a doubt the best DS game of 2005." (9.5/10; IGN Editor's Choice Award; DS Game of the Year)

Trivia

 * In the Japan version of the game, ROB is red & white, the original Famicom Robot (not truly ROB). Users have seen the Famicom Robot online as well. Additionally, the Famicom Robot is the true staff ghost on the Desert Hills course, not ROB (thus the * in the table above). The Famicom Robot has the same karts as ROB.