Mario Kart DS

Mario Kart DS is a Nintendo DS game developed and published by Nintendo. It is the fifth title created for the Mario Kart series, featuring for the first time an online multiplayer mode employing the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service, as well as including a mission mode. It also features a map that displays the objects and characters present throughout the courses, making use of the DS' bottom screen.

Mario Kart DS has been generally well received, specially by including innovations such as the online mode. As such, Mario Kart DS has earned various awards and acknowledgments.

Drivers
A total of twelve characters (thirteen including Shy Guy) take part in the fifth installment of the Mario racing series. Eight can be chosen at the beginning, but the player must win gold trophies in Grand Prix mode to unlock more characters:

Game Modes
As per the N64 and Mario Kart: Double Dash!! versions of the series, sixteen new courses were added in the game for the four main cups Mushroom Cup, Flower Cup, Star Cup, and Special Cup. However, the game includes sixteen courses that appeared in former Mario Kart games, each one referring the game console where debuted, The Super Mario Kart tracks for SNES; the Mario Kart 64 for N64; the Mario Kart: Super Circuit for GBA, and Mario Kart: Double Dash!! for GCN. These classic courses make up four new cups called Shell Cup, Banana Cup, Leaf Cup and Lightning Cup. There is a total of thirty-two courses in eight cups. In addition, six new battle courses appeared, two being reused from previous games.

Grand Prix
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 Mario Kart: Double Dash!! by awarding 10/8/6/4/3/2/1/0 points for first to eighth place respectively. Also, a rating of how well a player performed is shown after the trophy presentation: ★★★, ★★, ★, A, B, C, D and E (E, being the lowest ranking). 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.

Time Trial
Time Trial mode (single-player only), a player goes for the fastest time on a course. The item rating of a kart determines how many mushrooms a player has to boost with. Vehicles with low item rate will use only a Mushroom; average use two and high use three. 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. The game is also able to download records from other players and race against their ghosts.

Versus
In Versus mode (single or multiplayer), player(s) choose their karts and head out on the race track. The player can also choose what course they race on (if they unlocked it). Up to eight players can play locally via wireless – simple mode only uses one game card but is limited. The essential requirement is that everyone has a game card. In single-player mode, the player can choose the engine class, the CPU's difficulty level, the way the courses will be chosen - by the player ,in order or random; the rules to win races (either free - never-ending races; number of wins, which only the first racer earns points, or the number of races raced (going up to 32 creates the "All-Cup" mode); and team race mode.

It is possible to have up to eight players play using just one Mario Kart DS game card – using the DS Download Play locally. Here, the tracks are limited, the disabilities for the Wi-Fi connection apply, and everyone must be a random color of Shy Guy, in which he becomes playable then. If everyone has a game card, all tracks are available and there are no disabilities. Battle mode is also available.

Courses Table
The following is a table that shows all courses featured in Mario Kart DS, organized by cup.
 * A * signifies that the course is playable via Wi-Fi.
 * Another column shows the staff ghost time in time trial.
 * Last column shows the staff ghost character and kart combo in time trial.

Battle
In Battle mode, players play a different aspect of kart racing that was born from Super Mario Kart on one of six courses, two of them from past Mario Kart games. The courses are:
 * Nintendo DS
 * Twilight House
 * Palm Shore
 * Tart Top
 * Block Fort N64
 * Pipe Plaza GCN

As single player, the user faces CPU controlled racers, whose difficulty can be set in the battle's setup menu. All racers drive their respective standard Kart only within this mode. Additionally, other players can join a battle locally. However, Battle Mode is unavailable on the wireless connection.

Balloon Battle
The classic battle mode seen in all Mario Kart mainstream, gets a new twist in Mario Kart DS. From previous games, racers begin a match with three balloons. In this game, however, all players begin with a single balloon, though they can get more by blowing up their balloons using the microphone feature on the DS, or just holding the SELECT button. Each player has five balloons in stock (six in total) and racers can hold up to three balloons in battle. On the other hand, the less balloons a player has, the more powerful items will obtain from the Item Boxes. Racers may also take possession of a balloon from their opponents if the thief has used a mushroom and made contact to the opponent's kart.

The following is what the game describes this mode as: "Burst your opponents' balloons with items! If all your inflated balloons burst, you lose! Blow into the mic to inflate your balloons!"

Shine Runners
Adopted from the Mario Kart: Double Dash!! version, nine 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. 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 at least one is left (there are 9 sprites to avoid a tie, but it is possible to have two players with 4 sprites trying to get that last 1 on the course when time expires or 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 (Spiny Shells and Bullet Bills remain out). Shine Runners is almost the same as Coin Runners in Mario Kart Wii, but instead of Shine Sprites, they use Coins.

"Collect more Shines than anyone else! Steal opponents' Shines to add to your total. Those with less Shines get booted over time."

Missions
Missions mode is a new single-player mode for Mario Kart DS which the player must complete some tasks and earn a ranking similarly to that in Grand Prix mode. It involves seven levels, each containing eight "missions" and a boss battle. Almost always the ranks depend on how much time is left or taken. 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 to complete the mission.
 * Driving through gates – driving in between giant half wheels in the ground. Very often the player has to pass these gates in numerical order.
 * Collecting coins – Players must pick up all the coins set in the track. Players may lose these coins by some obstacle of such course.
 * Destroying item boxes – Players must run over Item Boxes. Usually the racer will obtain Mushrooms after taking a box. In some cases, Item Boxes will move, and the player will have to catch up with it. Other missions the player must take care not to pick up the Fake Item Boxes alongside real ones.
 * Using stars, Bob-ombs, or shells to destroy enemies – mostly involves Wario to clear these missions.
 * Driving backwards – players must use the B button to move, and directions on the D-pad are reversed. It is sometimes combined with other mission 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 always perform a Rocket Start.
 * Boss Battle – Unlocked after you complete the first eight courses in a level. Using items is usually a must in boss battles.

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. All of the bosses come from Super Mario 64 DS.

Missions Table
The following table includes the mission number, in-game mission description, time limit for the mission (0:00 signifies it's a race, thus no time limit), course, and character the player plays as.


 * * Conjectural title based on surroundings.
 * ** Denotes that the player drives through the course in the opposite direction.
 * 1GCN version
 * 2GBA version
 * 1Using Green Shells (solo or triple) and Bob-ombs
 * 2The gates don't necessarily have be driven through in order.
 * 3Players can use any means – normal or powersliding – to finish.

Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection Mode
Mario Kart DS is the first Mario Kart game ever to support online play through the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection mode. Being one of the first Nintendo DS games to feature wireless connection, the game mode required some technical changes in order to avoid connection malfunctions and long time loads during online play.

The following changes from the main game are enforced:
 * Only up to four players
 * Thus a different point system (see chart below)
 * Only 100cc engine is available
 * 12 of 32 courses are omitted

Also there are in-game changes made to reduce possible lags:
 * No triple bananas or triple shells
 * No spilled items onto course to be used or tripped on – items are just lost
 * No items held behind racer
 * Item roulette cannot be stopped early
 * Course obstacles cannot be destroyed (e.g. boxes in Delfino Square or snowballs in DK Pass)

Connection
Players connect using a wireless connection or a Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector (preferably high-speed.) Racers choose to search for other players in "Friends" (more info below), "Rivals" (players with a similar record), "Regional" or "Continental" in Non-American versions of the game (players in same country or continent), and "Worldwide" (may suffer long lags). Other racers searching in the same category are randomly grouped. The game tries to find four players, but will eventually settle for three or two if necessary. Characters choose their characters, karts, and 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 system randomly picks one. If four players choose two courses, two each, the game randomly picks from those two. If four players choose two courses, three for one course and one for another, or two of three players pick the same course, the most voted course will be selected. It goes like so for four 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
Problem: Trouble with friend codes
 * 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 the other player's "friend roster" to create a friend list, where Wi-Fi records between the players 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. If the player were to find a racer to compete against elsewhere online, there's no communication for a friend code swap; the only way to race again is to do it right away by selecting continue after a match.

Problem: Disconnecting racers change the outcome of the match; it is later reflected in the match records.


 * 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 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 might not win this race; however, Bob has researched about Wi-Fi connections and has learned a trick. He leaves his DS untouched, bringing his kart to a stop, then finds his wireless router, and disconnects it. According record-book, Bob has won the match from which he has disconnected.

Causes:
 * The two players who disconnected earlier are experiencing certain effects. When a player is disconnected from Wi-Fi via turning of his or her DS, the player is charged with the same number of losses as there are other players. 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 disconnected player.
 * Refer to the point spread chart for WFC. Mid-match, due to disconnected players, the point spread can change. For example, 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, 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.
 * Players occasionally disconnect when losing. A glitch in the game 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. The three-star player would have gained 3 wins, but when everyone disconnects, it takes no effect on the winning player's records.
 * 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.

Items
Mario Kart DS includes the main element preserved in every Mario Kart created, and it is the use of the items; power-ups that allow the racer to take certain advantage over their opponents, obtainable by running through an Item Box. While most of the power-ups are the same since Super Mario Kart, the game have included as well some other new to increase the challenge.

Normally, leader racers receive less powerful items than stragglers in the rear. The variety of items to receive is also determined by the Items stats ratio granted to a kart. While a kart has a higher Items ratio, the player has more possibility to obtain rare items to use.

On the other hand, some items are not available in battle mode. Just as in racing mode, leaders who have the most balloons or shines will receive less powerful items accordingly.

Returning Items

 * Banana – Commonly received in the leader's spot. It can be simply dropped behind the player, thrown ahead using &uarr; on the D-pad and L, or even dragged behind while holding L (but not in Wi-Fi). Once a racer hits a banana, they spin out, losing speed.
 * Triple Bananas – A bunch of three Bananas that the player keeps them behind his or her vehicle upon pressing the L button once. Pressing the button again, a Banana can be dropped back or thrown forwards. This item does not appear on Wi-Fi mode.
 * Green Shell – Another item commonly obtainable when first or lower, the green shell is a staple that the racer can shoot in any direction. The Green Shell slides in straight lines, bouncing around the walls until disappear by knocking a vehicle, item, or bouncing off several times. The kart will flip when touches a Green Shell.
 * Triple Green Shells – Three shells circle the player's kart, providing a protective shield. This item is commonly reserved for second to fourth place. It is not available on Wi-Fi mode,
 * Red Shell – Unlike a Green Shell, this red one will pursue the opponent before the driver to flip him or her when crash (In battle mode, it will hit the nearest player). The shell can be stopped using a Banana as shield or by any other obstacle on the track, but it's generally a reliable item. It can be shot backwards, but it will act like a Green Shell.
 * Triple Red Shells – Same as Triple Green Shells, except with homing capabilities when fired.
 * Spiny Shell – This blue winged, and spiked shell flies ahead to the leader to explode, popping the driver into the air while the victim loses the items on hand. Very deadly and rarely missing, It can be found from fourth to seventh place. This is one of the few items not present in Battle mode.
 * Fake Item Box – A tricky item. Instead of an upside-down ? mark as the difference between it and a real item box, the trap simply has no marking on it. It appears red on the bottom screen, while real item boxes are blue. Fake Item Boxes can be dropped behind, thrown or held, ranging from the leader to the fourth of the pack.
 * Mushroom – This speed booster increases velocity momentarily, effective to make certain shortcuts while going into loose ground. In Balloon Battle, players boosting and hit an opponent will steal one of their balloons, unless they have 3 balloons, which is the maximum amount. It can be obtained from second to fifth place.
 * Triple Mushrooms – A bunch of three toadstools, providing three chances to use. Commonly in fourth to eighth place.
 * Golden Mushroom – This regal Mushroom provides unlimited boosts until wearing off once used. Ranges from sixth to eighth place.
 * Boo – Returning after an absence in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, Boo makes the player invisible (the driver disappears from the map screen) and immune, able to steal an item from another player if possible. It can be found from fourth to sixth place.
 * Bob-omb – Now available to every player, the Bob-omb is a dangerous explosive that can be dropped backwards, thrown forward or dragged behind the kart. After being placed, the Bob-omb will either wait for a few seconds to explode or sense any driver coming in the vicinity and blow up. Players will fly to the air or spin around, losing their items held. Ranges from second to fifth place.
 * Star – A powerful Star that turns any driver invincible for some seconds. The Star will grant the player great speed, immunity against every item and power to bowl over other vehicles when hit. Range from sixth to eighth place.
 * Thunderbolt – Any driver that uses the rare and powerful Thunderbolt, will cause their opponents to spin out of control, shrink to microscopic size, as well as reducing their speed and lose all of their items. A feature added from Mario Kart DS is the Lightning's effect time. While a player is in a lower place, the time under the item's effect will be shorter. It can only be picked up in eighth place and even then can only be picked up when the player is far behind seventh place. The sound when characters are tiny is a "Pitch bend" effect on the course's music. It appears in Battle mode, but only in Shine Runners. In Shine Runners, it causes all players to lose one Shine (if they have one) in addition to the effects said.

New Items

 * Blooper – When used, all players in front of the wielding player are sprayed by Blooper ink that blocks their view for a while. Racers can wear off the ink going at high speed like running over a Dash Panel or being propelled by a Mushroom or any other booster. Though the Blooper just spits ink to a player, causing no real damage to them, CPU racers slow down and wobble left and right when affected. It can be given when running in third to sixth place.
 * Bullet Bill – Inspired by the Chain Chomp special item in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, this item turns the character into a Bullet Bill and automatically drives for the player for a limited period of time. Once used, the Bullet Bill is unstoppable, invincible, and has a very high top speed. The player hardly can maneuver the Bullet Bill, and the Bullet Bill will knock aside any racer that gets in its way, unless the racer uses a Star or a Boo. Additionally, the effect's duration may vary depending the current place the driver is. The Bullet Bill can be given in a place lower than fifth. It is not available in battle mode.

Rocket Start
Throughout the entire Mario Kart series, the Rocket Start technique allows racers to give an extra boost of speed and get a head start when the race officially begins. To activate the technique for Mario Kart DS, players should stay at the starting line and wait for the countdown to hit two. When it does reach that number, players should hold the A button to rev up the kart's engine. When START appears, the player receives a small boost of speed out of the starting line, which is a very helpful move to get first place on a race. But, there is a risk to this move. If the player fails to succeed, and holds the A button after START, the player's engine dies out, and takes a few seconds to get back up to normal speed.



Drifting and Powersliding
In the entire Mario Kart series, players drift by holding the R button on a turn. Gray wisps come out of their kart as they turn around corners, possibly tighter or better than normal turning.

The next step up is powersliding. While drifting, players can move the D-pad to the right, left, and vice versa to produce sparks behind the kart. If done correctly, the sparks change their colors and intensity from blue to red on each alternated move. After the sparks turn red, the player releases the R button to stop drifting and release a brief Mini-Turbo after powersliding.

Drafting
Back from Mario Kart 64, drafting is simply moving just behind another player. If racers can stay behind their opponent's vehicle for about four seconds, players get a momentary turbo boost that is strong enough to pass the other player.

Multi Card Play
Eight people or less can play via the wireless connection of the Nintendo DS. There are little to no restrictions while activating this. Players can access any character and kart combination they want as long as they unlocked it.

Download Play
Download Play can allow up to eight people playing the Mario Kart DS game using one (or more) game card(s). In this mode, players can only choose tracks from the Mushroom and Shell Cups. Also, instead of six battle tracks, players are only able to race on three tracks (chosen randomly by the system). Only the persons with the game can pick the character, while the others use Shy Guy only. Shy Guy is not playable in other modes. When the players that went to Download play begin to race, each player will have a different color of Shy Guy, randomly generated with each Download Play.

Karts
In Mario Kart DS, there are 36 different karts in total (excluding Shy Guy), 12 being Standard Karts similar to Super Mario Kart. Originally, only three karts are available for each character, two of them in exclusive designs, and the Standard Kart. As the player wins Grand Prix tournaments, there will be seven usable karts for each character. After winning every Grand Prix in 50cc, 100cc, 150cc, and Mirror, each character can be paired in any of the 36 karts, making 432 combinations (excluding Shy Guy). Every Kart shows six ratings:


 * Speed: How high the top speed of the kart is; how fast the kart can go.
 * Acceleration: The time the kart's top speed is achieved.
 * Weight: While a vehicle is heavy, the driver can knock a lighter kart apart.
 * Handling: How tight the kart can normally turn without drifting.
 * Drift: How tight the kart turns while drifting or powersliding.
 * Items: The variety of items to use when touching an Item Box (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 each character, each one will have one and just one of all three ratings, the standard kart always being 6.7. In addition, not only does the kart's size affect weight, but the character's size does, as well (Bowser will make one of Peach's native karts much heavier), so weight is omitted.

On a side note, it's worth noting that a kart with a high items rating will usually have lower overall stats than the standard karts. Likewise, karts with a low items rating will usually have higher overall stats than the standard karts. Regarding the kart's weight, karts with a high items rating tend to be heavier than the karts with a low items rating.

The weight system used in Mario Kart DS is different from past Mario Kart games. The weight class of the character does not play an important role in, as the weight does not create kart use restrictions. However, weight of a character can influence the weight of karts. For example, Bowser driving on the Dry Bomber will have considerably more weight than Dry Bones on the same kart. Note: Margin of error ± .2 points Shy Guy's kart could be around speed 4 acc 5 turn 6 drift 5 weight items 5. Margin of error ± 2 points''

Options
The options menu lets the player make their own emblem and name for racing throughout the game. They also have an option to make the emblem show up on the kart they are currently driving. Additionally, this emblem will show up next to a player's name while driving in a multiplayer or Nintendo WFC race. Other options include audio options, and deleting data.

Demo
A demo of the game can be downloaded from the Nintendo Channel on the Wii. It is only possible to play Figure-8 Circuit and Mario Circuit 1. A multiplayer mode exists. The player has to play as Mario, and all opponents are Shy Guys. The demo is not localized.

Beta Elements

 * For a list of this game beta elements, see here.

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, his closing line was 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)

References to Other Games

 * Super Mario 64 - The track Tick Tock Clock is based off the level of the same name in this game.
 * Super Mario Sunshine - The track Delfino Square is based off the main area of this game.
 * Super Mario Bros. 3 - The track Airship Fortress is based of the many airship based levels in this game. Desert Hills is based on World 2 of this game, even featuring the Angry Sun, Podoboos, Fire Snakes, the pyramid, and 2 pipe formations taken from a level in this world. Water Arena and Sand Arena use various objects from this game.
 * Mobile Golf - The Golden Mantis is based off Foreman Spike's digger from artwork for this game.
 * Luigi's Mansion - The Poltergust 4000 is based off the Poltergust 3000 from this game. Also a track of the same name as this game is based on this game.
 * Donkey Kong Country - The Rambi Rider is based off Rambi from this game.
 * Wario Land 4 - The kart Brute is based off the Wario Car in this game.
 * ''Past Mario Kart games: Some tracks from this game appeared from another game.
 * Super Mario 64 DS - All of the boss battles are taken from this game.