Review: Mario Kart DS (DS)

Graphics- 9.5/10
Sound- 10/10
Gameplay- 10/10
Replay Value- 10/10
Overall- 9.5/10

Best Mario Kart game ever. Period. This game has it all; great courses, great gameplay, online gameplay, great characters and karts, and the list just keeps going.

This is what it is all about, I don't know if I will ever get so much entertainment from a DS game. Not only was the single player nicely done, the multiplayer was too. To start the single player, is set up just like all the other Mario Kart game. You have to choose between 50cc, 100cc, and 150cc - with 50cc being the easiest and 150cc being the most difficult. As you beat different cups you unlock different rewards such as new karts, courses and characters. That leads me into another great feature of this game, and that is the cup selection. In this game it is set up so there are eight total cups to chose from. There is the normal four and then the "retro four" which is basically the previous games greatest hits, course wise. They did manage to get it pretty close to perfect with the course selection (damn Baby Park). Not only are the four retro cups nicely done, but the new ones are nicely done also. If you remember this is the problem that I had with Double Dash, and this little problem was fixed very nicely. I still like to go back to the courses and play the computers every once and awhile, which is something that is very hard to achieve in a racing game, but if I get bored of the computers I can always play some noobs online. This is where my only compliant for the game is - the online system is a little bare. Overall however it isn't bad for Nintendo's first online system. It also can be a little annoying when you play a hacker online, but that is not the games fault.

Another good feature about this game is the character and Kart selection choices. Once is all said and done you get to choose from up to twelve characters: Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Yoshi, Toad, Donkey Kong, Wario, Bowser, Princess Daisy, Waluigi, Dry Bones, and R.O.B. As far as karts go you ultimately get to chose from 36. Now, I don't know if you're aware but that is a lot of karts that you can choose from. On top of that there are many other good things about the game. There is mission mode, which can be anything from drive through some tires, to fighting Boo for coins. Mission mode can be fun and all, but there is no reward for it, other than the satisfaction of perfect completion. You can also design your own emblems to be used in multiplayer races and battles. Which reminds me, the battles in this game tend to be a forgotten aspect, and they should not be. I guess what I am trying to say is that well this is the best "kart" racing game ever made, console or portable system because it combines the best aspects from all the previous games. This game is one of those must-own games that you hear so much about.

Pros: Tracks, Characters, Karts, Multiplayer, Single player, Online.
Cons: Online bare, Snakers online.

Review: Dan