Nintendo unleashes Mario Kart DS - Mario Kart DS Review [here]

Rev-up those racing cart engines Nintendo DS owners, as Mario Kart DS has arrived on your Nintendo hand-held. The latest Mario racer is also the first Nintendo product with online support. The big question is how does the game fare in comparison to other entries in the series? Short answer: very good!

Let’s start with the single player experience.

Mario Kart DS offers five different game types where you compete against CPU-controlled opponents. The modes are Grand Prix, Time Trials, VS, Battle and Missions. The VS and Battle modes are also playable, available for multi-player challenges.

As noted previously, the Grand Prix mode returns with new and classic tracks from past Mario Kart titles. As with previous titles in the series, you get to select one of three classes to race in (50cc, 100cc and 150cc). After choosing which class to race and a playable character, gamers are then left with the option of racing on the Nitro Grand Prix (Nintendo DS exclusive tracks) or the Retro Grand Prix (with popular tracks from the GBA, SNES, N64 and GameCube iterations).

Gamers can unlock hidden characters by completing specific gameplay objectives. The hidden characters are Princess Daisy, Dry Bones, Waluigi and R.O.B. The addition of unlockable characters adds depth to the single player portion of the game.

The multiplayer mode of the game is what everyone is talking about these days. Not only can you play this game with other DS owners who are in proximity (standard multiplayer mode), but you can also race with other gamers online using the Nintendo DS’s built-in Wi-Fi capabilities (Nintendo Wi-Fi).

The standard multiplayer mode can be played with up to eight different Nintendo DS owners.

Gamers don’t even need to own a copy of the game as content can be downloaded to their hand-held using the Nintendo DS’s “DS Download Play” when playing in the simple multiplayer mode. On the down side, the simple mode limits you to a few courses and one character to choose from (Shy Guy). The normal proximity mode (when each user has a copy of Mario Kart DS in their unit) offers all of the multiplayer content for everyone to enjoy.

The Nintendo Wi-Fi component of the game is what makes Mario Kart DS so unique. For the first time in the Mario universe, gamers can experience online gameplay and challenge players worldwide. The best part about it is that it’s so easy to set up your DS to go online (that is if you have a Nintendo-supported router or an official Nintendo Wi-Fi USB dongle).

The online gameplay is everything that one would expect from a company like Nintendo.

It’s simple and fun! You can either play against friends (using the unique (Friends code feature) or let the game randomly select opponents from around the globe.

Up to four racers can compete against each other in online mode. Online stats (Wins and Losses) are tabulated as you progress, which makes it easy for gamers to compare their skills with others.

The online play is lag-free and games run very smoothly (the speeds are comparable with a single- player match up). A few cutbacks were needed to achieve this lag-free game state. As noted previously, only four racers can compete against each other (compared to eight in standard multiplayer). Also, some visual items have been removed in order to speed up the gameplay.

For example, objects can no longer be seen following your character when they are pickedup Some things could have been done better though. There is no lobby system implemented.

Such a feature would have been a great way to meet new friends and to chat with potential challengers. It would have also been great if Nintendo would have added some form of peerto- peer voice chat functionality so that gamers could talk to each other while playing.

Still, Nintendo’s first official online offering is definitely a marvel in itself. With that in mind, Nintendo DS owners shouldn’t hesitate when considering Mario Kart DS. If Nintendo stays dedicated to the online platform and continues to offer a stellar online experience like the one showcased in Mario Kart DS, then gamers have a lot to look forward to when it comes to future online products by Nintendo.

By Andre Barriault as published in the Nov. 24 issue of [here] magazine.

The “For the Gamer” column is a weekly article that I write for [here] magazine based out of New Brunswick, Canada.

[tags]nintendo,mario kart ds,here] magazine,nintento wi-fi[/tags]