Mario Kart DS

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Mario Kart DS
Developer(s)	Nintendo
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Release date(s)	November 14, 2005 November 15, 2005 November 17, 2005 November 25, 2005 December 8, 2005
Genre(s)	Racing
Mode(s)	Single player, Multiplayer, Online multiplayer
Rating(s)	CERO: All Ages ESRB: Everyone (E) OFLC: G PEGI: 3+
Platform(s)	Nintendo DS
Media	256-Megabit flash card
Input	D-Pad, buttons, touch screen, built-in microphone

Mario Kart DS, abbreviated to MKDS or MK:DS, is a racing game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS.^[1] It is the fifth installment in the series and the first to use Nintendo's free online service, Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Released in North America and Europe in November 2005, and in Japan in December 2005,^[2][1] it was well received critically, scoring an average of 91% from Metacritic.^[3]

Racing in Mario Kart DS involves various characters from various Mario games racing each other in go-karts on tracks themed from locations in the Mario series. Less realistic physics, and the use of various weapons and or items to achieve victory differentiates kart racing games like MKDS from racing simulators like Gran Turismo. Mario Kart DS multiplayer supports up to eight players via wireless linkup, and up to four players via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.

Contents 1 Gameplay 1.1 Mini-Turbos 1.1.1 Snaking 1.2 Drafting 1.3 Emblems 1.4 Characters 1.5 Items 2 Karts 3 Tracks 3.1 Nitro GP Tracks 3.2 Retro GP Tracks 4 Gameplay modes 4.1 Grand Prix 4.2 Battle Mode 4.3 Multiplayer 4.4 Mission Mode 4.5 Time Trials 4.6 Nintendo WFC 5 Sales information 6 Reception 6.1 Game reviews 6.2 Awards 7 References 8 External links

[edit] Gameplay

While racing, the top screen of the Nintendo DS displays a third-person perspective behind and slightly above the player's vehicle. The bottom screen lists the current race standings, items carried by each player, and a map of the course. The map can be toggled to show an overall view of the entire course, or a close-up view of the racer's immediate vicinity. The close-up view is very detailed, showing nearby racer positions, course hazards, item boxes, and even incoming attacks. As the close-up rotates in orientation to the racer, it is possible to complete an entire race focusing only on the bottom screen.

[edit] Mini-Turbos

A feature first introduced in Mario Kart 64, Mini-Turbos are momentary speed boosts that can be obtained while drifting.

[edit] Snaking

The execution of several consecutive mini-turbos, by drifting back and forth across a straightaway, is a technique known as snaking, which has caused minor controversy in Wi-Fi play. Many competitive gamers consider snaking to be a positive aspect of Mario Kart DS, as it adds depth to the game and greatly increases the range of skill levels, so that better players usually beat worse players, which gives the game its competitive nature. After learning how to snake, the player can keep on practicing, as he gradually improves his snaking skills over many months. Many gamers do not like competition, so they refuse to accept these ideas, insisting that the only way to have fun is when all players have roughly equal chances of winning, regardless of skill level; they reject the idea that some people find competitive play to be more fun.

The cause of the snaking controversy is that players who are used to playing for "fun" with a small group of friends are now for the first time exposed to this "large range of skill levels" that they never knew existed. The player often becomes upset and frustrated at the difficulty in finding a good match. In the worst case, the non-snaker even goes as far as calling his snaking opponent a cheater, saying it's the snaker's fault and claiming that it's the snaker's responsibility to alter his play just to give the non-snaker a chance to have fun. On the other hand, some non-snakers use Friend Mode to ensure that they race only against equally skilled non-snaking opponents. A common method of bringing together many equally skilled players is through leagues, clans, and friend groups. The same is done by many advanced players who wish to race only against people who do snake. An alternative, inferior solution is using Rival Mode, but this mode often results in unbalanced matches due to the game's lack of an accurate rating system.

Nintendo Power magazine once responded to a reader mail in its Pulse section, describing snaking as "kind of lame" and that it goes against the original intentions of the game's developers. However, it is important to note that this is not Nintendo's official position, but rather the opinion of one writer for Nintendo Power. Others have similarly argued that snaking is an exploitation of game's Mini-Turbo mechanics; on the other hand, a Nintendo of America official has personally described snaking as an intentional part of the game's design^[4], considering that a similar technique could also be performed in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!.

[edit] Drafting

Featured in Mario Kart DS is the ability to draft behind an opponent's kart. If the player is close enough, blue streaks will start flying by their kart, and their speed will begin to increase. If the player maintains this position (without hitting the opponent, an obstacle, or otherwise losing speed) long enough, they will receive a noticeable speed boost, allowing them to easily overtake and pass the opponent. This was also possible in Mario Kart 64.^{[citation needed]} They will also be able, while the effect lasts, to bump other karts out of the way, even if they are lighter than the other kart.

[edit] Emblems

New to this game are 'emblems', or player icons. Using a simple drawing program interface, a player can select from (and modify) a variety of pre-made shapes, or create a customized emblem from scratch. During the race, each player's emblem appears as a decal on their kart, and in multi-player matches, opponents can see the player's name and emblem prominently overlaid above their kart's position on the opponent's screen (as a way to identify and discern one opponent from another). The player's emblem is also, on Wi-Fi play, shown to their opponents once the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection has found opponents and initiated a match.

[edit] Characters

There are 13 characters in Mario Kart DS, 10 are from previous Mario Kart games and 3 of them are new to the series.

• Mario
• Luigi
• Princess Peach
• Yoshi
• Toad
• Donkey Kong
• Wario
• Bowser
• Princess Daisy
• Dry Bones (new)
• Waluigi
• R.O.B. (new)
• Shy Guy (DS Download Play only) (new)

Note: Princess Daisy, Waluigi, Dry Bones and R.O.B. have to be unlocked. Also, Shy Guy comes in a variation of colors, but only has one white kart to race in. The colors are chosen at random or by using your set DS menu color^{[citation needed]}. Due to DS Download Play restrictions, Shy Guy is only allowed to race in the Mushroom Cup and the Shell Cup.

[edit] Items

As in previous Mario Kart games, each course features numerous item boxes that players can drive through to receive a randomly-selected item. Whichever item the player receives is generally dependent upon their current position in the race (and, to a lesser extent, their kart's Items stat); players near the front will tend to receive rear-attack items (such as Bananas or Green Shells), while players trailing in the back of the race will tend to receive more powerful and forward-attack items like the Spiny Shell or Thunderbolt. As in previous Mario Kart games, most but not all attack items (e.g., spiny shells) can be targeted forwards or backwards by holding the appropriate direction on the D-pad when using the item against other.

[edit] Karts

Each playable character starts out with two karts: one special kart unique to that character, and a standard kart resembling a real go-kart. These karts have slightly different stats, although their general strengths are the same. As a player progresses through the game, he or she can unlock a third special kart for each character, also with slightly different stats. Later, the player can also unlock the ability to choose a few karts not normally available to the particular character, and ultimately, the ability to use any of the 36 total karts with that character.

When a player is selecting their kart for a race, the game openly lists the kart's Max speed, acceleration, weight, handling, drifting ability, and the Quality of items the kart is likely to receive.

[edit] Tracks

There are eight cups in the game, 4 tracks each. The first 4 cups contain new tracks listed in the Nitro Grand Prix and the other 4 are taken from all the other Mario Kart games listed in the Retro Grand Prix. A total of 32 tracks to race on. Some expert "Super Mario Kart" players had a trick where they'd use high speed to do "unusual" jumps (mostly with the feather on 150cc) across the green, blue, red and yellow borders to do shortcuts that can't be done due to the probability that Nintendo testers realized this and made the DS versions with 3D borders.

[edit] Nitro GP Tracks

Mushroom Cup	Flower Cup	Star Cup	Special Cup
Figure-8 Circuit	Desert Hills	DK Pass	Wario Stadium
Yoshi Falls	Delfino Square	Tick-Tock Clock	Peach Gardens
Cheep-Cheep Beach	Waluigi Pinball	Mario Circuit	Bowser's Castle
Luigi's Mansion	Shroom Ridge	Airship Fortress	Rainbow Road

[edit] Retro GP Tracks

Shell Cup	Banana Cup	Leaf Cup	Lightning Cup
SNES Mario Circuit 1	SNES Donut Plains 1	SNES Koopa Beach 2	SNES Choco Island 2
N64 Moo Moo Farm	N64 Frappe Snowland	N64 Choco Mountain	N64 Banshee Boardwalk
GBA Peach Circuit	GBA Bowser Castle 2	GBA Luigi Circuit	GBA Sky Garden
GCN Luigi Circuit	GCN Baby Park	GCN Mushroom Bridge	GCN Yoshi Circuit

[edit] Gameplay modes

[edit] Grand Prix

In Grand Prix mode, the player competes against seven computer-controlled racers. There are two Grand Prix in Mario Kart DS, each consisting of four cups, and each cup consisting of four race tracks. Nitro GP (named after Nintendo Codename NITRO) contains sixteen brand new tracks while Retro GP contains sixteen tracks converted from previous entries in the Mario Kart series. There are three engine classes which serve as difficulty levels for the Grand Prix mode: 50cc, 100cc, and 150cc. The higher the engine class, the faster all the karts go. This serves as the difficulty level, because it is often harder to drift and turn. A 150cc Mirror Mode is also an unlockable, in which all the 150cc tracks are flipped horizontally, as if seeing the game in a mirror.

Only twenty of the tracks can be played over Nintendo Wi-Fi connection. Several of the more complex and/or obstacle-ridden courses (such as Bowser's Castle) were disabled from online play due to concerns over potential bugs caused by latency.

[edit] Battle Mode

Battle Mode is not available on Wi-Fi, and can only be played in single-player and regular multiplayer.

These courses are basically small arenas, generally in a symmetric circular or square form with each player starting out at a different location, and item boxes scattered throughout the course for players to pick up. Some of the arenas are on flat terrain and surrounded by walls, while others are surrounded by empty space in which a player might fall off. Battle modes include Balloon Battle, in which you try to pop everyone else's balloons by attacking them or steal them with mushrooms and eliminate them, or Shine Runners, in which you try to collect the most Shine Sprites. Eventually, players with the least amount of Shine Sprites will be eliminated from the game.

[edit] Multiplayer

The game features 8-player single-card and multi-card LAN play. Single-card play can be played with a mix of players with and without cards. However, players who do not have a copy of the game must play as Shy Guy (who is not otherwise available) and are not allowed to select another character or kart. The color of the guests' Shy Guys depend on their selected DS's favorite color.

[edit] Mission Mode

In the new Mission Mode, players control a specific character in that character's standard kart, and must perform eight individual missions, whose objectives range from collecting coins to attacking enemies. Players are then ranked based on their performance, and given from one to three stars if the task is completed by a certain time. In order to advance to the next level, players must complete a "boss" task, which is unlocked after all eight of a level's missions are completed. Level 7 is only unlocked after the player achieves at least a one-star ranking on levels 1 through 6. Completing all missions in level 1 through 6 with at least a 1 star rating on each mission opens up a secret 7th level with more challenging missions to complete. It should be noted that there are no missions where one of the unlockable characters is playable.

[edit] Time Trials

In this mode, the player is able to race against the clock; the results of a Time Trial run are saved as "Ghost Data", which the player can compete against later (for a faster time), or traded with friends. It is also possible to unlock Mario Kart DS "Staff Ghost Data" by completing a circuit within a certain amount of time.

[edit] Nintendo WFC

Main article: Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection

This mode requires a connection with a wireless router, an access point, or a Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector. The American and European versions of the game use servers hosted by Nintendo of America Inc. After connecting to the Nintendo server, players can begin searching for opponents. Up to four players can be matched up for a (100cc) Wi-Fi race (although the server may also initiate a match between only two or three players). Once decided, each player selects their racer and kart, and vote on which track to race. The track chosen is a simple majority vote (or, if no clear majority is present, chosen randomly from the votes) and then the race begins. Players are scored in the same style as a Grand Prix, depending on the position they finish a race in; after a set of four tracks is played, the winners and losers are announced based on the points they earned, and each player receives one win for every opponent they scored higher than, and one loss for every opponent who out-scored them. Their total wins and losses are stored on the player's game card, and the score is shown to other players when opponents are found using the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection online service. Also, it is important to note that any player disconnecting (or powering down) from an online race immediately receives one loss per opponent, regardless of how well they were doing up until the disconnect (the same thing occurs if a player does not press any button for 30 seconds); conversely, after all four races are complete, each player also receives one win for any opponent who disconnected during the match -- though if the match cannot be completed due to disconnecting, no wins are given to the remaining player.

[edit] Sales information

On November 21, 2005, Nintendo announced that out of the 112,000 copies of Mario Kart DS sold in the United States during the first week of release, 52,000 (45%) of those buyers had connected to Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.^[5] Comparatively, 18% of Halo 2 owners connected to Xbox Live within the first three weeks of its release.^{[citation needed]}

Mario Kart DS had a better launch in Japan, where it sold 219,000 copies during its first four days of availability, at the time this was the third best performance for a Nintendo DS title after Animal Crossing: Wild World and Jump Superstars.^{[citation needed]}

On January 2, 2006, Nintendo announced that Mario Kart DS had sold over one million copies in North America alone, joining other million sellers such as Super Mario 64 DS and Nintendogs.

[edit] Reception

Mario Kart DS received universally positive reviews. Many regard it as the best entry into the Mario Kart series to date.

[edit] Game reviews

• Game Rankings [1]: 93% average
• Metacritic [2]: 91/100
• Joystiq: 9.0 out of 10 (90%)
• GameSpot [3] : 9.2/10
• Rotten Tomatoes: [4]: 81% (fresh)
• X-Play - 5 out of 5
• Nintendo Power: 9.0/10
• IGN: 9.5/10
• Game Informer: [5]: 8.5/10
• Hyper: 93/100
• Nintendo Official Magazine (UK): 95%

[edit] Awards

• IGN: Editors' Choice Award^[6] and 2005 DS Game Of The Year
• GPhoria: Best Handheld Title
• GameSpot: Editor's Choice Award and Best DS game of 2005
• X-Play: Best Racing Game of the Year

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Official Mario Kart DS website
• Official Mario Kart DS website (Europe)
• Official Mario Kart DS website (Australia)
• Mario Kart DS at Mario Kart Central
• Mario Kart DS at the Super Mario Wiki
• Nintendo WiFi - Mario Kart DS Gaming Hub
• Mario Kart DS at MobyGames
• Mario Kart DS at GameFAQs
• Mario Kart DS wiki guide at StrategyWiki

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