Introduction:

Ahh, at long last. The most recent addition to the Mario Kart franchise, and arguably the best. It been over a year ago since I first heard of this game, and now I own it. To sum the game up in one word: Beautiful

Story:

So the good old Mario Gang is sitting around one day, playing golf. Mario gets a lucky shot, and Bowser accuses him of cheating. Of course everyone sides with Mario, and what does Bowser do? He wants to settle it on the track. The story of Mario Kar......... er what?! Mario Kart? With a STORY?! You didn't really think it had a story, now did you :P

Gameplay:

Wow. Holy. Moly. If you've played the previous installments in the franchise, think of your favorite things from each, put them in a blender, and add that sweet spice called new content and you have Mario Kart DS. The game has to be played. HAS TO!

I give the gameplay: 9.5/10

Graphics:

The graphics are pretty good, imagine The N64 version, souped up, but a little worse than the GC version. Can you picture it? There, you have just received a mental image of Mario Kart DS from yours truly :P.

I give the graphics: 8.5/10

Sound:

The sound is beautiful, although a bit grainy in some places, and just pure irritating in others. But that doesn't stop 90% of the sounds/music in the game from being incredible. Go play the remade Snes tracks and see for yourself.

I give the sound: 8/10

Replayability:

Replayability never struggles in Mario Kart, and in the DS version it certainly is no exception. Why you ask? How dare you! If you don't know by now, hit yourself. Hard. ONLINE! Duh. although it is much more limited than I had hoped for, online is still a blast, and arguably the best mode in the game. Oh yeah, you can battle the CPU in battle now too. I always loved battle :P

I give the replayability: 10/10

Challenge:

This game was hard at first, but that's because I jumped right into 150cc. If you are just starting, you may want to go 100cc or even 50cc. Once you become an effective racer, the game is a blast

I give the challenge: 6.5/10

Frustration:

"Ahh... this race is mine. Last turn, no one in sight... HEY! A red shell! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO"

Yeah, sometimes the CPU pounds you with items, other times they just get you at the wrong moment. What do ya expect? No matter how toned a racer you are, items can change everything.

I give the frustration: 8/10

Value:

This game could've launched for $100, and I would've bought it. Thankfully it didn't so I can buy some food. I picked this up for $40 CDN, and it was EASILY worth every penny. What do I mean WAS? it still is!

I give the value: 11/10

Conclusion:

In my Opinion the best Mario Kart game out yet. Although online is a bit limited, the rest of the game is beautiful. If you don't own a wireless router, get one! or order the nintendo usb adapter from their online store. You have NO excuse to not play this online! I give Mario Kart DS 10/10, The best DS game to date.

Written By: Nesmaster
E-Mail Address: nesman101@hotmail.com
Date Submitted: November 18th, 2005

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Mario Kart DS Screenshots