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Full Review for Mario Kart DS by tbug2007

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Introduction

Mario Kart DS is the only Mario Kart game for the DS thus far. It offers good graphics, a very wide variety of karts, alot of tracks, and even some tracks from older systems.

If you greatly enjoy the Mario Kart Series, then this game is a good game for you.

Graphics

The graphics were definately not as good as the GameCube version: Mario Kart~ Double Dash. The characters were alot boxier than that of it's GC predecessor, and a bit more grainy. At times it seemed you could use the big map to race instead of using the top screen, and that got a little distracting after a while.

On the flip side, the karts had great graphics, and the Tracks from older systems were enhanced to almost perfect. There is also the option for a smaller map, which is what I strongly suggest.

The menus had good effects, and the first screen had awesome graphics for the picture.

Sound

A few sound glitches here and there, but overall the sound was pretty good.

The main menu makes a weird noise every time you click something, and although it is found in almost every Mario Kart game made, it is a bit overused and your mind filters it out.

The karts had great sound, down to the last detail. Even the terrain made sounds as you rode on them. The fact that different karts had different sounds was also a good add-on.

Gameplay

Like most Mario Kart games, you win in four different modes: 50cc, 100cc, 150cc, and Mirror Mode.

Details:

50cc~ Slowest of karts. Easy tracks and an easy computer. It is good for beginners.

100cc~ Average speed karts. Computers are a bit harder, and some parts of the tracks are a bit more difficult.

150cc~ Very hard computers, hardest tracks. Computers can be excruciating at times, almost impossible to beat.

Mirror Mode~ Just like 150cc, except all the tracks are backwards, and the computers get harder still. Also the fact you have been racing forwards for the other three game modes makes it harder still.

The karts do take a long time to earn though.....

Also, multiplayer and battle modes are good. You can play in a few different modes, and in Baloon Battle, when you die, unlike the Mario Kart 64 game where you turn into a bomb, you are a ghost and lay items wherever you please.

Online play is mostly lag free, and can be fun at those lag-free times. The only bad part is how long it takes to load players. Sometimes over ten minutes.

Lastability

Lasts for a pretty good amount of time. You may get bored racing on the same modes every once in a while, but the variety is big enough that you will find something else interesting to do.

If you have WIFI, you will be interested in seeing all the other people and their races, as well as racing some of those people.

Battle mode with a friend only takes one DS card, so anybody else can play. That is a fun part. After a while, 50cc gets really old really fast, so once you get good at the game, try playing 150cc and Mirror Mode alot more.

If you ever go through one of those phases where you claim the game is good, but you get bored playing it and decide to quit, after a month of playing other games in the car on an eight hour drive you will pick it back up and get addicted to it once again.

Overall

Not the best Mario Kart game, but another good game in the Mario series.

Nintendo continues to launch these great games, and the new Mario Kart: WII will be another revolution in the Mario series.

Check out some other reviews before considering to buy the game, as other opinions matter just as much.

And that, sums up my review for Mario Kart: DS