_____ __ __ __ _______ _______ / \ _____ _______|__| ____ | | _______ _______/ |_ \_____ \ / ____/ / \ / \\__ \\_ __ \ |/ _ \| |/ /\__ \\_ _ \ __\ | | \ \____ \ / | \/ __ \| | \/ ( <_> ) < / __ \| |\/| | | ` \/ \ \____|__ (____ /__| |__|\____/|__|_ \(____ /__| |__| /______ /_____ / \/ \/ \/ \/ \/ \/ ____________________________________________________________________________ |~\/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\/~| | || Guide written and compiled by A I e x || | |_||______________________________________________________________________||_| |~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| | Author: Alex Eagleson | | Began: December 28th, 2005 | | Completed: January 1st, 2006 | | Email: StarOceanDC(at)gmail(dot)com | | University of Guelph, Ontario | |____________________________________________________________________________| |~\/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\/~| | || Feel Free to contribute anything you wish via email || | |_||______________________________________________________________________||_| ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ____________________________________________________________________________ |~\/~~~~~~~\/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\/~~~~~~~\/~| | || CT.TS || Table of Contents || CT.TS || | |_||_______||____________________________________________________||_______||_| |~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| | - Table of Contents.....................CT.TS | | - Controls..............................CN.TR | | - Introduction..........................00.00 | | - Walkthrough...........................01.00 | | - Game Mechanics........................01.00 | | - Driving & Turning................01.00 | | - Item Boxes & Items...............01.00 | | - Drifting.........................01.00 | | - Drift Boosts.....................01.00 | | - Other Boosts.....................01.00 | | - Slipstreaming....................01.00 | | - Snaking..........................01.00 | | - Items.................................02.00 | | - Banana...........................02.01 | | - Three Bananas....................02.02 | | - Fake Item Box....................02.03 | | - Green Shell......................02.04 | | - Three Green Shells...............02.05 | | - Red Shell........................02.06 | | - Three Red Shells.................02.07 | | - Blue Shell.......................02.08 | | - Mushroom.........................02.09 | | - Three Mushrooms..................02.10 | | - Gold Mushroom....................02.11 | | - Boo..............................02.12 | | - Bomb-omb.........................02.13 | | - Bullet Bill......................02.14 | | - Blooper..........................02.15 | | - Star.............................02.16 | | - Lightning Bolt...................02.17 | | - Mushroom Cup..........................0A.00 | | - Figure-8 Circuit.................0A.01 | | - Yoshi Falls......................0A.02 | | - Cheep Cheep Beach................0A.03 | | - Luigi's Mansion..................0A.04 | | - Flower Cup............................0B.00 | | - Desert Hills.....................0B.01 | | - Delfino Square...................0B.02 | | - Waluigi Pinball..................0B.03 | | - Shroom Ridge.....................0B.04 | | - Star Cup..............................0C.00 | | - DK Pass..........................0C.01 | | - Tick-Tock Clock..................0C.02 | | - Mario Circuit....................0C.03 | | - Airship Fortress.................0C.04 | | - Special Cup...........................0D.00 | | - Wario Stadium....................0D.01 | | - Peach Gardens....................0D.02 | | - Bowser's Castle..................0D.03 | | - Rainbow ROad.....................0D.04 | | - Shell Cup.............................0E.00 | | - Mario Circuit 1..................0E.01 | | - Moo Moo Farm.....................0E.02 | | - Peach Circuit....................0E.03 | | - Luigi Circuit....................0E.04 | | - Banana Cup............................0F.00 | | - Donut Plains.....................0F.01 | | - Frappe Snowland..................0F.02 | | - Bowser's Castle 2................0F.03 | | - Baby Park........................0F.04 | | - Leaf Cup..............................0G.00 | | - Koopa Beach 2....................0G.01 | | - Choco Mountain...................0G.02 | | - Luigi Circuit....................0G.03 | | - Mushroom Bridge..................0G.04 | | - Lightning Cup.........................0H.00 | | - Choco Island 2...................0H.01 | | - Banshee Boardwalk................0H.02 | | - Sky Garden.......................0H.03 | | - Yoshi Circuit....................0H.04 | | - Battle Mode...........................0I.00 | | - Online Play...........................0J.00 | | - Introduction.....................0J.01 | | - Getting Connected................0J.02 | | - Playing Online...................0J.03 | | - Read Before You Play.............0J.04 | | - Unlockables...........................0K.00 | | - Unlockables......................0K.01 | | - Staff Ghosts.....................0K.02 | | - Kart Statistics.......................09.00 | | - Mario............................09.A0 | | - Luigi............................09.B0 | | - Peach............................09.C0 | | - Yoshi............................09.D0 | | - Toad.............................09.E0 | | - Donkey Kong......................09.F0 | | - Wario............................09.G0 | | - Bowser...........................09.H0 | | - Dry Bones........................09.I0 | | - Daisy............................09.J0 | | - Waluigi..........................09.K0 | | - R.O.B............................09.L0 | | - Mission Mode..........................0M.00 | | - Mission 1 - 1....................0M.11 | | - Mission 1 - 2....................0M.12 | | - Mission 1 - 3....................0M.13 | | - Mission 1 - 4....................0M.14 | | - Mission 1 - 5....................0M.15 | | - Mission 1 - 6....................0M.16 | | - Mission 1 - 7....................0M.17 | | - Mission 1 - 8....................0M.18 | | - Boss.............................0M.19 | | - Mission 2 - 1....................0M.21 | | - Mission 2 - 2....................0M.22 | | - Mission 2 - 3....................0M.23 | | - Mission 2 - 4....................0M.24 | | - Mission 2 - 5....................0M.25 | | - Mission 2 - 6....................0M.26 | | - Mission 2 - 7....................0M.27 | | - Mission 2 - 8....................0M.28 | | - Boss.............................0M.29 | | - Mission 3 - 1....................0M.31 | | - Mission 3 - 2....................0M.32 | | - Mission 3 - 3....................0M.33 | | - Mission 3 - 4....................0M.34 | | - Mission 3 - 5....................0M.35 | | - Mission 3 - 6....................0M.36 | | - Mission 3 - 7....................0M.37 | | - Mission 3 - 8....................0M.38 | | - Boss.............................0M.39 | | - Mission 4 - 1....................0M.41 | | - Mission 4 - 2....................0M.42 | | - Mission 4 - 3....................0M.43 | | - Mission 4 - 4....................0M.44 | | - Mission 4 - 5....................0M.45 | | - Mission 4 - 6....................0M.46 | | - Mission 4 - 7....................0M.47 | | - Mission 4 - 8....................0M.48 | | - Boss.............................0M.49 | | - Mission 5 - 1....................0M.51 | | - Mission 5 - 2....................0M.52 | | - Mission 5 - 3....................0M.53 | | - Mission 5 - 4....................0M.54 | | - Mission 5 - 5....................0M.55 | | - Mission 5 - 6....................0M.56 | | - Mission 5 - 7....................0M.57 | | - Mission 5 - 8....................0M.58 | | - Boss.............................0M.59 | | - Mission 6 - 1....................0M.61 | | - Mission 6 - 2....................0M.62 | | - Mission 6 - 3....................0M.63 | | - Mission 6 - 4....................0M.64 | | - Mission 6 - 5....................0M.65 | | - Mission 6 - 6....................0M.66 | | - Mission 6 - 7....................0M.67 | | - Mission 6 - 8....................0M.68 | | - Boss.............................0M.69 | | - Mission 7 - 1....................0M.71 | | - Mission 7 - 2....................0M.72 | | - Mission 7 - 3....................0M.73 | | - Mission 7 - 4....................0M.74 | | - Mission 7 - 5....................0M.75 | | - Mission 7 - 6....................0M.76 | | - Mission 7 - 7....................0M.77 | | - Mission 7 - 8....................0M.78 | | - Boss Stage.......................0M.79 | | - Legal & Copyright.....................LE.AL | | - Credits & Thanks......................CR.DS | |____________________________________________________________________________| |~\/~~~~~~~\/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\/~~~~~~~\/~| | || CN.TR || Controls || CN.TR || | |_||_______||____________________________________________________||_______||_| ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ____________________________________________________________________________ |+----------------------++--------------------------------------------------+| || D-Pad || Move || ||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------|| || A Button || Drive || ||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------|| || B Button || Reverse || ||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------|| || X Button || Use item || ||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------|| || Y Button || Change map || ||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------|| || L Button || Use item || ||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------|| || R Button || Hop & Drift || ||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------|| || Start || Pause game || ||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------|| || Select || Not used || ||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------|| || Touchscreen || Choose options & change map || ||______________________||__________________________________________________|| +----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ +-- INTRODUCTION --------------------------------------------------- 00.00 --+ Welcome to my walkthrough for Mariokart DS which I am writing as a means to pass the time while I wait for the stores to get another shipment of Animal Crossing: Wild World. Of course we shouldn't let that spoil are fun should we? What we have here is an absolutely fantastic game with all sorts of tips and tricks hidden away just waiting to be exploited by you. Whether you're looking for online strategies, or just general help with the single player game you've probably come to the right place. If not, then enjoy it anyway. ______________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ |~\/~~~~~~~\/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\/~~~~~~~\/~| | || 01.00 || Game Mechanics || 01.00 || | |_||_______||____________________________________________________||_______||_| ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ __________________________________________________________________________ /+------------------------------------------------------------------------+\ || ________________________________ || || | +----------------------------+ | || || Current Position | | ___ | | || || \ | | | |____Item LAP 1/3 | | || || \________ | | |___| \___________ || || \| | | | \ || || \ | Character | | Current Lap || || |\| _/ | | || || | \ / | | || || . . . . . . . | |\ ___/___ | | . . . . . . . || || . . . . . . . | | \ | Mario | | | . . . . . . . || || . . . . . . . | | 1st |_______| | | . . . . . . . || || . . . . . . . | |____________________________| | . . . . . . . || || _ |________________________________| _ || || |_| ______________________________ |_| || //| |_ ___________ ___________ __ _| |\\ ||\\___________________|_|___________|___________|__|_|___________________//|| || +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ || ||____________ ________________________________ ____________|| || ___ \ | +----------------------------+ | / ___ ___ || || |___| | | | ___ \\ Time: 0:00:000 | | | |___| |___| || || | | ||_1_| \\ \\ \ | | | || || _ | | ||_2_| \\ O \\ \ | | | _ || || | | | | /|_3_| \\ O \\ \ | | | /X\ || || __| |__ | |/||_4_| \\ \\ \__| | | _ \_/ _ || || |__ __| | / ||_5_| || O || \ | | /Y\ /A\ || || | | | /| ||_6_| || O || |\| | \_/ _ \_/ || || |_| | / | ||_7_| || || | \ | /B\ || || | / | ||_8_| || O || | |\ | \_/ || || | / | |___________||_____||________| |Total | || || | / | / NintendoDS \ |Time | || ||____________/ / |/______________________________\| \____________|| || Positions _ _ _ || \\____________________|_|________________________|_|_|_|___________________// +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ +-- DRIVING & TURNING ---------------------------------------------- 01.01 --+ The basic moves and maneuvers of the game. The A button is held during a race to drive forward and the D-Pad is used to turn your kart. Nothing complicated there. Obviously if this was the extent of every race, the game would get boring rather quickly. Beyond these options there are additional features to keep you busy during every race, whether they are player controlled techniques or simply different aspects of the races themselves. Everything you need to know about playing this game is described below from the most basic to the most advanced. Be sure to take it one step at a time. ______________________________________________________________________________ +-- ITEM BOXES & ITEMS --------------------------------------------- 01.02 --+ In just about every race in the game, unless you're playing the Time Trial mode, you will find coloured item boxes places in bunches on the course. When you drive through one of these item boxes, an item will be randomly generated into your inventory. The item you get depends primarily on one variable, and that's the position you are in. The idea is that the further behind you are, the better the item you will get to help you catch up. Each of the items are discussed individually further down in the guide for reference. Once you have an item in your inventory you have three options depending on what the item is. Firstly you can use the item by pressing either the X button or the L button (the L button is a lot more convenient.) When the L button is pressed whatever item you have in your inventory will be used immediately. The other two options are throwing and dragging the item. Throwing comes into play with Bananas, Shells and Fake Item Boxes. Bananas and Fake Item Boxes are automatically dropped behind you, however if you use them while holding up on the D-Pad you will throw them ahead of you. Shells are automatically thrown forward, but if you hold down on the D-Pad and use either a Green or Red Shell you can throw them behind you. Items can also be dragged behind you. These include the same items which can be thrown either forward or backward. While dragging an item behind you it will act as a shield to some of the weaker weapons like Green Shells and Red Shells, but not to Blue Shells, Stars, etc. After a shell hits the item you are dragging the item is gone so be careful in that respect. Always keep in mind that different items can be used in different ways in different situations. Pick the right one. ______________________________________________________________________________ +-- DRIFTING ------------------------------------------------------- 01.03 --+ Drifting is a very important technique to learn, and a virtual necessity for doing well in the upper classes and while playing online. Drifting is performed by pressing and holding the R trigger while turning. Drifting allows you to kind of slide-turn, where you sacrifice a bit of control for the reward of maintaining your momentum around a corner. Drifting is one of those things that requires quite a bit of practice in order to perfect. A good amount of prep time before a turn is vital for a good drift. For example, drifting might not be as effective on a bunch of repeated sharp turns in a row as it would be on a long turn that you come at from a distance. That's not to say that drifting is a technique you use sparingly, in this game it's almost always the preferred choice in any turn of a reasonable angle. A good drift is one which begins before you even reach the turn, and has you facing in the direction that you will be turning by the time you actually reach the turn. At that point you let go of the R trigger and stop turning. You should be able to drive forward in the new direction with a very minimal loss of speed. ______________________________________________________________________________ +-- DRIFT BOOST ---------------------------------------------------- 01.04 --+ Once a player has mastered the drift, this is the next logical progression. A Drift Boost is a drift... with a boost. Despite being one of the worst explanations in history, that was actually quite accurate. A drift is a turn where you start sliding early and then proceed to drive in the new direction without losing speed. A Drift Boost allows you to start sliding early and drive in the new direction with a "boost" of speed. Once again you're gaining speed at a further loss of control, but experienced players will be able to compensate quite easily. Performing the Drift Boost is no a difficult task: A Drift Boost is performed by tapping left, right, left, right repeatedly over and over again while drifting. You might that it would be impossible to control while doing this, but the actual taps of each direction are so minute that it doesn't really affect your directional movement all that much. Of course the faster you are able to do it the better, since it's pretty hard to maneuver the actual turn without holding down one direction on the D-Pad. The best way to do it is to simply jam your thumb in the middle of the D-Pad and rock it back and forth. You can tell if you're doing it correctly by watching the sparks on the wheels of your car. They'll start by flashing blue, at that point you're half way done. When they flash red you're ready to boost. Upon finishing the drift and letting go of the R trigger you'll get a burst of speed in the direction that you're facing. It's pretty handy. Technically the next logical progression of this technique is snaking, but whether that was an intentional progression by the game designers is as arguable a topic as it was in F-Zero GX. It's honestly up to you. ______________________________________________________________________________ +-- OTHER BOOSTS --------------------------------------------------- 01.05 --+ If you've played other Mariokart games before then you're undoubtedly familiar with the initial boost you can get at the beginning. Well there's no difference here except that you get numbers rather than coloured traffic lights. Getting the boss is really quite easy if you know when to do it. The numbers 3, 2, 1 will appear on the screen at the beginning of the race. The two will appear on the screen and than a short instant later the number two will "start to grow" before disappearing. I find that you can most reliably get the boost if you hold the A button when the number two "starts to grow." Keep holding it until the race begins and you'll launch from the start line. One other special type of boost you can get comes after you have been launched off the course. The nice cloud guy will fish you out of the water, or out of bounds or wherever you went, and drop you down on the ground again. Keep your finger off the A button while all this is happening and do your best to jam it down the instant you hit the ground after being dropped. This particular trick is more difficult to execute than the initial starting line one, but it's certainly something you need to know for the courses without walls on the sides. Remember to drive when you hear the thump, and you'll launch off. ______________________________________________________________________________ +-- SLIPSTREAMING -------------------------------------------------- 01.06 --+ This is a technique I only recently became aware of, entirely by accident. To do it you must be behind another racer, and I mean literally behind. Not just in position, but actually behind their cart. As you drive behind them using your opponent as a wind shield some blue streaks will start to appear on screen and you'll speed up a little. As you get closer and closer to your opponent's back suddenly this weird blue wave will surround your kart and you'll be given a surprisingly lengthy burst of speed that should allow you not only to get ahead of your opponent, but a decent distance ahead too. ______________________________________________________________________________ +-- SNAKING -------------------------------------------------------- 01.07 --+ Given that F-Zero GX is one of my favourite games ever, I am quite familiar with the concept of Snaking which (as far as I know) originated with that game. The idea is that you're "exploiting the game's driving physics" in order to increase your normal driving speed where it wasn't necessarily meant to be used. Before I continue any further I should mention that a lot of people consider this technique to be cheating. In most cases that wouldn't really matter at all, but since this is a reasonably popular game online, it's probably best if you stick to your better Judgement and only utilize this technique if your opponent is in agreement, and using it as well. This is just a personal position, once again, how you proceed is up to you. That fact of the matter is that a lot of people who play online use this technique, and while it is very possible for a non-snaker to beat a snaker, like it or not if you want to win online with any consistency, you need to know this technique. Snaking is the process of using the Drift Boost over and over again on a straight road rather than a turn, and using the speed boosts you get from it to boost you faster down the road. Basically you start on one side of the track and begin drifting while rocking the D-Pad. Try to avoid turning on an angle while you almost immediately boost yourself forward. The key to successful snaking is the extremely fast execution of the boost with the Drift Boost technique, you really have to rock that D-Pad. Done correctly you'll be able to do it back and forth, left and right, all the way up the track. ______________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ |~\/~~~~~~~\/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\/~~~~~~~\/~| | || 02.00 || Items || 02.00 || | |_||_______||____________________________________________________||_______||_| ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ BANANA -----------------> The Banana is traditionally the most basic of the Mariokart items you will find, and if you spend [02.01] a lot of time in first place you have better be ready to make this particular item your best friend. By pressing the item button this item can be dropped behind you. Opponents will slip over it and spin out, losing a decent amount of speed and control. The Banana can also be thrown by holding up on the D-Pad and pressing the item button. This way you can chance hitting an opponent ahead of you, just be careful you don't slip on the Banana yourself. Leave the Banana in areas where you think opponents are most likely to run over it like on the inside track of a corner, around some item boxes, or better yet maybe in the middle of a Booster Pad. THREE BANANAS ---------> Similar to the original Banana these ones come in bunches of three. When you use them item it [02.02] won't actually deploy any Bananas, it will make it so you start dragging them behind you. While being dragged behind you, you can even use them as a dangerous tail to spin out enemies behind you. Press the item button to drop them individually. Try to avoid dropping them too close together in a straight line, a horizontal line across the track however is perfectly fine. Like the other ones, these Bananas can also be thrown by holding up on the D-Pad and pressing the item button up to three times. FAKE ITEM BOX ---------> Similar to the Banana in nature, this one is more likely to hit your opponents for two [02.03] reasons. One because it's bigger and takes up more space, but mostly because you can hide it among real item boxes and trick your opponents into thinking it's the real thing. When you have one it can be either dropped or thrown like the Banana. A dropped Fake Item Box is much more effective however because you can really position it will. Do your best to drop it directly in the same position as a real box so your opponent can't tell it's fake, even when they know what to look for. Unlike a real item box, the Fake Item Box does not have a question mark icon inside of it, that's how you tell the difference between them. If you see an unfamiliar box on the course make sure to look for the question mark icon before you pick it up. There are real boxes that sit alone by themselves, so simply looking for item boxes which are part of a bunch isn't good enough. You should always make a quick check. GREEN SHELL -----------> Another traditionally classic Mariokart item is the Green Shell. The Green Shell will knock an [02.04] opponent out if it hits them and really slow them down. By pressing the item button a Green Shell can be fired forward toward you opponent. It will go straight at all times and bounce off any walls that it hits until it hits an opponent, falls off the edge of a cliff, hits another shell, or gets eliminated in some other way. A Green Shell can not only be fired forward, but backward as well by holding down on the D-Pad when you use it. Lastly a Green Shell can be dragged behind you as a shield protecting your back by holding the item button but not releasing it. THREE GREEN SHELLS -----> The similarities between the Banana and the Three Bananas are analogous to the similarities [02.05] between the Green Shell and the three Green Shells. When you use the Three Green Shells none of them will actually fire, instead they will form a protective barrier around your character. Each time a shells comes toward you there is a chance it will hit one of the shells surrounding you and protect you from being hit. The more shells you have around you the better protected you are. Like the Green Shells you can fire them either forward or backward, but note that you're not actually shooting them ahead of your character, but ahead of the shell itself. It's difficult to explain but when you fire a shell spinning around you which is say for example, on your right at this moment, it will shoot straight ahead FROM the right. You'll know what I mean when you use them, but suffice to say the three shells are a bit more difficult to aim than the single Green Shell itself. You should also note that while you've got the shells surrounding you, it might be a good idea to try and drive into opponents so that your shield actually knows them out. RED SHELL -------------> A close cousin of the Green Shells, the Red Shell is the bigger, nastier bully of the two. [02.06] At first glance it seems to act in a very similar manner. You can shoot it ahead of you or behind you by holding down on the D-Pad. When you launch the shell it flies off ahead of you like the Green Shell, but that's where the similarities end. The Red Shells is a heat seeking death missile which won't rest until it hits either an opponent, or anything else in its path. Unlike the Green Shells it will not bounce when it hits a wall, rather it will simply disappear. Making up for this inadequacy however is its ability to systematically hunt down the opponent in front of you and hit them from behind. If they're dragging an items behind them then the shell will break when it connects, though in any other case the opponent is knocked out. THREE RED SHELLS ------> There's really not a lot to say about the Three Red Shells that can't be picked up by reading [02.07] the Three Green Shells section, followed by the Red Shells description. That does however have the disadvantage of being two independent articles, so let's sum it all up quickly right here. Three Red Shells start to circle you forming a protective shield, each shell can be shot individually and they'll heat-seek the nearest opponent ahead of you or behind depending on where you shoot. Try to ram an opponent while the shield is in full effect and the shells orbiting your character knock out the opponent. BLUE SHELL ------------> You might think this is yet another variation of the Green Shell or the Red Shell, but think [02.08] again. Besides the word shell being preceded by a colour, they're really quite different. You won't be able to pick up one of these babies unless you're really falling back in the race, but when you do it's worth it. Launch the Blue Shell (only forward) will cause it to heat-seek the character who is currently in first place and smash them in a fiery explosion which incapacitates them longer than almost any other item. The Blue Shell cannot possibly miss, hit a wall or be knocked out by any other means. Once shot it is guaranteed to hit. If you happen to be in first place and hear the familiar sound of a Blue Shell coming, it might be a good idea to pull back a little so you don't have to be the one bearing the full force of this behemoth. MUSHROOM --------------> With a Mushroom in your inventory you have at your fingertips the ability to give yourself a [02.09] boost of speed any time you want. Press the item button with a Mushroom in your inventory and you'll launch forward. When a Mushroom is used on rough terrain you will temporarily be immune to its slowing effects. For this reason the Mushroom is the ultimate shortcut item, you can give yourself a burst of speed to get across some sandy terrain which is a shorter path, but would normally slow you down. This way you'll be able to get across it not only without being slowed down, but actually with the Mushroom speeding you up. Use it to get extra air off of a jump or just to help you catch up with an opponent from behind, the traditional way. THREE MUSHROOMS -------> Similar to the single Mushroom this particular item allows you to use a total of three normal [02.10] Mushrooms before it runs out. Each Mushroom you use acts as a normal Mushroom. You're more likely to get this one if you're falling behind in the race. GOLD MUSHROOM ---------> The ultimate Mushroom. When you use this once the timer begins, it doesn't actually appear on [02.11] screen but you can use that Mushroom as many times as you like before it disappears. It doesn't disappear based on how many times you use it, but rather a set period of time starting after the first use so there's no drawback to using it over and over again as much as you can. Each use gives you a speed boost similar to that of a normal Mushroom so if you're far behind then this item can really help you get ahead, especially since you can cross the rougher terrain without slowing down. BOO --------------------> Boo is the general name for the ghosts in Mario, and in this situation Boo is the name of the item stealing ghost you can use as an item. When you see a ghost appear in your inventory, use it and the ghost will track down any other player with an item and bring that item back to you. Not only do you get the item, but it steals it away from the other player so that they can no longer use it. Just be careful because the same thing can happen to you. If you pick up something good don't waste too much time before you use it otherwise you risk having it stolen. There is an additional bonus to using this item as for. For a short period of time after using a Boo your character will fade into ghost form during which time he/she will be immune to dangers like shells and Bananas, as well as not appear on the map. BOMB-OMB ---------------> The Bomb-omb is just the official name for the bomb item that you might pick up during your run [02.13] through the stage. When used as an item the Bomb-omb is thrown forward where it hits the ground, waits a second or two, and then explodes with a large blast radius. Great for taking out more than one opponent however it's extremely dangerous and hard to throw accurately. Keep in mind that in throwing it forward you also risk driving directly into the explosion as well. Fortunately the item can not only be thrown forward, but also dragged and dropped behind you. There's virtually no chance of being hit by the bomb when you drop it behind. BULLET BILL ------------> One of two brand new items appearing only in Mariokart DS. This is basically like a super [02.14] fast autopilot and is arguably the best item you can receive when you're trailing far behind. Your kart will automatically transform into a large bullet and get a super burst of speed. The AI will drive for you perfectly at super speed around every corner. Not only that you'll cream any opponents in your way as you go. It lasts for a decent amount of time but not TOO long. Usually enough to get your from last place to about 4th or 5th. BLOOPER ----------------> The second of two brand new items exclusive to Mariokart DS. When used the Blooper will splash [02.15] a blast of ink into the faces of all the opponents who are ahead of you in the race, screwing up their vision and making them drive erratically. Since they can't see where they're going you'll often have the advantage of still being able to take all the best paths and shortcuts. You'll really understand what your opponents are going through when the item is used by someone behind you. Two or three blasts of ink cover the screen in random positions and start to slide down. Most of the time it's still possible to see well enough ahead of you to drive as you normally would, but at times you'll be forced to drive by the map on the touch screen until it wears off. STAR -------------------> The Star is probably the best "overall" item you can get in the game, while its effect may only [02.16] last a short period of time it can really help you blast ahead of every other opponent. When you use a Star your character will begin to flash. At this point you now drive much faster, you can drive into opponents and smash them out of the way, and lastly your vehicle is not effected by slowing terrain so you are free to take all the shortcuts you want. LIGHTNING BOLT ---------> This is the classic "all powerful item" which has been around since the beginning of the [02.17] series. Only found by people in last or close to last place, the Lightning Bolt will hit every single opponent in the race and shrink them down to a miniscule size. While small your opponents move slower, giving you the opportunity to not only pass them but also run over them, squishing them into tiny pancakes. Used at the proper time you can also completely screw up your opponent trying to get into a shortcut, or going over a jump. ____________________________________________________________________________ |~\/~~~~~~~\/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\/~~~~~~~\/~| | || || Nitro Grand Prix || || | | || 0A.00 || ---------- || 0A.00 || | | || || Mushroom Cup || || | |_||_______||____________________________________________________||_______||_| ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ +-- FIGURE-8 CIRCUIT ----------------------------------------------- 0A.01 --+ The Figure-8 Circuit is the game's first, and arguably most basic driving course generally made to help you get a feel for the game. It runs in a figure-8 pattern around for three laps, and then it's over. Short and sweet. As you come out of the starting gate you'll approach a left turn. This turn is very long and not too sharp making it perfect to Drift Boost around. Drift and boost at least three times if possible when going around this corner. On the straightaway afterward, stick to the left side of the track so that you can easily drift into the next turn. This turn is just as long as the first one so that should make it just as easy for you to sneak in a few Drift Boosts around the corner. Following this corner is the finish line to the stage, no shortcuts or anything of that nature. Just a nice smooth ride. ______________________________________________________________________________ +-- YOSHI FALLS ---------------------------------------------------- 0A.02 --+ Yoshi Falls is a course which offers two lanes for the entire race, and a decision to be made by the player as to which lane should be chosen. On the right lane you have the obvious short path since it's closer to the middle, and the odd item box here and there. On the outer path you not only have more item boxes, but you also have Booster Pads near the end. The waterfalls on the inside path make that one a little bit dangerous if you're not boosting through, so that's another thing to keep in mind when racing this course. When starting out on the course you're faced with a decision immediately, left or right? The right path is obviously shorter but the left path nets you an item. If you're in first place take the right path (make sure to aim high on the water and jump to avoid being washed away.) If you're trailing behind the item will certainly help you out more than a tiny shortcut will. After passing the item boxes keep in mind that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. Even if you cross from the left to right to left lane that's not really an issue if you're saving time. Take the left path at the second split as well, by try your best to remain close to the middle. After this point Booster Pads will start appearing in the left lane. There is very little reason to use the right lane after this point. What you want to do is try your very best to stay as close to the middle as possible at all times. Hit the right edge of the Booster Pads and launch forward along the centre divider for the course. That way you'll get the best of both worlds. ______________________________________________________________________________ +-- CHEEP CHEEP BEACH ---------------------------------------------- 0A.03 --+ The beach is a bit more complex than the previous two courses, for the first time never being totally black and white on exactly where you should go. It's also the first course to offer a handy little shortcut. The beach starts off on the docks and from there jumps down onto the actual beach area. The beach zigs and zags and offers plenty of jumps to help you get ahead of your opponents before finally "S" curving back to the finish line. At the start of the race head forward onto the dock and try Drift Boosting to the right around the 90 degree turn. It can be a bit tricky which is why you should start drifting early. If you have trouble with this then drifting normally will do just fine. Ahead of that is a boost jump, it's like any other jump except the coloured Booster Pad launches you off of it. If you hit the R trigger just before you go airborne you can get quite a bit more distance. Grab an item when you land and get ready to Drift Boost around the next right turn. You can get in a couple of Drift Boosts before reaching the second boost jump. Now at this point there's a shortcut you can take, but you should only take it if you have a Mushroom, perhaps a Star, or another speed boosting item. Notice that there is a sign with an arrow ahead of you pointing to the left. Well you can go left, snag an item, turn right, and go straight. OR, you can whip out a Mushroom and launch yourself across the hypotenuse. By this I mean angle yourself just slightly to the left of the sign with the arrow on a 45 degree (or less) angle to your left and use a Mushroom (preferably two) to get across this stretch of water which is somewhat deep, but not deep enough to consider you off-course. Successful navigation of this shortcut without being slowed down by the water will give you a significant advantage. Anyway stay close to the castle wall after that and go around the next corner. Drift Boost into the fenced area and pick up an item box. You can try Drift Boosting through here, though it's pretty dangerous. Normal drifting should work just fine from here until you manage to reach the finish line. ______________________________________________________________________________ +-- LUIGI'S MANSION ------------------------------------------------ 0A.04 --+ If the name of this track sounds familiar it's probably because you've either played (or at least heard of) the game of the same name. Besides locale the track and the game have very little in common in fact. Your goal is to navigate through these scary wooded areas and the haunted mansion itself. You start out at the entrance to the mansion and are forced to drive down inside it. There are a number of obstacles not only inside, but outside as well. Past the mansion are moving tree monsters that do their best to get in your way, and a mucky swampland almost impossible to circumvent. When you begin the race there's little to do but drive forward and into the mansion. Right as you go down the slope you'll have your first chance to really get ahead. This is a 180 degree turn here, and if you can drift around it while preparing a Drift Boost (it's actually easier then it sounds) then you can launch yourself down the second slope and really boost ahead of your opponents. In the basement area here stay away from the middle unless you want to come face to face with a large obstacle. The final tunnel leading out of the mansion will equip you with some kind of item. If you have a Mushroom in your inventory then make a sharp left out of this tunnel and boost across the field behind the tree to save some time. In fact this entire area is filled with sharp turns that can be bypassed with good timing and use of a Mushroom (or Star). Make sure to keep that in mind. Start drifting to the right when you come out of the gate and try to get a Drift Boost here. Right after this section comes the area with all the moving trees and swampland. The mucky goo that you are forced to drive you will slow you down, but not quite as much as say, the tall grass on the edges of the track. To get through here as fast as possible, you should endeavor to do two things. Firstly is (duh) to avoid all the monster trees. The second is to spend as little time in the muck as possible. After the initial island with all the item boxes, stick to the right side where you'll get a bit of a track straight. Also keep in mind that while you can Drift Boost on the mud, you won't actually get the boost unless you're on normal land. This doesn't mean you shouldn't try it at all, what it does mean is that if you can start prepping your Drift Boost as you glide through the mud, and release it when you hit land, that should give you a good advantage. Coming out of the swampy area set up a Drift Boost on the large left turn leading up to the finish. ______________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ |~\/~~~~~~~\/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\/~~~~~~~\/~| | || || Nitro Grand Prix || || | | || 0B.00 || -------- || 0B.00 || | | || || Flower Cup || || | |_||_______||____________________________________________________||_______||_| ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ +-- DESERT HILLS --------------------------------------------------- 0B.01 --+ This desert course takes you back and forth through all sorts of classic Mario imagery. The course itself differs from previous ones in that it is very twisty not just left and right, but up and down too with all the hills and such. We're starting to get into the more difficult courses to navigate, but with practice I'm sure you'll do just fine. It's not just static course issues you'll be facing, those tall spikey guys are out in full force and Mr. Sun will start blasting fiery balls of rage down on your head after the first lap has been completed. These unforeseen obstacles mean success on this course is more than just memorization. You will need quick thinking too. Start off the course Drift Boosting around the corner to the right while picking up an item box. If you happen to snag a Mushroom then you're in luck because we're already upon the stage's best shortcut. Notice that beside the next large turn to the left is a large pyramid. Well between the pyramid and the wall itself is a small gap, the perfect size for a kart. Of course that whole area is deep sand that will slow you down to a snail's pace, but with a Mushroom or two you'll be able to speed through it and really cut that corner saving you lots of time. If you don't have a Mushroom then at least be sure to Drift Boost around that corner, and the next corner to the right after that. Coming up after this is a bit of a jump. You can hop before you go airborne to save a very minute amount of time, but I find that if you don't hop you'll have a better chance of gaining control again and picking up one of the item boxes. Coming up after is a very interesting part of the course. The track weaves back and forth, up and down all over the place. Drifting between these corners should really help you control yourself and take them better. Drift Boosting is a whole other story altogether. While it's obviously the preferable choice it is extremely dangerous. After a decent amount of practice hopefully you'll be able to Drift Boost these corners like a pro, but until then you might want to consider just normal controlled boosting as the less dangerous option. There's still a third option which comes into play if you've got either Mushrooms or a Star, and that option is to circumvent these stupid turns entirely. I mentioned before that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, so to hell with all reason, and blast yourself right down the middle of every corner. Launch yourself over the big hills with a Mushroom and skip the turns entirely. There's a damn good chance you'll fling yourself off-course, but if you don't it will significantly increase your lead. The last thing to keep in mind is that flaming balls of fire will be shot down upon you by Mr. Sun in subsequent laps. There's no special surefire way to avoid these, the best tip that I can give is to simply steer clear and hope they don't land right on top of you. ______________________________________________________________________________ +-- DELFINO SQUARE ------------------------------------------------- 0B.02 --+ Every new course you play seems to bring something new to the table. This course offers real down-to-earth shortcuts, difficult maneuvers and branching paths. It's a city level with a number of thin paths (sorry to all the Snakers out there). Not only this there are sections of the level where you can fall right off into the water, a fun boosting rainbow bridge which moves, and more. Overall a very good level which I'll dissect for you below. The first thing to note in this stage is the wacky and fun music playing in the background. Once you get over the odd vocals you can launch yourself from the starting line and attempt to do a Drift Boost around the first right turn. Pick up and item and start Drift Boosting to the left. If you get the boost here you'll almost certainly have to settle for a normal boost around the next 90 degree turn to the right as it comes up so fast. This section of the track is really closed in by the walls so stay as close to the middle as you can. Coming out of here is a branch in the path. To be completely honest with you, neither is really much different from the other at all. I tend to prefer taking the left branch for reasons that will become clear soon (basically because when the paths reconnect you'll be going straight while the other branch turns, that way you maintain more speed for the upcoming shortcut.) Well as I just explained, right after the paths reconnect there is a pretty big and exceedingly difficult to perform, jump to a shortcut. Coming out of the area closed in my the houses and buildings there is a bridge in front of you, and an opening in the fence on your left. If you go through this opening and drive on a 45 degree angle you can actually hop (with the help of a Mushroom/Star, or if you're really lucky in 150cc) from the edge to a small wooden dock below. For all the work and risk you have to take this shortcut really isn't all that great. It gets you an extra item which helps, but you can actually just drop down from the road above and grab that item box if you really want it anyway. I felt it important to point this shortcut out to you, but in a real race there's something a lot better you'll want to do. This applies whether you actually have a Mushroom in your inventory or not. Coming out of the area closed off by the houses and buildings, ignore the opening on the left and go straight across the bridge. On the other side turn left and then note the crates on your right. Behind these crates is a hidden shortcut between the houses which takes you across a bunch of muck and guck to the exit on the other side. While it does slow you down immensely, even without the Mushroom this path can serve to save some time. I don't necessarily recommend taking it if you don't have a Mushroom, you'll have to practice and judge for yourself. When you do use a Mushroom make sure to use it early. Using it too late means that you'll speed out of the shortcut and right off the edge of the cliff into the water. You've got to make a hard right when you come out the other side and that's difficult at top speed. There's another set of item boxes here, grab one and get ready for the bridge. The bridge will be in a random state when you reach it, either down, up, or moving between the two. Either way you'll get a nice speed boost going off of it. If the bridge is all the way up then do NOT hop while launching off of it or you'll land in the slow dirt area. If you have a Mushroom or Star in your inventory then there's another good chance to shave a bit off of your final time. Notice that the path after the bridge turns right, left, left, right ever so gradually in kind of a "]" shape? Well you can skip that whole turning sequence entirely by simply boosting across the dirt. While it may not seem like a big deal, you'll be surprised how much that turning slows you down. Drift Boost to the right after this section and off to the finish line. ______________________________________________________________________________ +-- WALUIGI PINBALL ------------------------------------------------ 0B.03 --+ Waluigi Pinball is a fantastically fun course full of all sorts of crazy obstacles out to get you. Part of the course actually mimics a real pinball machine in the way it's designed, you'll probably have a lot of fun with this one. Of course there are a number of dangers as well as thing you need to keep in mind, and that's where I come in. When the race begins you're launched automatically through this crazy vortex and out the other side, flying through the air. Immediately as you land get ready to drift boost around the corner. Now you have to ask yourself which is more important, the item boxes on the left or the Booster Pads on the right. The item boxes have the advantage of being on the inside track and getting you an item, while the Booster Panels has the advantage of well... giving you a boost. Take the best of both worlds by boosting off the first panel into the item boxes, and then nailing the third boost right before you launch off the cliff down the track. At this point a new danger appears, the pinball. Pinballs will roll from behind you at about the same speed (probably slower) that you are moving. This means that the only way they will catch up with you is if you hit an obstacle, or get hit by an item. You're more than likely going to end up catching up to another pinball, and then you'll have to figure out a way to maneuver around it. The pinballs take up a good 40-50% of the track so be careful. Drift around the first corner to the left and then start Drift Boosting as much as you can around the next couple of corners. Don't hop when you hit the jump or you'll fly too far. Drift Boost to the right when you land and pick up one of the item boxes. Continue to Drift Boost around the next couple of corners until you reach the bottom of the hill. What you have here in front of you is a replica pinball machine, except a hell of a lot bigger. Not only do you have to dodge the moving parts in the machine, but also any pinballs being smacked randomly around in the area. It's a dangerous place. There are a few item boxes in the centre of the road and if you miss those, you'll find a few more just a bit further up near the central obstacle that the other things are spinning around. Avoid the paddles at the end (obviously) and Drift Boost around the corners to reach the finish. ______________________________________________________________________________ +-- SHROOM RIDGE --------------------------------------------------- 0B.04 --+ You might remember the stage in Mariokart 64 with all of the traffic (and remember the added difficulty of playing it on Mirror Mode.) Well this time around there's a similar stage with a little bit less traffic, but the additional danger of launching yourself over the edge of the road on the sharper turns. The danger is minimal at the beginning as you boost out of the starting line and Drift Boost around the corner to the left, picking up an item box if you can. The course itself doesn't really offer too many surprises, it's mostly the traffic designed to really get in your way. Continue to Drift Boost around the next couple of corners, remember that this technique is a lot more dangerous here as you're flying blindly around corners unable to see the traffic ahead. Try to use your map as well as the main screen to give yourself a little bit of leeway. As you're coming up the hill with the stone wall on your left and the dirt wall on you're right, you can save a bit of time by using a Mushroom or Star to launch yourself across the grass on your left and skip the corner. Keep in mind as well that in this area there are lone item boxes which aren't fake, they're simply moving along the road waiting to be collected. Fake boxes do not have the question mark icon inside of them, that's how you tell. Proceed forward into the tunnel. Coming out of the tunnel is where it starts to get dangerous. There are no walls on the sides here so when you're Drift Boosting around the corner to the left you have to watch not only that you avoid traffic, but that you avoid skidding off the edge of the course. The rest of the stage is basically a couple of "S" shaped turns which lead you right to the finish line. ______________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ |~\/~~~~~~~\/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\/~~~~~~~\/~| | || || Nitro Grand Prix || || | | || 0C.00 || ------ || 0C.00 || | | || || Star Cup || || | |_||_______||____________________________________________________||_______||_| ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ +-- DK Pass -------------------------------------------------------- 0C.01 --+ The DK Pass is a winding snow course which takes you all over the mountain. There's nothing really special to note, really it's the sharp turns (and many of them) which sums up most of the difficulty of this course. The only other thing you need to be aware of are the large rolling snowballs about five times the size of your kart which barrel down the course. Drift Boost to the right at the beginning into the tunnel and then Drift Boost again left when you come out of it. At the top of the hill make sure to pick up one of the item boxes. Around the next "S" shaped turns there is no barrier on the side of the road, so you'll need to be careful when drifting. The first shortcut in the level comes just after this "S" turn. You'll see a barrier with arrows pointing left ahead of you, and a red net-barrier on your left. When the red barrier on your left ends, make a very sharp left turn (only if you have a Mushroom or Star) and drive up this snowy hill. Doing so you will be able to avoid the large left turn entirely and save a good deal of time on this corner. That's not the only shortcut however, the next one comes very soon after that one. If you still have a Mushroom / Star (or just picked one up) then be prepared to do the exact same thing up the steep snowy hill on your left. Not only is this actually a better shortcut, but there's also an item box at the top of the hill to pick up as you shoot ahead of everyone else. Land on the track and Drift Boost around to your left to reach some item boxes and another "S" curve. After the turn you've got one large boost jump before the course's final turn. On this corner as you drift around to the right, make sure you're careful to aim yourself between the snowmen otherwise you could find yourself in a sticky situation when trying to Drift Boost to the finish line. ______________________________________________________________________________ +-- TICK-TOCK CLOCK ------------------------------------------------ 0C.02 --+ This here is a great level based on the Super Mario 64 level of the same name. You've got your branching paths and even moving parts that will act as obstacles, slow you down, or even speed you up if utilized to your advantage. When the race begins Drift Boost around the left turn and be very careful because there are no walls on the course in this area. At the top you'll come to a little bit of a fork in the road. This is actually the face of a clock with both a minute hand and an hour hand. Try to see which hand is moving clockwise and which is moving counter-clockwise. You should do your best to go in the same direction as the longer minute hand, that way it has less chance of coming around and hitting you head-on. Make sure you use both the Booster Pads on whichever side to increase your speed going through here. At the bottom of the hill you've got a sharp turn to the right (perfect for Drift Boosting) which leads you directly to the item boxes and the moving clock obstacle. Make sure you position yourself so that by the time you reach the obstacle it's nowhere near you. After this you've got the spinning cogs that you need to drive across. This part can be really fun and give you a great advantage if you know what you're doing. Since they change directions I can't tell you which way to go specifically. You need to look ahead and see which way the gear is turning. If it's turning clockwise then jump down onto the left side so that the momentum of the gear gives you some extra speed, if it's turning counter-clockwise then do the opposite. Hop from the first gear onto the second gear on the opposite side (it will always be moving in the opposite direction) to maintain your speed, then onto the opposite side of the third gear and so on until you reach the end. If all goes well then you will have driven in the same direction as the movement each time. Following directly after this section, and past the zig-zagging turn is another clock face with only a single hand moving in a counter-clockwise direction. The clock itself is moving clockwise and the path leading off of it is slightly on your left. If you've got a Mushroom or a Star then it's probably faster to take the left side and drive against the movement for a moment, otherwise try to stay on the right side, but closer to the middle (and don't miss an item box either.) The final trick to help you get ahead in this level comes just before the finish line. There are two vertical gears moving in opposite directions. You have to discern which of the two is moving in the same direction as you, and then hop onto that gear to get an extremely good speed boost that will really get you ahead of the competition. ______________________________________________________________________________ +-- MARIO CIRCUIT -------------------------------------------------- 0C.03 --+ The classic Mario Circuit returns. It may not be the same course, but the theme is quite familiar, filled with all kinds of classic Mario dangers like the Goombas and the Piranha Plants. Boost out of the starting line and try to get in at least two Drift Boosts around this first corner. Watch out for the large Goombas which occupy the track ahead of you here, they'll really get in the way at times. After snagging an item from one of the boxes, try to Drift Boost right, left and right again around the winding curve. Ahead of you here are the first couple Piranha Plants for the level. Their fire breath can knock you out if you happen to be hit by it, but there's less of a chance of that occurring if you take the level's first (and only) shortcut. After you approach the Piranha Plants keep an eye on the one on the right. To the right of this Piranha Plant between the pipe and the wall is a sandy area which serves as a great Shortcut if you've got a Mushroom or Star with you. Drive over the sand to the right of the pipe and speed into the tunnel to really get ahead of the competition. Coming out of the tunnel what you need to do is start drifting to the left early, and shaking that D-Pad to get your Drift Boost ready. There's a 180 degree turn coming up and if you can drift around so you're almost facing backwards by the time the curve hits, and then boost in the new direction it will really give you an advantage. As you drive along the dirt road and approach the castle you'll reach the second set of Piranha Flowers. It's not really much of a shortcut, but if you have a Mushroom you can save a bit of time by boosting over the grass beside the flowers. Just make sure you don't miss the item boxes. Drift early and do the same thing I suggested before around this next 180 degree turn, and then Drift Boost like mad around the final large right curve to the finish line. ______________________________________________________________________________ +-- AIRSHIP FORTRESS ----------------------------------------------- 0C.04 --+ The Airship Fortress offers just as many dangers as you'd expect from something called an Airship Fortress. Large flying bullets, mole-holes, pillars of fire, and giant cannons are all par for this particular course. When you start the race you'll be dropped off right away into some kind of bullet range where a number of large bullets will be flying at you head-on. Try to avoid drifting too much here and focus on just avoiding being hit by them. Drift Boost around the corner to the left and grab an item before Drift Boosting to the right. Launch yourself off the jump and prepare to dodge a bunch of mole-holes around the next turn. They're harmless when they're under the deck but the second one of them pops up they can knock you over and really slow you down. When you get inside the actual ship itself start Drift Boosting to the left so that you can drift around the corner and boost in the opposite direction toward the item boxes at the bottom of the hill. There are a few crates in this next room that are easy enough to avoid, but it's the pillars of fire that will inevitably get in your way. Whether you try through the middle or on one of the sides, it all depends on the timing and you need to learn how to judge it well from a distance. Being hit by the fire will only knock you out temporarily. Drift Boost around the next corner and launch yourself through the cannon. If you're good and Drift Boosting quickly then you can probably utilize this technique well around the sharp turns here, otherwise you might actually save time simply by holding the drift button and trying to stay as close to the inner wall as possible. Coming out of the turret, Drift Boost right and then left again being careful of the broken road and that you don't fall down it. The finish line comes soon after. ______________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ |~\/~~~~~~~\/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\/~~~~~~~\/~| | || || Nitro Grand Prix || || | | || 0D.00 || --------- || 0D.00 || | | || || Special Cup || || | |_||_______||____________________________________________________||_______||_| ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ +-- WARIO STADIUM -------------------------------------------------- 0D.01 --+ You might remember the original Wario Stadium from Mariokart 64. It's not the same this time around but it's still full of fun surprises. You'll encounter bumpy roads, sharp turns, fire death traps, and numerous obstacles on your way to the finish line. Boost out of the starting line and start to Drift Boost to your left. After coming out of the turn angle yourself so that you drive straight through the next S-shaped turn rather than wasting time drifting around both direction. Drift Boost left at the end of the "S" then launch yourself off the Booster Pad and hit R before you go airborne to get some extra distance. Drift Boost left again to reach the muddy area. Hit every one of these Booster Pads and angle yourself toward the next one while doing do. Press the R button to hop just before you launch off each one to minimize the amount of time you have to spend in the mud. Drift Boost around the next corner and get ready for another Booster Pad jump. This time make absolutely sure you do NOT hop before you go airborne. It's set up so that you'll be the perfect height to get through the ring just hitting the jump. Aim well and you should also be able to snag one of the item boxes. Same goes for the second one. Around the next corner is another fiery obstacle, spinning flame "Y" shaped things. Avoiding them is easy as pie and all depends on your timing. There are some item boxes between the first and second one so make sure not to miss them. Around the next corner you'll come to another Booster Pad jump. What you want to do is hit it at a perfectly straight angle and jump before you go off. This way you should clear the middle hump and land directly on the third Booster Pad. Jump going off that one again to maintain maximum momentum. From here on out it's a couple of bumpy hills and a final Booster Pad jump to the finish line, nothing tricky. ______________________________________________________________________________ +-- PEACH GARDENS -------------------------------------------------- 0D.02 --+ Princess Toadstool's beautiful castle gardens will be the next course on your list. You'll be driving through tall grass and flowers, around hedges and even through a real (albeit extremely easy to navigate) hedge-maze. When the race begins you're sent forward and you'll see an arrow directing you to the left. You would be wise to follow its direction so Drift Boost around this first corner to the left but be very careful as there is no wall on the edge and it can be difficult to see exactly where that edge is. Coming out of the corner pick up one of the item boxes and get ready for the level's primary shortcut. There's an arrow up ahead pointing to the left, however if you have either a Mushroom or Star use them and boost yourself to the right of this arrow and down the path to the right to save a good amount of time. At the top of the hill you can boost through the flowerbed on the right again, or even go "around" it to the right. Both will probably save you a tiny bit of time, the first one more so that the other. At the bottom of the hill is the stage's hedge-maze. Basically it's just a bunch of hedge obstacles one after another. Navigate between them left and right to reach the end with little difficulty, however you should note that there are chomps bouncing around in this area. You'll want to avoid them, but also get close in another sense with the "chain" they drag behind them is actually comprised of item boxes. At the top of the hill afterward either Drift Boost to the right or use a Mushroom / Star to go through the garden if you have one. Drive down the hill and go either left or right at the bottom, then immediately turn again back toward the middle to save a bit of time rather than going around the outside. The final danger of the level comes from the moles jumping up and down around of their holes in this zig-zagging section that takes you to the castle. Try to Drift Boost as much as you can here while avoiding the moles. A final straight on the stone allows you to Drift Boost to the finish. ______________________________________________________________________________ +-- BOWSER'S CASTLE ------------------------------------------------ 0D.03 --+ Bowser's Castle has always been a traditionally difficult course to navigate and this game's incarnation is certainly no different. Drive forward into the mouth of the keep and grab one of the item boxes while keeping an eye on the stomping blocks above to make sure they're not about to come right done on your head (or directly in front of you). You've got a few good corners for Drift Boosting around to the right coming up. After crossing the bridge you'll reach this stage's primary shortcut. There's a section of the course where you have to drive around a circular conveyor belt moving in the opposite direction you are. If you Drift Boost around this it's not too bad and you'll find the exit around the middle of the wall. However, if you keep drifting past the first exit and between a couple of fire pillars, you'll find a second exit which takes you ahead on a perfectly straight path and circumvents the little out-of-the-way you would have had to take if you exited earlier. Avoid the stomping block up ahead and grab one of the items. Start by drifting to the left and moving the D-Pad to prepare for a Drift Boost. You can try to get them repeatedly here but I recommend just drifting to the end and saving the boost for when you reach the straight again. Coming out of here there is an interesting rolling "log" to drive across. This large cylinder will keep spinning (and not always in the same direction) while you drive across it. If you can manage to get to the other side then you can go straight down the hill. If you fall then you have to find the exit and go up an oppositely sloped longer hill. It's not a huge difference, but still better if you try not to fall. After going over the Booster Pad jumps you'll land on some moving platforms. Try to drive down the centre that way you'll see in the area where the platforms are connected at least most of the time. Drift Boost around the next couple of corners and before you know it you're at the finish. ______________________________________________________________________________ +-- RAINBOW ROAD --------------------------------------------------- 0D.04 --+ Rainbow Road is the traditional difficult course in Mariokart. While things have changed a little bit it does still remain the most twisting and turning course with no walls on the sides for the most part. Start off at the beginning going over all of the Booster Pads and Drift Boost around the corner. There are a number of Booster Pads in this area however they are kind of spread apart (and the same colour as the track) so look for the gold outline and movement and drive toward those. The entire loop is just one big Booster Pad so as long as you don't let go of the accelerator then you won't have any problem making it around. Drift Boost around the next corner and drop down to the track below. Pick up one of the item boxes ahead of you and navigate the sharp "S" turn. After a lengthy turn to the right you've got another twisting part of the track, but this time it's a corkscrew. It's not really any different from the loop, just keep your finger on the A button. With a couple more turns it's just smooth sailing to the finish line. ______________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ |~\/~~~~~~~\/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\/~~~~~~~\/~| | || || Retro Grand Prix || || | | || 0E.00 || ------- || 0E.00 || | | || || Shell Cup || || | |_||_______||____________________________________________________||_______||_| ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ +-- MARIO CIRCUIT 1 ------------------------------------------------ 0E.01 --+ The Retro Grand Prix offers 16 "new courses" in the form of classic tracks upgraded (or downgraded) for play on the Ds. We start with the classic SNES track, Mario Circuit 1. The basic nature of this course is evident by its simplistic turns and lack of anything really noteworthy. After you Drift Boost around the first turn you'll need to be careful of all the pipes on the second turn, it can be difficult to drift in between them. The sole shortcut in this level comes after the third turn. Ahead of you is a very long stretch of sand while the road goes off to your left. If you have not one, but two Mushrooms or a Star then you can get across this fairly easily and save a decent amount of time. There's one final sharp turn before the finish. ______________________________________________________________________________ +-- MOO MOO FARM --------------------------------------------------- 0E.02 --+ The Moo Moo Farm comes directly from the classic Mariokart 64 track of the same name. Everything is still in tact right down to the fantasterrific music. Blast from the starting line and get ready for a long source with many many Drift Boosts. This course is so wide that you can practically Drift Boost anywhere. Sure perhaps overdoing it would border on Snaking, but hell that's up to you. Every time you come to a large turn make sure to Drift Boost as many times as you can to get the full benefit of the speed boost. The real danger is when you're drifting around the corner and one of those stupid moles pops out of the ground and nails you. You'll be knocked out momentarily but don't let that stop you. The course isn't very long and you've got plenty of chances to get ahead. When in doubt keep Drift Boosting! ______________________________________________________________________________ +-- PEACH CIRCUIT -------------------------------------------------- 0E.03 --+ A simplistic course from the GBA rendition of Mariokart. Do a sharp drift turn and Drift Boost around the first 180 degree turn to the left. Try to stay on the inside of the winding "S" curves that follow after this. Everything else is pretty straight forward, it's one of the easiest courses. ______________________________________________________________________________ +-- LUIGI CIRCUIT -------------------------------------------------- 0E.04 --+ Now we've reached the Gamecube tracks which can be a lot of fun to navigate. This track in particular features some nice large turns with Booster Pads, and an interesting section of the track you drive going one way, and then the other. Launch out of the starting gate and boost down the track. Try to stay to the right but not too far, when you approach the turn you'll be attacked by a chomp if you're too close to the right side. As you approach this turn start to drift and wiggle the D-Pad to get a Drift Boost going. Aim your direct toward the left side of the first Booster Pad. Hit it and keep drifting around through every other pad, finally letting go of your own boost after hitting each one of them and before hitting the final boost that launches you back down onto the centre track again. At the opposite end you'll find the exact same kind of turn once again. Use the exact same drifting strategy as the other one to maximize your speed to the finish line. ______________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ |~\/~~~~~~~\/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\/~~~~~~~\/~| | || || Retro Grand Prix || || | | || 0F.00 || -------- || 0F.00 || | | || || Banana Cup || || | |_||_______||____________________________________________________||_______||_| ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ +-- DONUT PLAINS 1 ------------------------------------------------ 0F.01 ---+ Another familiar SNES track is the Donut Plains 1, filled with turns and bridges and not much else. Let's begin out adventure into this track by boosting out of the start and Drift Boosting right across the bridge. Around the next corner is the level's first and only shortcut. Rather than turning right again and going around the large "U" shaped turn, you can use a Mushroom or Star to blast through the gap in the wall directly ahead of you. This is by far the best way to get ahead in the level. After that you've got three really big turns perfect for Drift Boosting to the finish line. ______________________________________________________________________________ +-- FRAPPE SNOWLAND ----------------------------------------------- 0F.02 ---+ The 64 version's track in this cup is Frappe Snowland, a fun course filled with all sorts of dangerous snowman obstacles. Also it's quite easy to drift off the side on the corners here, so try to Drift Boost early to avoid sliding too far. For the first few turns there is a usually a single snowman in your way on each corner, you should be able to control your car well enough while drifting to avoid them. As a side note, if you have any Mushrooms (or a Star) they should be used to cut across the snow on some of these corners. Most of them are about the same so you can be the judge of which corners are the best to cut, but it will in fact save you some time. Carefully navigate the large field of snowmen before the final stretch of track with walls on either side. There are a couple of good chances for a Drift Boost in here, like the large left turn for example. Lastly be careful not to fall off the edge of the bridge as you approach the finish line, there are no walls on the side. ______________________________________________________________________________ +-- BOWSER CASTLE 2 ----------------------------------------------- 0F.03 ---+ There are all sorts of crazy Booster Jumps populating this course, Booster Pads, and sharp turns-a-plenty. Drift Boost to the right around the first corner and try to say on the outer edge so that you can hit the Booster Pad coming out of the drift on the left side. The next turn is another one that goes around almost 180 degrees, great for drifting. Large whomp blocks will start pounding the ground ahead of you as well. When you reach the area with the boost jumps, avoid them here and use the Booster Pads on the side to save time. Directly on your right when you come to the corner is another Booster Pad, if you want to hit this you either have to drift really early or not at all. Make a sharp right and nail the boost if possible. For the rest of the course it's almost exclusively boost jumps. These jumps neither speed you or much, nor slow you down. I imagine there might be a slight difference, but it's barely noticeable. What is different however is hitting an actual "Booster Pad" rather than the jump, that will speed you up and you'll find a couple on the sides of the final stretch. There's one final corner for you to Drift Boost around and then it's a bad dash from there to the finish. ______________________________________________________________________________ +-- BABY PARK ----------------------------------------------------- 0F.04 ---+ Remember this course? The one so small that they had to increase the number of laps from three to five. There is only one tactic for this entire course and that's to use the Drift Boost around the corners as sharply as you possibly can. Start drifting early and spin yourself so that you're facing in the opposite direction before you reach the corner. Release the boost in the new direction as close to the middle divider as you can for maximum speed. Keep doing this over and over for each of the five laps to the finish. ______________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ |~\/~~~~~~~\/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\/~~~~~~~\/~| | || || Retro Grand Prix || || | | || 0G.00 || ------ || 0G.00 || | | || || Leaf Cup || || | |_||_______||____________________________________________________||_______||_| ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ +-- KOOPA BEACH 2 -------------------------------------------------- 0G.01 --+ The Koopa Beach is a track which takes place along a beach surrounding the inner barrier. Between the beach and the barrier is some rough terrain characterized by the green spots on it. The other thing you need to note is that while you can drive through light blue water, dark blue water is deep and will be considered an off-course if you fall into it. There on dangerous are is around the first couple of turns where you must navigate between the patches of deep water. Stick to the right and you'll find some item boxes. Besides that's it's just one big Drift Boost around the edge of the beach. ______________________________________________________________________________ +-- CHOCO MOUNTAIN ------------------------------------------------- 0G.02 --+ A winding track takes you up the chocolate mountain and around the perilous curves, falling rocks, and watery death-pits. The trick in this course is to Drift Boost constantly and quickly, without hitting the walls on the many short and sharp turns. When you reach the long left turn with the falling rocks, start drifting and drift around the entire thing, boosting only at the end when you straighten yourself out. If you fall off the left side here you want land off-course but rather on an earlier section of the track, so it's actually worse considering you have to drive all the way back. My final tip is that if you have a Mushroom )not so much a Star) to use it on the first of three large hills before the finish line and try to hop when you go over it. When any luck you'll totally clear at least one of them saving you time. ______________________________________________________________________________ +-- LUIGI CIRCUIT -------------------------------------------------- 0G.03 --+ The Luigi Circuit is one of the GBA courses, and easily my least favourite course in the game. There are many winding turns and it's not all that bad at first glance, but the lack of anything particularly interesting combined with those obnoxious water puddles all over the course designed to spin you out make for a pretty unpleasant trip. At the least the music is funky, fun and reminiscent of the floating city in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The Manhattan Project. Least that's what it always reminds me of. Anyway, as usual on simple courses like this, there aren't really any special shortcuts so finding good places to utilize the Drift Boost is key to winning the race. ______________________________________________________________________________ +-- MUSHROOM BRIDGE ------------------------------------------------ 0G.04 --+ This track comes from the Gamecube's Mariokart: Double Dash. For the most part the traffic is moving in the same direction you are so unless you're playing mirror mode you have only to avoid slow moving cars as you weave your way in and out. After the first turn and once you've been through the tunnel, the track's only shortcut becomes very apparent. Use a Mushroom or Star to boost up the dirt hill on your right, and then hop to the right before the edge to land back on course leading into the bridge. It's just a straight path from here to the finish line, Drift Boost, but watch out for traffic. ______________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ |~\/~~~~~~~\/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\/~~~~~~~\/~| | || || Retro Grand Prix || || | | || 0H.00 || ----------- || 0H.00 || | | || || Lightning Cup || || | |_||_______||____________________________________________________||_______||_| ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ +-- CHOCO ISLAND 2 ------------------------------------------------- 0H.01 --+ The Choco Mountain track from the SNES version of the game is jam packed with rough terrain and nasty Piranha Plants. The Piranha Plants are found mostly on the inside edge of some of the sharper turns, so while drifting do yourself a favour and slide out a little to avoid the plants. The bumps won't really slow you down all that much, but you'll still go faster if you hop over them instead. When you come to the large muddy area, try to drive toward the small patches of normal ground in the middle. The less time spent driving through the mud the better, and that way you'll also avoid the Piranha Plants. It's almost impossible to Drift Boost around a corner with the small bumps but you can try. If you can't manage to do it then just turn normal and try and hop over them whenever possible. The finish line comes just after this turn. ______________________________________________________________________________ +-- BANSHEE BOARDWALK ---------------------------------------------- 0H.02 --+ Opting against gradual curves and safe barriers on the sides, the ghost house is full of hard angle bends complete with a free fall into the ghastly waters at every turn. When you approach the ghost house you'll see a red arrow painted on the wall, but there's actually a shortcut you can take here. Go left instead of right and stick close to the left wall. The road ends and drops off ahead of you, but just before it does if you jump left you can land on safe ground and drive straight ahead to save some time. Drift Boost to the right immediately to avoid all the bats flying directly at you. Coming out of the haunted house it's no different than it was at the beginning of the race. If you're good you can actually drift through a good two thirds of this last section of the race and let loose a Drift Boost toward the finish line. ______________________________________________________________________________ +-- SKY GARDEN ----------------------------------------------------- 0H.03 --+ This is one of the few courses in the Retro Cup which actually offers a decent amount of shortcuts. Right at the beginning of the race when you go left, if you've got a Mushroom you can boost over the jump at the beginning and then hop across the clouds saving you some good time. After going around the next corner you get that chance again. If you've got a Mushroom or a Star hit the jump while angling yourself to the right so that you don't keep going over the edge. If you don't have a Star hit the actual Booster Jump and get the item in mid-air, but still angle yourself a bit to the right. After crossing the bridge you'll turn left, and then make a big "U" turn to the right. After coming out of this "U" turn look to your left and there's a cloud you can jump across to circumvent the second bridge. Make a left on the other side and drive off toward the finish. Combine all three shortcuts for record time. ______________________________________________________________________________ +-- YOSHI CIRCUIT -------------------------------------------------- 0H.04 --+ The final course in the game is the Yoshi Circuit, a familiar track from the Gamecube version. The track is wide and the turns are big, allowing you to really let loose with the Drift Boosts. If you're got a Mushroom or Star with you then you'll have the opportunity to take advantage of a great shortcut almost right away. Turn right out of the starting gate and then left, but don't turn again. Instead use a Mushroom to boost over the grass under the arch when you're angled a little bit to the right, this will save an enormous amount of time. It's really the course's only shortcut so for the rest of the race you can use Mushrooms to cut corners a little closer if that's what you want. Remember to drift like mad here, the course is designed for it. ______________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ |~\/~~~~~~~\/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\/~~~~~~~\/~| | || 0I.00 || Battle Mode || 0I.00 || | |_||_______||____________________________________________________||_______||_| ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ There isn't a lot I can say about Battle Mode that isn't already entirely self-evident by just playing the mode itself. There are two ways to play. The first is Balloon Battle which is the traditional battle. Each player has three Balloons and will lose one whenever they are hit by an item, spun out, etc. Last player with any Balloons remaining wins. Shine Runners is closer to a more "capture the flag" style game where the winner is the person who collects the most Shines either by finding them or stealing them from other players. The arenas in Battle Mode are not the racing stages from the game but rather special enclosed areas designed specifically for combat. ____________________________________________________________________________ |~\/~~~~~~~\/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\/~~~~~~~\/~| | || 0J.00 || Online Play || 0J.00 || | |_||_______||____________________________________________________||_______||_| ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ +-- INTRODUCTION --------------------------------------------------- 0J.01 --+ I must admit that I haven't had the chance to play online more than once or twice, so forgive me if my familiarity with this subject seems somewhat limited. I imagine that besides the people who are having trouble connecting, most of the information they would be looking for is already found elsewhere in the guide. The guide currently offers tips and shortcuts for each race, and online play is nothing more than racing the game's normal tracks against other players around the world (including your friends of course.) There are a total of 20 tracks you can play when going online. I'll outline the basics of how to get connected, and like I said, when it comes to actual tips for playing the courses online, it's all found elsewhere in this guide. ______________________________________________________________________________ +-- GETTING CONNECTED ---------------------------------------------- 0J.02 --+ In order to play online you must meet one of the following three conditions. You must either have a compatible wireless router connected to the internet in your home or office. If not then you must have the official Nintendo Wifi USB connector thing which can be ordered online from Nintendo's website. If this isn't an option then you can drive to one of the many wireless "Hotspots" in both Canada and the United States and get online from there. For those taking the router route, here is a list of compatible routers (as it says on the site, not every router is listed here. If yours isn't then there's still a good chance it works, they just haven't tested it yet.) http://www.nintendowifi.com/consumerservice/routerSetup.do If you're going the USB route, this is what you will need: Information - http://ds.ign.com/articles/665/665128p1.html Purchase ---- http://tinyurl.com/d8hh2 If you're going the Hotspot route, here a list of hotspots: http://www.nintendowifi.com/hotspots/searchHotSpot.do ______________________________________________________________________________ +-- PLAYING ONLINE ------------------------------------------------- 0J.03 --+ There are two primary ways to play online, you can either search for players randomly, or search for your friends. To search for anyone to play against simply choose Nintendo WFC Match and select something like Regional, or Worldwide. The rest happens automatically from there. If you want to play against your friends then you'll have to enter their "Friend Code." Select Friend Code and enter their Friend Code there. You can see your own in "Confirm Friend Code" and then give that to people yourself. Once you have entered a Friend Code, and that person has entered yours they will be officially added to your list and you will be able to play online against them in an online match. If you want to play multiplayer against someone in the same room as you, just go to Multiplayer, you need not be online. ______________________________________________________________________________ +-- READ BEFORE YOU PLAY ONLINE ------------------------------------ 0J.04 --+ This is the typical "etiquette" section that everyone should read since most of it relates specifically to Mariokart DS. First of all you have to remember that "Snaking" as I described it earlier is a common technique to encounter online, and if you don't like it there's absolutely NOTHING you can do about it. Well that's not quite correct. You can learn to Snake, you can win the match anyway through normal racing techniques and skillful item use, or you can just... not even think about it. Remember that a hell of a lot of people on there still don't bother with Snaking. If it really offends you then simply wait till the match is over, and go find another game. This brings us right into our next point, and the number one problem with Mariokart DS online. It's not Snaking, it's disconnecting. I'm talking about people who disconnect in the middle of a race when they realize they aren't going to win so that they can maintain a better win/loss ratio. I don't even know what to say to this besides suck it up. The win/loss thing isn't a big deal at all, it doesn't matter what your ratio is, if you kick someone's ass in a race it'll be just as good either way. Don't disconnect until the race is over. I realize, and so do most, that some people's routers are perfect and will disconnect periodically. Just avoid doing it intentionally. That about covers it. There's even more stuff you can read if you check out REX ROMANI's sticky topic on the GameFAQs Mariokart DS message board, linked here. http://boards.gamefaqs.com/gfaqs/gentopic.php?board=920788 Hopefully it's still there when you read this, but if not, at least the basics have been covered. You should have no trouble getting online and having fun. ______________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ |~\/~~~~~~~\/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\/~~~~~~~\/~| | || 0K.00 || Unlockables || 0K.00 || | |_||_______||____________________________________________________||_______||_| ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ +-- Unlockables ---------------------------------------------------- 0K.01 --+ Check the Codes & Secrets section on GameFAQs for recent updated list. ____________________________________________________________________________ |+======================++==================================================+| || UNLOCKABLE || UNLOCKED BY || ||======================||==================================================|| || Star Cup || Win gold on Mushroom Cup and Flower Cup || ||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------|| || Special Cup || Win gold on Star Cup || ||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------|| || Leaf Cup || Win gold on Shell Cup and Banana Cup || ||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------|| || Lightning Cup || Win gold on Leaf Cup || ||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------|| || Mirror Mode || Win gold on every Retro Grand Prix 150cc || ||______________________||__________________________________________________|| +----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ ____________________________________________________________________________ |+======================++==================================================+| || UNLOCKABLE || UNLOCKED BY || ||======================||==================================================|| || Dry Bones || Win gold on every Nitro Grand Prix 50cc || ||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------|| || Daisy || Win gold on every Retro Grand Prix 50cc || ||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------|| || Waluigi || Win gold on every Retro Grand Prix 100cc || ||----------------------||--------------------------------------------------|| || R.O.B. || Win gold on every Retro 150cc Mirror Mode || ||______________________||__________________________________________________|| +----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ ______________________________________________________________________________ +-- STAFF GHOSTS --------------------------------------------------- 0K.02 --+ Staff Ghosts are special ghosts that can be unlocked in Time Trial mode by getting good times on each course. Similar to F-Zero GX, staff ghosts are the ghost data of the game's developers who can obviously play the game quite well, so beaing able to beat even one (if not all) of the Staff Ghosts is quite a feat. To unlock them you must do so one at a time. Race a course in time trial mode and if you come within about five to seven seconds of the actual Staff Ghost time (times are listed in the chart below) then that particualr ghost is unlocked and you can race against it in Time Trial. ____________________________________________________________________________ |+========================++==========++========================++==========+| || MUSHROOM CUP || TIME || FLOWER CUP || TIME || ||========================||==========||========================||==========|| || FIGURE-8 CIRCUIT || 1:36:481 || DESERT HILLS || 1:31:262 || ||------------------------||----------||------------------------||----------|| || YOSHI FALLS || 0:57:677 || DEFINO SQUARE || 1:54:601 || ||------------------------||----------||------------------------||----------|| || CHEEP CHEEP BEACH || 1:43:654 || WALUIGI PINBALL || 2:23:288 || ||------------------------||----------||------------------------||----------|| || LUIGI'S MANSION || 1:59:357 || SHROOM RIDGE || 2:05:123 || ||________________________||__________||________________________||__________|| +----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ ____________________________________________________________________________ |+========================++==========++========================++==========+| || STAR CUP || TIME || SPECIAL CUP || TIME || ||========================||==========||========================||==========|| || DK Pass || 2:14:607 || Wario Stadium || 2:14:868 || ||------------------------||----------||------------------------||----------|| || Tick-Tock Clock || 1:54:903 || Peach Gardens || 1:52:989 || ||------------------------||----------||------------------------||----------|| || Mario Circuit || 1:56:553 || Bowser Castle || 2:19:661 || ||------------------------||----------||------------------------||----------|| || Airship Fortress || 2:07:748 || Rainbow Road || 2:16:246 || ||________________________||__________||________________________||__________|| +----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ ____________________________________________________________________________ |+========================++==========++========================++==========+| || SHELL CUP || TIME || BANANA CUP || TIME || ||========================||==========||========================||==========|| || Mario Circuit 1 || 0:50:688 || Donut Plains 1 || 1:08:027 || ||------------------------||----------||------------------------||----------|| || Moo Moo Farm || 1:17:751 || Frappe Snowland || 2:08:781 || ||------------------------||----------||------------------------||----------|| || Peach Circuit || 1:12:011 || Bowser Castle 2 || 1:52:258 || ||------------------------||----------||------------------------||----------|| || Luigi Circuit || 1:29:759 || Baby Park || 0:50:920 || ||________________________||__________||________________________||__________|| +----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ ____________________________________________________________________________ |+========================++==========++========================++==========+| || LEAF CUP || TIME || LIGHTNING CUP || TIME || ||========================||==========||========================||==========|| || Koopa Beach 2 || 0:54:847 || Choco Island 2 || 1:01:620 || ||------------------------||----------||------------------------||----------|| || Choco Mountain || 2:15:571 || Banshee Boardwalk || 2:14:403 || ||------------------------||----------||------------------------||----------|| || Luigi Circuit || 1:46:581 || Sky Garden || 1:44:400 || ||------------------------||----------||------------------------||----------|| || Mushroom Bridge || 1:30:600 || Yoshi Circuit || 1:48:793 || ||________________________||__________||________________________||__________|| +----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ ______________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ |~\/~~~~~~~\/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\/~~~~~~~\/~| | || 09.00 || Kart Statistics || 09.00 || | |_||_______||____________________________________________________||_______||_| ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ +============================================================================+ | MARIO 09.A0 | +============================================================================+ +-- B BASHER ----------------------------------------------------------------+ _____________________________ SPEED -------------------/____________________________/_______ ACCELERATION ------------/___________________________________/_ WEIGHT ------------------/____________________________________/ HANDLING ----------------/_________________________/_ DRIFT -------------------/__________________________/_________________________ ITEMS -------------------/___________________________________________________/ +-- STANDARD MR -------------------------------------------------------------+ ________________________________ SPEED -------------------/_______________________________/____ ACCELERATION ------------/___________________________________/ WEIGHT ------------------/_______________________________/ HANDLING ----------------/____________________________/ DRIFT -------------------/____________________________/_____ ITEMS -------------------/_________________________________/ +-- SHOOTING STAR -----------------------------------------------------------+ ____________________________________ SPEED -------------------/___________________________________/____ ACCELERATION ------------/_______________________________________/ WEIGHT ------------------/________________________/________ HANDLING ----------------/________________________________/ DRIFT -------------------/_______________________________/ ITEMS -------------------/_________________/ +============================================================================+ | LUIGI 09.B0 | +============================================================================+ +-- POLTERGEIST 4000 --------------------------------------------------------+ _______________________________________ SPEED -------------------/______________________________________/_ ACCELERATION ------------/_______________________________________/ WEIGHT ------------------/________________________/_______________ HANDLING ----------------/_______________________________________/ DRIFT -------------------/__________________/ ITEMS -------------------/__________________/ +-- STANDARD LG -------------------------------------------------------------+ ______________________________________ SPEED -------------------/_____________________________________/_ ACCELERATION ------------/______________________________________/ WEIGHT ------------------/_________________________________/____ HANDLING ----------------/_____________________________________/ DRIFT -------------------/_________________/________________ ITEMS -------------------/_________________________________/ +-- STREAMLINER -------------------------------------------------------------+ ___________________________________ SPEED -------------------/__________________________________/__ ACCELERATION ------------/____________________________________/__ WEIGHT ------------------/______________________________________/ HANDLING ----------------/___________________________________/ DRIFT -------------------/_______________/____________________________________ ITEMS -------------------/___________________________________________________/ +============================================================================+ | PEACH 09.C0 | +============================================================================+ +-- ROYALE ------------------------------------------------------------------+ _____________________ SPEED -------------------/____________________/_______________ ACCELERATION ------------/___________________________________/____ WEIGHT ------------------/_______________________________________/ HANDLING ----------------/_____________________/__________________________ DRIFT -------------------/_______________________________________________/____ ITEMS -------------------/___________________________________________________/ +-- STANDARD PC -------------------------------------------------------------+ _______________________ SPEED -------------------/______________________/________________ ACCELERATION ------------/______________________________________/ WEIGHT ------------------/_________________________________/ HANDLING ----------------/________________________/_________________________ DRIFT -------------------/_________________________________________________/ ITEMS -------------------/___________________________________/ +-- LIGHT TRIPPER -----------------------------------------------------------+ __________________________ SPEED -------------------/_________________________/_____________ ACCELERATION ------------/______________________________________/ WEIGHT ------------------/__________________________/ HANDLING ----------------/_________________________/__________________________ DRIFT -------------------/___________________________________________________/ ITEMS -------------------/__________________/ +============================================================================+ | YOSHI 09.D0 | +============================================================================+ +-- EGG 1 -------------------------------------------------------------------+ _______________________________ SPEED -------------------/______________________________/________________ ACCELERATION ------------/______________________________________________/ WEIGHT ------------------/_______________________/______________________ HANDLING ----------------/_____________________________________________/ DRIFT -------------------/____________________/ ITEMS -------------------/________________/ +-- STANDARD YS -------------------------------------------------------------+ _____________________________ SPEED -------------------/____________________________/__________________ ACCELERATION ------------/______________________________________________/ WEIGHT ------------------/__________________________________/________ HANDLING ----------------/__________________________________________/ DRIFT -------------------/____________________/______________ ITEMS -------------------/__________________________________/ +-- CUCUMBER --------------