Rated: E as in
Elegant Elephant Election
Price: $34.99,
as in $.01 less then $35
System: DS
This game will be rated on a 5-star scale, 5 being “WOW!” and 0 being “NOOOOOOOOOOOO!”
Graphics: *****
This game is picture perfect, from the blue checkerboard menu screen, to a single hair on Luigi’s mustache. Or from the pixel grass in Koopa Beach to the boards of wood on the Air Fortress. The game couldn’t have had better graphics.
Music: ***1/2
Umm… It was okay… It isn’t something I’d like stuck in my head all day. I like many of the Classic Tracks' original songs, like Sky Garden. The other best songs are the main menu song and all of the non-themed tracks (Figure 8 Circuit, Mario Circuit).
Characters: ****
They have all the Mario Gang, along with Bowser and Donkey Kong. There are also four unlockable characters, like Waluigi, Daisy, and two others that I won’t spoil. Also, on download play, the gameless-gamers play as Shy Guys. I would’ve liked to see some new characters be able to drive. We’ll just have to wait for Ludwig to turn 16 until we see a Koopaling in the driver’s seat. Bullet Bill and Blooper also make their first appearances as items.
Controls: *****
Controls are extremely easy to use, as they are the same as in every other Mario game. A to accelerate, B to break, L to use items, R to jump. Also, the Y or X button (which one I forget) lets you change the map that’s on the bottom screen.
Items: *****
I was really impressed with the item selection. The classic Shells, Mushrooms, Bananas, Stars, and Lightning are still there! Bob-ombs are usable by all players now. There are also two new items, Bloopers and Bullet Bills. Bloopers squirt all the screens of racers ahead of you. It’s efficient against Computers, but Human players can get through it easily. Remember in Mario Kart Double Dash, the Babies’ Chain Chomp? That is what the Bullet Bills do! They turn you into a Bullet Bill and blast you down the track, knocking out any racers in the way.
Tracks: ****
I liked how they split the tracks from new ones to older ones. However, I would make a different choice for some of the older tracks. There were some unique ideas, placing one track on the Air Fortress, making a pinball course, and one of my favorites, Peach Garden. This was like a mansion’s front yard, racing along fountains, through hedge mazes, and getting chased by Chain Chomps. However, some were less unique, and disappointed me. In Yoshi Falls, you just race in a circle. I’m getting tired of all of the Wario Stadiums, and I’m also getting bored of simple snow tracks. Retro brought back the past in fashion. I liked a few of the returns, like Sky Garden, Koopa Beach, and Banshee Boardwalk. However, Luigi’s Circuit, Yoshi’s Circuit, and Mushroom Bridge didn’t please me at all. Mushroom City, Daisy’s Cruise, and Wario Coliseum would’ve added much more flavor. Ribbon Road, Sherbet Land, and Yoshi Valley could’ve made the game more interesting, too. As for Battle tracks, a haunted rooftop is a great place for a battlefield, and, HOORAY! The Block Fort is back!
Modes: ***1/2
The modes get a three and a half, as Grand Prix and Vs. stayed basically the same as usual, except that in Versus, eight people can race, and you can race as teams! Battle Mode is a favorite, as eight people can play in it too, including Computers! However, what drags this down is Mission Mode. They give you missions, like driving through the gates, collecting a number of coins, and battling bosses. It is absolutely useless, and you don’t get anything for doing it!
DS-DS Multiplayer: *****
DS to DS multiplayer gets five stars, as up to eight people can play, and you can go to any single track. This gives hours and hours of fun, and is the best multiplayer mode in a Mario Kart game to come yet!
Wi-Fi: **
Everyone has heard how “great” and “awesome” Mario Kart DS Wi-Fi is. Hearing about it, I HAD to try it. Like usual, I had high expectations. The Wi-Fi set-up is good, just log in and choose a group. The groups are Regional, Rival, Beginner, and Worldwide. Then, you wait for the flashing green light. When it turns yellow, you can start to play. When I started, Wi-Fi fell immediately. You vote on which out of the selected tracks you want to use. None of my favorites are even on it, except for maybe one or two. And this isn’t even the worst part! The difficulty is horrible. You either play extremely good players, or horrible ones. The extremely good ones usually have Japanese/Chinese names, and their people seem to disappear every second, then reappear way ahead of you. It looks really cheap! Then, when you play the ones who aren’t that good, they give up immediately! It makes me extremely angry that such spoiled people go on it just to quit if they lose. And this isn’t only one or twice, it’s ALL the TIME!
Fun Factor!: ****
Other than Wi-Fi and a few ordinary tracks, Mario Kart DS is a fun game for a while. All games get boring after you play them a lot, though. DS to DS Versus and Battle Mode is the reason to keep this game.
Overall: *** ¾
Mario Kart DS is a game not to be missed. It could’ve been improved, but just learn to live with what you have, and get the fun out of it. Do NOT get this game just for the Wi-Fi. Get it for DS to DS mode, if you know a friend who has one. In the end, Mario Kart DS has become equal, and stands proudly as another successful Mario Kart game.
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