The best wireless wheeled plumber fun money can buy.
Two words. Just two little words. It's hard to imagine, but a mere two
tiny words uttered in room packed with the right people can bring about the most
heated of debates. See for yourself. Try walking into a room full of gamers,
mentioning Mario Kart, and witness an ensuing argument of almighty proportions.
The SNES original? The two home console sequels? Or perhaps the first
game's adaptation on GBA, Super Circuit? Heck, was Double Dash even
a good game at all? Opinion seems divided. Whatever your view on the
best ever Mario Kart game, though (and we all know it's the N64 version)
one thing is an absolute, undeniable and irrevocable certainty that
we'd stake our golden mushrooms on...
Every man and his moustache should love Mario Kart DS.
Nintendo delivers
As the progenitor of cutesy kart based racers, the Mario Kart brand
is an understandably huge deal for DS owners. And Nintendo have delivered
on the expectation in a fashion fitting for Santa himself. Unlike the
marmite gameplay of GameCube Double Dash, Mario Kart DS should appeal
to the broadest base of fans the series has seen in some time.
At its heart, Mario Kart DS is a Greatest Hits compilation of past
MK titles, with an added bonus boost of some handy new content. Most
notable is the handling, which sits perfectly between the N64's hopping
and the drift control that made the SNES original such a delight to
play. This will come as a relief to gamers that favoured the old-style
handling, and shunned Double Dash for falling to far from the first
game's fundamental feel.
A Greatest Hits compilation of past MK titles, with an added bonus boost of some handy new Content.
That
isn't to say however, that the DS release lacks the content introduced
in Double Dash. Indeed, the main Grand Prix mode is made up of eight
cups encompassing 32 tracks, of which 16 are classic circuits from Mario
Kart games gone by. The other 16 meanwhile are all-new affairs that
retain the quality we've come to expect from the shortcut-laden series,
making for a stellar selection to race around.
Another new addition for DS Mario Kart is the inventive Mission Mode
that adds an element to the game along the lines of Crazy Taxi's Crazy
Box mode. There are 54 challenges, ranging from collecting coins while
racing to navigating circuits in reverse and even bashing bosses off
a set arena. While complimenting the Grand Prix option, those delving
into Missions will find it also augments their basic driving skills
by emphasising strategic use of the game's intrinsic power-ups and boost
ability, making the mode essential to anyone wanting to access the game's
unlockable content.
Unlockable goodies
And there certainly is a lot of it. New karts and characters are revealed
as progress is made in cups on each of the three speed settings. Following
the natural learning curve of the series, the higher the speed class
goes, the harder the challenge becomes and the greater also the rewards.
So, while the initial play at 50cc on the Mushroom Cup may yield little
challenge and the odd fresh face here and there, later success at 150cc
will bring with it access to the speediest of rides and the most convoluted
of the game's courses to master.
Of course, multiplayer is the best reason to master the courses on
any MK game. Seeing a friend's reaction to a well timed green shell
has always been the defining moment of any given Mario Kart, and that's
made even sweeter on DS by game sharing that allows eight players wireless
multiplayer linkup off just a single cartridge.
The true selling point of Mario Kart DS however is its wireless online
play. With Nintendo's much-vaunted 7,500 wireless hotspots dotted throughout
the country (most notably in branches of McDonald's) it offers the premier
online experience on any handheld to date. Or at least it would if it
worked as intended. Alas, for all of its ambition - and it is a truly
wonderful title to have in any machine's online portfolio - the online
option proves to also offer the game's biggest flaw.
The biggest reason for Nintendo's dual screen machine moving into must-have territory.
Unfortunately,
Wi Fi connection does seem to be more than a little hit and miss, and
most won't access the online function first time. Finding friends online
is also more complicated than it should be; relying on a Friend Code
system that echoes Nintendo's family friendly values but also gets in
the way of an easy access experience. Despite these flaws however, the
act of racing online itself is a truly unique and fun experience, and
the biggest reason for Nintendo's dual screen machine moving into must-have
territory.
Highly recommended
It really is hard not to recommend Mario Kart DS to any self respecting
DS owner. A truly picky player may cite the Battle Mode's weak multiplayer
maps, and an especially large handed individual will take an obvious
dislike to the miniature buttoned control setup that uses A to accelerate
and the awkward shoulder buttons to drift and fire weapons. Yet Mario
Kart veterans will delight in the new tactics afforded by the bottom
screen's overhead map that displays anything in their karts near vicinity,
and gives prompt warning of opponent overtaking manoeuvres, or of potentially
hazardous damage-dealing power-ups to be avoided.
As handheld gaming goes, there are few franchises as suitable as Mario
Kart, and even less that produce a portable release with content and
gameplay pitched so close to perfection. Mario Kart DS is nothing short
of the DS's killer app: a game that races so far ahead of the field
that only past games in the series deserve to be seen on the same stretch
of road. Many will claim it to be the best Mario Kart so far, others
will delight in it for the peerless portable title that it is and settle
their arguments on the track. Whatever the opinion, all will agree that
Mario Kart DS is a must-have handheld title, and one of the finest releases
of 2005. And we agree too.
We'll see you online.
Review by: Mark Scott
Review Published: 15.12.05