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Underground > Games & Gameplay >

Mario Kart DS

ORA ORA ORA ORAAAA!!

05:45 / 17.11.05

This game is awesome. I am, sadly, still slightly less than awesome, because I've only had the chance to play two grand prix.

However, I've tested out the wireless mode, and it's incredibly easy to set up, find some people to play with, and get horribly beaten because you don't know how to powerslide.

Graphically, it's pretty similar to the n64 version, though some of the gba tracks look terrible, comparitively (which is weird - I think they just used the same low-res textures).

The new courses (that I've seen so far) are all gorgeous, Waluigi's pinball is my current favourite.

Um, what else?

Every character starts out with two karts by default, which generally aren't significantly different. Karts now have an item rating, which basically determines your chance of getting a 'special' item, like a string of bananas, instead of a single banana, which is very important when you're sitting in first place for the entire race.

Also, wireless internet play, damnit. If anyone wants to race me, my friends code is 416671328643.

I look forward to meeting you in honourable combat, Barbelith.

12:37 / 17.11.05

How does the handling compare to the other games in the series? I'm in the minority that considers MK64's model to be more enjoyable than the SNES original, so I was a bit disappointed when they made a big point of having returned to the earlier style with the GBA game.

My biggest concern is whether they've continued to tighten the courses up to the point where they're no fun. I had a laugh with Double Dash for the first week or so, but after everything had been opened up there was remarkably little point in carrying on playing, even in multiplayer. Stray any sort of distance from the track and you'd be stopped and placed back on it, forbidding any of the exploration or glitching that makes MK64 worth returning to a decade later.

ORA ORA ORA ORAAAA!!

13:21 / 17.11.05

It's hard to compare the handling between this and the cube/64 versions, because you're back to a d-pad, which is a big change.

Also, it's hard to compare because each kart in this game seems to handle completely differently - Yoshi's Standard is a pretty quick turner, with a short distance between front and back wheels, while his Cucumber is a ponderous machine, with a big wheel base, and... well, it's weird, handling wise. It doesn't drift properly.

However, there's heaps of shortcuts, and the new levels are pretty good. I've only been put back on track for trying something out once, when I wanted to drive through deep water with my star on, to take off a huge chunk of one of the beach levels. It didn't let me, which is fair enough, because I was in the dark 'No Karting' water.

I'm never very good at finding shortcuts, but the new map system helps, if you can tear your eyes away from the top screen for a while (sometimes you have to) - in one mode, the bottom screen is entirely usable to race with, being about equivalent to the old Iron Man pc game, in terms of information you have available to you. Except for the scrolling around, rather than having the whole level, I guess.

In the other mode, you have an overview of the entire map, with everyone's positions in it, but I don't use it, because the other mode shows the area you're in, all the terrain, all the other drivers, and all the powerups/objects on the field. It can make for some stunning dodges of green shells, because now you can see which direction they're coming from, and avoid them much better.

Anyway, I'm having much more fun with this than I did with the previous portable incarnation, though I'm having trouble getting used to holding the DS - I just bought mine yesterday, and I don't have the sinewy fingers of the seasoned gamer at the moment.

I am pleased that my nintendo thumb is coming back, though. I'll have callouses the size of my big toe, by the time I disembark at Heathrow in a few days...

Also, I'm going to revise my 'graphically like the N64 version', as the unlockable new levels are as visually complex as, and comparable to, the cube version, though smaller, obviously.

18:21 / 24.11.05

Got it today and have been playing pretty solidly for a few hours.

It's good! Very relieved - had suspected that I was going to be a bit disappointed after the relative boredom of the Cube game and not really getting along with the handling on the GBA game, but that's not the case. Feels very much like the N64 game to me - snappy handling, great drifting. Not sure why they've made the drift boost easier to pull off, only requiring two opposite lock switches instead of three, but I can live with that.

The courses are what's surprised me the most. I'd already seen the list of old ones in the Retro cups, so I knew what to expect there, but the new ones are just as good. You can see why they've left out some of the more famous ones from the Retro cup, with the new ones including chicanes and turns that are ripped straight from them. Bits of Mario Circuit, for example, are exactly the same as in the N64 game's Mario Raceway.

Shame that they've decided to base the new Wario Stadium on the crappy Cube one, rather than the infinitely superior N64 version, mind. That *is* a little disappointing.

It is a difficult game to find a comfortable holding position for, you're right. It's having to have both shoulder buttons within easy reach that causes the problem and makes you stretch your hands into odd shapes. I think I've come up with a way that lets you keep the responsiveness while also being far less painful now. Let the bottom of the DS sit/balance on your little fingers, have your trigger fingers over both shoulders and use the remaining two to support it. Not had a problem since I started to play it that way.

Haven't tried the online mode out yet, other than to check that it works and get my friends code: 021534813096.

17:41 / 25.11.05

Boo. For some unknown reason, they've taken out the ability to hold a weapon behind your kart for use as a temporary shield from the online multiplayer game. This decision baffles me, as it's been one of the fundamental strategies of the series ever since the second game and is still present in both the single player races and the offline multiplayer. It's a change that manages to make the races slightly less enjoyable than they would be otherwise.

Suedey! SHOT FOR MEAT!

21:27 / 25.11.05

From all I've heard/read/seen it's something to do with not wanting to cause lag... or... I think people might be making that up. Who knows.

Got it today! Much impressed, but haven't mnaged to get the online action going yet. Soon.

semioticrobotic

21:39 / 25.11.05

From all I've heard/read/seen it's something to do with not wanting to cause lag

This is what I've heard, too, but I am trying to find proof that it's Nintendo's official stance. I know the fear of lag was a reason for only allowing some tracks to be playable in multiplayer mode.

14:04 / 26.11.05

Friend code: 339362512863

I've not managed to get three other people together, even on Worldwide; I get two but then they drop out. Gits.

Suedey! SHOT FOR MEAT!

15:53 / 26.11.05

Friend code: 094549383766

ORA ORA ORA ORAAAA!!

17:23 / 26.11.05

it's often easier to get people on regional than worldwide, because, I guess, you're in the right time zone, etc. And worldwide doesn't pick up people who are next door in regional mode, either.

I've kind of given up online racing, I keep coming up against people with Japanese names, and they destroy me, it's embarrasing. I've been trying to get gold on all the 150cc courses and also master various disparate kart styles (DK with the robo-lg-something is fun, probably the best heavy combo I've played, but I avoid bowser like the plague. Dry bones is a great character to race with, but Yoshi is still my favourite).

I cannot get myself to the level that I can win all courses with all drivers. Environmental conditions keep defeating me.

Also, E. Randius, that's the grip I came to eventually, too, but it feels a bit precarious. Last time I played I used the normal grip, and just didn't play for too long.

You're all on my list, and I'll be on intermittently this evening, so I hope to see how friends mode works tonight.

Oh, and with regards to the holding things behind you in online, I can't do it, but several times I've shot people (with Japanese names, which might be a key) and had the shell hit something on the back of their kart (something invisible to me) and die. It's not fun, but they may just have mastered the art of leaving a green/red shell behind at just the right time.

Suedey! SHOT FOR MEAT!

17:44 / 26.11.05

Whee!

Suedey! SHOT FOR MEAT!

17:52 / 26.11.05

It is unlikely that I'm going to remain in any way coherent, but this evening I've participated in some of the best games of Mario Kart I've had in a long, long while.

It's also the first time I've ever been online with any game I actually own, and it's all jolly fun and simple. A bit too simple, perhaps, but it works so smoothly I can almost forgive it. At least, in the first heady rush on enthusiasm, I'm sure it'll come to grate more in future.

I'm pretty sure you can't hold items behind you... but you can time that green shell just right, so that pesky red shell doesn't scupper you on the finish line. Ah, good times.

Looking forward to arranging some decent barbelith match ups! And I'm sure we can work out *some* way to conduct a mini tournament...

ORA ORA ORA ORAAAA!!

08:05 / 27.11.05

A good draw, well fought, Suedey.

Next time I won't be distracted when my girlfriend's aunt comes in and talks to me... heh.

I am in favour of a mini tournament, but the logistics of it seem difficult. perhaps just a table of who has beaten who (with 2nd beating 3rd, etc)?

19:53 / 27.11.05

425261 945179 is me.

It's good, isn't it? Enjoying it a lot. I've added you to friend lists, so maybe we should arrange a time for some four-ways?

12:32 / 30.11.05

I haven't got a DS, but caught a cheeky peek over a chaps shoulder in the tube when he was playing MK. And I'm sure I saw...

CHOCCO MOUNTAIN!!!!!

OMG! I love that level on the N64. Hours of fun playing against friends and seeing a substantial lead ruined on the last bend by falling off the edge, or sticking to the walls.

I might have to get it just for that track...

12:44 / 30.11.05

Yup, Choco Mountain is in. There are sixteen tracks in the "Nitro" division (four cups, four tracks each), they're the new ones. And then there are the old ones. For those of you without the game, the retro tracks are:

Shell Cup:
Mario Circuit 1 - Super Nintendo
Moo Moo Farm - N64
Peach Circuit - Game Boy Advance
Luigi Circuit - GameCube

Banana Cup:
Donut Plains 1 - Super Nintendo
Frappe Snowland - N64
Bowser Castle 2 - Game Boy Advance
Baby Park - GameCube

Leaf Cup:
Koopa Beach 2 - Super Nintendo
Choco Mountain - N64
Luigi Circuit - Game Boy Advance
Mushroom Bridge - GameCube

Lightning Cup:
Choco Island 2 - Super Nintendo
Banshee Boardwalk - N64
Sky Garden - Game Boy Advance
Yoshi Circuit - GameCube

Personally, I'm in love with Yoshi Circuit from that lot.

13:18 / 30.11.05

You can still stick to the walls in Choco Mountain. They've removed the sneaky bounce shortcut from it, though, which is a bit of a shame. It was random enough to pull off successfully for it to ever become annoying. Banshee Boardwalk's just as enjoyable, although I've yet to see that in the online multiplayer.

The online is amazingly smooth and easy to use, but I'm becoming increasingly annoyed with its limitations. You can't specify which of your friends you want to be matched with, making tournaments impossible to organise properly. You can't ivite friends in to games, not even when you've finished a set of four - instead, you have to quit out, then start searching again. You can't even see which of your friends are online.

What it really should have had included is some way of allowing communication with people on your friends list. It wouldn't even need to be voice chat - the DS has Pictochat built into it, the game could have used that.

I think they've messed up the weapons balance a little bit, too. They're not truly random any more - each character now has a weapons stat, just as with acceleration, top speed, etc., that defines how likely they are to grab the more powerful items. It throws multiplayer out of balance, especially when you're in one-on-one races.

15:48 / 30.11.05

Getting major nostalgia cramps now, after that list....

semioticrobotic

22:08 / 05.12.05

Sorry if this is getting off topic.

Can someone help me understand how the friends codes work? Do you get to keep the same code across all games you play online (i.e., you could type my friend code to find me in Animal Crossing OR Mario Kart DS)? Or do you get a new code related to each game you play? I'm having trouble finding clear answer in online literature.

22:41 / 05.12.05

You get a new code with each game. I think it takes some info from the gamecard, some from the DS and mixes the two up to create a 'unique' identifier. 'Swhy you can't then use that card on a different DS for online play without deleting the code and creating a new one.

semioticrobotic

01:25 / 06.12.05

I'm not really sure I understand the logic behind that system, but it's better than having no identifier at all, I suppose. Looks like I will be in the market for a stack of notecards to help me keep track of all the different strings of numerals I'll receive from every wifi enabled game I'll eventually collect.

10:26 / 06.12.05

You can check out your friend code in the game menus. You don't have to do anything to generate it, either.

One of the reasons for going down this route is to allow people to change their tags depending on the game they're playing. Even within the games themselves they're not static things - Mario Kart, at least, lets you change your visible name whenever you want. It prevents Nintendo having to put a system in place preventing people from trying to register a gamertag that's already in use and, I'd imagine, not have to worry so much about taking action against people who use offensive tags. Plus, it's probably easier to go down this route given that it's a free system without any complex registration system.

Suedey! SHOT FOR MEAT!

15:12 / 06.12.05

I think we should start organising some play times for this!

When's good for people?

semioticrobotic

20:21 / 06.12.05

It prevents Nintendo having to put a system in place preventing people from trying to register a gamertag that's already in use and, I'd imagine, not have to worry so much about taking action against people who use offensive tags.

Ah. I see this now. It seems like a smart plan, now that I have better understanding of how these things work.

Tom Tit's Tot: A Girl!

20:36 / 11.12.05

My little brother is in the country and he brought his DS and Mario Kart... so what do I need to hook up to my home network? Is it a special DS adapter, or just a wifi for the PC?

21:38 / 11.12.05

It will connect to any standard wifi link.

I had to copy some settings across from my computer when I used it at home, though. nintendowifi.com has fairly good troubleshooting guides.

nedrichards is confused

13:47 / 30.12.05

My friend code: 339364751771 but I'm still a bit poor, haven't really played a Mario kart game since the SNES and loving it so far.

semioticrobotic

23:32 / 01.01.06

I'm

274939
997882

if anyone wants to race a total screwup. I've friended you all, but haven't seen anyone looking for games recently.

julius has no imagination

06:52 / 07.04.06

*bump*

Anybody still playing? Just got one yesterday. Friend code 365140-739153 - anyone want a really easy win? I'm a total n00b, as they say.