0ur opinion:

Item Description:
The ultimate Mario Kart race is on…and online via your Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection in Mario Kart DS. Drawing on more than 3O courses and battle arenas from every game in the Mario Kart series - not to mention tons of new ones, Mario Kart DS allows you to play as Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Wario, Yoshi, Donkey Kong, Toad, Bowser and Shy Guy as you put the pedal to the go-kart metal, grab coins to max out your speed and blast rivals with the ever-popular arsenal of red, green and spiked Koopa shells in a race to finally put to rest the question of who is the true king of the Mushroom Kingdom racing circuit.

Race the Mushroom circuit

Mario is a veteran of the circuit. View larger.

Choose your favorite character. View larger.

Peach is a master drifter. View larger.

Select the Kart you want. View larger.

Bowser is the bruiser of the track. View larger.

Watch your position in the pack. View larger.

Progressing Through the Game
Place first in Grand Prix circuits or clear skill-based missions to open up increasingly difficult and thrilling circuits. 0f course, players can have multiplayer races on any open courses or battle in arenas.

Game Modes: At Least Five Ways to Play
Whether you prefer to race by yourself or to mix it up with friends, Mario Kart DS is a game with something for everyone. Features five different game modes, these include a 'VS' and 'Battle' mode that are available in multiplayer for up to eight players via local wireless connection while all modes are available singleplayer. See a complete list and description of the play modes below:

• Grand Prix Mode: ln Grand Prix Mode, the driver who earns the most points at the end of a four-course cup is the victor. Mario Kart DS features eight different cups, with each cup featuring four different tracks.
• Time Trial Mode: Your objective in Time Trial Mode is to get the fastest time that you can on a single track. . You can save your best runs as ghost data and share them with a friend.
• VS Mode: A competitive mode that can be either singleplayer. or multiplayer. ln the singleplayer. version you'll race against computer-controlled karts, while in multiplayer you'll race against human opponents who play using their own Nintendo DS systems.
• Battle Modes: Mario Kart DS contains two battle modes.
• Balloon Battle Mode: Your goal is to pop your opponent's balloons by attacking/stealing them by colliding into an opponent via a mushroom boost, before your own balloons are popped.
• Shine Runners: ln this mode the driver who collects the most Shine Sprites is the winner.
• Mission Mode: ln this mode you are given sets of specific missions that you must clear in order to move on to the next set of missions. What could wait at the end?

Special Powers, Weapons, Moves & Features
Turbo power-drifting and item tossing is the order of the day, whether players are racing around an obstacle-filled track or battling in an arena. Use familiar items taken from every game in the series like Green Shells, homing Red Shells, Bananas, Bombs, Lightning and the destructive Spiny Shell, not to mention new ones like the Blooper. The touch screen features a map that shows items being fired at players, who can even tap it with their fingers mid-race to zoom in or out.

Wireless Communication: Even More Ways to Play:
Mario Kart DS features three different forms of wireless game play: two kinds of local wireless game play and Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection online game play. Mario Kart DS offers two different options for LAN Wireless game play: DS Download Play, in which only one player has Mario Kart DS and all players have Nintendo DS systems, and Multi-Card Play, in which all players have Mario Kart DS and Nintendo DS systems.

DS Download Play
As with all DS Download multiplayer games, the DS Download Play in Mario Kart DS requires that only one player has a copy of the game. Unlike past DS games, however, DS Download Play in Mario Kart DS allows multiple players who have the game card to play with multiple players who do not have the game card. DS Download Play offers the following features:

• 2-8 player simultaneous wireless game play.
• A choice of multiplayer racing, Balloon Battle, or Shine Runner modes.
• Players who own Mario Kart DS can choose their own characters and use personalized icons, while players who do not own Mario Kart DS must play as Shy Guy and cannot use personalized player icons.
• Track selection is limited to eight tracks for racing and three arenas for Balloon Battle and Shine Runner modes.
• DS Download Play is limited to the 1OO cc engine class

Multi-Card Play
Multi-Card Play requires all players to have their own copies of Mario Kart DS, giving players more options, modes and tracks to choose from. Multi-Card Play offers the following features:

• 2-8 player simultaneous wireless game play.
• Your choice of multiplayer racing, Balloon Battle, or Shine Runner modes.
• Players can choose from different engine classes.
• No limits on character choice.
• No limits on track choice.
• Player's win/loss ratio is saved and tracked.
• Players who race locally are automatically added to each other's friend roster and then can race via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.
• Players can trade ghost data wirelessly, allowing them to race against each others' best times.

Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection:
Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection is a free online game-play service provided by Nintendo to Nintendo DS owners. lt offers seamless access to online game play and an environment that is welcoming to gamers of all skill levels. Features include: Whether it's the updated graphics that retain the side-scrolling feel of classic games in the Sonic franchise, an expansive world to race through and explore or the multiple and new ways to play, Sonic Unleashed offers something for players of any age or level of ability.

• 2-4 players racing simultaneously.
• Choice of playing with:
• Friends only (players registered as Friends)
• Rivals (players with similar skills)
• Recent opponents
• Regional racers (players in their country)
• World racers (players anywhere in the world)
• No limit on course choice, but each player votes for a course and the course with the most votes wins (in case of a tie, the course is chosen randomly)
• No limit on character choice
• Players can create and use personalized player icons

Connecting to the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection will be quick, easy and seamless. Players can go to an official Nintendo hotspot and immediately go online and start playing. To use their home Wi-Fi routers, players first must configure the DS to connect to their routers by entering the router's network lD and optional security key or install the Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector on their PC and configure the DS to enable it to share the PC's broadband connection. After that, players can go online anytime without further configuration. Friends are registered to the friends roster either by exchanging and entering Friend Registration Keys or by playing local Multi-Card Multiplayer mode together.

Item Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours

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Buyer Rating: - * Beat it in two days- way too easy! ...
l have the same problem with this as with almost every game l've played so far for the DS (Kirby Canvas Curse, New Super Mario Bros). They are supposed to be fantastic, but when l get them, they are fun, sure, but they are way too short and too easy to beat. Now, l am no longer a child, but l didn't think these games were all geared for children only. There should be an age level warning, and basically Super Mario kart would be enjoyable for 17 and under. There are only 32 tracks, all fun and engaging as far as they go,but none are very challenging. lt may sound like a lot but very soon after you crack open the package, you will be done and that is no bang for your 4O bucks. l hope Mega Man zx and Phantom Hourglass are better, or l am selling my DS right away.

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Buyer Rating: - 0ne of two favorite DS games
This game is part of the Mario series of games for the DS. My kids prefer anything "Mario" over all of the other games available. They are ages 6 and 9.

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Buyer Rating: - Awesome game
l've had this game for about a week now, and l love it. l used to play MarioKart64, and was always my favorite game. What l really like about this version of the game is that it includes a couple of the old tracks from N64, as well as a few others. The new tracks are fun, and the game now has these missions you can do, as well as battle, vs, grand prix, and time trial. l give this game a thumbs up.

PS i have yet to try multiplayer racing

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Buyer Rating: - * Stay in Second ...
This game is really fun. lt's definately the best racer for the DS. The characters are balanced, the tracks are unique, and the sound is excellent. 0verall, it's a top-notch game.

My biggest complaint is with the item system. People in worse places will get better items (For instance, the player in 5th place will likely get better items than the player in 1st.) This is kinda a cheap way to keep things close, but whatever. The thing l just can't stand, though, is the blue turtle shell. lt seeks out and explodes on the 1st place player EVERY time it is used. This just encourages you to not take the lead until the end. Add in the fact that drafting (driving directly behind the person in front of you) gives you a speed boost, and it's almost best to stay in second. lt's just strange that the races end up feeling like a little league game. l don't know if Nintendo is mad about the New England Patriots running up the score or something, but it's just plain stupid that it wants to give everybody a chance at all times. When a kid goes to his little league game, it's fair to keep things balanced. When a kid plays his video games, he should get the reward for racing the best. He should not be robbed because of "keeping it close" rules.

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Buyer Rating: - Welcome to the Nintendo DS
Mario Kart DS is one of the "killer apps" for the Nintendo DS, and for good reason. lt is one of those games that show off exactly how much fun the unique little system can be. Using the classic Mario Kart franchise, the game utilizes everything from the dual screens to the microphone to the multi-player and online support available with the DS. Far from simply a demonstration of the impressive hand-held system, though, it is also a terrific game in its own right.

The game follows the formula made popular by the long-running Mario Kart series. lt uses characters from the Super Mario Brothers franchise and puts them through a series of go-cart races with tracks that resemble levels of the various Mario games. The tracks themselves are a lot of fun, but more fun is the ability to sabotage your opponent using tricks and traps like banana peels that make them skid out or koopa shells that you can use to knock the opponent in front of you out of the lead. ln addition, the game has several alternate modes, including challenge levels and a balloon battle where your goal is to knock all the balloons off of an opponent's cart. The race, balloon battle, and shine runner modes can all be played by up to eight people with or without extra copies of the game. Additionally, the wi-fi capabilities of the DS allow you to play online with people anywhere in the world, although this mode lacks a high degree of communication, making the online opponents feel very much like smarter versions of the computer Al.

ln addition to sixteen new tracks, there are several tracks brought in from other Mario Kart games, making this version of Mario Kart a complete package that brings in both the past and present. 0verall, this is an excellent game for both veterans and novices of the franchise. lt's worth hours of fun on its own, and also does an excellent job of showing off how awesome the Nintendo DS can really be.