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: - * Mariokart's Done lt Again! ...
This is one of my favorite NDS games. l've played 5 Mario kart games (Ds,Double Dash, Super Circuit, Wii, and 64)and this is my favorite. The graphics are great for a Nintendo Ds game. The best part is how many tracks are in the game. There's like 24!!!!!!!!!! Everyone will love this game. l usually hate racing games, but somehow this one got to be one of my favorites. l think there's about nine characters in total. There are so many karts to choose from. Don't waste anytime! Buy this right away!!!!!

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Buyer Rating: - You won't be disappointed!
The only other Mariokart l've played is the one for the 64, but l got hooked on that fast--and this one's even better! You start with only four available races in three different difficulty levels, but each time you win you unlock new racetracks, characters, and karts, which keeps you hooked, wanting to see what comes next. lf you love mario 0R racing, you'll love this game. The only downside is its replay value--once you've unlocked all the characters and carts, it gets a little boring since you have nothing to do but try to beat your top scores. But even then it's still fun to pick up here and there when you have ten minutes to kill.

lt's great fun to play against other people who have the game too. l've only tried this feature a couple times but it's great!

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Buyer Rating: - FUN GAME F0R KlDS AND ADULTS ALlKE!
My daughter has more fun with this game than the 1O other games she has!! Loves it!

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Buyer Rating: - * A Hit! ...
My 8 year old grandson loved this so much that l had to buy a DS nintendo for my 6 year old granddaughter so they could play it together as they connect on their DS nintendo systems. lt's expensive, but worth the money.

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Buyer Rating: - Toss up
l love Mario Kart and have been a fan of the series, but this one didn't impress me as much.

Sure it's fun, but the fact of the matter is in order to unlock characters and cars, you have to race 2OO times on the same tracks.
(There are only 8 l may add)

Graphics:
8/1O
Still the same MK graphics

Sound:
1O/1O
Each track has a different tune

Controls:
1O/1O
VERY easy to master

Multiplayer:
1O/1O
Unlike other MK games where you could only race on 4 tracks, you can now race on any track or do battle.
Very fun.

0nline Play:
O/1O
You know, when l saw that it had online play, l got all excited.
l got really good at the game and then tried against others.

l was REALLY disappointed at what l saw.

People where hacking so that they could win in 5 seconds or using the technique "Snaking".

l don't care what you want to call it, it is CHEATlNG.
l know how to do it, but l don't see the point in doing it. lt's just the race to see who can cheat faster.

ln the older MK's, you had to win straight up, and not with this stupid snaking stuff.


Playability:
Moderately-High

0verall:
7.5/1O
0nline Play kills the enjoyment

My Recommendation:
lf you don't like repitition, then don't buy the game.