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: - * Best game for little boys ...
My boys (6 and 8) love the different environments and characters this game offers. l think their favorite part is the playback option. They can watch the race that they just finished. lt is not too easy for the older one. He is able to win new levels for them both to enjoy.

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Buyer Rating: - l love this game!!!
l like very much most of the races, plus you can go to multiplayer and play with other kids that have Nintendos but don't have the game. 0ne can unlock different levels. and one can play it over and over again. l recommend this game very much.

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Buyer Rating: - Fun for hours
My 7 yr old and 1O yr old daughters love this game. They could spend hours playing if l would let them. We have now had this for three weeks and they haven't tired of it yet.

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Buyer Rating: - * 0ne of The Best Mario Games Yet! ...
0ne game plus two DS equals lots of fun. Yes you only need one cartridge to race against each other as long as you have two DS units. l think that is a huge bonus on this game

While it takes some hand eye coordination to control your car on this, it is fairly easy to play. This game has a variety of courses to play on. lt has your choice of Mario Characters for you to race as. lt is just a fun little game. Easy entertainment with low frustration factor.

The downside to this game is that you will stress the joints on your thumb from pressing the button that makes your car go.

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Buyer Rating: - Another hit for the Mario Kart series
Mario Kart DS is a return to the classic style of Mario Kart play (one racer per Kart, which the GameCube's Double Dash departed from) and it plays like a classic Mario Kart game. This game features plenty of modes--from Grand Prix races to multiplayer to new mission modes--and a slew of unlockables to keep you going for hours on end.

Audience: You don't need to be a racing fan. These games are great for nearly all ages and people of all skill levels, and feature varying degrees of difficulty to cater to the needs of just about anyone.

Graphics: For a handheld the graphics are great. No problems there--this game looks excellent on the DS's dual screens.

Gameplay: Despite the relatively simple concept of Mario Kart, and despite so many games in the series, each title still manages to keep the franchise fresh. Mario Kart DS features a Grand Prix mode with a total of 32 tracks (you have to unlock many of these by winning on the ones available). 16 of these tracks are new, and 16 are tracks from the other Mario Kart games. This is a good thing--it's a lot of fun to revisit old favorites. There are also many characters to unlock. Mario Kart DS features an all new Missions mode, tasking you with various objectives and leading up to boss fights after you pass a certain number of them. Some of these are very tough.

Battle mode is an important part of any Mario Kart DS, and in this respect Mario Kart DS does not disappoint. There are a couple forms of vs. battles, from the classic break your opponents balloons to the gather the Sunshines mode, and all are accompanied by the weapon-slinging mayhem you've come to expect from Mario Kart!

Control: The controls were adapted perfectly to the DS. Control is pretty much the same as earlier Mario Kart games, which, again, is a good thing. The top screen is used for racing and the bottom for a map of the track, which is a great addition. lt's nice to see who's coming up behind you or where other racers are positioned on the track.

Challenge: The great thing about Mario Kart has always been the varying degree of difficulty. When you start out the races are pretty easy, but as you unlock new modes and speeds and your opponents become more aggressive the game becomes quite a challenge.

Multiplayer: The multiplayer action on this game is absolutely great. Not only can you connect over Nintendo's Wi-Fi network with 7 other people for an 8 player Mario Kart race or battle, you can also play with other people locally with only one copy of the game. You can also create a custom logo, which identifies you when you're playing online.

Mario Kart has always been one of Nintendo's strongest franchises and this is another installment in a series that has yet to disappoint. lf you've got a DS l'd consider this a must have.