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Mario Kart DS

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Mario Kart DS
File:MKDSbox.jpg
Developer(s)Nintendo
Publisher(s)Nintendo
Platform(s)Nintendo DS
ReleaseUnited States of America November 14, 2005

Canada November 15, 2005
Australia November 17, 2005
European Union November 25, 2005

Japan December 8, 2005
Genre(s)Racing
Mode(s)Single player, Multiplayer, Online multiplayer

Mario Kart DS is a video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS portable gaming system. Mario Kart DS was one of Nintendo's most anticipated games at the time, as it is the first to use Nintendo's free online service, Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Mario Kart DS is the latest installment in the hit series Mario Kart in which Mario, Luigi, and other characters from the Mario universe race in go-kart style vehicles while fighting for the top position through the use of weapons (such as Koopa Troopa shells) from the Mario Bros. series. The player's character races on tracks themed after various locations in the Mario universe. To this day, Mario Kart DS still remains the most critically acclaimed game on the DS.[1]

Gameplay

Mario Kart DS is a racing game in which characters from the Mario universe race each other around on Mario-themed tracks. Power-up items, such as homing projectiles, speed boosts, and explosives can be found on each track in Item Boxes. Both skill in driving and use of items is important in Mario Kart DS. While racing, the top screen of the Nintendo DS displays a third-person perspective behind and slightly above the player's vehicle. The bottom screen lists the current race standings, items carried by each player, and a map of the course. The map can be toggled to show an overall view of the entire course, or a close-up view of the racer's immediate vicinity. The close-up view is very detailed, showing nearby racer positions, course hazards, item boxes, and even incoming attacks. As the closeup rotates in orientation to the racer, it is possible to complete an entire race focusing only on the bottom screen.

Mini-Turbos

A feature first introduced in Mario Kart 64, Mini-Turbos are momentary speed boosts that can be obtained while drifting, by alternately pressing Left and Right on the D-Pad buttons during a power-slide, until orange sparks appear around their kart. At that point, when the player stops drifting, their kart will receive a short speed boost.

Snaking

The execution of several consecutive mini-turbos during races has caused minor controversy in Wi-Fi play in the form of snaking -- players who drift their karts back and forth across a straight stretch to generate repeated mini-Turbos (a movement likened to actual snakes). Because this gives the user a distinct speed advantage over other, "non-snaking" opponents, players regard snaking as anything from legitimate and advanced racing strategy, to an unfair tactic, or even outright cheating. Some players have attempted to form leagues (or "Friends" groups) composed of avowed non-snakers, but the distinction between a "snaker" and "non-snaker" is vague, largely depending on whether the player uses Mini-Turbos on straight areas of the track or on curves.

Nintendo Power magazine once responded to a reader mail in its Pulse section, describing snaking as "kind of lame" and that it goes against the original intentions of the game's developers. Others have similarly argued that snaking is an exploitation of game's Mini-Turbo mechanics; on the other hand, some Nintendo officials have described snaking as an intentional part of the game's design[1], considering that the snaking technique could also be performed in Mario Kart 64 and Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (which featured similar Mini-Turbo mechanics). Most, if not all, of the quickest Time Trial records in Mario Kart DS were accomplished using the snaking technique.

Snaking can be compared to a similar snaking technique in F-Zero GX, the "wavedashing" technique in Super Smash Bros. Melee, as well as other phenomena such as bunny hopping in first-person shooter games.

Prolonged Rocket Boost (PRB)

People have exploited a programming glitch in Mario Kart DS that allows you to do what is called the Prolonged Rocket Boost. To do a PRB, a person must execute a rocket boost successfully when the race starts, and then quickly "snake" non-stop. You will be able to go offroad without losing speed using this exploit. If you happen to stop snaking continuously during the race, the ability to have a PRB is gone, and you will lose speed when going off-road after this happens.

Drafting

Featured in Mario Kart DS is the ability to draft behind an opponent's kart. If the player is close enough, blue streaks will start flying by their kart, and their speed will begin to increase. If the player maintains this position (without hitting the opponent, an obstacle, or otherwise losing speed) long enough, they will receive a noticeable speed boost, allowing them to easily overtake and pass the opponent. This was also possible in Mario Kart 64.

Emblems

File:Mariokartdsemblem.jpg
The Emblem Maker allows players to draw a decal for their karts.

New to this game are 'emblems', or player icons. Using a simple drawing program interface, a player can select from (and modify) a variety of pre-made shapes, or create a customized emblem from scratch. During the race, each player's emblem appears as a decal on their kart, and in multi-player matches, opponents can see the player's name and emblem prominently overlaid above their kart's position on the opponent's screen (as a way to identify and discern one opponent from another). The player's emblem is also, on Wi-Fi play, shown to their opponents once the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection has found opponents and initiated a match.

Items

As in previous Mario Kart games, each course features numerous item boxes that players can drive through to receive a randomly-selected item. Whichever item the player receives is generally dependent upon their current position in the race (and, to a lesser extent, their kart's Items stat); players near the front will tend to receive rear-attack items (such as Bananas or Green Shells), while players trailing in the back of the race will tend to receive more powerful and forward-attack items like the Spiny Shell or Thunderbolt. As in previous Mario Kart games, most but not all attack items (e.g., spiny shells) can be targeted forwards or backwards by holding the appropriate direction on the D-pad when using the item against other players.

  • Mushroom and Triple Mushrooms: Gives the player a short burst of speed, which can be used to take shortcuts across rough, off-road terrain or ram into other racers. In Balloon Battle mode, they also allow the player to steal one balloon from an opponent, provided the player has less than three balloons inflated. Mushrooms are available individually, and also in sets of three.
  • Golden Mushroom: Allows the player to use infinite Mushroom boosts for a limited amount of time.
  • Banana: A stationary item that the player can toss forwards or drop behind; karts which slip on a banana will spin out and lose speed.
  • Triple Bananas: A set of three bananas that trail behind the player's kart. The player can set them down individually, or use them as a shield against red or green shells.
  • Fake Item Box: A stationary obstacle resembling an Item box. Players who hit a Fake Item Box will tumble over and lose speed (more so than hitting a Banana). Unlike Bananas, Fake Item boxes will not block shells; the shells will simply pass through it.
  • Green Shell: A green Koopa shell that the player can throw forwards or backwards, which will richochet off of walls and cause other players' karts to tumble over and lose speed if hit. Green shells can also be used to defend against other items.
  • Red Shell: A red Koopa shell which follows the course of the track and homes in on a player in front, causing them to tumble over and lose speed. Red Shells target players in a slightly different manner than in previous Mario Kart games, often hitting the opponent from the sides rather than behind, making them more difficult to block with a Banana or shell. Red shells can also be thrown backwards, but will go straight and not home in.
  • Triple Green Shell and Triple Red Shell: Three Koopa shells appear rotating about the player's kart, which can be launched individually, or used like a shield against other players and attacks.
  • Spiny Shell: Same as its appearance in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, this is a spiked, winged, blue Koopa shell that flies down the track and crashes into the racer currently in first place, causing a large explosion that knocks the target (and any nearby racers) into the air, as well as destroying any items that may be nearby. It is generally possible to avoid a Spiny Shell by dropping behind another player before the shell is launched, but once the shell closes in on its target, escape is very difficult, except for using a Star, Boo, or a very well timed turbo-boost.
  • Blooper: A new item to Mario Kart DS, this causes a Blooper squid to squirt ink on the top screen of every racer in front of the user, partially obscuring their view for several seconds. A skilled player may still be able to see through the ink, or simply use the close-up map on the DS's bottom screen to continue racing. Also, a racer can also go over a speed boost or use a mushroom to make the ink fly off of the screen. Computer-controlled opponents will lose some speed and veer erratically until the ink wears off. When using this item while leading the race, the racer causes the ink to squirt on their own screen.
  • Bob-omb: Previously introduced as a character-specific item in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, Bob-ombs can be thrown forward or dropped behind the player. If another racer or a shell hits (or is hit by) the Bob-omb, it causes a large explosion that knocks the racer (and any nearby opponents) into the air.
  • Boo: A ghost that renders its user invisible to other players, and attempts to steal one item from another racer. Additionally, while invisible, the player cannot be hit by attacks and is not affected by offroad terrain.
  • Star: Gives its user a speed boost (without loss of speed across offroad terrain) and invincibility against all attacks. Any opponent they hit while using a Star will get tumbled over.
  • Bullet Bill: Another item new to Mario Kart DS, this turns its user into a Bullet Bill, which travels down the track on autopilot at a high speed, knocking aside any opponents that might be in the way -- similar to the Chain Chomp special item in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!.
  • Lightning: Strikes all opponents in the race regardless of their position. Opponents spin out, drop any items held, and shrink to half size (and speed). When a player is affected, the course's normal background music plays in a muted, humorously distorted fashion. Unlike in previous Mario Kart games, the Lightning's effect wears off in reverse order of each player's position, with the racer in first place remaining affected the longest. Also unlike in Mario Kart 64 or the original Super Mario Kart, normal-sized players cannot drive over shrunken players to flatten them.

Several of the items can be "trailed" behind a player's kart by holding down the Item button, allowing the user to hold on to the item while being able to collect a second item from an Item Box at the same time. Trailed items can be used to block an incoming attack, but if the player is hit while trailing an item, the item will drop onto the track. Also, if the player gets hit by certain item effects (such as lightning) and they have an item in the item box, it will fall on the track. Touching the item will result in using the item immediately.

Players cannot, however, trail items in this fashion during Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection matches; similarly, Triple Shells and Triple Bananas (which orbit around or trail behind the player's kart automatically) also do not appear during Wi-Fi play. Items (such as mushrooms) will not drop on the track and crates will not break.

Karts

Each playable character starts out with two karts: one special kart unique to that character, and a standard kart resembling a real go-kart. These karts have slightly different stats, although their general strengths are the same. As a player progresses through the game, he or she can unlock a third special kart for each character, also with slightly different stats. Later, the player can also unlock the ability to choose a few karts not normally available to the particular character, and ultimately, the ability to use any of the 36 total karts with that character.

When a player is selecting their kart for a race, the game openly lists all of the kart's racing stats. This is in contrast to previous Mario Kart games, which openly rated only a kart's Speed, Weight, and/or Acceleration.

The stats are:

  • Speed: The kart's maximum speed. Higher speeds are usually associated with lower Acceleration and Handling.
  • Acceleration: How quickly a kart can reach its top speed, and correspondingly, how fast it can recover after being hit by an item. It will also receive more powerful mini-turbo boosts.
  • Weight: The kart's total mass, which includes the driver's weight as well. Heavier karts tend to maintain more speed during normal (non-drifting) turns, but lose more speed off-road than lighter Karts. Additionally, heavier characters can knock away other, lighter-weight opponents.
  • Handling: How tightly a kart can steer without drifting. As such, higher Handling is usually associated with a lower Drift stat.
  • Drift : How tightly a kart can corner during a power-slide. High Drift ratings are a good choice for beginners as they can drift through tight turns, but ironically, low Drift ratings can also be preferable, as karts with low traction can be used to mini-turbo repeatedly around wide turns or even straight sections of track (see Snaking).
  • Items : High item stats give karts a better chance of getting the more powerful items during a race, as well as making items such as Bullet Bills last longer. This also applies to some negative effects, like blooper ink. Karts with a higher Items stat are also given more Mushrooms during Time Trials mode. Standard karts always have a medium Items stat, while special karts have a high or low Item stat.

List of karts

For each of the three karts unique to one racer, they can be grouped into three categories: the standard, go-kart style karts; karts with a high Items stat, but lower speeds; and karts with higher speeds, but a low Items stat.

Character Regular Kart Standard High Speed Available
Mario B Dasher Standard MR Shooting Star1 Always
Luigi Streamliner1 Standard LG Poltergust 4000 Always
Peach Royale Standard PC Light Tripper1 Always
Yoshi Cucumber1 Standard YS Egg 1 Always
Toad 4-Wheel Cradle1 Standard TD Mushmellow Always
Donkey Kong Rambi Rider Standard DK Wildlife1 Always
Wario Dragonfly1 Standard WR Brute Always
Bowser Tyrant Standard BW Hurricane1 Always
Daisy Power Flower Standard DS Light Dancer1 Four gold trophies in Retro Grand Prix 50cc
Dry Bones Banisher Standard DB Dry Bomber1 Four gold trophies in Nitro Grand Prix 50cc
Waluigi Zipper1 Standard WL Gold Mantis Four gold trophies in Retro Grand Prix 100cc
R.O.B. ROB-LGS1 Standard RB ROB-BLS Four gold trophies in either Grand Prix Mirror 150cc
Shy Guy Standard SG Simple Multi-Player Mode as client racers

Notes:

  1. Third kart for each character, unlocked by earning gold trophies in all 100cc Nitro Cup courses.
  2. Shy-Guy has different colors, and can be used in other modes by using a cheat device.

Gameplay modes

Grand Prix

In Grand Prix mode, the player competes against computer-controlled racers, or, in Multiplayer mode, other players. There are two Grands Prix in Mario Kart DS, each consisting of four cups, and each cup consisting of four race tracks. Nitro GP (named after Nintendo Codename NITRO) contains sixteen brand new tracks while Retro GP contains sixteen tracks converted from previous entries in the Mario Kart series. There are three engine classes which serve as difficulty levels for the Grand Prix mode: 50cc, 100cc, and 150cc. A 150cc Mirror Mode is also an unlockable, in which all the 150cc tracks are flipped horizontally.

Only twenty of the tracks can be played over Nintendo Wi-Fi connection. Several of the more complex and/or obstacle-ridden courses (such as Bowser's Castle) were disabled from online play due to concerns over potential latency.

Fans have expressed anger and confusion in which courses were included. For example, Cheep Cheep Beach is playable online, while the similar SNES Koopa Beach 2 is not; or how DK Pass, with rolling snowballs that increase in size, is playable online, whereas SNES Donut Plains 1, with no obstacles whatsoever, is not.

Recently, however, a user with the alias "Parasyte" [2] discovered how to unlock single player tracks for use over Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, using a PassMe and a Game Boy Advance Flash Cartridge. Since then, tracks such as Airship Fortress, Tick-Tock Clock, Waluigi Pinball, and others have been played online, with few glitches.

Nitro Grand Prix
# Mushroom Cup WFC Flower Cup WFC Star Cup WFC Special Cup WFC
1 Figure-8 Circuit Yes Desert Hills Yes DK Pass Yes Wario Stadium Yes
2 Yoshi Falls Yes Delfino Square Yes Tick-Tock Clock Yes Peach Gardens Yes
3 Cheep Cheep Beach Yes Waluigi Pinball No Mario Circuit Yes Bowser Castle No
4 Luigi's Mansion Yes Shroom Ridge No Airship Fortress No Rainbow Road Yes
Retro Grand Prix
# Origin Shell Cup WFC Banana Cup WFC Leaf Cup WFC Lightning Cup WFC
1 SNES Mario Circuit 1 Yes Donut Plains 1 No Koopa Beach 2 No Choco Island 2 Yes
2 N64 Moo Moo Farm Yes Frappe Snowland Yes Choco Mountain Yes Banshee Boardwalk No
3 GBA Peach Circuit Yes Bowser Castle 2 No Luigi Circuit No Sky Garden Yes
4 GCN Luigi Circuit Yes Baby Park Yes Mushroom Bridge No Yoshi Circuit Yes

Battle Mode

Battle Mode is not available online, and can only be played in single-player and regular multiplayer.

The maps available in Battle Mode are:

These courses are built like an arena, generally in a symmetric circular or square form with each player starting out at a different location, and item boxes scattered throughout the course for players to pick up. Some of the arenas are on flat terrain and surrounded by walls, while others are surrounded by empty space in which a player might fall off.

Balloon Battle

In Balloon Battle mode, players attempt to pop each other's balloons, while keeping their own intact. Each player starts with one inflated balloon, plus four ballons held in reserve, which the player can inflate by holding the Select button or blowing into the DS microphone while the kart is stationary, up to a maximum of three inflated balloons at any time.

A player loses when he or she has no remaining inflated balloons. Balloons belonging to other players may be popped by attacking them with items. Balloons can also be stolen if a player has less than three inflated balloons and runs into another player while using a Mushroom.

Players with fewer balloons inflated receive more powerful items; however, they run a higher risk of losing if their remaining balloon(s) are popped. The last player or team remaining wins the battle. If a player dies in Wireless Play mode, they become invisible and will periodically collect item boxes which can be dropped for other players to pick up.

Shine Runners

A new battle mode called Shine Runners was introduced, in which players have to collect the most Shine Sprites, which are dotted about the level. They lose Shine Sprites if they get hit. When the clock reaches zero, drivers with the fewest Shine Sprites are eliminated. If all remaining drivers have the same number of Shine Sprites, the clock starts again with no racers eliminated. This continues until one player (or several players all on the same team) are remaining. This is the only battle mode with the Thunderbolt enabled. Shine Runners is similar to the battle mode "Shine Thief" in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!. Shine Sprites first appeared in Super Mario Sunshine.

Local Multiplayer

The game features 8-player single-card and multi-card LAN play. Single-card play can be played with a mix of players with and without cards. In single-card play, while the players with cards can choose their characters, downloading players are forced to play as Shy Guy. A limited number of tracks are available for use during single-card multiplayer play. When all players use game cards, all tracks become available.

Mission Mode

In the new Mission Mode, players control a specific character in that character's standard kart, and must perform eight individual missions, whose objectives range from collecting coins to attacking enemies. Players are then ranked based on their performance, and given from one to three stars if the task is completed by a certain time. In order to advance to the next level, players must complete a "boss" task, which is unlocked after all eight of a level's missions are completed. All of the bosses are from Super Mario 64 DS. Level 7 is only unlocked after the player achieves at least a one-star ranking on levels 1 through 6. However, completing Mission Mode does not unlock anything. Here are the individual Bosses and the task players must complete with each one:

Template:Spoiler

  1. Big Bully — Knock Big Bully off the platform using mushrooms.
  2. Eyerok — Hit Eyerok's eyes (in its hands) with shells.
  3. Goomboss — Beat Goomboss to the finish line on Baby Park.
  4. King Boo — Collect fifty coins while avoiding King Boo.
  5. Big Bob-omb — Hit Big Bob-omb with three Bob-omb items.
  6. Chief Chilly — Knock Chief Chilly off the platform three times using mushrooms.
  7. Wiggler — Reach the finish before Wiggler on Mushroom Bridge.

Template:Endspoiler

Time Trials

In this mode, the player is able to race against the clock; the results of a Time Trial run are saved as "Ghost Data", which the player can compete against later (for a faster time), or traded with friends. Also, it is possible to unlock Mario Kart DS "Staff Ghost Data" by completing a circuit within a certain amount of time.

Nintendo of Japan has recently revealed that they will begin holding official time trial tournaments. Times will be validated by an official 16 digit code. The code can be found by viewing the time trials records accessed from the main menu and pressing up, down, L, R, Y, and A in that order. Whether or not Nintendo of America and Nintendo of Europe will hold similar tournaments has not been announced.

Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection

Main article: Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection

This mode requires a connection with a wireless router, an access point, or a Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector. The American and European versions of the game use servers hosted by Nintendo of America Inc. After connecting to the Nintendo server, players can begin searching for opponents. Up to four players can be matched up for a (100cc) Wi-Fi race (although the server may also initiate a match between only two or three players). Once decided, each player selects their racer and kart, and vote on which track to race. The track chosen is a simple majority vote (or, if no clear majority is present, chosen randomly from the votes) and then the race begins. Players are scored in the same style as a Grand Prix, depending on the position they finish a race in; after a set of four tracks is played, the winners and losers are announced based on the points they earned, and each player receives one win for every opponent they scored higher than, and one loss for every opponent who out-scored them. Their total wins and losses are stored on the player's game card, and the score is shown to other players when opponents are found using the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection online service. Also, it is important to note that any player disconnecting (or powering down) from an online race immediately receives one loss per opponent, regardless of how well they were doing up until the disconnect; conversely, after all four races are complete, each player also receives one win for any opponent who disconnected during the match -- though if the match cannot be completed due to disconnecting, no wins are given to the remaining player.

Sales information

On November 21, 2005, Nintendo announced that out of the 112,000 copies of Mario Kart DS sold in the United States during the first week of release, 52,000 (45%) of those buyers had connected to Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. [3] Comparatively, 18% of Halo 2 owners connected to Xbox Live within the first three weeks of its release. [4]

Mario Kart DS had a better launch in Japan, where it sold 219,000 copies during its first four days of availability, at the time this was the third best performance for a Nintendo DS title after Animal Crossing: Wild World and Jump Superstars. [5]

On January 2, 2006, Nintendo announced that Mario Kart DS had sold over one million copies in North America alone, joining other million sellers such as Super Mario 64 DS and Nintendogs.

Community

There are several online clans and communities for Mario Kart DS. Most of these clans and communities are started by Mario Kart DS enthusiasts on sites such as GameFAQs or the Nintendo forums to reduce the number of disconnectors or "quitters".

Trivia

  • Mario Kart DS was originally planned to launch the same date as the DS, but developers wanted more time to refine the title.
  • The artwork in the alternate title screen is based off the Mario Kart DS promotional artwork.
  • All staff ghost karts use the Mario sprite from Super Mario Bros. as their kart emblem.
  • The game was originally set to be released in Europe first on November 11, 2005. However, about a month before launch, Nintendo announced the game would be delayed for two weeks in Europe, to allow more copies to be distributed to stores. This led to a small outcry among European fans.
  • The Japanese version of the game shows R.O.B. (known as Family Robot) with a red and white motif; while in America, Europe and Australia, R.O.B. is gray. This matches the color scheme of the R.O.B. NES accessory, and the difference is preserved while playing online. The Japanese version of R.O.B is shown as the Staff Ghost for Desert Hills.
  • Similarly, during online play, the HUD over each opponent is color-coded according to their region: red for Japan, blue for North America, and green for Europe.
  • King Boo returns from Mario Kart: Double Dash!! as the fourth boss in Mission mode, where the player is Princess Peach. Also, this is the first time Peach meets King Boo.
  • Shy Guy, Dry Bones, and R.O.B. are new characters to the Mario Kart series. Shy Guy can only be used by another player who joins in a "simple mode" multiplayer game.
  • The name of one of Mario's go-karts (the B Dasher) is derived from a hit single composed by The Tongari Kids, titled "B-dash," inspired by the NES best-seller "Super Mario Bros." The song title itself is inspired by the fact that one had to press the B button on the NES' controller to make Mario dash.
  • When the game loads for the first time Mario yells "Here we go!", every other time he yells "YA-hoo!". When the game is played in a Nintendo DS Lite, Mario will always say "Here we go!", but with the help of the Action Replay for NDS without the need of any codes, you can always get Mario to say "YA-hoo!"
  • In Nintendogs (all versions), the Mario/Bowser/Peach karts resemble the standard karts of the game. Also, Nintendogs had been released before Mario Kart DS released.
  • There were beta tracks hidden within the game ROM that didn't make it to the game, including GCN Mario Circuit, N64 Wario Stadium, N64 Koopa Troopa Beach, and 2 unknown test tracks, all of them untextured. There is also a textured version of a beta version of Waluigi Pinball [6].

Reaction

Game reviews

The average of all the above reviews is 91.7%.

Awards

  • IGN: Editors' Choice Award[2] and DS Game Of The Year
  • GPhoria: Best Handheld Title
  • GameSpot: Editor's Choice Award and DS Game Of The Year

Voices

References

  1. ^ "Nintendo.com News: I'm a Low-Down, Dirty Snaker and Proud of It". {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ "IGN Editors' Choice Games".

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