10 / 10
10 Apr 2006 at 17:16
Review by: Marink
Imagine cruising the quiet streets in your most loved form of transportation, the soft wind blowing against your hair. Not another being is in sight. You give a sigh of relief and smile. When you gaze into the clear sky, you ask yourself if life could get any better. All of the sudden, however, a shiny blue shell flies over your head and slams right into you. Shortly after this incident, many, many other drivers of different shape and form ride past you and cross the finish line of the race course. The moment you are able to retain your balance, you notice the very last driver, a large Gorilla wearing a red tie, cross the finish line for the very last time. It is a cruel world in Mario Kart DS. So, is this the game Double Dash should have been? Can it compete with the wonderful Super Mario Kart?
Like a lot of games, Mario Kart DS’ graphics are best appreciated in motion. They bridge the quite large gap between Mari Kart 64’s and Mario Kart Double Dash’s graphics. This makes it feel like a, while not exactly next generation, superb little game for you to take around anywhere with you. Also, the online play doesn’t really hinder the crisp visuals of the game either.
Which brings me to the game’s wifi technology. Offline, the players are allowed every single course of the game. Whereas wifi online limits you to a mere 20 courses(the one that the players get to race in are selected by a vote/randomising system, depending on what each person chooses). When not playing online, anyone with a DS can give you a match(as long as at least one person owns a copy)- those without the game will appear as Shy Guys. If you do want to play it online, however, then you will have to have possession of the game. There are four different online modes for you to use: Friends, Rivals, Regional and Worldwide. Friends is where you play people that have your friend code or vice versa. Rival mode sets you up with anyone with the same skill level(judged by many statistics). Regional allows you to challenge people in the same country. Finally, Worldwide, well, that one is obvious. After you select one, you will have to wait for opponents. Note that you might not necessarily receive three people to play against. Either way, multiplayer is a fun experience and is really where the game comes into its own.
There are two types of cups in the game. The Nitro Cups consist of brand new courses(and, yep, another Rainbow Road) that are added to the franchise’s large library of courses. Although, the Retro Cups, as the name suggests, is made up of many courses from the previous four Mario Kart games. The Double Dash courses have made the translation from Gamecube to DS surprisingly well. Unfortunately, only a handful of the greatest classics are playable in the game- and even fewer are playable online. The items and projectiles do a good job of making each course more interesting, though- as well as the variety of characters and music.
Why should you buy this game instead of the wide range of other enjoyable racers? Simply because of the excitement you will feel from taking opponents out of the lead with the many weapons. Or the laughs that you and your mates will have from those really close matches. Even the joy of improving your win rate online, and showing it off to others. Do not waste your money on Ridge Racers, buy a game that will give you fond memories for years. A game that can compete with greatness of its very brilliant first instalment, Super Mario Kart. Buy Mario Kart DS!
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