Mario Kart wins the race for the must have title on the DS (Mario Kart DS (DS))

Member Name: davey_26

Product:	Mario Kart DS (DS)
Date:	06/09/09 (38 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Your fav characters, plenty of weapons, lots of tracks, head 2 head mode

Disadvantages: Not recommended for those not seeking light hearted fun

Mario Kart bursts onto the DS after enjoying great success on the SNES and N64. Therefore after being so successful on home consoles, I was interested to see how this game would turn out when programmed onto the hand held console.

The title pretty much says it all, you can star to race as one of your favourite mario characters including Mario, Luigi, Wario, Peach. You are given a host of tracks to race around but to ensure or at least help you get to the finishing line, you can pick up shells to fire at your opponents cars, speed boost to give yourself extra acceleration and of course no kids game would be complete without the banana skin.

The gameplay is excellent, controls are responsive and intuitive, in truth there is not really a lot to remember so your focus can be solely on mastering the cutting of corners. Also of course remembering to utilise the many potential shortcuts which come up so keep your eyes open. The game playing speed is quite quick and therefore adds to the excitement of the race as does choosing the best time to fire the weapons you pick up. However there is nothing more satisfying than shooting out a shell on the last bend of the last lap to send the car in front of you, spinning and leaving you to snatch victory.

Graphically the game is very impressive, especially when you take into account the obvious limitations of the DS. Graphics are bright, detailed, clear and crisp. This is obviously not to be compared to the much more capable home consoles but they have done an admirable job with this title.

The basic modes of play available to you are:
The single player campaign in which you will race the computer around several tracks which is very good fun but is not the best of what this game offers.

There is a coin collection mode in which the objective is to collect more coins than anyone else. This was probably my least favourite mode and was presumably added to this game as a third choice to give the game a little more longevity.

The game really comes into it's own and truly shines when you enter the death match arena. You and your friend will complete in an arena in which the idea is to pop all of the balloons on your opponents car using skill guile and sometimes luck. This is immensely satisfying and truly addictive stuff. You will find yourself happy one moment and annoyed the next but always going back for more. The alternative to this is fighting a one on one with the computer. However against the computer this can seem a little formulaic as nothing beats the unpredictability of playing against a friend.

There are so many things to recommend about this game, firstly it appeals to all age groups and genders. The second selling point about this game is the variations on the tracks which will keep your interest. Thirdly, another plus point is the fast paced action and most importantly the opportunity to pit yourself against a friend just never seems to lose it's appeal.

Of course for those who are looking for something with real substance, then this is the not the game for you. However with that in mind, even those who enjoy the most serious of games, should find space in their catalogue for this game.

Summary: If you have a DS this is a must have game.