Mario Kart DS is a great game that shows off the DS to the greatest of it's capabilites. You MUST own this game!
The game play in Mario Kart DS is very like the other games in the series. You pick a character and race other characters to the finish line and several laps around it. There are a few things that the DS rendition does to make it unique to the other games. There are many modes and options to play with in Mario Kart DS. First off there is Grand Prix mode like usual, where you race against other CPU opponents in a variety of different circuits to eventually win the assortment of cups on offer. There are four difficulty levels with each one having eight cups on offer, with four tracks to each cup. That's thirty-two tacks in the game, a solid number of tracks that should see you satisfied for a long while. As usual, there is the 50cc difficulty, the 100cc, the 150cc and a new addition (as far as I know), the 150cc Mirror. This is just the regular cups and tracks played backwards, going from the finish line back to the starting line opposed to the other way around. This is a pretty cool feature and a very difficult one at that in my opinion; I'm still yet to clear the 150cc mirror circuits.
The characters on offer are the usual lot as well as a few new surprises. There is Mario, Luigi, Peach, Yoshi, Toad, DK, Wario and Bowser like usual. Then you have the extra unlockable additions, Daisy, Dry Bones, Waluigi and R.O.B the Robot, a nice surprise for anyone out there. Also even more options to choose from, your characters carts this time around. Your character has three individual carts and eventually is able to use every other characters cart as well. The carts are graded on Speed, Acceleration, Weight, Handling, Drift and Items. Each cart has a varied amount of stats in each category and players can pick one of the thirty-six carts at will to suit their playing style. Another way to further customize and personalize your cart is to add on your emblem you can make in the options menu. You can draw anything and it will show up in a little space on any chosen cart.
Also present in the game are the modes Time Trial and VS mode. Time trial is, of course, a single player effort to get the highest Lap/Track time on any given track in the game. Your ghost data is eventually save and you can compete against your previous efforts to better yourself in the future. Another nifty feature is that when you get a good enough time, you unlock the ghost trial of a Nintendo Staff Member, which will test you and bring out the best Mario cart player in yourself. Also, before I go on I must talk about the items. There are the usual items like Mushrooms, the Power Star, Red, Green and Blue shells, bananas and also a new assortment of different items introduced such as the Blooper that squirts your screen with ink, the Bullet Bill which can shoot you ahead of your competition and many more items also included. Another old favourite is present, this being battle mode in which there are two ways to play this time around. First off you have your regular Balloon battle introduced in Mario Kart 64, where you can attack your opponents with the various items in the game or you can simply ram them with your brute strength if you are a heavy set character like Bowser. The new way of battling present in Mario Kart DS is called Shine Runners, based off the shines found within Super Mario Sunshine on the Gamecube. The aim of this battle is to collect more shines than your opponent and adds a bit more game play wise. Just to add there are six different battle arenas to play in this time around.
The final mode I must mention is the new Mission mode in which you have to complete various tasks set by time limits. There is a huge assortment of missions for you to complete, sixty-three in total. These range from driving through rings, collecting items and getting to a point in a quick enough time. Also, to conclude each of the levels is a boss. These boss battles add a lot to the game and provide to be very fun and definitely have that Mario boss feel to them. The Mission mode is a great addition to the game and you'll be striving to get that three star ranking on each of the Missions and Levels.
The actual game plays whilst you are playing Mario Kart DS feels great just like the previous instalments to the series. The driving is really smooth and has that great arcade feel about it, the items provide a competitive feel to each race and the handling and just whole driving experience in general is fantastically set out and a joy to play. You can do turbo-charge drifts during the game by holding the R button and alternating between left and right D-Pad button presses. This adds a bit more variety to the racing game play and is a great addition.
The graphics and sound in the game is also a sight (and sound) to see (and hear). The characters look great, better than they did on the 64 renditions of the series in my opinion. It really does show what the DS graphics are capable of and sets a benchmark for future (or current now) DS games to follow. The stages also are very differed and look fantastic. The fact that they brought in stages from each previous Mario Kart game is a great little feature and they really made the stages look great. It's very colourful and cute. The sound in this will be very familiar to anyone who has played at least one Mario game in their lifetime. It consists of happy little themes that seem to fit in with the given environment your in during the game whether it be a frosty snow land or a scorching desert, these themes really seem to capture these areas brilliantly. Also the voice samples and sound effect present in the game fit in great, with your character beeping their horn and talking smack to their opponent, it really shows how they make it a much better experience.
Mario Kart DS has proven of how much the DS is capable of, and has a whole lot of new features that should appeal to a wide variety of people out there. Also with the inclusion of Nintendo Wi-Fi online play, it makes for a much more competitive game when you are totally owning them noobs with your silly snaking strategies (as you can see I'm bitter because I'm not as good as them). This version of the Mario Kart series will leave you feeling great and if your wanting more, this game is the best of the series to come back to and play again and again. Mario Kart DS is a joy to play and I'm proud to say I own it; you should also have this privilege too. If you don't already have it, just get it already!