Mario Kart with a new spin.
The Bad: Mario Kart purists might be disappointed and angered by online "snakers" and disconnectors.
Mario Kart has been around for a while now, starting with the SNES' "Super Mario Kart", one of the first Mario sport games. The game introduced the high speed thrill of racing games, and combined it with a fun element - the ability to pick up items and use them for your advantage. Thirteen years later, the Mario Kart series is still alive and a new game has been released...
Mario Kart DS
GAMEPLAY
Mario Kart DS still carries the same gameplay as previous Mario Kart games. You press A to accelerate, B to reverse, R to drift, and L/X to use items. The items are set around each course in rows of five, and consist of the same items as last games, with a few new ones (like the Blooper that limits your opponents' view). There is a... semi-new ability, though. Introduced in Mario Kart Double Dash!!, you can now "snake". Snaking is when you repeatedly power boost from left to right so you can get infinite boosts and can go faster. Many MK purists might find this "cheating", but many new players also find this quite fair, since everyone can do it with some skill.
Score: 9
GRAPHICS
Mario Kart DS is a beautifully-made game. Each level is colorful and greatly created. Many of the courses are based on previous Mario games, like Mario Sunshine and Luigi's Mansion, and they all look amazing. The character's 3D models are pretty good too. Some parts may look a bit blocky and out of place, but those are minor imperfections. Another small complaint would be that some of the designs are just flat 2D images, such as the Goombas, koopa shells, and some more, but you probably won't notice them.
Score: 8
SOUND
This is one of the high points of Mario Kart DS. Each different course has a catchy tune and they sound great. Some of the soundtrack is remixed versions of classic Mario tunes and some are brand new. Each level is completed by not only the great visual style, but also by its stylish music. They provide exactly what matches the stages, and you can hear even the crowd chanting in Delfino Square, and a little background upbeat music when you have a Starman. And you're probably gonna find yourself ramming into enemy karts just to hear the "beep beep" sound coming out it.
Score: 10
LASTABILITY
Mario Kart DS will last you ages. Even though it's basically the same game, it has many additions. It has now included a mission mode, where you have to achieve a certain goal in a certain stage with a certain kart, within the certain time limit. When you finish each "level" of mission (8 missions in each level), a boss appears, and you have to battle him. There are four unlockable characters to be gotten from Single Player mode, one Cicuit Class, and a special kart secret that will surely help you. For each Cup you beat, you get a ranking, same goes for each mission. If you manage to get at least one star for each cup in Single Player, a star will appear over your character online. Same thing with two stars, and three stars, which is really hard to get, but at least you can show off when you play against newbies online. The newest addition is the online play. You can choose to play with people on your region, the whole world, or people that share similar rankings as you. If you register people's friend code (can't communicate during the game, so you'll have to do it in real life or on a website), you can play against that specific person. You can play with up to 3 people online, and 7 people offline.
Score: 9
OVERALL
Mario Kart DS has great gameplay, beautiful graphics, quirky and memorable sound, and will last you a very long time if you let it. In conclusion, if you're a Mario Kart fan, get this game now. If you're a racing games fan, get this now. If you have a DS and a brain, get this game now! Trust me, you won't regret it.