It is astounding to me that this game exists. It has over twice as much content as Double Dash on a handheld. In 2005! Granted, Mission Mode isn't all it's cracked up to be and it's not my favorite Mario Kart to play, but it added a lot to the series, and is still a damn good time on its own.
Peak kart racing on the go
Low polygonal models are funny.
fais sans nostalgie bon jeux
Played this nonstop for two years i think.
snek
De las mejores selecciones de circuitos, extremadamente divertido
with the Wii as my favourite Mario Kart I guess; nostalgia may factor in but I don't really care there's a real charm to this that I think 8 is lacking for whatever reason. great list of tracks too, don't think there's any I roll my eyes at. has some favourites such as Delfino Square, Bowser Castle, the BEST Rainbow Road, and Choco Mountain. loved the balloon battles as a kid and the emblem creation is a fun touch too.
Jugaba con huesitos
El mapa de las chuches en la carrera de estrellas o el de la casa tipo cluedo que te podías caer me encantaban. QUE VUELVA POR FAVOR CIUDAD DELFINO ES DE LOS MEJORES MAPAS AUNQUE NUNCA ME HAYA SALIDO LO DE SALTAR POR EL AGUA
This isn't the best Mario Kart in my opinion but I played this so much in high school. My friends and I would get together before class to play this and it would get a little heated. We would always pile banana peels in the same area of a course, try to find a gap to drive through, and place another one down. The peels didn't disappear until the race was over or someone slipped on it. Not all of us had the game either so the wireless download feature was amazing. Good times for sure.
The era of the DS was beautiful in the way that Nintendo still had the creative confidence to just fuck around a bit, even in it's most popular IPs. NSMB DS, Bowser's Inside Story, this, etc. all had a bit of extra flair that sequels in their respective series seemed to sanitise.
The mission mode, playing on the DS stage, drawing your own emblem were all the sickest fucking thing and it's such a shame they were just straight up dropped.
The mission mode, playing on the DS stage, drawing your own emblem were all the sickest fucking thing and it's such a shame they were just straight up dropped.
really great for the ds! the controls are better than the previous handheld games, and there's more content for singe-player! would recommend
One of the DS Classics, maybe the best in the portable console, hundreds of hours of fun in my childhood
One of the only mario kart games to have the mission mode!
We are beating long car rides with this one!
Pretty fun game, the mission mode was very good!
Even after almost 20 years (how has it been that long....) Mario Kart DS is an easy choice for one of the better Mario Kart games, a massive improvement over the previous handheld, Super Circuit, at minimum. This is arguably the first entry in the series where drifting makes sense to control, and the addition of memorable vehicles and the first instance of proper retro tracks make MKDS a landmark title in the series.
32 courses compared to Double Dash's 16 is some serious value. Technically Super Circuit did the retro track thing first, but the process of unlocking them is so convoluted and cryptic, only to be rewarded with uninspiring SNES courses, so for the most part MKDS is the trailblazer here. And while the retro courses are a great addition, they're pretty clearly inferior to the new nitro courses overall. The Double Dash tracks especially don't translate too well to the much less powerful DS, a bland and featureless Baby Park (complete with only 5 laps) is especially depressing. Others like Mushroom Bridge feel clearly downgraded, and its bizarre seeing the credits roll at the end of the lightning cup just after completing GCN Yoshi Circuit. SNES Choco Island 2 was seemingly designed in a lab to be as unfun to drive on as possible, but at least Sky Garden is back, so that's nice.
Nitros are a different story, the beloved Waluigi Pinball makes its debut here, alongside other great tracks like Shroom Ridge and Airship Fortress. There's even some derivative tracks based on existing Mario titles, like Tick-Tock Clock, Luigi's Mansion, or Delfino Square. They're mostly pretty good, and track references like this are always something I'm looking to see more of.
I knew I wasn't getting a visually pleasing aesthetic from an early-era DS game, but it's admittedly a little jarring just how ugly Mario Kart DS looks. The character models are super low poly, Donkey Kong and Bowser especially do not look their best here. The items like shells appear to be 2D sprites imposed over the 3D map on the screen, it just looks odd. One of the missions forces you to drive backwards as Bowser, meaning he is facing the screen the whole time.
Speaking of mission mode, it's a much welcome addition here and something that old-school Mario Kart fans have long awaited to return. It's not expected or typical for racing games to have substantial single-player content, but it's really cool to be able to play boss battles against King Bob-omb or win a race against a giant Wiggler in a Mario Kart game.
Some karts in this game have some real personality to them, like DK's Rambi Rider or especially everyone's favorite, the Dry Bomber tank. Even R.O.B. the robot is playable, an unexpected throwback even prior to his inclusion in Smash Bros. Another much appreciated feature is DS download play allowing one to play with friends who don't even have the game, they're forced to play as Shy Guy, (arguably a good thing) but it's hard to imagine this sort of thing existing in the modern gaming industry.
There are some other quirks to this game like the ability to see the items other players have on the bottom screen, or little fun things like being able to customize your own player emblem, but overall Mario Kart DS is a complete package of a game and just a really good racer. I had an experience last year after a night of "Mario Kart(8 Deluxe) Monday" with my friends where I went to play Mario Kart DS after it was over, only to have an epiphany realizing I was enjoying how this one felt more. Really makes me think.
3.5/5.0
32 courses compared to Double Dash's 16 is some serious value. Technically Super Circuit did the retro track thing first, but the process of unlocking them is so convoluted and cryptic, only to be rewarded with uninspiring SNES courses, so for the most part MKDS is the trailblazer here. And while the retro courses are a great addition, they're pretty clearly inferior to the new nitro courses overall. The Double Dash tracks especially don't translate too well to the much less powerful DS, a bland and featureless Baby Park (complete with only 5 laps) is especially depressing. Others like Mushroom Bridge feel clearly downgraded, and its bizarre seeing the credits roll at the end of the lightning cup just after completing GCN Yoshi Circuit. SNES Choco Island 2 was seemingly designed in a lab to be as unfun to drive on as possible, but at least Sky Garden is back, so that's nice.
Nitros are a different story, the beloved Waluigi Pinball makes its debut here, alongside other great tracks like Shroom Ridge and Airship Fortress. There's even some derivative tracks based on existing Mario titles, like Tick-Tock Clock, Luigi's Mansion, or Delfino Square. They're mostly pretty good, and track references like this are always something I'm looking to see more of.
I knew I wasn't getting a visually pleasing aesthetic from an early-era DS game, but it's admittedly a little jarring just how ugly Mario Kart DS looks. The character models are super low poly, Donkey Kong and Bowser especially do not look their best here. The items like shells appear to be 2D sprites imposed over the 3D map on the screen, it just looks odd. One of the missions forces you to drive backwards as Bowser, meaning he is facing the screen the whole time.
Speaking of mission mode, it's a much welcome addition here and something that old-school Mario Kart fans have long awaited to return. It's not expected or typical for racing games to have substantial single-player content, but it's really cool to be able to play boss battles against King Bob-omb or win a race against a giant Wiggler in a Mario Kart game.
Some karts in this game have some real personality to them, like DK's Rambi Rider or especially everyone's favorite, the Dry Bomber tank. Even R.O.B. the robot is playable, an unexpected throwback even prior to his inclusion in Smash Bros. Another much appreciated feature is DS download play allowing one to play with friends who don't even have the game, they're forced to play as Shy Guy, (arguably a good thing) but it's hard to imagine this sort of thing existing in the modern gaming industry.
There are some other quirks to this game like the ability to see the items other players have on the bottom screen, or little fun things like being able to customize your own player emblem, but overall Mario Kart DS is a complete package of a game and just a really good racer. I had an experience last year after a night of "Mario Kart(8 Deluxe) Monday" with my friends where I went to play Mario Kart DS after it was over, only to have an epiphany realizing I was enjoying how this one felt more. Really makes me think.
3.5/5.0
Chatinho em comparação com o de Wii, mas eu joguei por muito tempo no DesMuMe.
Now this is an upgrade! So many new great additions: mission mode, 16 retro tracks, online mode, obscure characters, making the emblem on your kart, and the first jump to full 3D Mario Kart goodness on a handheld!
The controls are snappy, probably the best coming from Double Dash’s ‘chunkiness’ and Super Circuit’s super slippery ones, although the lack of a joystick is really noticeable and kinda difficult to switch to in this one compared to others.
Snaking is… something.. People seem to like it a lot, and while I can see it being fun in more of a competitive way I also feel like this is what kinda ruins the games balance (and my thumb). It can be fun to perform, but boosting ahead half a course and leaving everyone behind makes me feel like this was not intentional. It does add an extra layer when playing against others players, but if they don’t know snaking they’re gonna fall behind really fast. It has pros and cons, but overall I don’t really feel like this belongs in a Mario Kart game, and I think Nintendo feel the same since we haven’t had a Mario Kart with hardcore snaking syndrome since this.
The courses are sometimes really good and sometimes really meh, the CPU’s are sometimes fair and sometimes rubber banding too hard, the item are simple and pretty good, Chain Chomp is a great addition, and being able to play 8 people in total with only one game card is pretty amazing! Hope they add mission mode back into newer titles someday!
Has its flaws, but still a great game!
The controls are snappy, probably the best coming from Double Dash’s ‘chunkiness’ and Super Circuit’s super slippery ones, although the lack of a joystick is really noticeable and kinda difficult to switch to in this one compared to others.
Snaking is… something.. People seem to like it a lot, and while I can see it being fun in more of a competitive way I also feel like this is what kinda ruins the games balance (and my thumb). It can be fun to perform, but boosting ahead half a course and leaving everyone behind makes me feel like this was not intentional. It does add an extra layer when playing against others players, but if they don’t know snaking they’re gonna fall behind really fast. It has pros and cons, but overall I don’t really feel like this belongs in a Mario Kart game, and I think Nintendo feel the same since we haven’t had a Mario Kart with hardcore snaking syndrome since this.
The courses are sometimes really good and sometimes really meh, the CPU’s are sometimes fair and sometimes rubber banding too hard, the item are simple and pretty good, Chain Chomp is a great addition, and being able to play 8 people in total with only one game card is pretty amazing! Hope they add mission mode back into newer titles someday!
Has its flaws, but still a great game!
It worked wonderfully on the DS, loved the challenges and mini bosses that was in the game too
So nostalgic... It is harder to go back to this game's mechanics though, especially with the lack of an analog stick.
Battle Mode Levels Ranked Worst to Best:
6. Palm Shore
Driving through the water is annoying and ruins the pace of a match.
5. Tart Top
Pretty basic - not helped by the fact that the item boxes are only in 1 area. You can still have fun here, but the level itself is pretty forgettable.
4. Nintendo DS
For the sake of variety, it’s cool having 1 open course with few obstacles to focus on the items. It’s similar to Baby Park in that sense, though obviously not as small. Besides that, the theming is just really cool.
3. Twilight House
Getting really good now! I like the endgame on this level when there are only 2 players left. The short sightlines make it so that, for a few moments, it’s not fully clear when you’ll find and fight your opponent, which creates this brief sense of anticipation. You can also fall off the edge if you’re not careful.
2. Block Fort
There are lots of subsections to chase opponents around, and amazing verticality. If you get triple shells, it’s really funny to jump on top of some unsuspecting NPC on the floor below. I feel like this or Nintendo DS would’ve been my favourite if I’d played MKDS as a kid.
1. Pipe Plaza
This map is quite small, and so it’s probably the most chaotic battle course in the game. Almost nowhere is safe; you have to be extra careful of your surroundings, especially when blowing up a balloon. I usually try to blast out of the pipe teleporter and place a banana upon landing, so when another racer takes the teleporter they get hit.
6. Palm Shore
Driving through the water is annoying and ruins the pace of a match.
5. Tart Top
Pretty basic - not helped by the fact that the item boxes are only in 1 area. You can still have fun here, but the level itself is pretty forgettable.
4. Nintendo DS
For the sake of variety, it’s cool having 1 open course with few obstacles to focus on the items. It’s similar to Baby Park in that sense, though obviously not as small. Besides that, the theming is just really cool.
3. Twilight House
Getting really good now! I like the endgame on this level when there are only 2 players left. The short sightlines make it so that, for a few moments, it’s not fully clear when you’ll find and fight your opponent, which creates this brief sense of anticipation. You can also fall off the edge if you’re not careful.
2. Block Fort
There are lots of subsections to chase opponents around, and amazing verticality. If you get triple shells, it’s really funny to jump on top of some unsuspecting NPC on the floor below. I feel like this or Nintendo DS would’ve been my favourite if I’d played MKDS as a kid.
1. Pipe Plaza
This map is quite small, and so it’s probably the most chaotic battle course in the game. Almost nowhere is safe; you have to be extra careful of your surroundings, especially when blowing up a balloon. I usually try to blast out of the pipe teleporter and place a banana upon landing, so when another racer takes the teleporter they get hit.
good
I am sadly not immune to nostalgia.
It's not a bad Mario Kart by any means but I dont think I'll ever revist it again.
Use this review as a reminder to keep asking Nintendo to bring back mission mode.
farts my buttsShimmy shimmy yay, shimmy yay, shimmy ya (drank)
Swalla-la-la (drank)
Swalla-la-la (swalla-la-la)
Swalla-la-la
Shimmy shimmy yay, shimmy yay, shimmy ya (drank)
Swalla-la-la (drank)
Swalla-la-la (swalla-la-la)
Swalla-la-la
Swalla-la-la (drank)
Swalla-la-la (swalla-la-la)
Swalla-la-la
Shimmy shimmy yay, shimmy yay, shimmy ya (drank)
Swalla-la-la (drank)
Swalla-la-la (swalla-la-la)
Swalla-la-la
Multijugador competitivo y muy divertido. Recomendadísimo para jugar con amigos.
The second Mario Kart game on a handheld. MKDS has no right being as good as it is. This game introduced retro tracks to the series, which would be in every game following this one. Mario Kart DS has the most amount of Single Player content in the series, you have your standard grand prix and mission mode, which is exclusive to this game as of writing this. Overall, one of the best Mario Kart games.