i played this on an emulator during computer science class in elementary school. the teacher would let anyone who finished their assignments in powerpoint or something early just stay on the computer and play the games he'd installed.
for the first time in my life, i was glad to be a nerd who finished everything quickly.

i discovered a perfect tennis technique and no one has defeated me since

as a young kid, playing through the story mode felt unlike anything i'd ever seen. so many of my favorite characters clashing together in fun ways. ahh, and what a roster!

it triumphs spectacularly at the type of game it wants to be. the story is poignant, the setting is interesting, the mechanics are fresh and fun. sometimes i will just to go swimming at the zora domain for a bit, or just ride my horse. it's all so very atmospheric.

however, there is something a bit lacking in terms of being a zelda game, sadly.

this was just so trash, absolute dogshit graphics even for a DS game

kinda difficult to find a bunch of people with a nintendo DS so that you can play with them, innit?

special event pokemon that you could only get through being in Japan at the right time or getting a hacked game to this day make me feel so left out and upset.

love the region and pokemon selection, also the late game is unrivaled.

if i dished out game ratings by sheer virtue of hours sunk into a game this would be a 10/5.
when i moved with my grandma, who had no internet or cable tv, my DS was my sole companion, and aside from a few educational games, Mario Kart DS was the only game i owned.
Thus, i mastered it. Every character, every track, on all cc. I even did time trials, i never do game time trials, but for mario i did.
Very fond memories.

i don't have enough of a memory but i remember the maps being cool

my parents didn't let me play GTA: San Andreas but that's alright because i was running from the cops, driving like a madman in this game and having a blast

i seriously never thought i'd get soooo into rocket cars playing football but here i am

after final exams, when all i can do is wait to see whether i'm fucked or saved, this game has calmed me.
while watching thousands of hours of youtube and netflix shows, this game has been a relaxing activity to do alongside them.
this game is endless and amazing

almost infinite content, a surprisingly enjoyable combat system and an ecosystem of sidequests and progression trees that never feel too overconsuming.
I love this game more deeply than i do most people.

as a kid playing this at an arcade i couldn't for the life of me make it past like 2 stops.
as an adult owning this on steam i realize that after like 3 stops, the game stops being fun.