bit-tech Shopping: Nintendo Mario Kart DS (DS)

Rating: 10

Time with product:

Strengths: easy controls, simple

Weaknesses: none

Summary: This is one of my favorite games ever. ITs not one of those racing games where you have to try hard not to crash. its easy and you can focus on the race and not hard turns and stuff

Rating: 10

Time with product:

Strengths: Lots of races, Many missions.

Weaknesses: Battles are hard to understand at first.

Summary: Over 30 races including new races and races from other Mario kart games including races from Mario Kart 64 (Nintendo 64), SNES Mario Kart (SNES), Mario Kart Super Circuit (GBA), and Mario Kart Double Dash (Game Cube). Using the Wi-fi connection, you can race and battle against people all over the world (this can be done anywhere there is a wi-fi connection, including your house!)!!! THIS GAME IS OGGALS AND OGGALS OF ENTERTAINMENT!!

Rating: 10

Time with product: 8 Months

Strengths: Fun pick up and play version of Mario Kart for the DS, WiFi and local multiplayer a bonus

Weaknesses: WiFi matches hampered by "snaking" strategy which sucks all the fun out of the game

Summary: The venerable Mario Kart franchise being released on the Nintendo DS was a no-brainer move by Nintendo. This game features a wealth of retro tracks from previous console versions of Mario Kart, as well as several new courses. There is a nice single-cartridge local multiplayer feature as well as the online Wi-Fi races. The nice thing about this game is that Friend Codes are not required to get online and race other people - matches will be found for you. The bad news is that a hand-cramping technique called "snaking" is common in multiplayer matches and if you want to compete you need to learn this skill, which takes a lot of the fun out of the game. Still, as a single player game and as a multiplayer game among friends (you can still use Friend Codes to match up with people you know over Wi-Fi) Mario Kart is one of the best on the DS.

Rating: 8

Time with product: 6 Months

Strengths: Same gameplay that has made the series great

Weaknesses: Sometimes the sense of speed is not really there.

Summary: Mario Kart has always been one of the best racing games for the system it's on. This case is no different for now (though Diddy Kong Racing coming up in the fall might try to change that). Mario Kart DS is a great new entry into the series. The touch screen usage is pretty minimal, mostly as a map showing the location of the other racers. The new maps are great, while a lot of the classic maps from previous iterations of the series are also present.

Rating: 10

Time with product: 3

Strengths: Great graphics and gameplay, lots of variety, plenty to do.

Weaknesses: Stupid blue shell, outdated mechanics

Summary: Mario Kart returns on the DS. Fortunately, it is a terrific rendition, taking the best of all the previous Mario Kart games and adding lots of nice touches.Lots of tracks, including retro tracks, are wonderful. The new tracks feel right at home along with the updated retro tracks. There are time trial and battle modes too.Also included for the first time is a mission mode, giving you tasks to do instead of races. It doesn't replace the main game, but it is a very nice bonus.There are only two downsides. The first is the blue shell, introduced in the Gamecube's Mario Kart Double Dash and placed in the mix in this game. It is not an improvement -- it is an abusive mechanism that really doesn't help weak players but does interfere with the ability of otherwise good players to win, or sometimes even place. Very frustrating when used over and over by computer opponents.The other downside is the general cheapness of the AI and the racing. As with previous Mario Kart titles, increasing difficulty is just a matter of faster, cheaper karts. The blue shell figures into this, but is not the only problem. I wish I could say that this Mario Kart is truly a game of skill -- you do need lots of skill to win the harder classes -- but this Mario Kart, even more than others, seems like a game of chance as well.But these are minor, albeit frustrating, quibbles. There is so much to do and so much overall enjoyment out of this title that it belongs in everyone's game library.