Welcome to the fifth User Review! ~Umbreon~ has supplied this user review with a bit of an older DS game, Mario Kart DS. In this review, ~Umbreon~ uses a different tactic; he grades has he writes. Each section is graded in the review, with an over all score at the end. Some of you will recognize this review in the DS section of the forums.

So how does Mario Kart DS add up for ~Umbreon~? Read to find out!

Title: Mario Kart DS
Developer: Nintendo EAD
Publisher: Nintendo
Platform: Nintendo DS
Wi-Fi Compatible

Mario Kart DS, one of the many Mario Kart series and the first with Nintendo Wi-Fi. Like the others you race through various tracks designed to fit characters interests. It was very popular and had 112,000 units sold and on Wi-Fi during the first week of release. The Wi-Fi compatibility of Mario Kart DS really brought it to the top of the list, which made it a good buy.

Game play: 10/10
In Mario Kart DS you go through races with all of your favorite Mario characters trying to win the gold. There are 4 sections to the game play the Grand Prix a high speed racing contest with 4 sections 50cc, 100cc, 150cc, and the 150cc mirror. As you play through these competitions they will get harder and harder until the end at 150cc mirror you race like you are looking at a mirror! When you win one of the sections you get a prize of some sort.

The 2nd section to the game play is Battle mode. The 1st section to Battle Mode is Balloon Battle, here instead of racing you go through tracks collect boxes and shoot various items at opponents to get rid of there balloons and defeat them. The other Battle Mode section is Shine Runners, in this game you drive around trying to collect Shine stars scattered around the tracks. The one with the most shine stars at the end wins!

The 3rd section is Missions mode! You go through various missions like collect the blocks or defeat the enemy for a surprise when you’re done with them all

The 4th section is Wi-Fi racing. This is just like regular racing mode but you battle your friends over Wi-Fi to win the gold!
Now the last and 5th section is Time Trial. Here you must go through the track as fast as you can to get the high score. It’s a high speed race to the finish!

But be warned the Wi-Fi of this game is a little unfair if you call snaking cheating. Snaking is swerving in and out with many turbo boosts and speeding through the track at high speed.

Replay Value: 9/10
The replay value of this game is large. Mario Kart DS is a huge game with many things to do so you’ll want to play it until its beat. The Nintendo Wi-Fi of this game makes you want to get on Wi-Fi and go race someone 24/7 to get the best record out there. There are many characters to unlock and karts too so you might not want to give up in the beginning because there’s a lot ahead.

Sound: 8/10
This game has amazing sound, every track has its own theme music and it’s very original. From the main menu music to the Bowser’s Castle tune it’s amazing. The effects of bumping into things or firing banana peels at characters are all fun. The sound makes this game something special. Its sound compliments everything else by making everything you do sound real.

Graphics: 7/10
Mario Kart DS is not popular for its graphics but they are pretty good. The graphics are much like any other DS game they have to be cramped into two small screens, but don’t worry everything else makes up for it. Mario Kart DS has original graphics by being able to make your own emblem and putting it on your kart adds some points to the graphics of this game.

Overall: 34/40

Overall Mario Kart DS is an amazing game. It has everything you would want from a racing game and more. The many game modes, original sound, unique graphics, and Wi-Fi compatibility really make the game one of the best racing games out there, and probably the best on the Nintendo DS.