Mario Kart DS

About Mario Kart DS
Mario Kart DS is the first game in the series for the Nintendo DS portable platform. It is also Nintendo's very first attempt at including total, online multi-player gameplay. While online play via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection is not considered as fleshed out as it could have been, the game itself was well recieved by critics.

Publisher: Nintendo

Platform: Nintendo DS

Release Date (Europe): November 25, 2005

Release Date (Japan): December 8, 2005

Release Date (North America): November 14, 2005

ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)

Characters
Mario Kart DS includes a wide variety of characters from the Mario universe. Here is a quick look at all of them:

- Mario -

The hero of the Mushroom Kingdom, he has participated in numerous genres from tennis to golf. Mario is a balanced racer.

- Luigi -

The not so famous brother of Mario. He usually tags along with Mario as more of a sidekick then an equal. Like Mario, Luigi is a balanced racer.

- Donkey Kong (DK) -

He's the monkey. Donkey Kong is a big ape who was once rivals with Mario at the start but is now stars in more of his own games seperate from Mario. He's a heavy racer who can knock you off the track if given the chance.

- Bowser -

Bowser is the classic villain of the Mario games who repeatedly plots to kidnap Princess Peach. Fortunately, his plans are always foiled by Mario and Luigi. He's a heavy racer who can knock you off the track if given half a chance.

- Yoshi -

Yoshi is everyone's favorite green dinosaur. In the past, Yoshi has been a mount for Mario, but lately he has become more of an individual. Yoshi is a light racer with great acceleration and handling.

- Wario -

Childhood friend of Mario, he was oft cast as the bad guy, ultimately leading to his life of crime. He's a balanced/heavy player with lots of speed and handling, less of an emphasis on item..

- Peach -

The resident damsel in distress of the Mushroom Kingdom. Countless Mario games focus on Bowser kidnapping her and Mario rescuing her.

- Toad -

Toad is an assistant to Princess Peach. He tries to help Peach but fails and then gives Mario helpful advice. Toad is a light character and has great acceleration.

- Shy Guy -

Shy Guy is a standard enemy from the Mario universe. In Mario Kart DS, he becomes playable to those who don't have their own Game Card and are using the single-card DS Download Play feature.

- Waluigi -

Bio soon!

Note: Waluigi must be unlocked before you can choose him.

- Dry Bones -

Skeletal foe in many a game, this racer is very light, most likely due to a lack of flesh. Handles great and a popular power sliding character.

Note: Dry Bones must be unlocked before you can choose it.

- Daisy -

Bio soon!

Note: Daisy must be unlocked before you can choose her.

- R.O.B. -

R.O.B. stands for "Robotic Operating Buddy". He was once an actual piece of hardware that Nintendo created to compliment the original Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). R.O.B. is a fairly heavy racer.

Note: R.O.B. must be unlocked before you can choose it.

Items
Mario Kart DS contains 17 different items all hidden in different item boxes scattered around a racing track. When driven through an item box a player will get an item selected by the game. The selection process is not completely random. The item a racer will get depends on the position the racer is in. If the racer is in first place it will get defensive items. If a racer is in a lower position it might get offensive items wich help the racer take a higher position in the race. A number of items can be thrown behind or in front of a racer's kart. Some items, like mushrooms, can be used by the racer itself to gain an adventage in the race. Other items can be dragged behind a players kart as a meassure of shielding the kart from enemy items. When dragging an item, the racer's item slot becomes empty and can therefor be filled with another item. Dragging items is not possible in Nintendo Wifi Connection mode.

- Banana -

The most common item in Mario Kart DS, the banana is thrown either forwards or backwards and lays on the ground wherever it lands. When a character runs into it, the banana makes them spin out and momentarily stop.

- Blooper -

When thrown, the blooper throws black ink onto the screen of your opponents, effectively blinding them. While good in theory, the blooper is relatively ineffective in practice because it does not cover the majority of the screen.

- Blue Shell -

The most powerful item in the game. When a player uses the blue shell weapon, they send a powerful bomb shell that seeks out whoever is in first place and then drops it on them. It also creates a small blast which will stop any other players within the radius.

- Bob-Omb -

Similar to the banana, the Bob-Omb can be thrown either forwards or backwards and will stop wherever it lands. However, unlike the banana, the Bob-Omb explodes within a few seconds of being thrown, making it a much more dangerous weapon.

- Boo -

Boo is one of the only weapons in Mario Kart DS that does not hurt other players directly. When used, Boo will randomly steal a weapon from another opponent and then give the stolen weapon to the player who summoned Boo.

- Bullet Bill -

A new addition to the Mario Kart series, Bullet Bill will hook onto the player's kart and then both boost and auto-drive the kart for a few seconds. It will also hit and stop any other players who bump into it.

- Fake Item Box -

One of the most basic weapons in Mario Kart, the fake item box impersonates an item box when it is thrown. When hit, the fake item box makes the racer tumble and then stop. Can be distiguised from real item boxes due to the fact that fake ones don't spin.

- Golden Mushroom -

A rare version of the mushroom in which you are given an infinite number of boosts within a small length of time instead of just getting one boost.

- Green Shell -

When thrown, the green shell will travel in a straight path until it either disappears or hits a player, which will make them tumble and then briefly stop.

- Lightning Rod -

A rare item during Mario Kart DS races, the lightning rod hits all players (except whoever threw it) with a bolt of lightning, which shrinks the players and slows them down. Can be avoided by hitting another item at the exact same time the lightning strikes.

- Mushroom -

Provides a small boost for the player who uses it.

- Red Shell -

Similar to the green shell. The only major difference is that the red shell will lock on to a player and then follow it. Can be avoided by throwing another item to intersect the red shell.

- Star -

The best and also most rare item in the game, the star provides the player with temporary invincibility and also a speed boost. Also, if a player using the star comes into contact with any other racer, that racer will crash.

- Triple Banana -

Same as the banana, but instead you are given three.

- Triple Green Shell -

Same as the green shell, but you are given three green shells instead of one. Can also be used as a shield because the shells rotate your kart until they are fired.

- Triple Mushroom -

Same as the mushroom, but you are given three.

- Triple Red Shell -

Same as the red shell, but you are given three. Can also be used as a shield because the shells rotate your kart until they are fired.

Unlockables
Mario Kart DS can be enjoyed without learning the advanced maneuvers. You'll find lots of secret unlockables within the game.

- Unlockable Characters -


 * Daisy. Get a gold trophy (first place overall) on 50cc Retro Grand Prix.


 * Dry Bones. Get a gold trophy (first place overall) on 50cc Nitro Grand Prix.


 * Waluigi. Get a gold trophy (first place overall) on 100c Retro Grand Prix.


 * R.O.B. Get a gold trophy (first place overall) on 150cc Mirror Retro Grand Prix.

- Unlockable Karts -


 * Earn a third kart for each character by placing first overall in the 100cc Retro Grand Prix.


 * Earn a fourth kart for each character by placing first overall in the 150cc Retro Grand Prix.


 * Unlock all karts for all characters by placing first overall in the 150cc Nitro Grand Prix.

- 150cc Mirror Mode -

Unlock 150cc Mirror Mode by placing first overall in 150cc Retro Grand Prix.

- Unlockable Title Screen -

You can unlock a new title screen by finshing all classes with gold trophies on all cups.

- Unlockable Ending Screen -

You can unlock a new ending screen (the 'thank you' screen) by earning gold trophies on all cups and classes.

- Unlockable Mission Tier 7 -

You can unlock a 7th set of missions in 'Mission' mode by earning at least 1 star on every other mission available.

Advanced Powersliding
- Introduction -

Also known as snaking, this technique is exploiting the powerslide boost function in Mario Kart DS and using it to its fullest advantage.

The simpliest form of powersliding is performing it at corners... Advanced Powersliding is performing it as much as possible without being hindered by the course.

- Performing -

Performing Powerboosts is done by pressing R to hop, then holding down the D-Pad in the direction you want your cart to drift, after your Kart starts to drift, immediately begin to press Left & Right quickly and rhythmically.

This will take much practice, both mentally, and physically.

- Straightaway Snaking -

Straightaway snaking seems like a disadvantage at first, but if performed quickly enough, you can gain a signifigant speed boost over the competition.

- One-sided boosts -

This is Powerslide boosting from just one side repeatedly. It can be used on smaller straightaways where going in an actual snake-like pattern will only get you into the grass.

To perform, Powerslide boost, making sure you can squeeze enough room to not slide onto the grass. After the boost, perform a hop or two to realign yourself, then boost from that side again.

- Best Karts and Characters -

The best Karts to use for Advanced Powersliding would be very light characters that have a low drift and high accelleration. The downside is that this limits a large amount of characters that can be useful.

Famous combinations are Yoshi and his Egg One, Dry Bones and his Dry Bomber, and Luigi and the Poltergust 4000.

Links and Resources

 * Official Mario Kart Website (North America)
 * Mario Kart DS Decal Maker
 * Mario Kart DS - Wi-Fi Connection Help