Gaming to Go: Mario Kart DS
by Matthew Madeiro 
{ Sep 22nd 2008 at 2:29PM }
Go ahead. Roll your eyes.
Mario Kart? An incredibly obvious choice, perhaps, but for one important reason: it's good. Very good. It's easily the best racer on the DS and one of the greatest titles in the handheld's library, if the review scores are any indication. But beyond the numbers and critical analysis rests the simple fact that Mario Kart DS is fun, fast, and very much worthy of your attention, especially if you're looking for motor madness just as enjoyable now as it was when the game raced onto shelves back in late 2005.
Sure, there's this newfangled Wii version making the rounds, but for all of its technological advances, Mario Kart Wii is lacking in one vital area -- you can't take it on the toilet. If that realization is all it takes to convince you to dust that tiny cartridge off and put it back in action, you're in the right place. Grab a few bananas and peel out* to the second page as this week's edition of Gaming to Go revisits a portable classic.
*I'm so sorry.
Gallery: Mario Kart DS
Tick tock of the clock ringing in your ears? Tell your timepiece to shove it! We live busy lives, but remember this: there's always time to game. Check back with Gaming to Go every week for the latest and greatest titles you should spend your precious few minutes with.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Mr Khan @ Sep 22nd 2008 3:26PM
It might be my natural preference for home consoles talking, but Mario Kart DS didn't quite do it for me, for some reason. They picked some of the best retro stages (Choco Mountain, Sky Garden, Baby Park), and had some kickass new places (Waluigi Pinball), and i quite enjoyed the challenge mode, but it didn't beat the thrill factor that Mario Kart Wii and especially Double Dash (still my favorite) provided
Don @ Sep 22nd 2008 7:11PM
Is it still worth picking up (at the $40.00+ regular price) if one already has Mario Kart Wii? Are there enough differences or is it basically a near-identical experience on a portable scale?
BlackDS @ Sep 22nd 2008 8:56PM
If you own a DS Lite and you don't have Mario Kart DS in your collection, then your collection = FAIL.
This is the best game on the DS ... PERIOD.
Even three years after it's release, it's still the best DS game.
There are games I spent more time playing (RPG's require tons of time leveling up, etc.), but this is the game that I would keep if I could only have one DS game.
Mario Kart DS FTW.
Peace.
Jacob @ Sep 22nd 2008 10:35PM
The fact that Double Dash is your favorite speaks volumes. ;-)
In my opinion, its rather easily the best of the series. Instead of being wild and out there like Double Dash, it was traditional and incredibly polished, while still adding new things like the mission mode and Wifi to freshen the formula significantly. Some of the best course designs in any Mario Kart to date as well.
As the person who posted this said, I never leave the house without Mario Kart DS. It is the best game on the system, and the game with the best replay value, period.
Matdredalia @ Sep 23rd 2008 6:23AM
Man. Now I feel guilty. I've barely touched MarioKart in like, the last like, 8 months.
What's sad is, I played it more on my brother's DS (on the toilet, no less) before I got mine, than I have in the almost 2 years since I got my DS.
I am a bad MarioKarter.
james @ Sep 23rd 2008 7:15PM
so do i my brother has the game but I play it I also feel guilty because it won and I feel bad
chibi_wings @ Sep 23rd 2008 12:03PM
i agree, it makes a good on the go game. I usually take it with me if I'm going to be playing sporadically. And I'm not even very good at racing games, and yet I still enjoy the mario kart DS (and the franchise). It's that good of a game! ^^