Mario Kart DS
From Wikia Gaming, your source for walkthroughs, games, guides, and more!
| Portal: Sports and Racing | 
| Mario Kart DS at Mario Kart Racing Wiki |
|---|
| Mario Kart DS | |
 | |
| Developer(s) | Nintendo |
| Publisher(s) | Nintendo |
| Release date | November 14, 2005 (NA) |
| Genre | Racing, Kart racer |
| Mode(s) | 1-8 players (4 Online), Versus, Battle, Online |
| Age rating(s) | ESRB: E |
| Platform(s) | Nintendo DS |
| Input | touch screen microphone |
| Credits | Soundtrack | Codes | Walkthrough | |
Mario Kart DS is the fifth game in the Mario Kart series. It was released on November 14, 2005 in North America. Mario Kart DS was one of the first games announced for the Nintendo DS and was pushed back from its originally estimated release of quarter 1, 2005. Unlike Mario Kart 64, which features sprite-based characters against a 3D background, Mario Kart DS features a fully 3D world.
Along with Animal Crossing: Wild World, Mario Kart DS was one of the first titles able to be playable online through Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Using friend codes, players could race each other on most of the tracks, and even show off custom decals on their kart.
Contents |
[edit] Gameplay
The action takes place on the top screen while a map is visible on the bottom. Unlike previous games, you can both hop and power slide. The game has also taken a step away from the dual-kart mechanism present in the last installation, Mario Kart: Double Dash!!.
The racing itself, however, has not changed much from previous iterations of the franchise. They focus on simple, arcade-style controls instead of realism. Players use different weapons from the Mario series, like the famous Koopa shells and Super Stars against each other, while racing along crazy twisting tracks. The tracks range from original creations to throwbacks from every previous installment of the game. Four tracks from each of the previous games in the series are present, recreated (in some cases for the first time) in full 3D.
In addition to traditional races, there is a revamped battle mode and a new mission mode. The former features open maps and player-vs-player combat; each player begins with one balloon representing their life. In a new twist, players can inflate additional balloons by blowing into the DS' microphone. Alternatively, holding down the Select button accomplishes the same result.
A new mission mode is also available, which gives you a limited amount of time to meet a given objective. Example quests include completing 5 power slides, or collecting a number of coins as fast as possible. Each stage also has a "boss" fight, such as shoving a Big Bully into the water with Mushroom Dash power-ups, or beating a giant Goomba to the end of the race while avoiding everything he throws at you.
[edit] Tracks
There are a total of 32 tracks: 16 from previous iterations of Mario Kart, with the remainder being new tracks built for the DS. Overall, 20 of the tracks are playable online.
Nitro Grand Prix (new tracks)
Mushroom Cup
- Figure 8 Circuit
- Yoshi Falls
- Cheep Cheep Beach
- Luigi's Mansion
Flower Cup
- Desert Hills
- Delfino Square
- Waluigi Pinball
- Shroom Ridge
Star Cup
- DK Pass
- Tick-Tock Clock
- Mario Circuit
- Airship Fortress
Special Cup
- Wario Stadium
- Peach Gardens
- Bowser's Castle
- Rainbow Road
Retro Grand Prix (recreated tracks)
Shell Cup
- Mario Circuit 1 - Super Mario Kart, SNES
- Moo Moo Farm - Mario Kart 64, N64
- Peach Circuit - Mario Kart: Super Circuit, GBA
- Luigi Circuit - Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, GCN
Banana Cup
- Donut Plains 1 - SNES
- Frappe Snowland - N64
- Bowser's Castle 2 - GBA
- Baby Park - GCN
Leaf Cup
- Koopa Beach 2 - SNES
- Choco Mountain - N64
- Luigi Circuit - GBA
- Mushroom Bridge - GCN
Lightning Cup
- Choco Island 2 - SNES
- Banshee Boardwalk - N64
- Sky Garden - GBA
- Yoshi Circuit - GCN
[edit] Battle Mode
There are six Battle Maps, two of which are from previous iterations of Mario Kart.
- Nintendo DS - Modeled after the surface of a Nintendo DS. A similar map is found in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!; in that case, players go head-to-head on the surface of a GameCube.
- Twilight House - A nine-room three-by-three configuration of a house, the center being filled in as a wall. Players can go outside of the house, but doing so could get you pushed off the edge of the course by another kart!
- Palm Shore - A beach with a central island and some stretches of dry land all around it. These stretches are separated by a sand-filled sort of basin that the tide fills occasionally, causing karts in the water to move very slowly.
- Tart Top - A large cake, with all the item boxes floating directly over the cherry-topped center. Frosting and strawberries are dotted around the outer and inner parts of the cake, and bumping into one sprays a bit of frosting onto the top screen, making sight a bit difficult for a few seconds.
- Block Fort - Originally found in Mario Kart 64, this fan favorite features three layers and four massive color coded blocks, making it one of the most intense "search and destroy" maps.
- Pipe Plaza - Hails from Mario Kart: Double Dash!!.
[edit] Characters
There are a total of 13 characters, with 8 being available from the start and 5 unlockables through playing.
[edit] Base characters
[edit] Hidden characters
[edit] Items
All items are activated using the player's choice of the X or L buttons. Holding the button allows certain items to be dragged behind the player's kart.
- Mushroom: Performs a turbo boost forwards. Useful for passing, ramming, or crossing terrain such as sand or grass without being slowed down.
- Triple Mushrooms: Each button press uses one Mushroom boost, until all are gone.
- Golden Mushroom: After activation of the first boost, the player has 20 seconds during which as many Mushroom boosts as desired can be performed.
- Banana (draggable): Driving over it causes your kart to spin out. Can be set behind the kart, or thrown forwards. Hitting the dragged banana has the same effect as running over it.
- Triple Bananas: Activating the item causes three buttons to be strung behind your kart, where they follow until the button is pressed again to deploy each banana individually. Racers that hit the back of your kart will spin out as if they ran over a banana, which causes the banana that contacted the racer's kart to be used up. Once the bananas are dragging behind the kart, another item can be obtained.
- Green Shell (draggable): A throwing shell that travels in a straight line, bouncing off of walls three to six times before breaking. If it hits a kart, the kart rolls over. Hitting a dragged shell has the same effect as being hit.
- Triple Green Shells: Similar to Triple Bananas, activation leads to a rotation of three shells around the player's kart. Anyone driving too close could be hit by a rotating shell as it comes around the kart. Individual shells can be shot off like a single green shell by pressing the button again once the shells have been deployed. Another item can be obtained once the shells are rotating around the kart.
- Red shell (draggable): A homing version of the Green Shell. If racers are too close together, Red Shells don't always have time enough to lock on to the racer and will continue around to the next racer. Red Shells shot while the player is in first place will attempt to go all the way around the track and hit the player in last place.
- Triple Red Shells: A homing version of Triple Green Shells.
- Bob-omb (draggable): Thrown backward or forward. If a kart gets too close to the bomb, it will explode, throwing all karts in the blast radius into the air, with the caveat that the kart(s) that triggered it may be able to drive ahead of the explosion fast enough to avoid it. Karts that enter the explosion after the bomb goes off will spin out instead of being launched into the air. If no kart gets close enough to the bomb, it will explode anyway in three to six seconds, affecting karts the same as it was triggered. Karts that ram into a bomb being held behind will trigger an explosion.
- Fake Item Box (draggable): Looks like an Item box, but it doesn't spin and it's missing a question mark. Running into one causes the kart to flip over. Karts that hit a dragged Fake item box will also flip over.
- Spiny Shell: A large, spiked blue shell that zooms straight to the person in first and attacks them, creating a large explosion not unlike that created by the Bob-omb. Karts in the blast radius will be thrown up into the air; those that enter the explosion after detonation will spin out. Launching a Spiny shell while in first place will cause the Spiny shell to blow you up!
- Blooper: Sprays ink onto the top screen and karts of all other players. CPU players that have been hit by a Blooper will drive in erractic zigzag patterns. Human players may find it difficult to successfully navigate their karts if they aren't good at using the bottom screen to drive. If used while in first place, no enemy karts will be hit; Blooper will spray ink onto the player in first instead! Ink can be cleared by using a Mushroom or running over a boost pad. Miniboosts from drifting will not rid a player of Blooper ink.
- Boo: Makes players invisible and invincible, allowing them to drive through and over any terrain (with the exception of walls), items, and other karts. If an opponent has an item, Boo will steal one and give it to the user. Boo does not protect players from falling off of the course completely, and the effects will fade after a short period of time.
- Star: On activation, the player will be made invincible to all attacks, items, and terrain effects. Running into another kart while using a Star causes the opposing vehicle to flip over; running back and forth over somebody with a Star during a Wi-Fi race is a common practice that is seen as annoying by many players. The effects of a Star fade after a short period of time.
- Bullet Bill: Transforms the user into a Bullet Bill. Players will be automatically navigated through the main road of the course, knocking over any karts in the way. Bullet Bills will not take shortcuts, but they will finish going through a shortcut path if the player activates the Bullet Bill mid-shortcut. Players will turn back into their normal form after a short period of time.
- Lightning: All other karts will shrink and move slowly, as well as hear high-pitched and distorted music and voice until returned to their normal size. Karts in low places like 8th will take a shorter time to return to their normal size than those in higher places, like 1st; the farther ahead you are, the longer the period of time before returning to the normal size. The user of Lightning is not affected in any way.
[edit] Caveats
Triple Bananas, Triple Green Shells, and Triple Red Shells do not appear in Wi-Fi due to potential lag problems. Dragging items behind one's kart in Wi-Fi is also disabled for the same reason.
[edit] Enemies and hazards
There are many enemies and terrain hazards in Mario Kart DS.
[edit] Online
Mario Kart DS was one of the first games to be released that was compatible with the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, allowing players to go online and race against other users around the world.
[edit] Mario Kart: Super Circuit tie-in
When the Nintendo DS is turned on with Mario Kart DS in Slot 1 and Mario Kart: Super Circuit in Slot 2, Super Circuit is listed as an "Option Pack" and cannot be played. Users have yet to discover if and how this effects Mario Kart DS.
|
| ||||||||
