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When Super Mario Kart hit the Super Nintendo in the early 90s it was an instant success. This was the first time a slew of characters from the Mario universe were thrown into a very non-Mario game. The unique weapon-based racing aspect and multiplayer modes kept gamers happy for a very long time. Over the years, Nintendo has released Mario Kart on the N64, GBA, and GameCube. Some argue the first game in the series is still the best. I personally have spent more time playing the N64 version than any other in the series due to attending college at the time and it being a perfect way to blow off homework with a bunch of friends in the 4-player mode. By the time the GameCube sequel was released I was living on my own and had to make a concerted effort to bring friends together to play the game. Even though Double Dash is a fine game, looking back it was missing some of the magic from the original and the 64 versions. Now that Mario Kart DS has released for the Nintendo DS handheld system, it's hard to deny that this is the best Mario Kart game ever. It goes back to its roots. It puts a laser focus on the multiplayer modes while giving single players more options than ever before. This is the reason to own a DS.

When players first boot up Mario Kart DS, they can select Single Player, Multiplayer, or Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Unlike past iterations of Mario Kart, the single player option actually has some meat to it. The traditional Grand Prix mode is where gamers will most likely spend most of their time playing. The 50cc, 100cc, and 150cc classes are selectable from the start. The higher the class, the faster the karts race, and the A.I. of the computer-controlled karts become increasingly brutal. After selecting the class, the player must select the character and kart to be used in the race. Each character and kart combination has different statistics. These are broken down into: speed, acceleration, weight, handling, drift, and items. Players will want to carefully choose the combination that fits them best. If you're always falling behind in races, you might want to choose a kart that has better speed and item pick-up rate (increases your chances of nabbing better items, like red shells). The final step is selecting the cup to race. There are a total of 8 cups, each consisting of 4 tracks. The Nitro Grand Prix features 16 all new tracks whereas the Retro Grand Prix offers gamers a trip down memory lane with 16 classic tracks (4 tracks from each of the previous 4 games).

Most gamers will want to start on the 50cc races first to clear each cup with a gold trophy. This will open up new tracks and even some secret racers and karts. Just like past Mario Kart games, to win a gold trophy you must have the most points at the end of the cup's 4 races. Obviously, winning first place nets you the most points, and they trickle down the further back you place. Veterans of the series will feel right at home with the controls and gameplay. The classic hop and slide is back and you can receive a nice boost coming out of corners by pressing left, right, left, right on the control pad while power sliding. Another way to get a nice speed boost is to successfully tail an opponent for a few seconds. All of the classic weapons are back, and unlike the GameCube version, you can once again hold items behind your kart to block incoming shells. There are a few new items to help even the playing field. The blooper power-up sprays ink on all of the competitors in front of you, which blocks the top screen with ink. If you're ever hit with this, it can be very distracting. Luckily, the bottom screen on the Nintendo DS depicts a map of the track and your location to help keep you on the road. The other new item is Bullet Bill, which transforms you and your kart into a Bullet Bill that soars through the air along the track, knocking over your opponents along the way. As is typical with Mario Kart, the leaders of the pack usually get fairly docile weapons, like bananas or fake item boxes. Straggling racers have a better chance of obtaining the "race-altering" items, like the blue shell that homes in on the first place kart, or the lightning bolt that shrinks everyone else down in size.

Another single player mode is Time Trial. This has been present in past Mario Kart games as well. Basically you choose a track and race it, trying to obtain the fastest possible time. You can then save your ghost and race against it, trying to better yourself. If you link up with a friend you can also download his or her ghost data and race against their best times.

New to the single player experience are Battle Mode and Missions. Battle has been in all of the previous Mario Kart games, but has only been accessible in multiplayer mode. This time around, you can battle it out against seven computer-controlled karts in both "every man for himself" and team modes. Balloon Battle is the classic battle mode where the objective is to pop your opponents' balloons before they do the same to you. There are a few new twists this time around. Instead of starting out with 3 balloons, you start off with 1 inflated balloon, and 4 in reserve. To inflate the other balloons you must blow into the microphone while not accelerating or you can press the select button to do the same. Even if you have 4 balloons in reserve and you only have 1 inflated, if you are hit with a weapon you'll lose, so it's important to inflate those balloons early on. You can also steal opponents' balloons by strategically boosting into them. My favorite battle course, Block Fort from the N64, is included as one of the 6 different battle arenas. The other battle mode is Shine Runners, where your goal is to collect as many of the shine sprites as you can in a given time. You can steal them from other racers via weapons, but you'll want to do that quickly since players with the least number of shines begin dropping out of the game. While it's refreshing to see Battle Mode finally accessible to single player gamers, the real fun is taking on your buddies via local area wireless networking. Sadly, Battle Mode is not available for online play.

Missions are completely new to the Mario Kart experience. Here, players will be given small objectives to complete in a specified time limit. These may be as simple as driving through a set of markers on a track, or collecting a certain number of items. At the end of a set of missions players will have to defeat a boss to unlock the next set of levels. These are a fun diversion from the main game and add some much-needed replay value to the single player mode.

Mario Kart DS is a multiplayer gamer's dream come true. Thanks to the Nintendo DS's wireless capabilities, players can compete locally (up to 30 feet away) or across the world via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Local wireless allows for up to 8 people to play the game in Versus Mode as well as Battle Mode. If all of the Nintendo DS players own Mario Kart DS, all of the tracks and characters will be playable in these modes. If someone in the group wants to play, but doesn't own Mario Kart DS, then the track selection on Versus goes down to 8 and the Battle goes down to 3, with only the 100cc engine class being selectable. The players without Mario Kart DS can only choose Shy Guy, but those with the game can choose from the entire cast. As anyone who has played Mario Kart games in the past will tell you, multiplayer mode is where the game truly comes to life. Your friends will be hollering back and forth and the trash talking inevitably comes quick and furious. Whereas the N64 version was limited to 4 players, the GC version did offer an 8-player mode. However, it was flawed due to the insane system requirements (2 GameCubes, 2 broadband adapters, 2 copies of the game, 8 controllers, Ethernet cord), and the inability to select characters and tracks. The DS version rectifies these major shortcomings by allowing everyone to choose his or her own characters and karts, even allowing opponents to choose the same driver. No more fighting over who gets to be (insert favorite racer here)!

Mario Kart DS is the first Nintendo DS game to go online via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. This allows anyone with a copy of the game to race against anyone in the world via the Internet. All you need is a wireless hotspot, whether at home via a wireless router or in many public places that offer free wireless access. The online is very simple to set up on the DS and you'll most likely be playing within a few minutes of setting it up for the first time. The online mode allows you to take on up to 3 other racers in Versus Mode, where you will compete on 4 different tracks, chosen by the players. 20 different tracks are playable online and each player picks the one he or she wants to play. The track with the most votes is the one that will be played. If it's a tie, the computer picks one of the choices. The online mode is extremely smooth with little to no noticeable lag. However, this being Nintendo's first online game there are a few problems.

First up, the programmers took out the ability to hold an item behind your kart to block incoming weapons while playing online. This changes the gameplay dynamic quite a bit and will take some getting used to, especially if you've been playing a lot of the game single player. When searching for players to race against, the menu is streamlined too much. You can choose regional players, worldwide players, rivals (those that have similar win/loss ratios), and friends. Not only does it sometimes take a fairly long time to find three other players to race against, there's no way to pick and choose who you'll be racing. Sure, you can narrow it down with the aforementioned options, but say you want to play against specific friends? The way the online is configured, there's no way to simply choose a friend and go at it, which is highly disappointing. There's also no way to chat with others online, which some people will hate, but sometimes silence is bliss. I would have liked to see at least a lobby room where people could use Pictochat or something to communicate before and after matches. Another casualty of online is Battle Mode. For whatever reason, the developers left his mode out entirely, which is really too bad since it would seem ideal for online mayhem. If games like the upcoming Metroid Prime Hunters or PSP titles like Twisted Metal can handle 4 player online matches I don't see why Mario Kart couldn't as well.

Despite these small problems with the online component, Mario Kart DS is a blast to play, online or offline. The game's graphics are silky smooth and the track designs are fantastic. One of my favorite new tracks is Airship Fortress, taken right out of Super Mario Bros. 3, complete with Bullet Bills and other enemies from the level. The karts and characters are comprised of polygons this time around so they don't appear a pixilated mess like in the N64 version. The game has a very slick presentation and is easily one of the best looking games on the system. It's amazing how close the GameCube retro tracks look on the DS given that it's a much less powerful system. If you're looking for the best Mario Kart game ever made, this is it. Mario Kart DS is loaded with unlockables, features excellent gameplay, and with both local wireless and Wi-Fi, it is the best multiplayer game on the Nintendo DS. You will be playing this one for a long time to come. Buy it. Buy it now.