Launch date: 11/14/05
Players: 1-8
ESRB: Everyone
KEY INFORMATION
The ultimate Mario Kart race is on ... and online via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.
- Time to race ... on Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection! The acclaimed Mario Kart series has gone online, letting players race and battle their friends all over the world with up to four karts at once. Players even can race seven other pals over local wireless with only a single game card via DS Download play.
- More than 30 courses, both new and classic. Players will tour courses from Super Mario Kart ®, Mario Kart 64 â¾Ã‚¢, Mario Kartâ¾Ã‚¢: Super Circuit â¾Ã‚¢ and Mario Kart®: Double Dash!! â¾Ã‚¢, not to mention new tracks and arenas.
- Crazy items, frantic speed and a new mission mode make this a Mario Kart fan's dream.
Game Storyline: Drawing on courses and battle arenas from every game in the series â€" not to mention tons of new ones â€" the true king of the Mushroom Kingdom racing circuits finally will be crowned.
Characters: An all-star cast that includes Marioâ¾Ã‚¢, Luigi, Peach, Yoshiâ¾Ã‚¢, Donkey Kong®, Warioâ¾Ã‚¢, Bowser and Toad.
How to progress through the game: Place first in Grand Prix circuits or clear skill-based missions to open up increasingly difficult and thrilling circuits. Of course, players can have multiplayer races on any open courses or battle in arenas.
Special powers/weapons/moves/features: Turbo power-drifting and item tossing is the order of the day, whether players are racing around an obstacle-filled track or battling in an arena. Use familiar items taken from every game in the series like Green Shells, homing Red Shells, Bananas, Bombs, Lightning and the destructive Spiny Shell, not to mention new ones like the Blooper. The touch screen features a map that shows items being fired at players, who can even tap it with their fingers mid-race to zoom in or out.
Wireless Communication: Mario Kart DS features three different forms of wireless game play: two kinds of local wireless game play and Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection online game play. Mario Kart DS offers two different options for LAN Wireless game play: DS Download Play, in which only one player has Mario Kart DS and all players have Nintendo DS systems, and Multi-Card Play, in which all players have Mario Kart DS and Nintendo DS systems.
DS Download Play:
As with all DS Download multiplayer games, the DS Download Play in Mario Kart DS requires that only one player has a copy of the game. Unlike past DS games, however, DS Download Play in Mario Kart DS allows multiple players who have the game card to play with multiple players who do not have the game card. DS Download Play offers the following features:
- 2-8 player simultaneous wireless game play
- Choice of multiplayer racing, Balloon Battle, or Shine Thief modes
- Players who own Mario Kart DS can choose their own characters and use personalized icons
- Players who do not own Mario Kart DS must play as Shy Guy; they cannot use personalized player icons
- Track selection is limited to eight tracks for racing and three arenas for Balloon Battle and Shine Runner modes
- DS Download Play is limited to the 100 cc engine class
Multi-Card Play:
Multi-Card Play requires all players to have their own copies of Mario Kart DS , giving players more options, modes and tracks to choose from. Multi-Card Play offers the following features:
- 2-8 player simultaneous wireless game play
- Choice of multiplayer racing, Balloon Battle or Shine Thief modes
- Players can choose from different engine classes
- No limits on character choice
- No limits on track choice
- Player's win/loss ratio is saved and tracked
- Players who race locally are automatically added to each other's friend roster and then can race via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection
- Players can trade ghost data wirelessly, allowing them to race against each others' best times.
Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection:
Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection is a free online game-play service provided by Nintendo to Nintendo DS owners. It offers seamless access to online game play and an environment that is welcoming to gamers of all skill levels. Features include:
- 2-4 Players racing simultaneously
- Choice of playing with:
- Friends Only (players registered as Friends)
- Rivals (players with similar skills)
- Recent Opponents
- Regional Racers (players in their country)
- World Racers (players anywhere in the world)
- No limit on course choice, but each player votes for a course and the course with the most votes wins (in case of a tie, the course is chosen randomly)
- No limit on character choice
- Players can create and use personalized player icons
Connecting to the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection will be quick, easy and seamless. Players can go to an official Nintendo hotspot and immediately go online and start playing. To use their home Wi-Fi routers, players first must configure the DS to connect to their routers by entering the router's network ID and optional security key or install the Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector on their PC and configure the DS to enable it to share the PC's broadband connection. After that, players can go online anytime without further configuration. Friends are registered to the friends roster either by exchanging and entering Friend Registration Keys or by playing local Multi-Card Multiplayer mode together.
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Before Microsoft and Sony do something regarding their future in the video game business, I wanted to write, and I've wanted it for a long time now, but other things kept getting in my way, and fearing that tomorrow might be too late, today will have to do.
Months ago,...
