1up.com has a nice story with pictures on the USB adaptor, its set up menus, ect. Only thing that is irritating is that initially you have to order it from NOA's site. There is still no Mac compatibility with the adaptor itself but Parish said the DS and game's wifi seeker synch up with an airport perfectly fine with no issue at all:
In DD I would just hang on to the bananna (Or the green shell, fake block, or any other item you could throw behind you) and as soon as I heard or saw something coming up from the rear I'd drop it behind me. Most the time you are going to deflect whatever is about to hit you. This was pretty much the same way I'd deal with crap about to hit me in Super Mario Kart too.
As for if Battle Mode is going to be online, I think it is. Both IGN and 1up seem to be saying it is now, from what I see. I hope it's true. ^_^
Yessss.
And thanks for the tip, been many months since I played either MK 64 or DD.
Here is the new Nintendo wifi connection commercial, it is one of the best ads I have seen from them in a loooong time and as a bonus, it features funny ninjas about to go totally sweet on each other:
Update: The site is now live. Damnit, it sucks SO MUCH that I can go there and see that people are online playing, but I can't even get a copy of the game yet. *sob*
Yep, Craig from IGN is playing it right now as we speak, lucky punk. He says in tonights mailbag that the online plays smooth and the game overall is excellent. He also said that unfortunately it is really hard to keep friends contacts with the game. If you play against someone who you want a rematch with you can't go by their ID, he says you have to have their specific ID code itself beforehand but there is no way to obtain their ID code itself within the game's menus. Kinda lame.
If you play against someone who you want a rematch with you can't go by their ID, he says you have to have their specific ID code itself beforehand but there is no way to obtain their ID code itself within the game's menus. Kinda lame.
Yep, Craig from IGN is playing it right now as we speak, lucky punk. He says in tonights mailbag that the online plays smooth and the game overall is excellent. He also said that unfortunately it is really hard to keep friends contacts with the game. If you play against someone who you want a rematch with you can't go by their ID, he says you have to have their specific ID code itself beforehand but there is no way to obtain their ID code itself within the game's menus. Kinda lame.
I understand why they're doing this - they only want you to be reachable by friends that you directly give your code to. I can appreciate what they're trying to do, but at the same time, it creates lame situations like the above.
Supposedly, in addition to who's pictured in the selection screen a few posts above, there will be 3 more characters: Toadette, Shy Guy, and Petey Piranha.
I understand why they're doing this - they only want you to be reachable by friends that you directly give your code to. I can appreciate what they're trying to do, but at the same time, it creates lame situations like the above.
Ha Yeah, I guess it does prevent online Mario Kart "stalking."
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bacon McShig
Less than a week to go!!!!
Supposedly, in addition to who's pictured in the selection screen a few posts above, there will be 3 more characters: Toadette, Shy Guy, and Petey Piranha .
YESSSSS! Shy Guy, now if only they would include a Snifit or a Bobomb.
Yep, Craig from IGN is playing it right now as we speak, lucky punk. He says in tonights mailbag that the online plays smooth and the game overall is excellent. He also said that unfortunately it is really hard to keep friends contacts with the game. If you play against someone who you want a rematch with you can't go by their ID, he says you have to have their specific ID code itself beforehand but there is no way to obtain their ID code itself within the game's menus. Kinda lame.
That's lame, but I guess if you want to add someone you have just played against you can ask them in chat for their ID.
It makes sense, this whole "friendlier internet gaming" crap, but whatever. At least it's not like there is no way to get around it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bacon McShig
Less than a week to go!!!!
Supposedly, in addition to who's pictured in the selection screen a few posts above, there will be 3 more characters: Toadette, Shy Guy, and Petey Piranha.
Shy Guy!! Damn f'ing right! It's about time he was made as a selectible driver. I can forgive Koopa Troopa not being in the mix now.
Yeah but has it been confirmed there are chat rooms in the game's lobbies? Craig's impressions seem to indicate they aren't. Oh well, my friends here who have DS's are both buying this for sure and I'll have their IDs which counts. Also cannot wait to start our AC village.
Supposedly, in addition to who's pictured in the selection screen a few posts above, there will be 3 more characters: Toadette, Shy Guy, and Petey Piranha.
I was about to cry because Toadette was nowhere to be seen. Excellent.
I don't like how Mario Kart does not punish droppers (according to the Gamespot hands-on preview). Online gaming against cry-baby opponents who can't handle a loss sucks (see Third Strike).
__________________
One more semester and a thesis defense to go for my Masters.
Yeah but has it been confirmed there are chat rooms in the game's lobbies?
I could've sworn there was an interview with someone from Nintendo of Europe who confirmed that the lobbies had a chat room function about three weeks ago (Maybe less?).
If anything else, my Xbox Live list is filled with TNLers and a few random people I know in real life, and I'm expecting my Nintendo DS buddy lists to be the same way. Nintendo really needs to have chat room functionality in the lobbies, though.
Uhh, i don:t know if this has been posted, but they are making a mario kart arcade game (by namco) with pacman and the ghost.
Yep, that was posted, and I believe there was a thread about it.
Actually, I also think Nintendo said it was being released to American arcades this November, but I haven't heard any word about anyone having it yet in the South Florida area.
Craig has narrowed down a very precise list of what you can and can't do in the game's online mode listing the pros and cons of its connectivity. There are severe limitations to online matchmaking and it is finally 100% confirmed that battle mode cannot be played (was a major typo I will add on 1up's part which had a sidebar piece in a recent preview story which included baloon battle in the online modes they listed, has since been corrected, 'tho) Also, some of the more "hectic" tracks with larger obstacles are not playable online:
There's also still a question of how the "voting" works for matches. Do I at least get to choose a small handful of tracks before they're voted on? IOW is there any hosting at all or is everything automatically set up? As I said before I do NOT like the idea of having to vote.
EDIT: Oh yeah, the story I linked above also confirms that the game doesn't punish folks who disconnect matches. Boo.
Nintendo's Mario Kart series is quite literally what started the character-racing genre back in 1992, and even after countless clones and copycats from other designers and publishers throughout the past 13 years the spotlight's always on the company to move the genre forward. There are high expectations from gamers whenever Nintendo announces a new game in the series, and that's exactly what's happening with Mario Kart DS. Nintendo's pulled out all the stops for this "next generation" Mario Kart sequel, and though it's a handheld game, there's nothing small about this design. There's absolutely not a doubt in my mind: Mario Kart DS is the greatest Mario Kart game ever, which, in turn, makes it the greatest Kart racer game ever created.
Mario Kart DS's production value is almost staggering. The development team worked an unbelievable amount of focus in nearly every aspect of this racing design, pushing a huge amount of effort in both the single player experience as well as the multiplayer competition. The gameplay depth is absolutely stunning -- Mario Kart DS is incredibly deep in features, so don't be surprised if you forget about some options because some other mode grabbed you by the crotch and refuses to let go. And that's a good thing.
The DS game admittedly has a lot to live up to, what with the game following only two years after the GameCube game that many people (myself included) believed that went too far away from the original game's feel. But this portable game brings the series back to the basics of what made the original Super Mario Kart so awesome, with the development team balancing and tweaking the gameplay so intricately that it's near impossible to find any hard fault with the design.
If you've missed any of the Mario Kart games in the series' past, shame on you. The series has never been about realistic racing, but that's its charm -- players still have to employ some proper racing skill and strategy, but the power-up element can throw off even the best driver. These power-ups are the gameplay's "equalizer;" there's nothing more humbling than taking a turtle shell up the tailpipe, or being knocked down to second from a well-positioned banana peel. Many companies have tried to best the classic Mario Kart design with their own take, but none have had the gameplay succeed as well as Nintendo.
Mario Kart DS is, at its core, the "best of the Mario Kart best." Nintendo's designers clearly took a good, long, hard look at what made each game in the series the classic Kart design the franchise has been known for. It's not just in the course designs, either; granted, half of the tracks in Mario Kart DS are "reprints" from the past Mario Kart games on the Super NES, N64, Game Boy Advance, and GameCube, but that's only half the nostalgia. The kart mechanics, handling, and techniques are a mishmash of elements from all games in the series, from the kart hopping of the SNES original to the powersliding and boosting from the GameCube sequel. As a result of this focus, the racing design of Mario Kart DS is remarkably tight and responsive with tons of strategy that are both apparent and hidden, and even with weeks out on the courses you still may find one or two techniques that'll take a few ticks off the clock.
The Nintendo DS hardware opens up even more strategy with its dual-display system. Those who practice glancing between both screens are rewarded and will usually come out ahead to those who ignore the lower screen cues. The touch screen is used to show a top-down view of the immediate area around the players' kart, which may seem gimmicky until you realize what this affords the racer. Players can see racers approaching from behind. They can catch a glimpse of hazards barreling down on them. They can see when an item may be an obstacle. The lower screen becomes absolutely integral to the Mario Kart design that it'll be hard to imagine the game without it when Nintendo works on the console sequel. All this is complimented with a 3D racing engine that pushes the bright and vivid visuals at a fast, silky smooth 60 frames per second.
Like every game in the Mario Kart series, racing is only half the game. The developers also take what they've created with the driving engine and move it into an arena-style deathmatch option for multiple players, affectionately titled "Battle Mode." Mario Kart fans are always divided into two camps: those that play Battle Mode, and those that do not. Battle Mode is not one of this reviewer's favorite pastimes in previous Mario Kart titles, but on the Nintendo DS it's opened up to something that must be experienced…even if you've refused to play the mode in previous games of the series.
In fact, much of Mario Kart DS's lasting value is in its multiplayer focus. This DS title puts a ton of effort pushing the wireless functionality of the Nintendo DS system. Anyone with a system can jump into a network of eight players, even if they don't have a copy of the game. This single card multiplayer is full-featured but limited in which tracks and characters can be chosen, but outside of these two elements the experience is nearly identical to the fantastic multiple card multiplayer option.
Of course, one of the biggest selling points of Mario Kart DS: it's the first Mario Kart game to "officially" go online. Granted, Super Mario Kart and Mario Kart: Double Dash were jury-rigged to work in an online atmosphere back in the day, but Mario Kart DS is the first official full-fledged worldwide racing experience for the Nintendo franchise, and it works pretty darn well. Four player races on 20 of the 32 racing tracks will give the game tons more replay than the local multiplayer experience.
It's just hard to ignore just how limited the online presentation is. Players can't create their own match-ups easily, nor can they interact or chat with each other in or out of the races. No Battle Mode or Time Trial ghost data trading. Many of the strategies in the local races still apply in the Online mode, but some have been tweaked for technical reasons. Nintendo's first attempt at an online experience is certainly elegant for what it is, but there are a tremendous amount of limitations that affect how gamers compete within this environment. Playing online is a major component to the Mario Kart DS experience and a major reason why people will be scoring a copy. It's a great addition to the Mario Kart gameplay, but keep in mind that, due to time constraints, it's not all it could have been.
But even though the game has a huge focus on multiplayer, the designers don't ignore those who don't have anyone to immediately challenge. Along with the ability to play any race track with the computer opponents, solo players can also enjoy the Battle Mode and Shine Runner with computer controlled bots filling in the slots normally reserved for human opponents. On top of this, the developers flesh out the single player experience with a series of Missions, six worlds of eight missions with a very Super Mario-like boss battle to cap off each world. The missions range from "Drive through tires" to "Powerboost five times," but the challenges get so tough it may take you days to finish them all with the highest ranking.
The single player experience has been fleshed out with so many gameplay options it's easy to forget to mention them all -- the game's Time Trial mode, for example, opens up a ton of competition by recording Ghost Data for each track, as well as unlocking Programmer Ghost Data to see the best of the best, as well as giving players the ability to trade their Ghost Data wirelessly. Each game card has ten slots for your friend's best Ghost Data, which goes one step further by showing, on the lower screen, hash marks indicating what that person did in his run -- powersliding, powerboosting, and power-up uses are noted as ticks on the overhead view for player analysis. That's only a small example of the simplistic brilliance this sequel incorporates.
Closing Comments
After experiencing Mario Kart DS, it's hard to imagine how Nintendo's going to improve on what they've done for this stunning portable rendition. There's so much gameplay and depth in this design, moreso than the series has ever had in the past. It's an amazingly addictive racer both in single and multiplayer modes, and even with the limitations of the online functions, it's impossible to avoid becoming addicted to the long distance Mario Kart match-ups. The only way to finish this review is just to say it: this is the greatest Mario Kart game ever developed, and is without a doubt the best DS game of 2005.
I need it!
__________________
Quote:
Originally Posted by Calliander
Spo is like Pootie Tang. He can't stand by and see a woman not lovin' herself. He's gonna put the love in her.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tracer
SpoDaddy, The Clit Commander, is a master wordsmith. He is a thinker, a doer, a challenger and a champion all at once. Your gods live beneath him.
Mario Kart DS is, at its core, the "best of the Mario Kart best." Nintendo's designers clearly took a good, long, hard look at what made each game in the series the classic Kart design the franchise has been known for. It's not just in the course designs, either; granted, half of the tracks in Mario Kart DS are "reprints" from the past Mario Kart games on the Super NES, N64, Game Boy Advance, and GameCube, but that's only half the nostalgia. The kart mechanics, handling, and techniques are a mishmash of elements from all games in the series, from the kart hopping of the SNES original to the powersliding and boosting from the GameCube sequel. As a result of this focus, the racing design of Mario Kart DS is remarkably tight and responsive with tons of strategy that are both apparent and hidden, and even with weeks out on the courses you still may find one or two techniques that'll take a few ticks off the clock.
I was hoping they'd do this, and thankfully they did. Regardless of the grade MKDS got, I'm just glad to hear that it's the "best Mario Kart ever", since the only one that was truly magnificent, in my opinion, was the first one. Every other one was enjoyable, but was missing something.
If I already have a wifi connection @ home, what's the difference between Nintendo's Wifi usb adapter and a normal Wi-Fi connection? Is it going to sort out online games automatically, or what?
Rocca: The USB adapter is for people that have high speed internet but not wireless internet at home, the adapter allows the DS to wirelessly use the computer's internet connection.
Valgar: Yes, you can play battle mode with 3 friends in the same room with just one cart
__________________
Quote:
Originally Posted by Calliander
Spo is like Pootie Tang. He can't stand by and see a woman not lovin' herself. He's gonna put the love in her.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tracer
SpoDaddy, The Clit Commander, is a master wordsmith. He is a thinker, a doer, a challenger and a champion all at once. Your gods live beneath him.
Spo: Know how many tracks are available via single race? Won't need it at any rate though as both my friends who have a DS will be getting this for sure.
Craig's review is very encouraging, definitely sounds like classic, back-to-basics MK.
Rocca: The USB adapter is for people that have high speed internet but not wireless internet at home, the adapter allows the DS to wirelessly use the computer's internet connection.
Valgar: Yes, you can play battle mode with 3 friends in the same room with just one cart
1st: I meant to ask if it had any other wireless functionalities that are exclusive to the nintendo wi-fi usb and nintendo ds connectivity. I already knew that.
2nd: Being able to play MK in one room, with three friends, yet with one cart, is pretty awesome. I guess I won't have to buy any more copies for people this Christmas!
I was a huge fan of Mario Kart 64, and I was huge into Super Circuit for a while, but the aparent drop in framerate for multiplayer on the GBA game was grading.
Dylan: Here's what I was able to get for you from an October NOA press release:
"DS Download Play will allow for up to eight users to race via a single cartridge. While in this mode, gamers who do not have a copy of Mario Kart DS will be forced to play as ShyGuy, while those in possession of the game can choose whomever racer they wish. In addition, personalized player icons will only be available to those who have purchased the game.
Single card multiplayer will allow players to choose from eight tracks in the game's standard racing mode, and three levels for both the Balloon Battle and Shine Runner modes. DS Download Play also restricts racing to the 100cc class.
In terms of multiple cartridge multiplayer, Nintendo has gone all out. The mode will not restrict players character selection, all the game's 32 levels will be available, and different engine choices will be available. The game will also track each individual player's win/loss record and allow them to trade "ghost data" so others can race against their best lap times."
Rocca: All wifi routers that are 802.11b compatible work the same with the DS. Apparently Nintendo did this so that they could set up DS hotspots that laptops and PSP's couldn't access.
__________________
Quote:
Originally Posted by Calliander
Spo is like Pootie Tang. He can't stand by and see a woman not lovin' herself. He's gonna put the love in her.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tracer
SpoDaddy, The Clit Commander, is a master wordsmith. He is a thinker, a doer, a challenger and a champion all at once. Your gods live beneath him.
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 (Old Tracks)
Shell Cup
- Mario Circuit 1 (from Super Mario Kart)
- Moo Moo Farm (from Mario Kart 64)
- Peach Circuit (from Mario Kart: Super Circuit)
- Luigi Circuit (from Mario Kart: Double Dash)
Banana Cup
- Donut Plains 1 (SMK)
- Frappe Snowland (MK64)
- Bowser's Castle 2 (MKSC)
- Baby Park (MKDD)
Leaf Cup
- Koopa Beach 2 (SMK)
- Choco Mountain (MK64)
- Luigi Circuit (MKSC)
- Mushroom Bridge (MKDD)
Lightning Cup
- Choco Island 2 (SMK)
- Banshee Boardwalk (MK64)
- Sky Garden (MKSC)
- Yoshi Circuit (MKDD)
Battle Mode
- Block Fort
- Nintendo DS
- Palm Shore
- Pipe Plaza
- Tart Top
- Twilight House
__________________
Quote:
Originally Posted by Calliander
Spo is like Pootie Tang. He can't stand by and see a woman not lovin' herself. He's gonna put the love in her.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tracer
SpoDaddy, The Clit Commander, is a master wordsmith. He is a thinker, a doer, a challenger and a champion all at once. Your gods live beneath him.
To those players that have completed all the Mario Kart titles: does the overall quality of Super Circuit's course design demand a purchase and playthrough of said GBA cart, or will this scattered selection of courses in the DS version sufficiently fulfill my craving for obtaining the "complete" Mario Kart experience? For the record, I've played through every title in the series except for Super Circuit and felt like each game had enough interesting tracks to be considered worthwhile.
Weeman: I really can't reccomend you pick up Super Circuit unless you really need to play every Mario Kart track. It's basically the SNES game with new tracks, Mario Kart DS obsoletes it in every way. Some of the tracks were interesting but I can't see buying it just to race on a few of it's tracks when you could just skip to Mario Kart DS. If you could get it for like 5-10 bucks I suppose it's not a bad pickup.
__________________
Quote:
Originally Posted by Calliander
Spo is like Pootie Tang. He can't stand by and see a woman not lovin' herself. He's gonna put the love in her.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tracer
SpoDaddy, The Clit Commander, is a master wordsmith. He is a thinker, a doer, a challenger and a champion all at once. Your gods live beneath him.
Weeman: I really can't reccomend you pick up Super Circuit unless you really need to play every Mario Kart track. It's basically the SNES game with new tracks, Mario Kart DS obsoletes it in every way. Some of the tracks were interesting but I can't see buying it just to race on a few of it's tracks when you could just skip to Mario Kart DS. If you could get it for like 5-10 bucks I suppose it's not a bad pickup.
I agree with this statement in everyway, and I'm someone who just repurchased Super Circuit less than three months ago in excitement for MKDS.
SMBchick, that video rocked. The reviews were right; Waluigi Pinball track looks insane! I can not wait intill Tuesday!
Jeremy Parish, in the latest 1up show, mentions how MKDS "just works" and really is the best thing since Super Mario Kart. Not that there's anything there that hasn't already been said in the reviews, but it was nice to hear that it rocks from someone who disliked Double Dash.
I was hoping to pick this up next week, but the red Nintendo DS bundle with Mario Kart won't be out until the 28th. Looks like I'll have to wait two weeks.
__________________
One more semester and a thesis defense to go for my Masters.
Jeremy Parish, in the latest 1up show, mentions how MKDS "just works" and really is the best thing since Super Mario Kart. Not that there's anything there that hasn't already been said in the reviews, but it was nice to hear that it rocks from someone who disliked Double Dash.
Yup, just read it. Great review, more confirmation that classic no-holds barred MK is back. Next week cannot come soon enough.
