Gaming Mario Kart DS

[Desbreko]

[color=#4B0082]Let me just say this to start: I love this game. I've been a big fan of the Mario Kart series since its beginning (as I've mentioned a few times, Super Mario Kart was [i]the[/i] game that got me into videogames) and MKDS is probably the best addition to the series since the original. I've only had it for a few days but I've already had tons of fun with it.

I'll give a short run down of the game's modes. Or at least the ones I've played/know something about. I've yet to do anything with a local connection, so the specifics of that side of multiplayer is still a mystery to me. I'll also give some information on the various ways you can get online.

Also, before I get into things, my friend code is [b]167563 257141[/b]. PM me if you add me to your friends list so I can add you too.

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[b]Grand Prix[/b]

This one shouldn't really need an explanation. You and seven other CPU controller karts race through a set of four tracks. So far there are 32 tracks available to me, which I think is all of them, so 8 different cups. 16 of those tracks are retro tracks that were brought back from the other four games in the series, and each of the retro cups has one track from each game.

As before, there's 50cc, 100cc, 150cc, and I hear 150cc Mirror engine classes. (I've only beaten the cups on 50cc and 100cc so far.) You also get ranked on how well you do in the cup, like you did in Super Circuit. The ratings, I think, are E through 3 Stars. I've only gotten A, 1 Star, and 2 Stars so far though. 3 Star rankings seem like they're going to be really hard to get on 150cc.

[b]Time Trials[/b]

Again, a series standard. I haven't tried this mode out yet, but I hear that if you do well enough you can unlock staff ghosts to race against. I also know that you can transfer ghosts (not sure how many) to friends over a local connection for them to race against. I don't think you can transfer ghosts over the WFC (Wi-Fi Connection), but I'm not sure, seeing as I have no ghosts to send.

[b]Versus[/b]

This mode lets you play a single race against eight CPU opponents. It's basically the same thing as Grand Prix except you can pick and choose single races. You can select engine class, CPU difficulty level (Easy, Normal, Hard), whether you want to race free-for-all or in two teams of four, etc. It's good for practicing the tracks that give you trouble in Grand Prix.

[b]Battle Mode[/b]

One of my favorite parts of the Mario Kart series got a couple big improvements in MKDS. First, battle mode matches can be played against CPU karts and there are Easy, Normal, and Hard difficulty levels for them. Second, battle mode matches consist of eight karts now instead of four, making for much livelier matches. Also, you have the ability to split into two teams of four for team matches, though I prefer the massive free-for-alls.

There are two modes of battle; the classic Ballon Battle and Shine Runners. Balloon Battle is exactly as it has been throughout the series except for two small tweak: First, you have a total of five balloons, but you only start with one inflated. You have you blow into the microphone to inflate up to three at a time. Second, you can now get triple red shells. They're extremely rare (think about your odds of getting Lightning while in third place of a Grand Prix race -- it's about like that), but they are in there. As for Shine Runners, I haven't played it yet, but it sounds similar to the Shine Thief mode from MKDD.

Unfortunately you can't play battle mode over the WFC. If you want to play against other people it can only be over a local connection.

[b]Missions[/b]

Another mode I've barely played (I'm busy with Grand Prix at the moment), the single player missions have various objectives that you have to complete. The one that I've done had me doing four mini-turbos in a single lap around Mario Circuit 1. Pretty simple, but I hear they get pretty hard later on. You're given a ranking for each mission as well, just like in Grand Prix.

[b]Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection[/b]

The biggest addition to the series is its online play. There are four options that you've given for choosing WFC matches: Friends, Rivals, Regional, and Worldwide. Friends will search for people on your friends list, Rivals will search for players of near equal skill level, Regional searches for anyone in your region (for me that's North America), and Worldwide is anyone and everyone. All of the matches are sets of four races with a maximum of four players and only 20 (I think it's 20) of the total 32 tracks are available. As well, you can't hold items behind you during WFC matches.

Despite the limitations on WFC matches, I've still had a lot of fun playing online. There's really just no substitute for human opponents.

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[b]Connecting to the Nintendo WFC[/b]

Okay, now that we've got the basics out of the way, some of you are probably wondering about Wi-Fi setup to play online. Assuming you can connect at all, it's pretty easy. The main thing you need is a broadband internet connection. That can be DSL, cable, whatever -- pretty much anything faster than 56k I think. If you've got that, you'll almost definitely be able to play online. The only question is, "how?"

Probably the easiest and most foolproof way to get online with your DS is by getting a [url=http://store.nintendo.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10001&storeId=10001&langId=-1¤cy=USD&ignoreCrumbs=N&crumb1=&crumb1Ignore=&crumb2=%253CA%2BHREF%253D%2522javascript%253APassOn%2528%2527X%2527%252C%2B%2527ChooseView%2527%252C%2527%2527%252C%2B%2527%2527%2529%253B%2522%253ENintendo%2BDS%253C%252FA%253E&crumb2Ignore=&crumb3=%253CA%2BHREF%253D%2522javascript%253APassOn%2528%2527C%2527%252C%2B%2527CategoryDisplay%2527%252C%252758694%2527%252C%2B%2527N%2527%2529%253B%2522%253EParts%2B%2526%2BAccessories%253C%252FA%253E&crumb3Ignore=&translateFrom=%C8%C9%C7&translateTo=EEC&usrSearchText=&searchText=&selSrchType=&page=&view=&productId=95704&categoryId=58694&lastAction=ProductDisplay&orderTotal=null][u]Wi-Fi USB Connector[/u][/url] from Nintendo's online store. Once you've got that set up, there's a preset connection setting you can select in the game and it'll do everything for you.

If you've already got a wireless router (like me), however, you probably won't need a USB Wi-Fi dongle. Some routers aren't compatible and some require more setup than others, though. You can check the [url=http://www.nintendowifi.com/customersupport/supportedRouters.do][u]Router Compatibility Ratings[/u][/url] list on NintendoWiFi.com to see compatibility ratings for the ones Nintendo has tested.

When connecting through a wireless router, you'll need to set up connection settings for it. You can save three presets, so if there's multiple places you'll be going online with your DS, you can just select the preset for it once you've got it configured. Assuming you've got anything close to a secure wireless network, you'll need to input your router's SSID and WEP key. (Note that the DS doesn't support WPA encryption, so that has to be off in order for it to work.) There are also settings for inputing a static IP address and/or DNS server to use, or you can have it auto-obtain them if they aren't static. If things still don't work after getting those configured, you may need to tweak some settings on your router. We had to change its Basic Rate to get the DS to recognize it, for example.

Now, if you didn't understand that last paragraph. ... Go find someone who does. With the variety of wireless routers out there, there's no way I can explain how to get your SSID, WEP key, etc. for each of them. Whoever set your router up in the first place should know how to get them and how to set up your DS connection.

Finally, if you lack a broadband connection, there's still hope of getting online -- just not from home. Nintendo is working to install wireless hotspots that don't require any set up in order to play over the WFC, and you should also be able to use other wireless hotspots after the necessary set up. (Some places may require a WEP key, for example.) Check the [url=http://www.nintendowifi.com/hotspots/searchHotSpot.do][u]Find Hotspots[/u][/url] page on NintendoWiFi.com to see if there are any near you.[/color]

[BlueYoshi]

[color=darkred]The game is gonna be badazzz. It comes out in the UK on November 24th, which is this Friday (should've actually been November 7th, but it got delayed).

I don't know anything about Mario Kart DS, except for the obvious things like wi-fi connection and the massive amount of courses available, so I've not read chunks of your post Desbreko. I've maintained that by steering clear from all reviews, previews, and hands-on tests. For once I want to be able to play a game and let everything come as a surprise to me, which I'm hoping will happen when I unlock characters and stuff.

Only five days to go now. z0rzz[/color]

[otakukev]

This is IMO the best Mario Kart game to date. It feels a lot more natural on a handheld than the GBA version did, at least to me. It's gonna suck when I start playing console versions again and don't have the overhead view to glance at...that's really handy. I can watch a red shell come at me, only to see it swerve and hit me from the side instead of coming up straight behind me. So much for trailing bananas. Meh.

The only real problem I have with the game is the fact that during an online match you can disconnect in the middle of a race without any sort of penalty. My win/loss record would be higher if my opponents didn't keep on turning off their DS's right before I win a race...jerks.

oh, and my friend code is [B]369426 667357[/B]

[Semjaza]

Yeah, I think there needs to be some sort of penalty for disconnects... even just some sort of % that details full games versus disconnects or something. Right now when you see someone with a really lopsided record (such as 15 and 2) it's basically safe to assume they're going to disconnect the second they don't win a race.

It took me a bit to get the starting boost under control too. The book does a poor job of explaining it and I quickly found the Double Dash method of pressing gas right when it says "GO!" does absolutely nothing. It's more like the MK64 method where you have to hold the gas down for a set period of time first.

For those who haven't gotten it yet, the best boost you can get is if you press and hold gas right when the number 2 is getting biggest and starts disappearing. If you do it too early you'll spin out and if you do it too late the boost won't be as good.

[BlueYoshi]

[color=darkred]I bought the game yesterday during my lunch break, and it rocks. It beats the other games hands down, and that's really saying something. Seeing the retro tracks brings back nostalgic vibes, and I'm glad the opportunity to play the Mario Kart 64 tracks is there, because I never played that one properly. Hehe, I always thought of that one as the one that got away.

I've played the game a hell of a lot since I bought it; having gone through 2 levels of missions, and both 50cc and 100cc engine classes. Being honest, 50cc bored me half to death, because it's so damn easy and plain, but 100c is where it shines. 150cc is a bit hard, but I really ain't complaining, because I love it to bits.

I don't have any major complaints so far. Just a few trivial things like the Blue Shell, which is frustrating as hell. I swear, they might as well call it the "I'm going to eff you up and prevent you from getting a decent rank for no apparent reason" shell lol. On the note of broke items, the Bob-omb and the crazy Bullet Bill are, well, crazy. They look well ace though.

So like, who uses who then? So far I'm experimenting with Mario, Bowser, Toad, [spoiler]Dry Bones[/spoiler], and [spoiler]Waluigi[/spoiler]. I'm yet to unlock the forth character, assuming there is one, but all in good time. As for the wi-fi, well, as soon as I get my BB connection sorted I'll let you all know.[/color]

[Semjaza]

The Blue Shell is really damn annoying, particularly offline. What good does it honestly do someone in 8th place? Instead you're just pushed back to 2nd or worse and they likely get up to 7th. It annoys me to no end.

It's not so bad online assuming that every one is close to each other or someone is WAY far ahead.

[Desbreko]

[color=#4B0082]You don't like the bob-omb or the bullet bill? I really like those two, as the bob-omb actually takes some skill to hit with, and the bullet bill you never seem to see unless you're way back in 8th or 7th. And besides, I find super mushrooms to actually be more effective than bullet bills anyway. I was playing 150cc Mirror, on the Koopa Beach 2 retro track, when I fell in one of the deep water pits. I was dropped back on the track just in front of the item boxes, in 8th place, and I got a super mushroom. That baby got me back into 1st by the end of the lap.

The only item I find to really be broken is the spike shell. It doesn't help you much if you're back in 7th or 8th; all it does is screw the person in 1st. I also don't like how they changed lightning, making you smaller for longer depending on your place, but it's not completely crippling like a spike shell.

As for what character I use, I've settled on [spoiler]Daisy in the Light Dancer[/spoiler], at least for now. She's got decent top speed, decent acceleration, and excellent drift, which I really like. Very handy when you're trying to do mini-turbos like mad around every possible turn. The only problem I have is the weight of that kart; practically anyone can bash me around. But, having played on lightweights throughout the series, I'm used to that and am good at dodging.[/color]

[BlueYoshi]

[color=darkred]I like them and I hate them (actually the bob-omb's not so bad) but I know I don't hate it on the level I hate the Blue Shell. For someone who is good at the game the Mushroom would be better, but for randoms the Bullet Bill basically carries them away through the course knocking everyone it approaches backwards. The Mushroom is for skilled players, I reckon.

I can imagine how frustrating it is when someone turns off their DS just before losing a race online, because my mates use to do that in Pokemon every time. I would've thought Nintendo would've fixed that, but oh well. I wouldn't do that though... I don't see the point.[/color]

[Desbreko]

[color=#4B0082]Yeah, true, the bullet bill doesn't require any skill whatsoever. But it's also less powerful than a super mushroom, so I figure it balances out. I've never seen any of the CPU players come even close to me with a bullet bill when I'm in 1st, and when I've gotten them, they've only put me back up to around 4th.

The bob-omb is actually one of my favorite items. It's great for when someone's tailing you and, if you can throw it accurately (which is hard to do on anything but a straightaway), it hits with the same effect as a spike shell. But, if the targeted person is good, they can either dodge it or slow down so that it only blows up in front of them and doesn't delay them as much. So it both takes skill to use and there are skillful ways to avoid it, which I really like.

And yes, playing online with random people can be really annoying. Having them disconnect in the middle of a race, like I mentioned in the online morals thread, pisses me off. Which is why I'm looking forward to having more peoples from OB to race with.[/color]

[BlueYoshi]

[color=darkred]One item I'm really sick of is the banana peel. Man, it's just so common... especially the triple banana peel. I mean, when I get those, I just want to get rid of them as fast as possible. But they're more useful to hold on to with L when being tailed rather than planting them in hope of tagging a random player.

Anyway, I'm trying to do the Retro Cups on 150cc now and it's ridiculously tough. I've played the game almost all day and I've only done the first two. It's not that I'm crap, it's just that when ever I'm first, something stupid like the Blue Shell will kick in, or about five other races will just decide to flurry past me just before the finish line on the third lap, leaving me in sixth place.

Such a piss take.[/color]

[Kenshin DX]

Thanks Desbreko for a breakdown of the game. I cant wait to play this one. MK64 was one of my favorite games of all time I was dissapointed with Double Dash. Im sure this one will make up for it. Cant wait :D

[Desbreko]

[color=#4B0082]Really? I found the 150cc Retro cups to be a lot easier than the 150cc Nitro cups, and even the 100cc cups. (The tracks feel like they're meant to be raced on 150cc; so much easier to mini-turbo around turns.) Maybe it's just because I'm already familiar with all the retro tracks, and for a lot of them I find it easier to do tons of mini-turbos (<3 Peach Circuit and Sky Garden). The 150cc Shell Cup was the first one that I got a 3 Star ranking on.

If the CPU's cheapness is pissing you off now, though, just wait till you unlock 150cc Mirror. They're about twice as bad with that sort of thing in Mirror mode. So much so that I find myself just restarting the cup if I get hit too much on the first race. There are times when, no matter how well I race, I just get hit too much to place 1st. The race where I got up to 1st, immediately got hit with a spike shell, then clawed my way back up to 1st only to again be immediately hit with another spike shell still pisses me off. The second shell got me on the third lap so there was no way I was getting better than 2nd.[/color]

[BlueYoshi]

[color=darkred]Getting hit at the start of the race is such a *****. It pretty much tells you what the outcome of the race will be. IE: you getting pummeled at the very begining of the race = ending up sixth or lower at the end of the race. Better then than say half way through though.

This Mirror mode you speak of is very reassuring lol. I can picture how it is without even playing it, heh. You know what else is irritating? The way the Blue Shell will go for whoever is in first place, even if that character dropped down to second or third place in the timed between it was launched. There have been loads of situation where I've heard or seen the Blue Shell coming, and purposely went down to second, only to still get smashed by it. I suppose I can take some comfort in the fact that it gets whoever is around me aswell...[/color]

[Desbreko]

[color=#4B0082]Having beaten all the cups on all the engine classes, I'm now going back through to get 3 Star rankings on them all. So far I've only done up through 100cc Shell Cup, so it's been kind of boring, but once I hit 150cc it should provide a good challenge.

At the same time, I've been practicing the technique of power slide snaking. That is, drifting back and forth along a straightaway, doing mini-turbos for near-constant boosts. I already got some practice at it from Double Dash!! where I used it a bit on Yoshi Circuit during the time trial competition I was in. In MKDS, however, it seems both more effective and harder to control.

I'm no master, but I think I've gotten pretty good at it, and I just started using the Dry Bomber kart. Turns out that the best stats for snaking are high acceleration, high handling, and low drift. Also, there's another thing I've noticed, which I think is odd: Mini-turbo boosts seem to last longer when I use the Dry Bomber than for the Light Tripper. Which means that, if you can be doing mini-turbos often, the kart's horrible top speed is completely moot. And if you're snaking you're going to be doing a whole lot of mini-turbos.

Personally, though, I wish they'd go back to how things were in the original MK and Super Circuit, where you didn't have mini-turbos. Coming up with ways to cut corners as sharp as possible and finding the perfect route along the track is more fun to me than trying to cram as many mini-turbos into the track as I can. But I do it because, otherwise, it's pretty much impossible to be competitive against top tier players. And playing against other people of a high skill level [i]is[/i] fun.

But anyway, has anyone else around here given snaking a try?[/color]

[BlueYoshi]

[color=darkred]I've tried snaking, but not mastered it. I hardly ever have to use the mini-turbo around bends because I'm usually so far ahead of the CPUs. It's kind of risky though, just in case you eff it up in the middle of the race.

I unlocked 150cc Mirror last night, and it's not as hard as I'd imagined. So far I've sailed right through the first three Nitro Cup courses. Even though I found the Retro Cup courses on normal 1500cc so hard, they actually proved to be my best 150cc ranks yet, with 2 Star rankings and an A and a B.

I've finally found my dream car in the game for the moment. Dry Bones and the Cucumber are a good combination, and Waluigi in his standard Gold Mantis is pretty ace too. They both do me wonders in the CPU races. When I'm messing around I like to use Bowser though. He's much fun to bash players around with, but sucks with turns.

And I'm definitely gonna go back for 3 Star rankings. Maybe not on 50cc, because it is boring as hell just to race through normally (maybe when I'm bored I'll do it, same for 100cc), but I will definitely do it on 150cc and Mirror. I say this now but when/if I go online with the game I'll forget about it somehow.

Man, I really wanna go online with this game. Sucks big time.[/color]

[Guest HowlsMovingTent]

This thread will be used as a score board for all of the MKDS players here. If you play MKDS, post your wifi name, wifi record, and percent of wins on your wifi record. I will then post the top 15 people with the best wifi win percentages.

HowlsMovingTent
Wifi Name: 9-10-DO
Wifi record: Wins: 343
Losses:6
Percent of wins: 98.3

[B]EDIT:[/B]

Mario Kart DS Otaku Top 15

1. HowlsMovingTent: 9-10-DO: 98.3%
2. Desbreko: Desbreko: 82.6%
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[COLOR=Sienna][SIZE=1]For future reference, please do not double post. If you'd like to add more to your orginal post, please use the "Edit" button to do so. Thanks! [B]- Stuart.[/B][/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Desbreko]

[color=#4B0082]Sure, I guess I'll post my record. I barely ever play over the WFC except among friends, though. Seems like whenever I'd play regional/worldwide, matches would be ruined by people disconnecting. Or when I'd play rivals, matches would be determined almost entirely by who got the best items because everyone was at the same skill level. Wi-fi good, broken items and quitters bad. :(

WFC Name: Desbreko
Win/Loss Record: 38/8
Win Percentage: 82.6%[/color]

[Retribution]

[size=1]Well, I've had the game for quite a while, but I just haven't gotten around to posting my friend code here. For those who'd like to die by the sword, my code is [b]305005 719992[/b]. If you add me, please PM me saying you've done so, so that we can duke it out sometime.

By the way, has anyone here gotten at least a star on every cup? I've done it for all except two cups on 150 CC Mirror Mode.[/size]

[Desbreko]

[color=#4B0082]Heh, got it registered now. I look forward to [strike]shaming[/strike] racing you. :toothy:

And yeah, I've actually gotten three stars on every cup in every engine class of grand prix mode. It didn't take me as long as expected; maybe five days, with two of those being spent on 50cc and 100cc. But it was a while ago, so I can't quite remember. Once I found my prefered character/kart combination, the hard part was avoiding getting screwed by spike shells on the last lap of races.[/color]

[Retribution]

[quote name='Desbreko][color=#4B0082]Heh, got it registered now. I look forward to [strike]shaming[/strike'] racing you. :toothy:[/color][/quote]
[size=1]Yeah, yeah. I only lost to you because I can't beat my boss, duh. But honestly, on a scale of 1-10, how much effort where you racing me with? Don't give me a 5, or I might cry.

Really, you certainly do clock too much time on that game, but I still have that one shiny beacon of hope, as I was the first friend to give you a loss. In any event, my brother cleared my Wi-Fi record ... so I'm starting from 0/0, but I'm not too angry about it either. It's not like I was even in the 50% range... heh.

I look forward to playing more people from OB than just Des, as it's just frustrating to lose in the last twenty meters of every race. >_>;;[/size]

[Guest HowlsMovingTent]

[QUOTE=Retribution][size=1]Well, I've had the game for quite a while, but I just haven't gotten around to posting my friend code here. For those who'd like to die by the sword, my code is [b]305005 719992[/b]. If you add me, please PM me saying you've done so, so that we can duke it out sometime.

By the way, has anyone here gotten at least a star on every cup? I've done it for all except two cups on 150 CC Mirror Mode.[/size][/QUOTE]


I've gotten three stars on every Grand Prix. Want to race? I'll givee you my friend code...

[QUOTE=Desbreko][color=#4B0082]Heh, got it registered now. I look forward to [strike]shaming[/strike] racing you. :toothy:

And yeah, I've actually gotten three stars on every cup in every engine class of grand prix mode. It didn't take me as long as expected; maybe five days, with two of those being spent on 50cc and 100cc. But it was a while ago, so I can't quite remember. Once I found my prefered character/kart combination, the hard part was avoiding getting screwed by spike shells on the last lap of races.[/color][/QUOTE]

I caan DODGE blue shells. I know it's supposed to be impossible, but I've dodged 36 blue shells. It's very hard to do.

[color=#4B0082]Merged the double post. Please use quote tags manually if you want to quote two posts, as double posting is against the rules. - [i]Desbreko[/i][/color]

[Desbreko]

[color=#4B0082]At first, when I was using Daisy in the Dry Bomber, maybe a seven? I was mini-turboing only once, if at all, around most turns, with no snaking. It's hard to put something like that into a numbered scale. And on the other hand, without snaking, I can concentrate fully on taking the turns as sharp as I can, so there's a bit of a trade off.

On some of the later rounds, when I was using other characters/karts like Wario, I was playing as best or nearly as best I could. Mainly because I had to, since I hadn't played on those characters in a long time.

And I'd be very interested in how you're able to dodge spike shells, Howls. I might be able to see how it could be done with certain items (maybe boosting with a mushroom just after the shell has circled and is about to drop), but I wouldn't think a mini-turbo would be sufficient to get you out of the blast radius in time. Or am I way off, and there's just some movement trick that'll throw the shell off your path?

If anyone's looking for friend codes of people at OB here, by the way, we've got a running list in [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=50458][u]this thread[/u][/url].[/color]

[Ikillion]

[COLOR=DarkSlateGray][SIZE=1][FONT=Comic Sans MS]Maybe I should get a Wi-fi so I can be able to show both of you how racing in maro cart is really done, the cool way of course :cool:

I will probaly get it tommorow though. Seeing as its spring break and I have almost nothing else better to do than to totally show everyone up at Mario Kart, I mean what else could be more fun than something as that?

Sadly though the only cup I haven't been able to win is the very last one in the 150cc I don't know what the name of it is but yeah its one of the retro cup things >.> the way I usually pic things is by whoever's course I am going on. I know its a really stupid way to go about things its just I don't know. Most of the time I just use Waluigi though...just because purple is cool.[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Goodbye, Face]

[font=trebuchet ms]Ok, I finally got a home network going, so I can now play you guys in MKDS (and eventually AC:WW)! My friend code is 025836 356243. Just track me down on AIM first.

And I'm fairly sure I suck.[/font]

[Final Remix]

don't worry about sucking. I've only got one star on 150CC, and I still haven't found a cart combo I like. I've become somewhat disenchanted with online play, since i always wind up with a snaker/item-whore (constant gold shroom, or all stars) on my 2-person matchup... -_-*

However, my current record is [b]23[/b] wins, [b]27[/b] losses.