Mario Kart DS was always going to be a great game for the DS. It was going to be online using WiFi before the release of the DS. It was expected to be one of the best games for the DS. The Mario Kart series became an instant success with the release of Mario Kart in 1992 for the SNES, and has been on every Nintendo home console since. In 2001, it was made portable for the first time on the GBA. Now since the DS's WiFi recently launched, this is said to be the killer app for the service, which will allow gamers to race other Mario Kart fans from around the world.

The concept of the game is the same as every Mario Kart game, but that's not a problem at all. What you have to do is take part in the cups and races to get further in the game and unlock more tracks, karts and characters. This is similar to most other racing games, but Mario Kart's main difference is the various weapons and items that you get in boxes throughout the course. They are used to hit your opponents so you can get the advantage over them. Luckily in this game, Nintendo hasn't decided to put any gimmicks into the game, like two characters to a kart or character specific items, which were both commonplace in Double Dash. Instead they have created a game closer to the original. Nintendo decided not to use the DS's features to have a driving wheel on the bottom screen. But unfortunately, the touch screen capabilities aren't used at all, even for something like being able to point your shell in the right direction before firing, which could prove complicated to some but would be a worthwhile addition.

The graphics in the game are excellent, especially considering some of the previous DS games. The tracks are very detailed and varied throughout the game with plenty of bright colors. Similarly, the karts and their drivers are equally well detailed, as well as, having a wide variety of karts to choose from. However, the range of drivers to unlock isn't quite as large, but it is enough to last you for a good while.

A major concern before the game was released was that without an analog stick it would be very hard to control the karts as they speed around the track. Luckily, this isn't the case as it is relatively easy to control the karts. The only problem being that, if you're playing for too long and getting really into the game, your thumb might slip around a little because of the sweat. However, on the d-pad all you really need to worry about is steering left and right, so it isn't all that hard to begin with. An addition that had been lost in Double Dash was the original way of boosting, which is a lot easier to do in this game now that it is similar to the classic Mario Karts. All you need to do is press down one of the shoulder buttons and turn into the bend then move back and forth across the d-pad. This will give a little burst of speed to get the advantage over your fellow drivers.

Now moving on to what makes this game unique, the items. The items in this game are the ones that we're familiar with from previous Mario Kart games, including my personal favorite, the blue spiky shell, which takes out the driver in first place. However, there are two new additions, Blooper and Bullet Bill. Blooper makes a splurt of black ink appear on your opponents’ screens so they wobble around a little bit. It might not sound very useful, but it is fun to do when you're playing with friends. Bullet Bill is a bit more useful. It essentially turns you into a large bullet and sends you flying down the middle of the track causing everything you hit to flip off to the sides.

While they have taken away most of the things that made Double Dash one of the worst Mario Kart games, they've also taken away one of best features as well. The said feature is the All Cup Tour, where you got to race around all sixteen tracks in the game in one massive final cup. This was a great feature because instead of only lasting about ten minutes at the very most, it could last around three quarters of an hour, and as far as Mario Kart games go it was a real test of endurance. While this has been left out instead, there are battle modes to keep you occupied in case you get bored of racing. A new addition to the game is challenge mode. In this mode you have to complete various challenges in the race tracks of the game. For example, boost 9 times in 3 laps or use items to take out enemies. There are also small boss battles at the end of each section, and you are graded for each individual mission and overall. It is a fun addition to the series but isn't as much fun as the racing.

The most important addition is one that is definitely worth it, the WiFi connection. This is Nintendo's first full attempt at online gaming, and there are three ways to access their online service. First of all you can connect using the DS USB connector. Secondly, you can find a wireless hotspot. The final way is by using your own wireless router from the comfort of your own house. Once connected, you'll be faced with the choice of four modes. Rivals put you against opponents of the same skill level to you. Occasionally, you can be matched with others who seem to be of a higher skill level than yourself. The Friends mode allows you to play against your friends if you know their code. In theory this works well, however, you both need to get each other's 12 digit friend code. A far better system would have involved simple to remember user names. There are then worldwide and regional matches, where you play people from across the globe or people in the same area or country as yourself.

While the connection is occasionally slow or very hard to even connect to, it is worth it to be able to race alongside people from all over the world, or race with friends far more easily than having to meet up with them. And while there are faults in the service, these hopefully will be ironed out for the next batch of online games, as the service is only brand new.

Mario Kart is definitely going to be one of the titles that people will now use as a reason to buy the DS and rightly so. Nintendo has gone back to the classic formula for Mario Kart games with a couple of added on extras and in doing so has created possibly one of the best Mario Kart games and the best game so far for the DS.