If Meteos was the game that proved to the gaming world what the Nintendo DS’ touch screen could do for players, Mario Kart DS is the game that shows what its Wi-Fi capabilities can do for them. Building on the already massively popular Mario Kart franchise, Mario Kart DS takes the player into the realm of playing online with people across the room or around the world from home or any Wi-Fi hotspot. Near flawless in execution, Mario Kart DS is now the must-have game for DS owners. You miss out on this much fun, and you have no one to blame but yourself.

As with all the Mario Kart games dating back to the first game on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1992, the setup for the game is simple: Mario and all his crazy pals have gotten hold of zippy little go-karts and challenge each other to races on themed tracks while using every dirty trick in the book to win. Dirty tricks come in the form of weapons and power-ups that are found along the tracks as you race. They can either affect your opponents, like a quickly-thrown turtle shell up the tailpipe of the car in front of you, or help your own kart cover more ground, like a temporary speed boost. Either way, the fun never gets old and the franchise has provided some of the most fun party moments of any video game ever.

Alas, we cannot always have a party and play Mario Kart anytime we want with unpredictable and fallible humans … until now. Mario Kart is playable using the Nintendo DS’ Wi-Fi capabilities. The DS can access Nintendo’s free gaming service either at home through your computer’s own wireless network or through any Wi-Fi hotspot, such as your local McDonalds where Nintendo is cooperating with the fast-food giant to make access available. (Personal observation: McDonalds stands to make a small mint on having this service for their customers. Come in eat and play. Stay longer, eat more. Little crumb-snatching rug rats with a DS and no home network will bug their parent to go to McDonalds just so they can play.) However you connect, the process of getting your Nintendo DS online is relatively painless. A separate Wi-Fi connection instruction booklet included with Mario Kart DS handles all of the contingencies I have run into.

There are some minor drawbacks to the Wi-Fi play. The only mode of play is the simple versus mode where you race against only three other players on a limited number of tracks. There is also no way to chat during a race, so one of the great charms of playing a Mario Kart race with a bunch of trash-talking friends on a sofa is gone. But since Mario Kart is so popular with younger players, it may be better that they are not exposed to some of the stuff the less savory online players spew in their ignorance. Best to just let the kids play and have fun. Since this is Nintendo’s first Wi-Fi compatible title, it still deserves full points for the implementation even with the reduced racing pack..

As a single-player game Mario Kart DS offers a full slate of all the features that have made the Mario Kart series so popular over the years. Grand Prix mode with its sets of four races against seven AI opponents in eight different cup events is still major fun. Battle mode lets you test your driving skills against AI opponents as you try to pop their balloons and gather shines. Time Trials has the player attempting to set the fastest time on a track. VS mode allows a quick race on a track of the players choosing against AI opponents. And the Missions mode challenges players to accomplish a variety of objectives as they drive.

If there can be said to be one ultimate mode to play Mario Kart DS in, it is the non-Wi-Fi wireless mode between up to eight Nintendo DS handhelds in the same room, each with their own Mario Kart DS cartridge. In this mode racers can compete on any track in the single-player mode and with a full selection of characters. Nintendo did charitably throw in a mode where up to eight can play at one time with only one copy of the game, but in this configuration the tracks are limited, characters are limited, and only simple racing is possible.

Okay, Nintendo has all the great racing stuff in Mario Kart DS, but how did they wrap the package? Beautifully! The game just looks great. While playing a game the upper screen shows a very nicely detailed view of the racing while the bottom shows an overhead map of the area immediately around the player. Of course between races the bottom touch screen is where all your selections will be made with just a poke of the stylus. It is a very straight forward and intuitive interface. In-game control will be immediately familiar to SNES Super Mario Kart veterans and will be quickly adapted to by anyone who has played any of the console versions. Sound is also top flight and compliments the gameplay well.

So, as Nintendo’s first entry into the wonderful world of Wi-Fi gaming, Mario Kart DS presents us with a very nice racing package that has solid, though not spectacular, online play and a full roster of single-player and local wireless features. The sheer number of options make this game outstanding. And in the end any small criticisms almost feel like nitpicking when the package is considered in its entirety. The few limitations of the Wi-Fi play are easily forgivable in light of the realization that we will never be alone when we want to play another warm body in Mario Kart again. A solid “A” effort by the good folks at Nintendo for their innovative little handheld.

Questions? Comments? Contact the author at willhill2600@charter.net .