The Mario Kart DS thread

[animefanjr]

Totally agree with sethsez. And I found out about the blowing into the mic thing shortly after posting. ^_^

Anyways, my friend code is:
253462
609438

Ya I love the DS. I got your friend code, mine is up a tad on the thread.
Look me up - I love this online, hopefully I will get some more time to play.

[BrianC]

If you like adventure games (not Zelda style, classic adventure style), add Phoenix Wright to the list of killer apps.

Why do I get the feeling that Phoenix Wright will totally stomp Trace Memory?

[sethsez]

Because it does. It's a decent length, has a great story, a really good script (in a Capcom game, no less), and some pretty good puzzles. Trace Memory doesn't hold up.

Lost in Blue is another great game for the system, though I wouldn't call it a killer app. It's too weird, and would most likely piss some people off.

[BrianC]

Because it does. It's a decent length, has a great story, a really good script (in a Capcom game, no less), and some pretty good puzzles. Trace Memory doesn't hold up.

Lost in Blue is another great game for the system, though I wouldn't call it a killer app. It's too weird, and would most likely piss some people off.

Lost in Blue sounds interesting. I have the first Survival Kids for GBC. While the game is a bit short (even counting the multiple endings), it's very addictive. Is Lost in Blue is anywhere near as addictive as the first game in the series, I definatly want to check it out.

I definatly plan to pick up Phoenix Wright, either for me or for my sister. Speaking of too wierd, that's what my sister thought of the concept for Trauma Center: Under the Knife. However, that game sounds like something I would like.

[sethsez]

Lost in Blue is basically an upgraded Survival Kids, though not as upgraded as it should have been given the time between the two and the increase in technology from the GBC to the DS. Still, I find it very fun.

Tramua Center... eh. I played it, and it's one of the few quirky DS games that didn't grab me at all. I mean, the idea is great, but the execution stumbles a bit too often (I wish they'd shut up while I was working). However, many people seem to love it so I'd still recommend it, albiet hesitantly.

Phoenix Wright, though... I can recommend that with no reservations at all. Some of the most memorable characters I've seen in ages in a game.

[Fighter17]

Games that I want to get so bad:

Sonic Rush
Castlevania: DOS
Phoneix Wright (Text adventure)
Mario Kart DS
Meteos

Ok, I don't own a DS, but I now believe that the DS is going to kick the PSP's ass. The DS has more orginal games than the PSP, and all the orginal games are GOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!


I might get the DS just to replace the next-gen systems because I know I'm not planning to purchase any one of those systems any time soon. As long I have one thing with the current-generation of games, I'm at least happy. Thinking about getting the DS next year.

[tsunami0ne]

This game is pretty awesome. The majority of the new tracks, especially Waluigi Pinball, are awesome tracks to race on. Although worldwide online play is awesome, playing local wireless games is 10x better than playing online. I am lucky enough that this game has converted some more ppl I know into buying a DS /w mario kart, so I can get 6 player local games going without too much trouble.

Is it me, or is just having a regular multiplayer race better than battle mode now?

[FatCobra]

Geez.... I am torn between the Forza Xbox package and the Mariokart DS Bundle. I don't know which one to get.

Mariokart DS does sound awesome and the DS is cheaper......

I heard that you can draw an emblem on your kart, is that true? I want to put the Zelda Triforce on my kart.

[jp]

Yes, you can design your own emblems for your kart.


Also, I really hate people who use the better R.O.B. karts. It really is a damn cheap kart. (I use Dry Bones' standard DS kart myself).

I also wish people would quit leaving matches in the middle of a series of races.

[jp]

My main complaint with Mario Kart DS:

Items. Or rather, how they are dispersed.


I.e. I run a race perfectly. I am in first for the entire race. I run such a race that my ghost in Time Trials would cry. But ALAS, I am in FIRST, therefore, nothing but banana peels, fake item boxes, and the occassional green shell for me. n00bKID989 is in second. He is in second for the whole race. Well... almost. In the 3rd lap, because he is in second, he gets a blue shell, followed with a star, and wins the race.

This... is... fucking... retarded.

In Super Mario Kart for the SNES items were given out equally. If I was in first I could get a mushroom or a red shell or a star to help secure my lead. Likewise, the person behind me could get the same items or banana peels. It was fair and made races FUN. Now, because Nintendo is fucktarded, I get nothing but banana peels because I'm a good player, and the other person gets a massive handicap because they aren't as good. Or, like I'm STARTING to do, its not that they aren't as good, its just that they know how to play the system. Sometimes, I'll lurk in second or third in a race just so I get a nice items, i.e., a blue shell. Once I have acquired this (and believe me, I will), I just hold it until the end of the race, unload, scoot ahead into first, and win. Annoying? Yes. As annoying as kicking ass in a race only to lose to Nintendo's bullshit handicap? No.

I seriously view this as a massive flaw in the game, and I really wish there was a way to make the item selection truly random, as opposed to rank based. ugh. Its like a fucking shmup. "Play bad to get good items and win!" Fuck you Nintendo.

[FatCobra]

The whole item rank thing was a huge problem in Double Dash as well. I can't remember how many times I lost a race because I was bombared by a blue shell. When I see one of those fuckers coming, I slow down and let the guy in second get close to me so at least he suffers with me. Works wonders with the AI because there's always one comp that's better than the rest and is your rival for the entire gran prix and he's usally in second if you're in first. Would a star stop a blue shell?

It won't stop me from getting the game however.

[tsunami0ne]

The whole point of item rank is to give the slower players a chance to catch up. This REALLY makes multiplayer games that much more fun. I remember I gave my friends a 1 minute headstart, and even though I was using toad, I got enough items to finish the race 1st. It was hilarious. But yeah, the whole point of the items is to keep everyone as close together as possible... And that doesn't mean you can win solely using items... I mean I get my ass kicked online all the time because I haven't played a Mario Kart game since the SNES one.

[jp]

The whole point of item rank is to give the slower players a chance to catch up. This REALLY makes multiplayer games that much more fun. I remember I gave my friends a 1 minute headstart, and even though I was using toad, I got enough items to finish the race 1st. It was hilarious. But yeah, the whole point of the items is to keep everyone as close together as possible... And that doesn't mean you can win solely using items... I mean I get my ass kicked online all the time because I haven't played a Mario Kart game since the SNES one.

Yes... you can win just by using items.

If I get a blue shell, I win the match. I promise you. If its a good close race and I slow down to get an item, I win the match.

Its fucking stupid.

[BrianC]

The whole point of item rank is to give the slower players a chance to catch up. This REALLY makes multiplayer games that much more fun. I remember I gave my friends a 1 minute headstart, and even though I was using toad, I got enough items to finish the race 1st. It was hilarious. But yeah, the whole point of the items is to keep everyone as close together as possible... And that doesn't mean you can win solely using items... I mean I get my ass kicked online all the time because I haven't played a Mario Kart game since the SNES one.

Yes... you can win just by using items.

If I get a blue shell, I win the match. I promise you. If its a good close race and I slow down to get an item, I win the match.

Its beeping stupid.

Have you tried drafting behind the other player after being hit by the shell? I sincereley doubt that blue shell = instant win.

[sethsez]

I've been hit by the blue shell, and have used the blue shell, many times in online games. It's not the determining factor if you know how to properly deal with it. Mario Kart isn't a pure racing game, and yeah, if you play it like one then you'll lose when you don't handle certain situations correctly. There are ways to recover from a blue shell, and if your lead is strong enough then it shouldn't make a huge difference anyway.

[jp]

Rainbow Road

Loop-de-loop

Blue Shell

Falls off of course

Was using a fast kart and was equally as good.

I won regardless



Or I just save the blue shell for the end of the 3rd loop, and once you're almost to the finish, fire blue shell, I win.

There are ways to avoid them, but they're too few and far between.

[FatCobra]

The thing with the blue shells is that 1st place isn't a good place to be in all the time. At least in this verison you can see who has what items, if you see someone who has possesion of a blue shell, slam the brakes and let the 2nd place guy pass you. The sucker will never know what hit him.

If they fired it however, it's too late; it's locked on to you even if you fall into 2nd. The best thing you can do is slow down and get near someone, so at least they don't benefit from the bastard in the back who fired the damn thing.

The blue shell is just part of the game, deal with it. I miss the N64 verison because at least it hit other people on the way up to the leader.

I do think it's bull that they show up more often than I'd like and that there's no way to counter them.

[jp]

The thing with the blue shells is that 1st place isn't a good place to be in all the time. At least in this verison you can see who has what items, if you see someone who has possesion of a blue shell, slam the brakes and let the 2nd place guy pass you. The sucker will never know what hit him.

But what about 2 player races? This is where I feel the item system is horribly flawed. If I want a good item, I slow down and let the other person in first as we approach item boxes. If its a close race, I continue to do this until I get a blue shell. Then the race slows to a crawl in the 3rd lap with him trying to let me into first and me trying to stay in second.

Its a flaw. They either needed to not have blue shells in the game or disperse with the items better. If I was in first and I could get lightning, then I could knock out anyone's blue shells from their items. As is, I have to hope for a bomb and hope I can line it up right to hit them. Or hope there's something around for me to run into if a blue shell is fired.

[benstylus]

The blue shell is just part of the game, deal with it. I miss the N64 verison because at least it hit other people on the way up to the leader.

Yeah, the blue shell is part of the game, but it's a bad part that brings the rest of the game down.

I'd much rather play the N64 or SNES Mario Karts than this new one. It seems that at least half of the time it's the final stretch of the last lap and i get jacked out of a first place victory because of a blue shell.

[jp]

The blue shell is just part of the game, deal with it. I miss the N64 verison because at least it hit other people on the way up to the leader.

Yeah, the blue shell is part of the game, but it's a bad part that brings the rest of the game down.

I'd much rather play the N64 or SNES Mario Karts than this new one. It seems that at least half of the time it's the final stretch of the last lap and i get jacked out of a first place victory because of a blue shell.

Thats exactly what I'm sayin'.

[FatCobra]

It happened in Double Dash as well. That whole game rubbed me the wrong way somehow, it felt too.....un Mariokarty.

Blue shells or not, MKDS has one thing going for it.....ONLINE!!!

[benstylus]

Online doesn't matter a whit to me.

The game's still broken.

[BrianC]

Online doesn't matter a whit to me.

The game's still broken.

Broken becuase there is a way to catch up? Also, I didn't know that getting hit by a blue shell took off THAT much time.

[UnscathedFlyingObject]

Online doesn't matter a whit to me.

The game's still broken.

Broken becuase there is a way to catch up? Also, I didn't know that getting hit by a blue shell took off THAT much time.

Getting hit by one blue shell doesn't slow you down that much... getting hit by three blue shells will make you go like molasses. I've been hit by three blue shells and other stuff in one race all because I wanted to maintain first place. I ended up second in that race even though I had considerable advantage over my pc opponent near the end. It'd be pissed online if noobs kept firing blue shells at me and the guy 10 seconds behind me wins the race even though he's not half as good as I am.

The game is broken. It's a good game, and I understand some people hate other people who hate on games that are good but are broken but saying nothing is wrong is something a fanboy would say.

[benstylus]

Online doesn't matter a whit to me.

The game's still broken.

Broken becuase there is a way to catch up? Also, I didn't know that getting hit by a blue shell took off THAT much time.

A blue shell doesn't just slow you down like a banana peel or normal shell - it brings you to a complete stop.

Anyone within about 3 seconds of you would be able to overtake you if you get hit by a blue shell. In a good race, chances are you'll have at least 1, probably 2 people within that limit.

Not only that, but those people 1 or 2 places behind you can further slow you down by hitting you with a green or red shell right after you've been blasted with the blue one.

If that weren't bad enough, the blue shell takes away whatever item you may have had so you have no way of slowing down those people or catching up quickly unless there's an item box nearby.

And if it happens one the last part of the final lap (as it often does) you lose simply because you were in first place at the wrong time.

It's preposterous that someone should be penalized that heavily for having the skill to be in the lead.

And yes, I do believe that using a technique like that to let people catch up is a horrble idea.

Theoretically, Nintendo's Wi-Fi matching service should be pairing you against people of relatively equal skill. (Unless you're playing against friends of course). This alone should prevent the problem of someone being too far behind to catch up through normal means.

Do I mind games that let people catch up? Not at all, as long as the catching up is somehow related to skill. In Out Run 2 for example, the players in the rear get a boost to their speed that can help keep them competitive. They still have to make the turns properly and run a pretty good race, but they're not automatically knocked out of the running because of one unlucky mistake. They're just given the benefit of being able to go a bit faster in order to catch up.

But being able to bring the lead car to a complete stop is madness.

One way that could have at least partially remedied the problem would be to disable blue shells during the final lap. That would at least give someone a chance to regain the lead if they were hit with one. The biggest problem I have with those shells is that at least half the time, they seem to hit during the last lap where there's not enough time to catch up again.

[BrianC]

Blue shells sound very annoying, but the game itself still sounds like great fun. I'm getting this game for Christmas. If you want, we could exchange friend codes when I get it.

[Dylan1CC]

So all of a sudden homing shells are a new concept and close races are a bad thing?

DD rubbed me the wrong way a bit. As for the game itself, MK DS IMHO is everything enjoyable and balanced about the SNES original and 64 IMHO with faster, meaner races with just a small touch of DD. I love it.

I play online a lot and yes, sometimes there are cases where someone will get the blue shell quite a bit. But in my experience this is NOT as often as some folks make it out to be and usually only when someone is playing poorly.

Anyways, blue and red shells have been used and "abused" since forever. Would I, if I were on Konno's staff request that the homing shells come up a little less often in the item roster? Yes. But the very core of Mario Kart's gameplay has always been giving the wimps a break now and then while sternly forcing the better man to step up to the plate and rebound with drifting, boosting ect.

Are the races closer this time? Yeah, but it doesn't break the game, it only makes the game more intense! Did you really enjoy being ahead of your fellow players by almost an entire track while playing Rainbow Road '64? I have won many matches online where I got hit many times by homing shells and nailed repeatedly by lightning yet still won by a close margin. And still plenty others where I get hit several times but then still zip way ahead of the competition.

So I say, broken my eye. Drift, slipstream and boost like your lives depend on it, ladies. Cuz you will need a lot more than blue & red shells if you face me as some folks I race on TNL will attest too.

DYLAN1CC - 068778 929377

Oh and I love slipstreaming. Beautiful stuff. Best use of it in the series.

[benstylus]

Lighting and red shells have far different effects than the blue shells.

Lighting serves to zap many opponents - the farther towards the front you are the longer it lasts, but overall it affects everyone so there's no real problems with it.

Red shells generally will only hit the person ahead of you. They are also relatively easily blocked. Again, it's not bad because the person has to be fairly close for it to work.

The blue shells do something far more sinister. They do not affect everyone or just the person directly in front of you, but they automatically bring the person in the lead to a complete stop.

So you're in the back - it doesn't matter if there's no way you're going to catch up even with the blue shell. Those aren't the people you're worried about catching up anyway.

But the people in second and third place can probably pass the lead car with no problem. And sure, if you're good enough you can probably get back into the lead given enough time. But I've found that generally speaking, there ISN'T enough time to get back in the lead.

When I get hit by a blue shell, it is on the latter part of the final lap more than half the time. On longer tracks like Rainbow Road there may still be time to catch up again, but it is my experience that the blue shells generally serve to cost the lead player the race.

What's fun about being out in front only to get zapped 20 feet from the finish line and have someone else pass you and claim victory?

[UnscathedFlyingObject]

When I play against the CPU it has the bad tendency of throwing a blue shell at me when I'm about to win a race so I lose. It's annoying.

It's annoying that your close competitor beats you because of a blue shell even though you've been ahead of him/her for the whole race. Then, it's not a matter of skill but luck and being a sissy because you'll avoid getting into first place 'til the last minute.

[Dylan1CC]

The blue shells do something far more sinister. They do not affect everyone or just the person directly in front of you, but they automatically bring the person in the lead to a complete stop.

Wrong, the blue shell does effect other players. As you have seen, the shockwave often knocks out people racing alongside the targeted player (and the person who shoots it if he is inexperienced enough to steer toward the destruction). Yes, only I will be affected by it....if I am well ahead of everyone and out of their range. Sure, I'm being "punished for being a good player" but I can live with that if I am just being stalled.

In a case like this from my experience, instead of the person who uses it always getting an easy win, at the most it often turns the race back into a heated head-to-head match. I catch up and then I either smash him outta the way, drift 'n boost or use his slipstream and rebound. If he is a good player he will use his gain to win, blue shell or no. If he is bad I will gain on him and he is still gonna lose to me. But yes, if I am mere feet from the finish line and he is right behind me I am toast. That goes without saying though.

I have had some races "stolen" from me but the ones I am able to rebound on back to 1st or flat out win have for me outnumbered "shell fest" matches. And 9/10 if someone is able to "steal" a race from me it's because they used a red shell or a boost 'shroom, NOT a blue shell.

I like close matches in Mario Kart or any racing game. And maybe I am just fortunate, but I seriously am not at all encountering a significant number of races where I get nailed by a blue shell right before the finish line. It usually happens before I get very close. Guess we will just have to agree to disagree.