Mario Kart DS

Mario Kart addicts, casual fans of the series, and newbies unite and rejoice in the glory that is Mario Kart DS. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the fine people at Nintendo have realized that they do have the potential to make (nearly) the perfect game, and it is this. There are 32 total tracks. There are 16 new and 16 classic tracks included in those 32. There are 12 different characters. There are a couple dozen karts to choose from for each. There is online play. There are bonus missions asking you to complete all sorts of odd jobs on different courses.

What isn't there? An exucse not to play the best Mario Kart yet. There are a few hiccups when trying to connect online, and a messaging system would have been nice, but these aren't faults. They're simply the gaming public being greedy and always wanting more. It's our nature.

Specifically, this edition of Kart handles well enough for having a D-pad and no stick. The graphics are impressive considering the platform. The AI is ferociously good in some cases, but that only adds to the fun. The new items aren't earth shatteringly awesome, but they're a good batch of new goodies to say the least. Oh, the Bill-bullet item... best Mario Kart item... ever. Online play is smooth, if you can connect. The new tracks are some of the most creative yet. The old tracks - let's just say better old tracks could have been chosen.

Is Mario Kart DS perfect? It's damn close.

Grade = A-