After playing the game for a few days I think I’m ready to give a comprehensive review of the game. I have to say this is an amazing game. This is a game a that sells the DS, its just that great.
As Kaz stated before there are 3 modes to Grand Prix, and a 4th secret mode. 50 cc is pretty cake and good to help you get a feel for the game and practice some of the "techniques" of the game(I'll get to that in a bit)
100 cc is a step up in difficulty and you really start feeling the intensity of the game. Then 150 cc which is pretty close to the intensity of online play and sure to have you on your feet standing up shouting at your DS. Mission mode is great and helps give you a change of pace when the frustration of 150 cc sets in or, losing back to back races on online play. Time Trial is great for practicing you skills with your race style and learning the tracks without the hassle of all of the items or other racers. Gives you a more traditional racer feeling as well when racing against your ghost data. You're best times are also recorded and you can send them to friends, just as well as they can send to you. There is also a battle mode in which your and your friends can deal damage to yourself. What’s interesting, your life is represented in balloons, and you have to blow into the mike to inflate your life balloon. Finally there is online play which as said before is totally free and easy to connect. So easy I still have a hard time believing how easy it is.
One of the things that I really got a kick out of, was the different racing styles of the game. Never playing a Mario Kart, I don't know if this was in previous versions but it 's pretty sweet. Basically its 3 types; heavy, medium, and lightweights karts as well as, heavy, medium, and lightweight racers . Each racer effects each kart differently but not too significantly. Lightweights seems to be the easiest style to play where as heavy is the hardest. Power drifting in the game, a feature that I really love about the game and gives it an arcadey feel, is different with each Kart. Heavy karts excel at speed and power drifting where as light karts are great at acceleration and handling. appropriately these techniques take advantage of the Karts up and downs. Where as, a light kart has poor drifting, it makes these cars excellent for a technique known as snaking. This is just a tip of the iceberg incorporated to the strategy of racing. As if the racing wasn't intense enough, this makes the game constantly entertaining and keeps you thinking all the time. A lame thing though is that with almost any online game once a solid strategy is found, sheep mentality begins to emerge. A very popular combo seems to be Dry Bones and his Dry Bomber Kart.
One of the dislikes that I have with the game is that, Wifi connectivity doesn't have all the courses that the game has offline and, no battle mode as well. I would have also liked to be able to exchanged Time attack ghost with people around the world. Also, I would have wished that there was some sort of lobby or chat room to discuss the races with friends or people you've raced against or etc. These are just ideas I would have liked to see implemented in the game that would have this game a perfect game and a must have for all. But no doubt this game is still an amazingly fun and addictive game. Perfect to see why the Mario Kart DS bundle has been made because this game is seriously a must own for all DS owners.
*Sweet Link Kaz, I got my Che Guevara decal now.
I even made myself a nintendo proflie in anticipation for this, can't wait!
