NLife:
The 2005 hit, Mario Kart DS, marked a new era for Nintendo and its long-running racing series. This particular iteration was released during a transitional phase for the company, with Nintendo beginning to rethink the conventions of gaming. Mario Kart on the DS mirrored this fresh approach, incorporating a portable online multiplayer experience that was accessible to the masses. Not only did this entry go on to become a flagship title for the DS, and one of the best-selling games on the system to match, but to this day it still stands as the second highest-selling Mario Kart of all-time, eventually beaten by its younger sibling, Mario Kart Wii, from the same generation of gaming.
Mario Kart DS still plays a fine game of handheld Mario Kart more than 20 years after its initial release.
I really liked the Mission Mode. They had you doing crazy stuff like driving backwards, or collecting all the collectibles as quick as you can between a litter of enemies.
They should add it to Mario Kart 9 for sure, along w online leaderboards for the mission stuff. That's how they could expand on the already excellent Mario Kart 8, bc track quality it's hard to imagine them getting much better beyond slightly tighter graphics and 4k on the Switch 2. Maybe more Diddy Kong Racing-esque adventure layout w more emphasis on boats and planes.
It's hard to say that Mario Kart DS is the best "handheld Mario Kart" though, bc Mario Kart 8 is handheld. It's definitely got some uniqueness that I appreciated. The 2 merged together would be amazing.
I don't think Mario Kart 8 (and Deluxe) rank too highly for me, personally. There's just not as much life in them.
Mario Kart Double Dash, MKDS and Super Mario Kart are the only three that are actually fun to play. Sure MK8 is pretty but its just that. It lacks the soul of double dash. the DS one controls really really well and the orignial with the feather power up is cool.
Hard to disagree with that, really how can all the other games (especially after it) have less single player content?
DKR managed a better game on the 64 and Mario Kart gets away with literally the bare minimum all the time.
Nintendo's beloved racing series has been around for more than three decades, but which are the best Mario Kart games?
While not the greatest handheld from day one, the best Nintendo DS games still offer some of the most fun you will find on any console.
The fact that Tetris DS does not include an unlimited play mode make it one of the worse Tetris versions for me. The online play was OK back when it still worked.
After Mario Kart 64, this is my favorite game of the series!!