Hey there! Welcome to a regular feature here on Games Are Evil:Portable — our favorite portable games! We’ll spend some time each feature extolling the virtues of a portable title on the DS, the PSP or the iPhone. A game that we put in our handheld over and over, and keep coming back to. A game that stands the test of time, that hasn’t gone back to the used game store or hawked on ebay.
Got a favorite game for your favorite portable? Leave us your opinion in the comments. Feel like writing a full article on that favorite game? Email me and we’ll see what you got!
This time, though, it’s MY turn. I’ve got quite a few DS games, but there’s just a couple that stand above the rest. My choice for this post is probably not a surprise, as it’s one of the top rated games on the DS handheld: MarioKart DS.
I can tell what you’re thinking. You’re saying, “DUH! Great game, but come on! I’ve played it a billion times!” I hear you, I really do. However, this game keeps me coming back time and time again, for one simple reason: it’s FUN.
This is the fifth game with the Mario Kart name, and is apparently the first one to use Nintendo’s WiFi service. The gameplay is simple enough: steer your kart, driven by one of the Mario gang, around a track, and be the first one to cross the finish line after three laps.
What’s so fun about that? Well, mainly the fact that in order to win, especially against human opponents, you have to know the track. That in itself is a ton of fun. There are a couple of tricky moves, the simplest being skidding around a corner to shave off seconds for your time. The more advanced move, called snaking, took a good deal of time for me to master, but it’s invaluable to get that extra edge when in a close race. There’s even a way to draft in another person’s wake, and get a boost from THAT.
In addition, it contains those mystery boxes that you drive over to get special items, like speed mushrooms for a speed boost, or turtle shells to knock your opponents off the track. Or bombs. Or psychadelic flashy stars. FUN!
I know, it’s all old hat to you by now. The game was released in November of 2005, already. But you know what? Why do I keep putting it in my DS? Mainly, I think, because I can still have fun unlocking 
race tracks, and still play online. Online is what keeps most gamers going back to older titles.
Also, mini-games keep a title playable after the initial rush is over. Mario Kart DS has what it calls Missions. These are little races with objectives. You have to drive around and get all the coins, or grab a star and run over five cheep-cheeps. Basic fun, but great for a quick round before you have to do something.
All in all, Mario Kart is really a must have for the DS. With the pause functionality of the DS (just close the lid), I can race to my heart’s content pretty much everywhere. Doctor’s offices, airports, on the bus. Simple gameplay that keeps me coming back for more, time after time. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I gotta go bomb the lead kart.
Popularity: 5% [?]
