Race the Mushroom circuit

Mario is a veteran of the circuit. View larger.

Choose your favorite character. View larger.

Peach is a master drifter. View larger.

Select the Kart you want. View larger.

Bowser is the bruiser of the track. View larger.

Watch your position in the pack. View larger.

Progressing Through the Game
Place first in Grand Prix circuits or clear skill-based missions to open up increasingly difficult and thrilling circuits. Of course, players can have multiplayer races on any open courses or battle in arenas.

Game Modes: At Least Five Ways to Play
Whether you prefer to race by yourself or to mix it up with friends,Mario Kart DSis a game with something for everyone. Features five different game modes, these include a 'VS' and 'Battle' mode that are available in multiplayer for up to eight players via local wireless connection while all modes are available singleplayer. See a complete list and description of the play modes below:

• Grand Prix Mode: In Grand Prix Mode, the driver who earns the most points at the end of a four-course cup is the victor.Mario Kart DSfeatures eight different cups, with each cup featuring four different tracks.
• Time Trial Mode: Your objective in Time Trial Mode is to get the fastest time that you can on a single track. . You can save your best runs as ghost data and share them with a friend.
• VS Mode: A competitive mode that can be either singleplayer. or multiplayer. In the singleplayer. version you'll race against computer-controlled karts, while in multiplayer you'll race against human opponents who play using their own Nintendo DS systems.
• Battle Modes: Mario Kart DS contains two battle modes.
• Balloon Battle Mode: Your goal is to pop your opponent's balloons by attacking/stealing them by colliding into an opponent via a mushroom boost, before your own balloons are popped.
• Shine Runners: In this mode the driver who collects the most Shine Sprites is the winner.
• Mission Mode: In this mode you are given sets of specific missions that you must clear in order to move on to the next set of missions. What could wait at the end?

Wireless Communication: Even More Ways to Play:
Mario Kart DSfeatures three different forms of wireless game play: two kinds of local wireless game play and Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection online game play.Mario Kart DSoffers two different options for LAN Wireless game play: DS Download Play, in which only one player hasMario Kart DSand all players have Nintendo DS systems, and Multi-Card Play, in which all players haveMario Kart DSand Nintendo DS systems.

DS Download Play
As with all DS Download multiplayer games, the DS Download Play inMario Kart DSrequires that only one player has a copy of the game. Unlike past DS games, however, DS Download Play inMario Kart DSallows multiple players who have the game card to play with multiple players who do not have the game card. DS Download Play offers the following features:

• 2-8 player simultaneous wireless game play.
• A choice of multiplayer racing, Balloon Battle, or Shine Runner modes.
• Players who ownMario Kart DScan choose their own characters and use personalized icons, while players who do not ownMario Kart DSmust play as Shy Guy and cannot use personalized player icons.
• Track selection is limited to eight tracks for racing and three arenas for Balloon Battle and Shine Runner modes.
• DS Download Play is limited to the 100 cc engine class

• 2-8 player simultaneous wireless game play.
• Your choice of multiplayer racing, Balloon Battle, or Shine Runner modes.
• Players can choose from different engine classes.
• No limits on character choice.
• No limits on track choice.
• Player's win/loss ratio is saved and tracked.
• Players who race locally are automatically added to each other's friend roster and then can race via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.
• Players can trade ghost data wirelessly, allowing them to race against each others' best times.

• 2-4 players racing simultaneously.
• Choice of playing with:
• Friends only (players registered as Friends)
• Rivals (players with similar skills)
• Recent opponents
• Regional racers (players in their country)
• World racers (players anywhere in the world)
• No limit on course choice, but each player votes for a course and the course with the most votes wins (in case of a tie, the course is chosen randomly)
• No limit on character choice
• Players can create and use personalized player icons